Taking Responsibility

President Peggy Ryan Williams is an energetic presence on campus. She's also in great demand as a speaker off campus. She has made a half dozen keynote speeches in recent months. Speaking to women's business and higher education organizations, as well as to college and university administrators and students, she has addressed topics ranging from organizational resilience to leadership to women's roles in higher education to community partnerships. Here we share with you excerpts from two of these talks.

On Women in Leadership Roles (at the Women's Leadership Conference in Cortland)

Follow your interests and develop your gifts. Approach life without gender as a consideration.

There is no one path, no one life that is right for everyone. When traveling your path, be there for your colleagues; be generous of spirit as they seek to chart their paths. Mentor young girls - many of whom still hold notions that are unrealistic in terms of "princes on white horses" who will rescue and take care of them. It is not going to happen - and the illusion affects the way girls think about their interests, abilities, and sense of responsibility for charting their own futures.

Take risks. Find support. Don't let others set limits for you. Seek out others who will be honest and realistic with you. Identify those you admire and figure out what you want to emulate. Be authentic; never try to be someone you are not. Make room in your life for yourself and for those people who are important to you. Keep working to find balance.

Ultimately, these are the questions for all of us: What am I good at? What do I enjoy doing? How do I want to live my life?

On Leadership and Organizational Vitality (at Middlebury College)

We live in an extraordinarily fast-paced world that shows no signs of slackening. We have global connections and remarkable access to in- formation - making everything seem possible and immediate. Add resource constraints, cost pressures, and efficiency and accountability considerations, and pressure in- creases on us and our organizations.

So, what does this require of leaders? There are no days when we have "done it" or when things are settled. We must be the kind of leaders who acknowledge the capacity and talent of others - and give people what they need to run with things, supporting them in their navigation of new and uncharted waters. This requires quick thinking, courage to make and remake decisions, and a keen sense of "I don't know exactly, but I have the capacity to figure it out."

To what extent can we reduce or moderate the pace within our organizations? How can we be quick and nimble without using up our energy reserves? One thing we can do is discuss these realities with each other to enhance our understanding of our work context. We also have a responsibility to pay attention to those things that unnecessarily compound the situation - seemingly small or insignificant things that distract much of our time and energy; for example:

• What committees/task forces do we need? How frequently and for how long should meetings last?
• What reports do we really need? What deserves to be put in writing (very little in my view)? How has e-mail helped, and to what extent has it just created another layer?
• What can we adopt from others and not create from scratch? What are some "best practices" we can emulate?
• What can we stop doing? Our organizations are creative entities, full of new and exciting ideas, but we're not skilled at casting off existing activities and programs.
• What can we, as leaders, do to shape a reasonable agenda - and not take on the world in a week or month or year because of our own creativity or interests or impatience?

Everyone has a key role to play. Overconfidence on the part of the leader or other members of the team can put the group at risk. Be confident, not overconfident, in your own interpretation of situations and events. Look to others frequently and be open to their interpretations as well. Focus on learning and encourage others to do likewise.