COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP: WHAT DOES IT
MEAN AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Orlando L. Taylor
Fielding Graduate University
We Meet Today 5 Days After the 50th
Anniversary of “Bloody Sunday ”in Selma
A day when great, courageous
leadership was demonstrated.
• Many were leaders with no fancy title.
• Participants put themselves into
personal danger for a moral and just
cause.
• Society was the beneficiary.
• The leaders got few personal rewards.
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Welcome to New America
• Rapidly Changing Demographics with Whites
soon to a MINORITY—even in Universities!
• An Older America that works and studies longer
• More technology placing the US in a Global
Village.
• More and Quicker Population Movements
• A global marketplace—even for Universities
US Population Change 2005-2050
Demographic Shifts in Colleges
“It should come as no surprise that
student bodies will increasingly be
made up of members of minority
groups. At some point, probably
just after 2020, minority students
will outnumber whites on college
campuses for the first time.”
College 2020
Chronicle Research Service
The US Faces New Competitors
• By 2050 China will be the largest and India the second
largest economies in the world
• Increased strength of Korea, Australia and Canada
• New Europe has blurred cross border arrangements
• Global Competition & workforce re-distribution:
Volkswagen in Chattanooga/United Air in Bangalore
• Toyota sells more cars than any company in the world
• Students can study online anywhere in the world
Our Universities Will
Look Differently in New America
• Increased diversity with Whites the new
Minority!
• More women, older, and online students.
• More discovery than ever.
• Increased diversity of institutions,
academic packaging & delivery systems.
• Movement toward a more
managerial/business culture in higher
education.
Courageous Leaders Will
Be Needed in New America
• For Personal Success
• For the US to Remain Competitive
• For Universities to Remain
Competitive
Who Do You Consider to Be Among The
Greatest Leaders in World History
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Moses???
Jesus???
Joan of Arc???
George Washington???
Abraham Lincoln???
Sitting Bull???
Sojourner Truth???
Susan B. Anthony???
Franklin Roosevelt???
Jackie Robinson???
John Lewis???
Martin Luther King???
Rosa Parks???
Nelson Mandela???
David Boren???
Some Exemplars of
Courageous Leaders for Me
• Abraham Lincoln
• Sojourner Truth
• Nelson Mandela
• John Lewis
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Rosa Parks
Lincoln on Leadership
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Get Out of the Office and Circulate Among the Troops
Build Strong Alliances
Persuade Rather Than Coerce
Honesty and Integrity Are the Best Policies
Never Act Out of Vengeance or Spite
Have the Courage to Handle Unjust Criticism
Be a Master of Paradox
Exercise a Strong Hand—Be Decisive
Lead by Being Led
Set Goals and Be Results Oriented
Encourage Innovation
Influence People Through Convention and Storytelling
Preach a Vision and Continually Reaffirm It
Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and Feminist
• Truth is powerful and it prevails.
• If the first woman God ever made was strong
enough to turn the world upside down all alone,
these women together ought to be able to turn it
back, and get it right side up again!
• …women need to be helped into carriages, and
lifted over ditches, and to have the best place
everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages,
or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place!
And ain’t I a woman?
King on Leadership
• Courage is not the absence of fear, but the
triumph over it. The brave man is not he who
does not feel afraid, but who conquers that fear.
• Lead from the back—and let others believe they
are in front.
• A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the
flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead,
whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all
along they are being directed from behind.
Mandela on Leadership
• Never, ever give up.
• Our failures speak volumes about our character.
• We don’t all have to have the same opinion.
• If it were easy, everybody would be doing it!
• During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of
the African people. I have fought against white domination and
I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the
ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live
together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal
which I hope to live for and to achieve . But if needs be, it is an
ideal for which I am prepared to die
What Are Common
Attributes of My Exemplars
• Placed themselves at risk
• Worked toward a common goal, not a
personal goal
• Valued Followership
• Led by example
• Honesty to self
• Need not have a formal title
Attributes of Modern Day Courageous Leaders
• Takes Moral Stands even in the presence of
danger
• Stands up for the right thing
• Speaks up when injustice is perpetuated
• Goes against the majority when it is wrong
• Resists racism and sexism when others think its
safe
• Perseveres in the face of low odds
• Reminds others that the Moral Force of the
universe is long but it bends toward justice
Examples When There Was a
Lack of Courageous Leadership
• Swiss Watches
• Kodak
• Polaroid
• Question: Could Universities that
fail to embrace online education
suffer a similar fate????
Ten Attributes of Courageous Leaders: Forbes
• Confront reality head-on
• Seek feedback and LISTEN
• Say what needs to be said
• Encourage pushback
• Take action on performance issues
• Communicate openly and frequently
• Lead Change: From Good to Great!
• Make Decisions and Move Forward
• Give Credit to Others
• Hold people (and Yourself) accountable
When Is It Difficult to Lead?
• Going Against the Majority
• Doing the Right Thing when Its Risky
• Going against longtime friends and
colleagues
• Making decisions that could lead to
personal danger
• Doing the right thing when the organization
is doing the wrong thing
Courageous Leaders “Play to WIN”, Not
“Play to NOT LOSE” (Lafley and Martin)
• They aspire to winning
• There know where and when to play
• They have a strategy for winning
• They know the capabilities that must
be in place to win
• They know what management
systems need to be in place to win
Disruptive Forces in Universities That
Call for Courageous Leadership
• Technology in teaching and learning
• Demographic Changes
• New Competitors—simpler, more
accessible, cheaper and convenient
• Globalization
• Budget crunch: Making quality better, but
more affordable with less public support;
Increased ROI
K-State and Other Universities in New America
• MUST consider diversity/inclusion as core
values for the US to Continue to “Win”
• Prepare students to “Win” in Multicultural
America and the Global Community
• Make education Accessible, Affordable and
Attainable—while preserving Quality
• Use good business practices while
preserving Quality
Courageous Leaders Dare to Dream
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow
• Langston Hughes