Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), worries a lot about where the presidential- and CAO-level leadership for smaller institutions will come from over the next decade. A large majority of CAOs do not plan to attempt a presidency, many because they think the job is too hard and unappealing. In this University Business magazine essay, he makes the case that being a president is actually pretty rewarding, and discussions options for leadership development on the academic side of the house, to prepare future presidents.

What doesn’t get emphasized often enough is how satisfying the president’s job can be—at best, how the joys of the presidency more than compensate for its frustrations. Consider, first, that the cause of higher education is itself a lofty mission. To devote oneself professionally to an enterprise that helps other people equip themselves for future lives of success, satisfaction, and civic responsibility inspires idealism and is of clear societal value. Second, presidents do have the opportunity to craft, then to act on the basis of an idealized vision for the institution—to weave personal values into one’s work to an unusual degree. Third, leading is usually more satisfying than following—presidents may lie awake at night because every detail of campus life is ultimately their responsibility, but that is generally preferable to midnight anxiety over one’s boss’ fitful indecision.

Rogue trustees run roughshod over the norms and standards of behavior expected of public officials appointed or elected to office. They tend to trample over the ideas and cautions of the CEO, the trustee chair, and member trustees. They place their own interests over the interests of the college. They violate written and unwritten codes of conduct. They often make inappropriate alliances with faculty, staff, and other trustees. They recommend and support policies that are not in the best interests of the institution. They consume an inordinate amount of staff and meeting time. They know how to get attention, to appeal to the base elements in others, and to manipulate individuals and situations to their advantage. Most rogue trustees are quite bright and articulate; some are mentally unbalanced. They are sometimes loners, exiled from the herd, but they also create alliances with others to carry out their agenda. They are high maintenance. They tend to poison the culture of the college instead of helping to create a sense of community, collaboration, innovation, and common values. They become the catalyst for increased defensiveness, paranoia, subterfuge, and fear. In short, they cause enormous damage. The rogue trustee is the elephant in the room, creating an ever-widening circle of frustration and destruction for anything in its path.