Your Career: Stress management in leadership roles

In anxious times, believing that your work matters is important to your morale and job performance. ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. In anxious times, believing that your work matters is important to your morale and job performance. On your worst days in an administrative career, you will wonder whether you’ve accomplished anything that matters. In psychology the concept of “mattering,” and its importance for mental health, has been understudied yet is gaining attention. Feeling as if you do work that matters is both a pathway to self-fulfillment and a tool to improve your service to others. To that end: - Keep track of metrics that matter. Some accomplishments in higher education can be identified and quantified. If you are a director of graduate studies, for example, you can track any number of outcomes, including the ratio of students who have completed the program and found positions (in academe or industry) to which they aspired. Numbers can prove your effectiveness and value — for you and everyone else to measure. - Make sure that what matters to you is tied to outcomes, not bureaucracy. One challenge in feeling that your work in administration matters is that — whatever your title or role — you no doubt preside over an ever-growing mountain of paperwork. It’s work that can’t be avoided. But you can ask yourself: Does this busywork represent something more important that matters? Continue reading: “[Admin 101: Does What You Do Matter?]( by David D. Perlmutter Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. LATEST CAREER ADVICE, OPINION, AND NEWS ADVICE [Ask the Chair: ‘Is It Really My Job to Find My Replacement?’]( By Kevin Dettmar [STORY IMAGE]( What to do when no one in the department is stepping up to replace you as chair. SPONSOR CONTENT | Amazon Business [Powering Higher Ed with Smarter Procurement]( ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [Presidents Don’t Talk About Their Panic Attacks]( By Raynard S. Kington [STORY IMAGE]( Advice for leaders and boards about how to deal with the increasing stress of campus leadership positions. THE REVIEW | OPINION [How to Stop Academic Fraudsters]( By Alex O. Holcombe [STORY IMAGE]( Data fabrication is an old problem. New preventive measures can help. THE REVIEW | OPINION [Humanities on the Cutting-Room Floor]( By Robert Zaretsky [STORY IMAGE]( This is what it looks like when a college prioritizes graduation rates. COMPETING DEMANDS [This ‘Academic Doula’ Calms the Panic of Faculty Parents]( By Megan Zahneis [STORY IMAGE]( An unusual program supports professors once they’ve come back from leave. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Scholars Who Study the Middle East Are Afraid to Speak Out]( By Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami [STORY IMAGE]( Polling data indicate widespread self-censorship. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Unionized Campus - The Chronicle Store]( [The Unionized Campus]( The number of graduate-student unions has increased more than four-fold since 2019. [Order your copy]( to learn what’s at stake as union membership grows, and explore effective strategies for colleges to build relationships with new and existing unions. SPONSOR CONTENT | Ascendium [Rethinking College Behind Bars]( Discover how colleges are collaborating with correctional facilities and nonprofits to expand education in prisons. What we’re reading Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - In Roxane Gay’s latest [Work Friend]( column in The New York Times, she offers advice on “surviving the holidays at work.” - [Advice]( in the Harvard Business Review, if you’re questioning your career and life goals, on how to “clarify what really matters to you.” - If you’re still looking for book recommendations for the winter break, here’s a final round of 2023’s best from [The New Yorker]( [The Atlantic]( and [Literary Hub](. MORE CAREER RESOURCES NEWS [How Much Are Private-College Presidents Paid?]( [STORY IMAGE]( Base pay, bonuses and benefits for 307 chief executives at private colleges with expenditures of $100-million or more. DATA [How Much Are Public-College Presidents Paid?]( [STORY IMAGE]( Base pay, bonuses, and benefits for 195 chief executives at public doctoral universities and systems in 2022. PAY UPDATE [How Much Has Faculty Pay Changed Over Time?]( By Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( See the latest federal data on compensation for all ranks of the profession at thousands of American colleges. DATA [How Much Do Noninstructional Employees Earn?]( [STORY IMAGE]( Here’s how wages have changed over the past five years for those who work in business and financial operations, as librarians, curators, archivists, and other positions. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Search other jobs.]( CAREER RESOURCES [Career Resources]( [Read the December collection]( to excel in those first-round interviews. You'll have insights into navigating administrative interviews, tips and tricks for video interviews, and more! NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037