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As the new Director of Admissions, I will begin by first, looking back over the past year and think about when my team was busy, and when things were less hectic. Then, look at the coming year’s goals and consider how to pace my team in order to make the most of each semester. Set goals and share progress on a weekly basis. Term goals and progress will be visible to my admissions teams at an individual and team level. A centrally placed progress-tracking whiteboard that includes daily updates can be an effective way to support team activity. I will conduct weekly one-on-one meetings that should cover outreach activities, applications received and other benchmarks that support total enrollment goals. Lastly, continue being a supportive mentor and coach to my staff at all times.

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A good leader is able to see their staff's strengths and weaknesses and apply them to tasks that the team is facing. Before I get started as the Director of Admissions, I would need to learn the different positions in my department and what each staff member brings to the table.
I would implement an open door policy so that my staff would feel comfortable coming to me with any issues that arise. As professionals, we should all be able to complete a task by a given deadline.
To avoid micromanaging, this would be the approach I would take.  Taking a step back and allowing people to do their job also demonstrates trust.
As an undergraduate working in Campus Residences, I was always excited to go into the office on Monday mornings because the department director would always have breakfast pastries available for the staff. I would want to implement something similar; my department should look forward to coming in to the office, and feel as though they're adding value through their work.

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As a leader in this given situation, first and foremost, I believe it is essential to create a culture or atmosphere in this department that communicates friendliness, openness, acceptance, and trust. I want my colleagues to feel comfortable and valued as effective members within this department. Jenkins, (2016) tells us that people who feel valued and comfortable "are likely to be more productive" and make an organization a success, allowing enough credit to go around. To establish this culture, I would have an initial meeting with everyone where I would formally introduce myself and share something important about myself setting the stage for self-disclosure and create a bonding experience. I would then ask each and every individual to introduce themselves one-by-one and share something valuable or special they believe, I should know or they would like me to know with the entire staff. I would then ask the staff to do an activity for about ten to fifteen minutes where each individual is asked to list their individual responsibilities/task, main priorities and goals of the department, and what do they need from each other to accomplish these goals. Again everyone will share at least one item from each category in hopes that we can create norms for the office which everyone can mutually agree on, value, and respect. I would then follow-up by communicating clear expectations, which according to Johnson (2018) maintains integrity, and encourages everyone to function at his or her best. I will hold monthly meetings to maintain communication and healthy relationships within this department as well and I will also offer each and every staff an opportunity at "open mic" at the end of every session at their discretion to provide feedback, touch base on something important, introduce innovative ideas, again at their discretion.

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As Director of the Admissions my first thing I would do is do my research on the needs of the admissions department and the peak and decrease of the enrollment rate. After obtaining the research I would schedule a meeting with the staff to speak about the roles and expectations of each individual to be able to set goals and reach them. After the staff meeting it would be important to schedule one on one meetings with each staff to be able to discuss obstacles they have faced in the past and then discuss how we can overcome those obstacles and the goals they are expected to achieve within the university. After that I would send out a survey to the students to see how their experience with admissions was and how to improve them.

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As the new Director of Admissions the first thing I would do after accepting the job would be to host a group meeting to introduce myself and get to know my colleagues. I then would schedule personal one on ones with each person on the admissions team so I can learn more about them personally and professionally. I would want to know their passion and what drives them to work everyday, because admissions can be a difficult place to work in. I then would start to generate a way to get feedback on current things we are doing and if my colleagues think they are beneficial or not. I am not sure If I would do this in a survey or more in a round table discussion. Another thing I would do is develop a type of open door policy so that my colleagues can feel safe at all times if they need to contact me or ask any questions. I am a firm believer on asking as many questions as possible and that no question is a stupid question because we can all learn from each other. In the end I would try to make my team realize how important they are not only to me but to our institution as well, its always a great feeling when your employer tells you how valuable you are.

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Stepping into the my new role as Director of Admissions, one of the first things that I would implement is a way to gain feedback from the admissions team. It is important to know what is on the hearts and minds of your staff and formulating an anonymous outlet for them to share. Feedback has proven powerful in my previous role as a novice administrator and with the power of generated surveys (I love survey monkey for this aspect)you can gain insight on what your team has dealt with and what they can share for improvement. Another thing that I have done in the past to raise morale with a staff of 15 was to play a day conference solely dedicated to reacquainting the team to the tasks and mission of our department. Offering the admissions team a training, meet and greet and team building activities during the day conference is imperative to the ice breaking process, especially with a new director being on board. Keeping all interactions professional and eliminating personal issues and gripes within the conference will set the town or expectation and remind the team that admissions, though it may be a tightknit  department professionalism is paramount. Rob Jenkins addresses the ideal of the blame game in his article and one of the things that I would hope to make known is that pointing the finger adds more obstacles and work to the original mission of what our department is meant to handle. My beliefs is that getting personal leads to bringing personal matters into the work environment and that is in a sense a voluntary way in which we lower the morale in our work atmosphere. With regard to possible issues among the team that might have went unresolved I would consult with the Human Resources department and establish a timeline to begin employee annual reviews. I would also extend a level of reassurance that the admissions department is a team and we will execute our responsibilities as such.. If there are issues and concerns they will be addressed according to protocol. I have a firm believe that much can be resolved if the proper steps to do so are taken. Rebuilding morale or even trying to establish it, I have grown to understand that reassurance is powerful but never to overstep what I can deliver as a director. From previous experience both in the workplace and in social/organization settings “shine” or recognition has been taken from me and passed off as the work of someone else. Giving acknowledgment where it is well deserved is an amazingly effective way to push team initiative and show that creativity and personal hard work is recognized and rewarded, it doesnt take a lot to tell someone on your team that you saw them and you know and appreciate their hard work, effort and originality. Specifically assigned team tasks prove effective in this regard because if a member of my team is using their strengths they are less likely to “borrow” the creative works of others. There have been individuals that I have had as staff that I have personally witnessed describe me to others, I have heard that I am “stern but fair” more times than i can count and I have grown to implement this in a way as an ice breaker as a new director prior to the day conference and having given the team each a personal opportunity to meet me one on one.

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As the new Director of Admissions, first thing on my agenda is to get to know my staff. I will schedule a one on one with each and everyone so I can get to know everybody on a professional and personal level. I want to know how long they have been employed within our institution and what their job responsibilities are. I also want them to get to know me. Since I am new, I want to have an open and honest relationship with my colleagues because it is important to build a good rapport and able to trust each other so we all can do our jobs more efficiently. I will let my staff know about my leadership style. That is, Democratic Leadership. I believe that although I am considered to be the leader, every single one of my staff input is important. I may have the last say when it comes to decision making, but I want them to feel that their opinions matter and will be considered as well. By doing so, my employees will feel valued and important. If they feel that way, then it will reflect on their job performance.In addition,  I will always put myself in their shoes to know how I would want to be treated with every situation that arises. Last thing I would do and this is probably one of the most important thing on my list is plan a staff appreciation days. I believe it is important to recognize someone’s work performance not just by saying encouraging words but show them instead how much you appreciate them for all that they do. It does not have to be something huge where your budget for the department is compromised. A simple lunch with a thank you gift card or certificate that can even come out of my own pocket if needed just so I can show them how much I value them. Based on my personal experience, if I feel valued and my boss trusts me and my judgement, then I will keep on striving to do better at what I do.

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In accepting this role, I would begin by using some of the tactics from the article  "Admin 101: The Work Starts Before You Start". Reaching out to staff to schedule one on ones in my first few days to learn about them, their role in the organization, and what they need from me as a supervisor. I would also do my homework on what factors could be contributing to the morale shift. For example has the group met enrollment targets, is staff turnover high, balanced staffing ratios, or an unclear org structure.
After my official start in the office I would schedule a full staff innovation session to engage all employees in the  department in dialogue about the mission and brand of our office and the university. I would use this time to listen and learn where they see gaps in the current operation and let them know I'm invested in us making these changes together. As the Director , it would be my goal to invite the team to be a part of a shared mission with clear expectations from both them and myself on how we contribute to that mission. It obvious that everyone is not going to buy in to the new direction but they can decline the invitation and look for employment somewhere they are more aligned. It's been my experience that one or two employees who are disgruntled can bring down a staff. Eliminating that negativity if done in a fair and ethical way can improve staff morale.
As a supervisor I would also begin to acknowledge staff wins and milestone, whether that is an increased number of applicants from a certain region,  obtaining an advanced degree, a new job opportunity or a life event. I want my staff to know I'm invested in them and their growth both personally and professionally. Adding staff celebrations at the end of the year and during holidays in accordance with university fiduciary guidelines could also help to improve bonding.

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As the newly hired Director of Admissions, my role would be not only getting to know my job, but getting to know my staff. I would be prepared to start strong with relationship building and creating an open line of communication between myself and the staff in the office. Creating a trusting relationship can be key with a group that may not have the confidence they should. I would try to learn more about how the department has been running and compare that to what is happening now. Any apparent changes that need to be made would be addressed with the appropriate individuals and a plan to execute them can be made. Without being too aggressive early on, I would want to show that I am able to listen to the needs of those in the office and make them a reality. Another approach I would take is having the team bond more together. Having an office that gets along and understands one another can create a better environment to work in. Lastly, I would like to learn more about why these individuals work in admissions and how they ended up here. Getting back to the core of why something is important to you and refueling that passion can go a long way in Higher Education and Student Affairs!