Atlanta Business Chronicle just named our list of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs of 2020. They will be honored on Dec. 10 at a virtual awards event. Here’s a Q&A with one of the honorees, Pamela Whitten, president of Kennesaw State University.
Q: What are the keys to CEOs building a high level of trust in their organizations?
A: To build trust, there are a number of things a CEO should do, but two stand out to me. First, tell the truth, even if it’s not what people want to hear. It is of course important to be kind to people, but an honest assessment of resources, opportunities and challenges simultaneously enable an organization to be more successful and the individual employees to have the fortitude to do the right thing in all situations. Sometimes, CEOs must deliver unfavorable information, and that can be difficult. But as the old adage goes, honesty is always the best policy. If someone has reason to question you, they will not trust you to lead them.
Second, walk the walk. Do not ask your team to do things you are unwilling to do yourself. At KSU, we have heard from some faculty concerned about teaching face-to-face in the coming spring semester. We are certainly not the only university around the nation that has faculty with these concerns, given the current state of things. KSU is taking incredible steps to ensure the safety of its faculty, staff and students, including social distancing, masks and frequent cleaning. Yet, it’s easy to say that I trust the measures in place. It’s another thing to put myself in the situation I am asking others to do. This spring, I too will be teaching a class face to face. It’s for our MBA program, and I am excited not only to be back in the classroom, but also to be in the same environment as other faculty at KSU as we work to make the best decisions for the university and our students.
Q: Who is a favorite leader you admire, and why?
A: I have always been drawn to Winston Churchill. His career as a leader was a roller coaster, from the highs of his brave escape from a prisoner-of-war camp during the Boer War while working as a correspondent, to the disaster of the Battle of Gallipoli under his watch as First Lord of Admiralty, to the extremes he went to in order to lead Great Britain during the second World War. Though in many ways successful, he is a constant reminder that everyone is flawed. He demonstrates the wonder of those leaders who get knocked down and get back up better for their mistakes. He also exemplifies that there are sometimes special circumstances that call for a certain type of leader.
Q: Please explain how you and your organization make tough decisions.
A: The leadership team at Kennesaw State University makes decisions by first gaining the best possible understanding of the situation and the impact it will have on others. We gather every piece of data we can employ that will help in analyzing various options, including input and ideas from a wide array of key stakeholders. We then formulate a decision and attempt to be transparent in communicating that decision and why it was made.
Of course, some situations allow more time for gathering information than others, but regardless of the situation, we always ask how each and every decision will benefit our students. We do everything in our power to ensure that no decision is made without making sure students benefit (or at least are not harmed) by that decision. By putting students first, we are helping them find their wings.
Q: Please give some details about one of your top accomplishments of the past year that you are most proud of.
A: Responding to Covid has transformed the very nature of leadership for 2020. I believe that those who have led a complex organization during a crisis of this nature will be better for it from a leadership perspective, having gained an appreciation for the challenges it presents and having learned a few new things along the way. Needing to make decisions when there is no right answer can be daunting but necessary. Tack onto that the need to constantly adjust for updated scientific and medical information combined with tempering the fears and concerns of so many, and the challenge increases tenfold. Yet, in challenge there is opportunity, if we adapt. The current situation has generated an increasing need for flexibility and a willingness to pivot quickly. It has also brought about new levels of empathy as we each find ways to tackle the additional challenges this year has brought.
Covid aside, we are still accomplishing much at Kennesaw State. Since I started in 2018, KSU has experienced record-breaking enrollment and now has more than 41,000 students. As president, I have made improving the student education and experience my top priority by expanding engaged learning opportunities, initiating new faculty and advisor hiring, and raising funds for student scholarships. With KSU's recent designation as an R2 (research) university, we are also strengthening the research capacity of the university. And, we are realizing an increasing desire to invest in KSU students as evidenced by the three largest gifts in the university’s history occurring over the past 12 months.
Q: What top piece of advice would you share with other CEOs?
A: I would first seek advice rather than offer it to other CEOs. Certainly it is always interesting to discover the universal issues leaders face when running a large organization, regardless of whether the context is higher education, finance, hospitality or some other field. For instance, the rapid pace of change in technology and the need to adopt technology in new ways affects us all.
The universals are evident in many areas. The best organizations have a tremendously talented leadership team surrounding the top executive, and they look to hire and develop talent elsewhere within the organization. In addition, each organization must have a great product to succeed, and we all face certain challenges, such as how to communicate effectively in the cacophony of social media. In fact, I would suggest there is more similar than dissimilar, and that is what makes meeting with other leaders outside of your organization or industry so important.
