Trusteeship - November/December 2020 - 26

TA KEAWAYS
■  Trust is fundamental to effective

leadership at colleges and
universities during the COVID-19
pandemic. As presidents
and governing boards make
unpopular yet essential
decisions, they must sustain
trust or risk institutional
damage that can last for years.
■  To maintain institutional

viability, trust, and credibility
with stakeholders, leadership
teams must align their crisis
action plans with institutional
mission, vision, and values.
Such alignment promotes
transparency and accountability
with stakeholders in ways that
sustains trust during these
unprecedented times.
■  Board members and presidents

may cultivate trust by leading
with empathy, communicating
honestly and consistently,
responding rapidly, and
conveying information
frequently to stakeholders.
These principles combined
with strategic leadership and
risk management safeguards
institutional help during and
after the pandemic.

26 TRUSTEESHIP  NOV. DEC. 2020

Why Trust Matters More
During a Crisis
The speed at which leaders make decisions
during a crisis conflicts with the norms of
academic culture, where stakeholders expect
careful, extended, consultative deliberation,
and violation of these norms can undermine
trust in leaders and governing boards. Decisions made by presidents and boards may be
viewed as illegitimate, especially by faculty
who expect to have input into institutional
decisions or alumni committed to maintaining an institution's traditions.
To maintain credibility and stakeholder
trust, presidents and board members leading
in crises can align actions with institutional
mission, vision, and values. Ralph Gigliotti,
director of the Rutgers Center for Organizational Leadership, suggests that higher
education crisis leadership necessitates flexibility and rapid response facilitated by a "culture of preparedness that allows for agile and
swift-yet also sound and thoughtful, values-based, and stakeholder-centered-decision making when crisis situations occur."5
Decisions may adhere to these principles,
but if others cannot interpret decisions as
such, leaders risk failing to resolve a crisis
effectively as trust can quickly erode.
In the coming weeks and months, trust
in presidents and boards will continue to
be tested. Leaders will continue to engage
in the debate about when and how to begin
in-person instruction (if the institution
started virtually) and research, framed at
times as a choice between health and safety
or institutional financial viability. Some institutions will necessarily implement measures
to reduce expenditures, such as furloughing or eliminating staff to meet significant
budget reduction targets. Navigating the
minefield of upcoming decisions may prove
fatal for those leaders unable to nurture and
sustain trust among stakeholders as they
precariously balance the competing needs of
those who have entrusted leaders with their
educations, health, and livelihoods. Even as
leaders make difficult decisions, presidents
and board members can communicate to

engender trust during and after a crisis and
inspire confidence in stakeholders.

Key Ingredients for
Building Trust During a Crisis
Presidents and board members establish and
sustain trust among stakeholders during a crisis by leading with empathy, communicating
honestly and consistently, responding rapidly,
and conveying information frequently.
Empathy
Harvard professors Michaela Kerrissey and
Amy Edmondson suggest that leadership
"in an uncertain, fast-moving crisis means
making oneself available to feel what it is
like to be in another's shoes-to lead with
empathy."6 By exhibiting a high regard for
the experiences, perspectives, and feelings
of others, especially those who are suffering, presidents and board members can
lead and govern with empathy.
People expect to be heard, especially
now that social media provide ample
opportunities to speak, and listening can
facilitate empathetic leadership in crisis.
Presidents and boards can create opportunities for two-way communication, to listen
and to respond thoughtfully, especially
involving individuals significantly impacted
by a crisis. By using what is learned through
listening, leaders can adapt crisis strategy
and tailor communications.
Honesty and Consistency
Former president of the University of
North Texas Gretchen Bataille and Northwestern University professor Diana Cordova emphasize the potential consequences
of failing to communicate openly: "...honesty and forthrightness of the messages can
make the difference in how the final story
is slanted, and evasion and dishonesty will
leave a mark forever on an institution's reputation."7 University presidents and boards
sustain trust by speaking honestly and
operating transparently. If something is not
yet known, leaders can be open about it,
describe when critical details are expected
Trusteeship - November/December 2020

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