In the wake of heightened responsibility, accountability, and scrutiny, higher-education leaders recognize an undeniable truth: Authentic leadership requires inner work.
In Leadership in the Crucible of Work: Discovering the Interior Life of an Authentic Leader (Florida Hospital Publishing, 2013), Sandy Shugart likens pressure-filled conditions within organizations to a crucible that can, contrary to conventional wisdom, result in positive transformation when leaders do that inner work.
Through personal reflections, essays, and poetry, Shugart, president of Valencia College, explores the substance of work and how communication, collaboration, creativity, connectedness, forgiveness, and hope can abound in the crucible. He holds that leaders, by reflecting on their character, spirit, and heart, are “purified and shaped” by the crucible, fortified to both endure pressure and to bless others.
I first read Shugart’s enlightening book in 2014, after meeting him at a conference. As I reread it today, I am reminded to lead courageously so that I can inspire students — weighed down by academic woes and self-doubt — to conquer the crucibles in their lives. I am reminded to engage faculty and staff members as collaborative partners to battle educational inequities and barriers to student achievement. I am reminded that, despite the crucible of work, with all of its might, when we as higher-education leaders embrace inner work, our students and colleagues are likewise empowered. Together, then, we can emerge brilliantly transformed.
Monica W. Walker is dean of developmental education and special academic programs at the Community College of Baltimore County.
