If you don’t have time to read…you don’t have time to lead.
Of course, as President…you don’t have alot of time. So, just a few suggestions of books that I have found, over the years, very informative or influential.
On the general business/management side, some obvious choices:
Bolman and Deal and reframing present several classics, but the shorter version focused on education is: Reframing Academic Leadership, Bolman and Gallos. There is a version of Good to Great that recognizes the differences between education and business: Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Collins. Not as popular, but influential to me is Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink. Short, and I think very applicable to academics in particular. More recent, and excellent, is Start with Why, Sinek. I know there are many other excellent choices…and I’d love to hear your recommendations.
On the higher ed side, I have some favorites:
Designing the New American University, Crow, Dabars is a vision that does not fit all universities, but I think is particularly appropriate to research universities and gives a great picture of the role of higher education and how we can meet our country’s needs.
The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the Inside Out, Christensen, Eyering is a great comparison of Harvard and BYU-Idaho that will stimulate you to think about your mission rather than just trying to be Harvard.
Locus of Authority: The Evolution of Faculty Roles in the Governance of Higher Education: Bowen, Tobin provides a better understanding of faculty governance…but I wish that Faculty Senates would read it as I think they have abdicated, at many universities their important and appropriate roles of overseeing the curriculum and establishing professional expectations of faculty to wanting to run the mundane details for which we hire folks like our VP Finance.
Don’t forget to do your recreational reading…be sure to read the university’s Common Read, for example as well as some impactful or best sellers…your public and donors expect you to be well-read and well-spoken!