Building Courage to Lead

The annual National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) national meeting is this week, and its theme is The Courage Within. NACAC notes the following about its conference: “At NACAC, we believe there is no greater calling than serving students, families, and institutions to ensure the next generation thrives. Yet in today’s volatile landscape, it takes courage to be an educator. Divisive politics, global instability, and demographic shifts are among the headwinds making the college admission counseling profession more challenging than ever. The courage to do this work starts from within. Before we can lead others, we must find and strengthen our own center. As flight attendants remind us each time we board a flight: we must put our own masks on before helping others. The most effective leaders strengthen their inner core. They work on finding stillness despite the chaos that surrounds them. This year’s conference will inspire members to learn how to lead from within. The courage to lead in the college admission counseling profession starts with building our own strength, resiliency, and resolve. Once we do, there is nothing this community can’t accomplish together.”

And as we noted last month, the lingering uncertainty among colleges and universities about their future is feeding a chaotic conundrum for so many in higher education leadership—not just in enrollment management. No question, higher education is experiencing many difficult problems today that require informed insights that lead to intelligent solutions.

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Without a doubt, today colleges and universities are living in an “enigma” as they face multiple difficult problems that are often too hard to figure out. But rather than just sitting back and wondering what should be done and who should do it, it takes engaging in active collaboration to facilitate viable solutions that can lead to legitimate problem solving. People do support what they help create. And actions speak louder than words. Now is definitely the time to impact the chaotic conundrum that is lingering among so many campus communities and engage in getting done what needs to be done—and inspiring “the courage within” yourself to do what NACAC has prompted: “The future of a generation lies with us. The courage to lead them lies within.”