Basic Principles for Building Relationships: Representing The Tseng College within the University and California Higher Education
05/17/05
Relationships are Essential
To fulfill its purpose, The Tseng College must work effectively with each academic program, department, and college as well as with all campus administrative and student service units. Creating and managing programs that draw on all University disciplines and developing flexible and responsive support services for those programs requires that the College has a broad and extremely positive network of relationships throughout the campus.
We are All Responsible
Staff must rely on one another to build and maintain key relationships. The interaction any staff member has University colleagues reflects directly on The Tseng College and lays the groundwork for future interactions with those colleagues and their units. The foundation laid by any one staff member affects what another staff member is able to achieve with that same colleague or unit. Each interaction has far reaching implications for the College's ability to create the strongest possible program, ensure student success, and provide excellent support services. Because each staff member and the success of the College overall depends so much on positive relationships, ineffective, unprofessional or careless interactions are not acceptable at any time or level.
Further, every staff member represents The Tseng College as a whole in all their interactions. Any issue or problems for any staff member is a problem for us all that we must work together to solve. When interacting with University colleagues in their professional capacities, staff members shall keep focused on solving the problem at hand and be careful not to criticize another staff member. Problems one staff member may perceive in another's approach to a particular task or issue shall be addressed internally with the appropriate fellow staff member?openly, positively, and quickly. If the problem seems not to be easily resolved between staff members, seeking help and guidance from one's supervisor is the next step.
Positive Relationships are Built One Interaction at a Time
Part of the core work of each staff member is building and maintaining relationships throughout the University. Each interaction, whether it is a phone conversation, written correspondence, a campus program or social occasion, or a formal meeting, must be managed carefully to ensure positive and productive interactions.
Making the Right Impression to Get the Job Done
Whoever interacts with The Tseng College should come away with a strong impression that the College is a smart, sophisticated, fast moving, thoughtful, honest, and good humored organization with a constant focus on the larger goals of continuing higher education, namely, creating exceptional programs, providing extraordinary student support, expanding access to higher education, and advancing the reputation of the University.
Always the Diplomats—Focus on the Big Picture to Avoid the Pitfalls of the Moment's Emotions
When confronted with a difficult situation, staff members shall stay focused on the "big picture" issues of mission, purpose, and long-term goals for continuing higher education. Even if the individual with whom one is interacting is less than fully professional, a staff member shall maintain professional decorum and remains focused on fixing the problem and not the blame. If an interaction has taken a difficult turn, staff members shall seek help and guidance from colleagues and/or supervisors.
The University is a large and complex organization, and it is not unusual for there to be some poor relationships between one individual and another or occasional tensions between one unit and another or a degree of factionalism.
College staff will encounter these dynamics when interacting within the University. Since The Tseng College must work with all departments, units, and individuals to accomplish its goals, staff members shall carefully avoid being drawn into any such troubled relationships. College staff members often take the lead in keeping conversation focused on productive and professional problem solving and the "big picture." This approach wins The Tseng College the long-term respect from University colleagues because we are modeling strategies that lead to productive outcomes that are valuable to the University overall and to those it serves.
Educating for Understanding and Appreciation
Each interaction provides some small opportunity to inform a University colleague about the College, its purposes and priorities, the way we work, our programs, achievements, and values. It is important that each staff member understand the College as a whole extremely well so that each is able to help others understand the College better, value it more, and see new and exciting possibilities in working with us. Each staff member shall look for "windows of opportunity" or "teachable moments" that allow them to broaden the appreciation others have of the work and value of the College.
Giving to Others to Advance the Cause
If other units of the University are able to do their work better, the College benefits. If academic units are able to successfully explore new avenues of scholarship and teaching, the College benefits. If the University overall is able to move forward to achieve its goals, the College and those it serves benefit. Taking this perspective, staff members shall build relationships by giving as well as asking for help. Staff members shall look for opportunities to help others solve problems. Within the limits of the working demands on each staff member, everyone should make every effort to led expertise, share ideas, provide general support and encouragement, and to give generously of their talents to help University colleagues advance the cause whenever possible.
Remembering to Acknowledge and to Encourage
Tseng College staff should be known around the University for their thoughtfulness. Taking time to notice and acknowledge in writing or in person the special effort others put forward to help us is much appreciated. Recognizing excellence when we see it in any part of the University is important. Formal notes (perhaps copied to a supervisor) that recognize excellence in specific terms are also important.
The Larger Academic Family
The Tseng College is also a part of the larger world of continuing education and extended learning in the CSU. Those who interact with colleagues at other CSUs should apply all of the relationship building basic priciples outlined above to these CSU relationships.
Leading the Effort
College senior professionals, unit and team leaders, and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all staff members understand their role in building and maintaining relationships for the College within and outside the University. Using these basic principles as a starting point, supervisors should talk with each staff member about how these issues of relationship building might play out in that staff member's particular role.
Further, The Tseng College is committed to investing in the professional development of each staff member. A supervisor should ensure that a staff member who needs training in skills such as negotiation, dealing with difficult people, oral or written communication, public relations strategies, or the like has an opportunity to gain appropriate skills. This could be accomplished through course work, training seminars, independent study, conferences, and/or mentoring and coaching to gain the stills needed to meet the College's expectations for building and maintaining relationships
Finally, supervisors owe staff members timely feedback and thoughtful mentoring whenever a staff member asks for help or is taking an inappropriate approach to working with University colleagues. Assessment of a staff member's achievements in relationship building on behalf of the College should be included in their annual performance review.
