Have you heard our clients describe what happens when they work with us?
Rebuilding from the Ground Up: Revitalizing an Academic Department
When James accepted the interim chair position at a prestigious university department, he inherited what many would consider a leadership vacuum—the department had lost not only its previous chair but most of its core administrative team.
“I stepped into a role where nearly all central support infrastructure had disappeared,” James explained. “My challenge was twofold: rebuild the operational backbone while simultaneously restoring faculty morale—all while conducting a search for a permanent chair.”
The Challenge
Critical administrative positions responsible for operations, finances, and human resources sat vacant. Faculty members, though committed, had grown disheartened after watching their leadership team dissolve.
Traditional leadership development programs offered by the institution didn’t address these specific circumstances, leading James to seek individualized coaching support.
Our Work Together
Unlike the group-based training James had experienced previously, our coaching relationship provided personalized support tailored to his evolving situation.
“What made the difference was having someone who listened to what I was experiencing in real time,” James reflected. “Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model, we worked together to assess specific challenges, identify available resources, and develop approaches that fit my context.”
Our sessions created space for both immediate problem-solving and deeper reflection on leadership patterns, focusing on reframing challenges and recognizing when crisis-mode thinking might distort perspective.
The Impact
Through our work together, James developed greater awareness of his leadership strengths and blind spots, learning when his intuitive decision-making served him well and when it needed tempering.
He cultivated the ability to step back from crisis thinking, gaining perspective that helped him interpret colleagues’ behaviors more accurately.
Perhaps most importantly, he discovered that leadership need not be isolating: “There are moments in leadership where it feels lonely,” James noted. “I learned you don’t have to shoulder the entire burden of difficult decisions alone.”
With renewed confidence, James successfully rebuilt the department’s infrastructure while fostering a more resilient faculty culture—creating stability beyond his interim leadership.
Get in touch and find out how you can get results like this for your team!