Investing in Leaders and Leadership to Secure a Desirable Future

Abstract

Investments in the select few who already are or will become academic leaders are essential but insufficient. Investments also need to be made in collective leadership because leadership is an activity or function, not merely a person. Both good leaders and collective leadership are needed in the never-ending journey toward selective excellence. A review of the challenges and opportunities manifest in the internal and external environments for higher education supports this claim and five others. First, there are certain non-negotiable strategies. Second, every leadership strategy is an intervention. Third, contingent leadership with multiple strategies is nearly mandatory. Fourth, organizational readiness for change is an enduring priority. Finally, leadership is founded on disciplinary stewardship. To thrive, kinesiology must be both a fortress discipline and an adaptive, connected discipline. Keeping the best of specialization, while combating fragmentation, stewardship must be firmly connected to faculty career identities and structures provided by existing and newly-configured sub-disciplines.

Keywords:

• Leaders
• leadership
• leadership preparation
• organizational readiness
• disciplinary stewards