Presidencies Derailed: Why University Leaders Fail and How to Prevent It

Although its cover is a touch melodramatic, something Steve Trachtenberg and his colleague-writers probably didn't select, the book is timely and terrific. It's exceptionally well conceived, written, and useful -- packed as it is with good advice for all incumbent and would-be chief executives. The authors recognize that that the seemingly high incidence of turnover in the academic presidency is prevalent in all sectors of the economy, in all sectors of not-for-profit and "investor owned" enterprises. Although the presidencies of twenty and more years are rare indeed today, across all kinds od organizations, turnover rates have not changed very much in the past two or three decades. Being "president" of anything these days seems to be very difficult to sustain much past the ten-year mark. Sustaining effective leadership, especially in the same organization, is beyond the reach of most of us. Especially useful and interesting in this little volume is how the reasons for falling off the track are categorized. For many readers who are new to their presidencies or about to enter them, it could save them from falls from grace,My only surprise (and disappointment) is why Trachtenberg refers to one failed president at the University of Hawaii some years back as a victim rather than as a maker of his own demise. For one huge example of misplaced judgment, this short-lived, public university president actually thought it appropriate to publically support one of the candidates then running for governor. (He lost, too.)

While the conclusions of the 6 factors that can derail a presidency are applicable to any leadership position, the insight into the subculture of higher education including the complexity of managing up (boards), down (faculty, staff, students) and out (donors) is fascinating and right on

Trachtenberg's "Presidencies Derailed" is essential reading for presidents, those who wish to become campus presidents, and the trustees who hire and review their campus executives.

I used to in my class last year

Very good book. The authors actually talk about "dysfunctional" boards, one of the best kept secrets in higher education.Great information. A must read for all presidents and especially board chairs.Well done

The authors did a solid job of assessing why a number of presidents failed. Of greater importance is their ability to design a template for governing boards to use to reduce their contribution to presidential failure. The book is readable; its references are complete.

While there may be more to the derailment of presidencies, this book provides a good start at explaining why presidencies fail during the first contract term. With 30 years in higher education, most of the content of the book as well as the analysis rang true to what I've seen and experienced. Boards play a major role in the success or failure of a president. This begins with the nature and design of the search and continues with the input they provide their choice before he or she arrives on campus. The well can be poisoned before the first engagement between the president and the members of the college/university community if the reports and charges from the BOT do not accurately represent the campus environment, key issues, and land mines. Inexperience and lack of self awareness can fatally harm a presidency. The advice to be careful to learn about and grow with the culture rather than to immediately remake it to fit the new president's comfort level or personal ideal is invaluable. While not a revelation, this is a good reminder considering the number of presidents who fail to follow this simple advice. New president's would do well to reach out to senior administrators with institutional experience and knowledge. They ignore this valuable resource at their own peril. As in many areas of life, the word that comes to mind is 'hubris." Those who forget who they are, who refuse to be teachable, and who believe they have figured everything out will fail. Humility in high places goes a long way.

This is a great book for anyone in Higher Education administration.

This well-conceived and well written book should be a must read for those who are aspiring or already college or university presidents.

Somewhat interesting but ultimately not very helpful due to anecdotal, impressionistic nature. The overwhelming focus here is on the leader and not on the leadership process writ...

Good book. Super interesting.

This book is every bit as relevant to university presidents as it is to corporate CEOs, K-12 heads of school, social sector Executive Directors, and leaders in other...

Everyone in higher education is smart. Most people are extremely smart, at least in some narrow ways.

We often tend to make some leadership issues more complicated than they need to be. Through a series of examples, Trachtenberg and his co-authors do a nice job illustrating that...