- Kevin Sanders
- Aug 2
- 6 min read
August 2, 2025
Read Time - 4 minutes
“The very qualities that get people promoted often become obstacles once they’re in leadership.”
— Marshall Goldsmith
When I stepped into my first major leadership role, I thought I was ready. I knew what I wanted to accomplish. I cared about the people. I was responsive, helpful, hands-on. Three months later, my calendar was running my life - and I was drowning.
The same habits that made me an effective faculty member—being available, solving problems, saying yes—were now holding me back. And more importantly, I wasn’t doing the work that excited me: vision, strategy, systems. I was firefighting. Fixing. Reacting. Fast forward many years, and after coaching dozens of academic leaders, I know this isn’t just my story.
It’s the story.
Smart, capable people finding themselves buried in work, unsure why their effort isn’t translating to impact. And the reason is simple:
👉 What got you here won’t get you there.
Leadership in higher ed requires more than effort. It requires a shift—in how we think, where we focus, and what we build.
From Surviving to Strategic
If you’re doing the job well—building strong programs, supporting your team, setting a real vision—the needs of your unit will evolve.
What worked in a crisis won’t sustain a season of growth. And what served your team in year one won’t carry them in year three.
That’s why I think of leadership as a progression—a series of levels, each with a different focus and demand.
They build on each other.
You can operate across them—but if you’re stuck at Level 1, you won’t lead well at Level 3.
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing the right work for where your program is now—and where it’s going next.
Let me show you how the levels stack up.
5 Levels of Academic Leadership
Each level gives you a leadership focus, practical tools, and a diagnostic check to guide your next step.
🟪 Level 1: The Grounded Leader
Focus: Yourself
You’re managing your time, energy, and mindset. You’re learning to navigate competing demands, define your role, and bring structure to your week.
What to Focus On & Build:
An intentional weekly schedule with built-in planning time
An email triage system (labels, flags, delegation rules)
A priorities tracker to stay focused on what matters most
A personal boundary policy (e.g., response times, meeting limits)
Check Yourself:
Have I clarified my leadership role to myself—or am I trying to do everyone’s job?
Is my calendar driving my priorities—or just reflecting other people’s urgency?
Do I have a regular time each week to plan and prioritize, or am I always reacting?
Do I have personal boundaries around work hours, email, or availability?
🟦 Level 2: The Team Leader
Focus: Your People
Your job is to create clarity for others—your faculty and staff. You’re setting expectations, establishing feedback loops, and building trust through consistent communication and direction.
What to Focus On & Build:
A consistent 1:1 meeting rhythm
A clear roles and responsibilities matrix
Timely, two-way feedback loops
Check Yourself:
Does everyone know what success looks like in their role—or do we have unspoken expectations?
Am I providing (and receiving) regular feedback—or just hoping things improve?
Do I hold regular 1:1s with each direct report—and are they actually useful?
🟨 Level 3: The Systems Leader
Focus: Your Processes
This level focuses on the workflows, policies, and recurring tasks that make your unit function. You’re aligning systems with strategy so you can focus your team’s time on higher-level issues.
What to Focus On & Build:
A strategic operations calendar
Standard operating procedures for key functions (e.g., funding requests, hiring, advising, comms).
Accountability systems that track follow-through for initiatives and committee work.
Check Yourself:
Do we have written processes or templates for recurring work (e.g., hiring, advising, reporting)?
When someone is out, can the system continue—or does everything stall?
Can I easily explain how we make key decisions—and who’s involved?
🟧 Level 4: The Culture Leader
Focus: Your Culture
Culture isn’t posters or slogans—it’s how people behave when no one’s watching. At this level, you’re shaping values, language, and norms to foster trust, belonging, and shared purpose.
What to Focus On & Build:
Recognition rituals that celebrate people and progress
Shared language around values and norms with faculty/staff input.
Intentional moments for connection (e.g., social gatherings, coffee chats)
Check Yourself:
Do we talk about who we are—not just what we do?
Are we reinforcing what we value when making tough decisions?
What’s being celebrated, tolerated, or ignored—and what story does that tell?
🟥 Level 5: The Institutional Leader
Focus: Your Influence
Your impact reaches across—and beyond—campus. You’re aligning with institutional strategy, mentoring rising leaders, and building long-term systems, partnerships, and narratives that others want to emulate. The work you’ve built is becoming a model—inside and outside your institution.
What to Focus On & Build:
A leadership pipeline and succession plan
Strategic partnerships (Career center, cross-campus collaborations, external orgs)
Signature programs or practices that position your unit as a model for peers
Public-facing narratives that clarify your unit’s impact and legacy
Check Yourself:
Have I built a leadership pipeline—or just a dependency on me?
Am I helping shape institutional strategy—or just reacting to it?
Is there a clear narrative about our unit’s identity and long-term vision?
Are we building strategic partnerships that multiply our mission?
The Bottom Line
This ladder is more than a progression—it’s a mirror.
It helps you see where you’re leading from now…
and where you’re being called to grow next.
Because what gets you from 0 to 1 (being hands-on, saying yes to everything, doing it yourself)—
won’t get you from 1 to 10.
And from 10 to 100, those same habits are a bottleneck.
Every level matters:
If you’re stuck in the weeds, strategy suffers.
If your systems run smoothly but culture is ignored, people drift.
If you mentor others but neglect team clarity, your impact won’t last.
Most leaders have a default level they rely on. But what once made you effective can quietly start holding you back.
To be clear, the goal isn't to rush to the top.
It’s about growing with intention—and leading at the level your mission requires.
Academic leaders who make a lasting impact don’t just think in semesters. They think in five- and ten-year spans. They build teams. Shape culture. Design systems that outlast them.
So ask yourself:
Where are you leading from now?
And what would it look like to lead one level higher?
Lead with clarity.
Lead with courage.
And leave something better behind you.
Try This Before Friday
Block off one hour on your calendar and label it:
“Leadership Focus.”
During that hour, ask yourself:
What level am I leading from most often right now?
What part of my work feels neglected—but matters for long-term impact?
What’s one small system, ritual, or conversation I can start that belongs to the next level?
Then take one small step:
→ Send the invite
→ Draft the SOP
→ Acknowledge the team win
→ Check in with a rising leader
Leadership isn’t about doing more.
It’s about moving with intention—one level up.
Start by Friday.
👥 Ready to Help Others?
This goes out each week to leaders trying to build better systems, stronger teams, and healthier departments. If this helped you navigate your corner of campus, pass it on! 👉 Subscribe here.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
1.) Get the free guide: Lead by Design. Put an end to reactive leadership. Learn how to clarify decisions, streamline workflows, and surface expectations—so you can fix what’s broken and focus on what matters most. 2.) Coaching for Academic Leaders: A focused 1:1 coaching experience for higher ed professionals who want to lead with clarity, build smarter systems, and stay centered on what matters most. I work with a limited number of clients each quarter to provide highly personalized, strategic support. Send me a message. 3.) Professional Development Workshops: Interactive sessions for faculty, staff, and leadership teams that help reduce conflict, streamline decision-making, and shift culture with smart systems. Virtual and in-person options available. Sessions tailored to your campus needs. |