LEADERSHIP IS OFTEN DESCRIBED in terms of vision, strategy, and decision-making. My experience as a law school dean has taught me that leadership is something more human than that. It is, at its core, an act of service.
I came to this realization unexpectedly. [On the return flight] home from an interview for my first deanship, a nervous passenger seated beside me asked if she could hold my hand during takeoff. My instinct was hesitation, but I said yes. For the next several minutes, I helped a stranger through a difficult moment. That experience stayed with me because it captured something essential about leadership: adjusting our own preferences in service of another person’s needs.
Academic leadership is fundamentally about people. It requires self-awareness, authenticity, and empathy. Leaders are often expected to provide answers, but some of the most important work involves listening, building trust, and helping others succeed. We shape organizations less through authority than through our presence, our relationships, and our example.
“Leaders are often expected to provide answers, but some of the most important work involves listening, building trust, and helping others succeed.”
Over time, I have learned several lessons. Live authentically. Don’t say things simply because you think a leader is supposed to say them. Lead from the middle by building coalitions and working alongside others rather than directing from above. Keep your ego small. Success belongs to teams, not individuals. And remember that friendliness and fairness matter more than popularity.
I have also learned that leadership can be lonely. Every interaction is viewed through the lens of the position. Yet the rewards outweigh the burdens because of the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
Ultimately, leadership is a full-contact sport. It requires engagement with others and with oneself. It demands vulnerability, resilience, and a willingness to be changed by the work. The legacy of any leader is not found in buildings, budgets, or titles. It is found in the people whose lives we have touched.
This is adapted from “Academic Leadership Is a Full-Contact Sport: Reflections From a Law School Dean,” published in Santa Clara Law Review, 2022.