July 19, 2010
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Leadership Program Helps Train UCSF’s Future Managers

By Kate Darby Rauch

UCSF Leadership Development Program in session.

Georgina Lopez doesn’t like to be micromanaged. And so, as a finance manager for UCSF’s Global Health Sciences program, she tried not to hover over her staff, taking the same hands-off approach that she prefers in a boss.

The problem, she discovered, is that some members of her staff prefer closer supervision, and thrive with regular direction and feedback. This lesson in the limitations of one-size-fits-all management is one of many Lopez says she learned as a participant in the UCSF Leadership Development Program, which she attended last year. Aimed at mid- and top-level managers, the program graduated its second class on June 10.

As UCSF faces changes, the program not only helps bolster self-confidence and morale, but also teaches such skills as communication and decisionmaking. And while the program wasn’t designed specifically for dealing with financial uncertainty, it has turned out to be deeply valuable for managers grappling with this very tough challenge.

Particularly useful lessons include: how to help staff feel positive, even during difficult times; how to address sensitive topics such as work performance; and how to run more effective meetings.

Comparing Notes, Sharing Triumphs

But one of the most helpful aspects of the training, many participants agree, is the time spent with other managers, a rare opportunity to compare notes, brainstorm ideas, and share worries and triumphs.

“We have a lot of great leaders here, but it’s hard to engage with them because everyone has a day job to do; everyone is busy,” said Opinder Bawa, director of Information Services for the UCSF School of Medicine and a participant in this year’s program.

For Stacy Jackson, director of Financial and Administrative Services for the Office of University Development and Alumni Relations, navigating city traffic from his downtown San Francisco office to program sessions at the Parnassus campus was well worth the effort, a literal as well as figurative coming together with colleagues.

“At UCSF, things are so compartmentalized and we’re all not physically on campus,” said Jackson, a participant in this year’s program. “It was an excellent opportunity to meet other campus leaders and peers. It gets back to the need to reach out and have a peer to work through some real issues with, or just talk and not feel isolated.”

Some 185 managers have gone through the program, and top-level support for excellence in management remains strong.

Good Managers Are Critical to Success

Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, has identified the need for good managers as a critical element of her emphasis on people at UCSF. “Everyone deserves a great manager,” she says often.

Mark Zuffo and Eugene Zanko.

While at Genentech, Desmond-Hellmann said she had the same manager for 13 years. “He constantly pushed me to take on bigger roles, to not underestimate myself. Half my brain would say, ‘He’s a pain,’ and the other half would say, ‘Well, I’ll try.’”

At the same time, said Desmond-Hellmann, “I love being a manager of talented people because it forces you to say, ‘What is it about this individual that I value so much, and how am I going to possibly add any value?’”

Still, she added, UCSF has yet to establish an ethos of excellent management. “There are pockets where people are good, but I don’t think that value has been placed on management, particularly from the top.”

The UCSF leadership program is designed for mid- and senior-level managers. Applicants are nominated by their supervisors, and selection is based on a combination of work performance, organizational commitment and capacity to grow, said Aja Duncan, former coordinator of the program who left UCSF recently to pursue studies at Stanford University.

The program’s core consists of six daylong training sessions over the course of about six months. Smaller project meetings, executive coaching sessions and one-to-one “student buddy” support talks are also part of the routine.

During formal reviews and casual conversations, participants cited several aspects of the training as especially helpful, Duncan said. Many were particularly happy with the chance to break out of their compartmentalized routines and confer with managers from different departments. Others appreciated the chance to tackle simulated challenges, such as creating a model for using space more effectively at the crowded Parnassus campus, or streamlining information technology at the School of Nursing.

Accentuate the Positive, Reframe the Challenges

Then there’s the emphasis on accentuating the positive, reframing challenges to examine what works, instead of focusing on failure or blame.

“We spend a lot of time, energy and effort on what’s not working,” said Lopez, “when wouldn’t it be better to know what’s working, what went right and how to replicate it?”

In addition to philosophical discussions, participants talk through case studies, such as looking at how departments can save money by sharing staff and computer systems, or making sure that large-scale projects, like a new campus building, are planned collaboratively.

Leadership development is taking on new urgency, given the number of baby boomer managers now approaching retirement age. Of the University’s current management, 36 percent are eligible for retirement, and another 10 percent are likely to retire soon.

Details on preparing for these departures are still being developed, Duncan said. But next year’s program will focus more on succession planning, or preparing managers to fill the jobs of retirees.

The core concepts won’t change, but the approach will be more targeted. For example, participants will be nominated based on their potential to fill specific positions.

“There’s a sense that in academia, management isn’t as important as it is in business,” said Desmond-Hellmann. “And I disagree with that.”

Photos by Susan Merrell