Over the next 10 years, every person on staff is a leader, influencing change. LERN has identified three new components that constitute change-oriented leadership for the next 10 years.
A recent LERN consultation with a LERN member organization confirmed the three primary aspects of what constitutes change-oriented leadership for the next 10 years; and what every lifelong learning program staff person can influence and help create.
I. Help Create the Vision
For a need for a new Vision for the role and Mission of the institution. Mission & Niche And your institution’s Vision also has to include a niche that differentiates and distinguishes your continuing education unit, if not institution, from everyone else.
That new Vision includes building on your historical mission and reframing it in terms of the needs of society in the 21st century.
II. Develop New Programs, Delivery, and Audiences
Pitch in. Every staff not only ca but must, contribute to the development of new programs, delivery formats and serving new audiences. Some common elements in new directions almost certainly will be more hybrid and online courses. Content programs will be most successful if they fill a need and niche, and serving new audiences also will have the most success if you choose audiences with whom you can be a major player.
III. Streamline Processes
Obsolete, cumbersome, customer unfriendly and time-consuming processes have to be revised and redesigned to be faster, simpler, less time consuming and customer friendly.
New technology and software now can make processes and procedures both more effective and more efficient, saving valuable staff time that can be redirected to other core functions.
As one Swedish labor union leader put it, “I’m not afraid of new technology. I’m afraid of old technology.” For more on how to streamline processes, email us at info@lern.org
