The Job You Were Never Trained For

By Jennifer McCrickerd, LifeBound Director of Academic Leader Development, Dec 18, 2025

Why Smart Faculty Struggle With Governance

We structure our universities on a silent, implicit assumption: that expertise in a discipline naturally translates to skill in governance. We hand faculty the keys to a department, a committee, or a senate seat and simply expect them to drive.

But as noted in the recent "Shared Governance" edition of Inside Higher Ed’s newsletter, "The Sandbox," this structural default is dangerous. Most leaders receive "no training" for these roles, often learning only "by (bad) example" from the loudest voices in the room.

We end up with a mismatch. We take highly specialized academics—physicists, historians, artists—and expect them to oversee complex operational realities like financial modeling, enrollment strategy, and risk management without any preparation.

As a former university president writes, "If you are responsible for people and resources, you are in management. Full stop.". Yet without a manual, many leaders retreat to what they know: the academic conference. They treat a strategic plan like a conference paper—looking for gaps, poking holes, and acting as the "gadfly" to improve the proposal.

Faculty believe they are offering a gift—the gift of rigor. But leadership requires decision, not just dissection. While the gadfly is vital for scholarship, this mindset often paralyzes an institution. Socrates was a thinker and teacher par excellence, but he was not an effective leader.

Expecting an academic leader to bridge this gap on instinct is unfair to them and risky for the institution. Investing in coaching training provides the missing framework for this transition. It shifts the mindset from "Faculty Peer" to "Resource Steward." It equips leaders to:

Define Scope: Clearly distinguish between academic decisions (where faculty expertise is king) and operational decisions (where execution must rule).
Move from Critique to Construction: Shift the room from "finding problems" to "building solutions".
Build Accountability: Learn to hold colleagues accountable, a skill that is often absent in a culture that prioritizes autonomy over collective responsibility.

When you invest in coaching, you stop hoping for "good luck" and start building capable management.

LifeBound coaching courses drive real-world results on your campus.

We offer flexible and affordable coaching training for faculty, academic coaches, and staff, including:

3-Day Virtual Coaching Course - NEXT CLASS: Jan 5, 7, 9
Self-Paced Coaching Course
LifeBound Coaching Certification Program

To learn more or explore which option is right for your team, visit us at www.lifebound.com.

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Make 2026 the Year Coaching Solves Higher Ed’s Toughest Challenges

Higher education is grappling with unprecedented challenges—rising mental health crises, the need for greater career readiness, and the unfortunate reality that many students struggle to secure meaningful employment or are let go shortly after starting. These issues affect not only individual students but also university outcomes like enrollment, retention, and long-term institutional success.

By equipping your staff with coaching training, you can help students build resilience, achieve meaningful employment, and address many challenges that universities face today. Allocate your budget toward LifeBound’s training options this year and plan ahead to ensure your institution is prepared to address these critical needs effectively. Let’s create a campus-wide culture of coaching and make an impact!

LifeBound offers multiple ways to train academic coaches, faculty, or staff:

3-Day Virtual Coaching Course

A dynamic, interactive course focused on practical coaching techniques.

NEXT CLASS: Jan 5, 7, 9

Time: 3 days, 6 hours each

Format: Online

Cost: $1,500 per person. Contact us about group rates.

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Self-Paced Coaching Course for Academic, Personal, and Professional Success

A flexible, 15-hour program designed for those who want to deepen their skills at their own pace. The course dives deep into foundational and advanced coaching techniques as well as motivation, resilience, career readiness, cultural competence and coaching diverse student populations, and includes private sessions with a LifeBound Coach. Institutional packages are available for group training.

Choose Your Own Dates!

Time: 15 hours (self-paced), plus 3 hours with LifeBound Coach

Format: Online

Cost: $1,500 per person. If you’ve already completed the 1-Day or 3-Day program, email contact@lifebound.com to receive a discount code for $500 off the new Self-Paced Course. Contact us about group rates.

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LifeBound Certification Program

For coaches ready to take their skills to the next level, the LifeBound Certification Program offers an in-depth dive into advanced coaching practices and strategies, culminating in certification as a LifeBound Coach.

Spring, Summer, and Fall Cohorts

Format: Online or in-person as available

Cost: $5,000 per person

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Let’s make this a year of transformation for your institution and the students you serve!

Learn More at lifebound.com