the importance of fostering student leadership steven grossman northeastern university resnet...

The Importance of Fostering Student

LeadershipSteven Grossman

Northeastern University

ResNet Symposium 2011

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Why My Passion?

• Me, Circa 2003

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Today’s Main Ideas

• Top Performers -- Top Priority

• When Peers Lead, Everyone Benefits

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

About Northeastern• 19,856 students

– 8200 On-campus

• Experiential learning (Cooperative Education)

• Urban Campus in the Heart of Boston

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

“Responsibility is transformational.”

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

A “Typical” Student Employee

• Intelligent and curious

• Track record of academic success

• Passionate about technology

• Gone in 4 years (5 at NEU!)

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

The ResNet Team Dynamic

Part On-Campus Job Part Extracurricular Activity

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Our Balancing Act

Professionalism

PerformanceDiscipline

EnjoymentExperienceCreativity

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

“It’s when no one is asking you to work that you should worry!”

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

The “10-80-10” Rule

High Performers

Low Performers

Average Performers

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

One Possible Management Strategy

• Jack Welch– Former CEO of GE

• Fired bottom 10% every year!

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

The High Performer Paradox

Management

High Performers

Average and Low Performers

assigns more work to

focuses attention on

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

The High Performer Paradox

Management

High Performers

Average and Low Performers

resent

resent

assigns more work to

focuses attention on

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

The High Performer Paradox

Management

High Performers

Average and Low Performers

resent

resent

assigns more work to

focuses attention on

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

An alternate strategy…

Management

High Performers

Average and Low Performers

assigns more work to

focuses attention on

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

An alternate strategy…

Management

High Performers

Average and Low Performerswork directly

with & lead by example

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Who Benefits?

• Student Leaders

• Student Staff

• Your Customers

• YOU!

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

“Leaders get the job done,

regardless of rank or title.”

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Student Leader Development

vs.

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

More Structured Approach

• Assigned “leadership” roles– e.g. Student Supervisor

• Better for larger organizations

• For more info on this approach:• Sunday, Session 5• “Working Together: Giving Students the

Professional Edge”• Erin Nettifee

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Less Structured Approach

• Leadership roles unassigned or ad-hoc

• Better for smaller organizations

• NEU ResNet– 40 employees– Open weekday business hours– Walk-in Support only

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

NEU ResNet’s Mission Statement

Outstanding

Customer Outcomes

Commitment to

Customer Service

Hands-on Technical Education

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Dan (Manager)

Joe (Supervisor)

Steve (Analyst)

Co-ops, GAs, Senior Techs

Student Staff

System Admins

Project Team Leads

Project Team Members

Floor Leadership

Project Leadership

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Floor Leadership

• No specialized knowledge required

• GA’s/Co-op’s play special role

• Peer leadership fosters good habits and hard work

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

System Administrators

• Maintain All Internal Systems and Servers

• “Supervise” Project Leads

• Continuous Presence Required

• Extra Responsibilities (“on call”)

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Project Leadership

• Project Leads as Staff Sergeants

• Every Project has 1-2 designated leads

• 15 different project leads

• Main undergrad leadership track

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Project Management

• FTS to oversee all aspects

• Set clear expectations

• Holistic view of office as “system”

• Excellent training for future software developers

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Benefits We’ve Seen

• Greatly increased staff participation

• Fewer staff “points of failure”

• Limited FTS manhours optimized

• More projects Better outcomes

• Greater job satisfaction/enthusiasm

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

“Effective leadership is infectious.”

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Building Your Student Leader Base

• Start during hiring/training

• Assess interpersonal skills

• Calls for action/project proposals

• Nurture nascent leadership

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

“No one wants their work to go unappreciated.”

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Recognizing Your Leaders

• Official Job Titles/Leadership positions

• Higher wages/bonuses

• Public Appreciation– Tech of the Month– Recognitions on wikis/websites/newsletters– Public thanks at project completion

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

ResNet Alumni Dinner & Award Ceremony

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

Presentation Review

http://www.resnetsymposium.org/rspm/evaluation/

The Importance of Fostering Student Leadership

“Leading others is a tremendous

responsibility: to lead someone is to reshape

their world.”