Collegiality:
The Tenure Track's Pandora's Box

If you are a junior faculty member, you have a good sense of how high the tenure bar is set. Publishing, teaching and service – you know where you stand in these areas. However, there is an elusive, unquantifiable fourth component in the promotion and tenure equation: collegiality. How are you doing in that arena? Are you respected? Seen as a "team player?" Generally well-liked?

Bottom line: do your colleagues want you around for the foreseeable future?

If you are a graduate student or post-doc, it is never too early to begin learning the rules of collegiality and paying attention to the culture and politics of your department.

You know (or have heard about) people whose tenure battles have been won or lost on the basis of popularity.

Collegiality is the Pandora's box in the room at the tenure vote.

A few weeks ago, an assistant professor called me for a coaching consultation after his third-year annual review. During the review process he'd expected to talk about his teaching and publication record; his Chair's main criticisms caught him completely off guard.

"People don't feel like they know you," she said. "You're seen as being rather un-engaged and peripheral to the department."

The gist of her advice was that he needed to become better known and liked by his colleagues, because he wasn't viewed as a member of the team. He was completely taken aback: he'd never expected he'd be told to schmooze.

"What should I do?" my new client asked me. "I never thought that tenure might depend on having lots of lunch dates."

Here's what I told him: Lunch dates are important. And succeeding politically is based on two factors: common sense and self-control. Exercise both.

Practicing common sense and self-control requires several tactics. When I started to list tips I came up with 16 – way too many for one newsletter. So here's the first installment of six tips.

1) Remember that whiners are boring.

You don't need to be falsely cheery, but keep your complaints to a minimum. Nod sympathetically when people complain to you, but don't play the "I've got it even harder than you" game. Everyone is busy, and most people are overwhelmed. Who needs to hear about it?

2) Walk the walk.

Pay conscious attention to the image you want to project: mature, eager, curious and calm are good traits to start with. If you cultivate your sense of humor you're more likely to be popular. Anxiety, anger, desperation and insecurity are unappealing traits.

3) Get to know your colleagues by asking for advice.

Most people love giving advice (take me, for example). You're not expected to know everything already. Ask your senior colleagues for suggestions about successfully navigating academia. What tips do they have for teaching, publishing, time management, negotiating departmental politics?

4) Get to know your colleagues by getting to know their work.

This is an important and under-utilized strategy. Getting good feedback in academia happens much less frequently than it should, and everyone craves credit for their efforts. Read your colleagues' work and let them know that you understand and appreciate their contributions. They will respond gratefully if you provide thoughtful responses and sincere praise. Be specific with your compliments. For example, say "I really liked your new article in Journal X. Your ideas about Y made me think about my own work on Z."

5) Do invite people out to lunch (unless you're just starting your first year – in which case wait a month or two and see who takes the initiative to invite you out on the ‘first date').
Because you've read their work – you have read their work, haven't you? - you can ask them informed and interesting questions. Remember that lunch has gone well if your colleague has done the vast majority of the talking.

6) Don't make enemies with important people.

This is the most important rule and it can be very difficult to follow. In the mystery novel "The Titian Committee," author Iain Pears describes his character Professor Roberts in the following way: "He was a man who had learned early in life that you cannot arrange matters so that everybody loves you simultaneously. That being the case, the best you can do is to ensure that those who dislike you can do you no harm."

Relate well!

© 2005 Mary McKinney, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Successful Academic Newsletter, in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including my live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.
Attribution should read: "By Mary McKinney, Ph.D. of Successful Academic Coaching. Please visit Mary's web site at http://www.successfulacademic.com for additional tenure track tips and dissertation writing strategies."

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