It is expected that higher education leaders break the rules. In order for there to be innovation, solutions, and new ideas at colleges and universities some new trails must be blazed — which requires breaking the rules to break through. And thus begins the tussle…
Higher education leaders are situated in a weird space between breaking or bending the rules to achieve phenomenal success (e.g., a new drug to fight illness, creating new technology) and following the rules of compliance for a variety of benefits (e.g., federal aid, accreditation).
So which one is it? Should you break or follow the rules?
Picasso was well known for the phrase: Know the rules like a pro, so that you can break them like an artist.
I see the most success in accreditation reviews when college and university leaders break a few rules, but not a lot at once. Accreditation review teams are expecting higher education institutions to try new things, fail, and try again differently.
As a higher education leader, how are you getting to know the rules so that you can break them like an artist? Want some help breaking the rules? Let’s do it together.