Manchester College (IN) President Jo Young Switzer described her research with women college presidents and what advice they give to persons considering presidencies.

To provide a context for CAOs and CFOs, particularly women, contemplating a presidency, Jo Young Switzer, new president (then vice president and dean for academic affairs) of Manchester College (IN), described the results of her interviews with 15 women presidents that uncovered unexpected similarities and differences in how they became presidents, how they adapted to their responsibilities, and what advice they give to persons considering presidencies.
     “Only one woman president knew for a long time that she wanted to be president—all the rest described their journey to the presidency as a meandering, crooked road,” Switzer said. “Mentors helped them develop confidence in their leadership abilities and most took advantage of professional development opportunities such as the ACE Fellows Program and the Bryn Mawr Institute.” When they began their tenure as presidents, “the women for the most part did not feel like outsiders. However, they received mixed messages. People often thought their husband was the president, and they asked whether the woman was tough enough to do the job.” Accessibility is more of an issue for women presidents than for men. “People think they can just walk into a woman president’s office, where they wouldn’t do so with a man.”
     In terms of their leadership style, the responses of the women were varied: “I want to make a difference in the lives of students.” “I have a sense of calling to do good work.” “I’m a good listener,” “…a collaborative problem solver,” “…a story-teller.” “I feel less pressure to be right than to come up with solutions.” “If I’m good, I’m good—it doesn’t matter if I’m male or female.”
     Switzer’s questions about how women presidents balance their job and family responsibilities revealed that only one of the 15 had a child still at home while she was president; one-third could not imagine combining a presidency with children still at home. Most of those who were married said their husbands were willing to negotiate “redivisions of labor,” including doing dishes, driving, and caring for aging parents. The women still handled the family gifts, cards, and laundry. Most of the presidents had college-owned homes and help with basic housekeeping, but there were real differences, Switzer said.      “One had no housekeeping help, while others had house managers who handled everything. Those who had little or no help said they were wary of public perceptions: ‘It would ignite a furor!’ or ‘People would think I’m uppity.’”Their most precious resource is “time” and most of their concerns about the presidency revolved around the scarcity of time: they did not have enough time for “renewal” or exercise, and felt they had to be deliberate about how they spend their time.
     The advice they would give to other women thinking about the presidency ranged from “Be who you are/know who you are,” to “Don’t try to do everything at once; hire people you trust; and stay close to the board.”
     All 15 answered Switzer’s last question, “Knowing what you know now, would you do it again?” with the same word: “Absolutely!”