Anyone who has worked on a team knows that everyone has a different style of doing things. The same applies to leadership. Warren Community College’s Board of Trustees recently learned that even a seemingly well-oiled machine can improve! 

With COVID-19 taking a hit on all aspects of life, including colleges and universities, the WCC board took part in a specially crafted program that will assist them now, and in the future, in planning for the Post-COVID era in 2021, and beyond.

“We have to start with a clean slate,” said WCC Board Chair Dr. Phil Linfante. “What will be the new norm? We need to figure that out and stay ahead of the curve. We’ve got a new administration coming in and indications are that it will support community colleges particularly as many people may need to reassess their life goals.” 

As for WCC, while he feels the WCC board has had an effective team chemistry and is ready for the challenges ahead, Dr. Linfante was curious to learn if there were ways to be even better prepared in the immediate, and in the future. He invited in Barbara Trautlein, of the CQ System for Developing Change Intelligence, for an assessment of the board’s ability to adapt to change. 

“I begin CQ workshops with an assessment and appreciation of the group’s individual strengths, then discuss how to close up any gaps to improve the group as a whole,” explained Trautlein. Then, they can “delve into techniques for analyzing any challenging situation, assessing progress, identifying next steps, and planning action.” 

“It’s all about awareness of our strengths and adapting our style when that’s important for the team,” said Dr. Linfante. “The more we know about ourselves and others, the more we know where people are coming from.” 

The assessment process identified Trustees as having certain leadership styles when dealing with change—such as adapting and serving a college’s students, staff, and community during a pandemic. 

“Change can create both exhilarating opportunity and a feeling of danger,” Trautlein said. “I define Change Intelligence as an awareness of one’s own change leadership style and the ability to adapt it to be optimally effective across a variety of situations.” 

What the Board learned from Trautlein’s assessment was that, while members come from a diversified professional background, many of the Trustees have similar leadership styles when facing change, leaving gaps in their approach. 

For example, many of the board members are considered “Coaches” under the CQ model, which lead with their heart. The board was lacking in areas like Facilitators and Drivers. 

“The assessment made me aware of more things I could do to help the Board. We didn’t have any Facilitators and it was easy for me as an Adapter to add that missing piece,” said Board member Maria Maier, a business owner. “I’m a listener and observer, and I can cut to the chase. All I needed to do was speak up rather than keep my ideas to myself.” 

In fact, each Trustee found that they can harness pieces of each leadership style by acknowledging what they respect about other Trustees’ perspectives when approaching challenges at the table. 

Yvonne Reitemeyer, a financial accountant and also a Board member, appreciated the positive feedback: “It was great positive reinforcement. I bring a corporate perspective to a Board that’s primarily academics and I appreciate what people said about me.” 

Moving forward, the board will use what they learned to address change by taking a moment to look at the problem from each change leadership style. 

“Just because you think things are going well doesn’t mean you should not look to improve,” said Dr. Linfante. “You don’t want to stand pat. It’s good to take a fresh look every once in a  while. There is always room to do things better and now more than ever we have to keep that in mind.”

WCC, deemed one of the safest colleges in the United States, annually is rated the No. 1 community college in the state for graduation rate and has been listed among the best in having students attaining improvement of their financial well-being following graduation. The College’s Associate in Nurse Education program has annually been ranked among the best in the state by numerous industry groups. Earlier this year, WCC’s nursing program also topped a “Best Of” list by NursingExplorer.com, which highlighted Warren as the “Best Value” associate degree program in North Jersey and the second among all 70 state programs. The rankings were based on pass rates and net prices.