Episode 2: The One Thing New Academic Leaders Forget to Do

Lead With YOU Podcast | Hosted by Dr. Nicole Robinson

In this episode of the Lead With YOU podcast, Dr. Nicole R. Robinson dives into one of the most overlooked components of academic leadership transitions: culture.

Newly appointed Deans, Chairs, Provosts, and other higher ed leaders are often coached to conduct listening tours, schedule stakeholder meetings, and learn the ropes during their first 90 days. But there’s one crucial step most forget—understanding the culture they’ve just stepped into.

Nicole shares a powerful story from her own leadership journey, offers a framework to decode institutional dynamics, and explains why even the best strategies will falter if they land in a culture that’s misaligned, wounded, or unready.

What You’ll Learn

• Why the first 90 days of leadership are a critical window—and how most leaders waste it
• What “culture” really means in a higher ed setting (spoiler: it’s not your mission statement)
• The 4 P’s Framework of Academic Leadership:
   
  • People – How relationships and informal influence shape progress
  • Place – Why institutional history and environment matter
  • Process – The reality of how things actually get done
  • Power – The visible and invisible forces that dictate who has voice and agency
• A real story of a brilliant leader whose initiatives failed—not because they were wrong, but because the culture wasn’t ready
• How to begin scanning your own institution using Nicole’s 4 P’s Reflection Worksheet

Resources & Tools

• 4 P’s Reflection Worksheet:  Start assessing your current leadership environment using CCBD’s signature framework. → Download here
• Explore the ASCENT Leadership Program: A powerful transition support experience for academic leaders entering new roles or leading change. → Learn more at www.ccbydesign.org/ascent

Quotable Moments

“Culture doesn’t introduce itself at the door—it sits quietly, watches, and then… it resists.”

“If you can name the culture, you can lead within it—or lead it in a new direction.”

“Culture resists not out of spite—but out of memory.”

“Leadership isn’t about how well you perform—it’s about how well your work lands in the system it enters.”

“The first 90 days aren’t about proving yourself. They’re about understanding what you’re stepping into.”

Tune In If You’re…

• A newly appointed Dean, Chair, or Provost
• A mid-career leader trying to reset your leadership approach
• Struggling to get traction in a new or changing role
• Tired of well-intended advice that skips over the real complexity of campus life
• Curious about how to lead with more clarity, strategy, and cultural alignment

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Connect with Nicole

·      Website: www.ccbydesign.org

·      LinkedIn: Dr. Nicole R. Robinson

·      Email: [email protected]

I almost didn’t hit record.

Like many academic leaders, I wanted it to be polished, perfectly timed, and perfectly executed. But then I remembered the kind of leadership I believe in—and the kind I teach.

In this very first episode, I’m sharing why I stopped waiting for perfect and chose to begin anyway. You’ll hear the real story behind this podcast, the moments that almost derailed it, and what it means to lead with honesty, clarity, and courage—even when things feel messy.

If you’ve ever held back because something wasn’t “ready,” this one’s for you.

Let’s lead out loud—imperfectly but intentionally.