leadership in financial aid presented by kari zakariasen and david vikander

Leadership in Financial Aid

Presented by Kari Zakariasen and David Vikander

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Topics to Cover

• Leading your team through challenging changes

• Cross-departmental communication• Applying your leadership skills to your

Campus Culture• Professional Development, including

opportunities within MAFAA

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What is Leadership?

“In the broadest sense of the word, a “leader” is someone who brings people together and guides them toward a common goal. Anyone can tell others what to do, but effective leadership requires much more than the ability to assign tasks to a group…a true leader must be able to inspire his or her team.”

- by Nicole Fallon, Business News Daily, December 10,2014 article

“The best leaders are not well-rounded; the best teams are.”

- Stuart Friedman, author of Total Leadership

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“Today’s financial aid director wears many hats: counselor, manager of budgets, supervisor, implementer of

regulations, and keeper of data, to name a few. As the role of financial aid director has become increasingly complex and challenging, so has filling this position. A job posting

could read something like a hybrid circus performer: juggler/tight-rope walker/magician with excellent

communication, supervisory and financial management skills, and at least five years of experience in financial aid.”

- Jennifer Wick, University Business, May 2012

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My Leadership Style: Kari

• According to Strength Finders (by Tom Rath):– Responsibility: Commitment to my team is my

motivation to complete projects/tasks– Relator: tend to have a diplomatic approach to

initiatives – bringing in other opinions, balancing workload, and finding practical ways to accomplish tasks

– Harmony: seek areas of agreement, do not enjoy conflict

– Belief: my beliefs are etched in stone, my passion equips me to fight, can be headstrong in my established procedures.

– Consistency: very important for myself and in others

• Themes: Executing and Relationship Building• My Assistant Director’s 5 strengths are: Responsibility, Input,

Achiever, Strategic, and Learner

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Leading Through Change

• Create a plan and understand the end goal• Communicate clearly (and often) around

challenges and benefits of the change – poor communication is the main reason for failed initiatives

• Identify key players: change advocates as wells as potential saboteurs

• Delegate tasks and set realistic objectives• Equip your team with the proper tools and

resources• Manage expectations

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• Managing Expectations– With your superiors

• Know your data: sources, key factors, trends• Clear communication on what is or is not

working• Setting the correct expectations during the

change

– With your team• Understanding the Resistance: “been there,

done that” in regards to a past failed change; Overburdened; tired of constant change

• Create a culture of creativity and innovation – get their input on the process, implement their ideas.

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• Change is everybody’s job• Change is not easy• Change can be managed• Change can be successful• Change is requiredhttp://www.slideshare.net/whipplehill/uc13-best-practice-change-management-michael-fedder?ref=

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Leadership: Cross-Departmental Communication

• Trust is key:

– To deliver accurate, reliable information between team members

– To maintain a high level of customer service around the process a student moves through

– To communicate efficiently around tasks/projects affecting other teams (increase in Admissions applications/goals)

– To reduce conflict and maintain productivity

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• Focus on the Mission – do not forget the bigger picture, beyond the individual goals

• Know the lay of the land – uncover key concerns and barriers, understand the problem before trying to solve it

• Model productive communication – team members look to their leaders to set the tone

• Take time to build relationships with peers from other departments

http://www.inter-growth.com/ideas-issues/keys-to-fostering-cross-departmental-communication/



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• Be inclusive – ask for opinions• Give people credit for their ideas or

help• Listen – when someone brings you a

concern about you or your department, listen, ask questions, and try to view it from their perspective

• Embrace diversity





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My Leadership Style: David• According to “Now, Discover My Strengths

(by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton PHD)– Adaptability – Live in the moment. Future can

change based on choices made now.– Competition – Competition is rooted in

comparison. Instinctively aware of other people’s performance.

– Empathy – Can sense the emotions of others around you.

– Fairness – Balance is important. Keenly aware of the need to treat people the same.

– Harmony – Look for areas of agreement.

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Leadership - Campus CultureChallenges for campus leaders:

1) To bridge the gap between the academic and non-academic dimensions of campus

2) To instill a viable culture of integrity and civility throughout the entire institution.

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Leadership - Campus CultureWhat is an Institutional Culture?

- Widely shared beliefs, values, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors based on history and tradition.

- Reinforced by conformity of most campus members.

- Formal Written Rules, Policies and Standards

- Informal Norms – How we perceive, think, feel and do things on campus.

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Leadership – Campus CultureCreating an Institutional Culture of Integrity

- Support ethical and civil behavior by the entire campus culture

- Recognize the interdependence of personal and academic integrity

- Understand that ideals and needs of the larger community may be in conflict with individual self-interest

- “Moral thought and behavior is shaped by the “institutional ethics” (either intentionally or unintentionally) - “ Keller, P.A. (2011). Integrating Ethics Education Across the Education System”

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Leadership - Campus CultureThe Partnership Model – Building Bridges not Silos

“Establishment of vibrant educational partnerships among members of the academic

faculty and student affairs professionals in which all campus educators share broad responsibility

for achieving defined student outcomes”

Keeling, R (Ed). (January 2004) Learning reconsidered: a campus-wide

focus on the Student Experience.

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Leadership - Campus Culture- What is the relationship like on your

campus between faculty and student support services?

- What is the relationship between different student support service offices?

- How can the relationship between all parties on campus be made better?

- What are some of the obstacles?

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Leadership - Professional Development• Professional Development: refers to

skills, knowledge, or experience that is required to progress in your field

• Why does it matter to us? – Provides additional specialized training – Boosts your creativity as you are

introduced to new ideas or processes – or a “different way to do the same thing”

– Cultivates strong networking relationships with other professionals

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MAFAA - Professional Development

Statement of PurposeThe Minnesota Association of Financial Aid

Administrators (MAFAA) is an association of professionals committed to the principle that no one should be denied access to higher education for financial reasons.

Mission StatementMAFAA's mission is to provide training, research,

information, expertise and advocacy in support of the timely, accurate, and ethical delivery of financial aid funds to Minnesota students.

In pursuit of this mission, MAFAA's focus is collegial in approach, inclusive in practice, intentional in action and student-focused in intent; dealing with divisive issues before they are used to divide us and seeking solutions that are inclusive of all providers of higher education in Minnesota.

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Volunteer opportunities within MAFAA - Elected Positions:

President - Elect (3 year term: President-Elect, President, Past-President)

Vice PresidentSecretaryTreasurer – Elect (2 year term: Treasurer-Elect,

Treasurer)Sector Representative (2 year term)

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Volunteer opportunities within MAFAA - Appointed Positions:

Archivist/Historian, Membership/Directory, Newsletter Editor, Site Selection, Web Development, or List Serve

Committee Chair• Conference Planning, Professional Development,

Business Partners, Leadership Symposium, Outreach

• Task Force/Ad Hoc Committees

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Additional Volunteer Opportunities:Committee VolunteerSession Moderator or PresenterFinancial Aid Night Volunteer or

PresenterCollege Fair VolunteerPhotographerReporter/WriterOTHER…

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Volunteer by going to www.mafaa.org

http://www.mafaa.org/

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Leadership in Financial Aid

leadership in financial aid presented by kari zakariasen and david vikander

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