Leading From the Middle

Leading from the middle is essentially the ability to move one’s peers to share institutional values and to accomplish institutional goals and involves staff members who are rarely seen as leaders, namely, the middle strata of administration in institutions of higher education. These include coordinators, directors, program, technical, operational, and professional staff members whose leadership is not based upon position or authority but rather upon personal skill and commitment to the institution. Their performance ensures, for example, that student processes function; facilities operate; finances are secured, dispersed, and accounted for; personnel are supported and served; and the institution is branded and marketed. This entry provides an overview of leading from the middle, first defining mid-level administrators and exploring challenges they face, then discussing what leading ...