Dr. Really-good-at-her-job applied for a great job opportunity. It fit her like a glove. It matched her expertise, passions, and came with a well-deserved pay. She was one of two finalists. The other candidate was internal to the institution and highly regarded by some, but amongst faculty and women of color she was known as Dr. All-good-until. That is, “All-good-until” who knows? It is sort of a mystery, but discussed by most. She likes to mentor and perhaps play savior, until baby faculty grow. When faculty of color climb the ladder of resilience into her territory, she cannot have that.

Below are two scenarios:

Dr. Really-good-at-her-job was selected! Queue the fireworks! And, I want Dr. Really-good-at-her-job to take this to heart. With some reggaeton music in the background, I say:

Congratulations!

You deserve this. We knew your time to shine would come! You cannot keep talent in a box or hidden in the corner. Nobody puts Dr. Really-good-at-her-job in the corner! I told you: you are a badass, and I get to say I knew you back when… You got lots of more blessings coming your way. They are lucky to have you. They need someone with big ideas that gets the job done. That’s you!

You have to move? Moving is stressful. True. But you and your family will be fine. You have to go where they appreciate you and you are allowed to shine. It is your time.

I know you will miss the good people here, but really, will you miss Dr. Took-credit-for-your-work? Or Dr. Ally-in-name-only? Or how about Dr. Eternally-condescending and Dr. Self-proclaimed-sponsor-who-never-said-your-name? The grass is not greener. You will probably find their twins at New-university-same-problems, but this time you are in charge, chica.

I will miss you, me, Dr. Cheerleader. But, we will stay connected. We can Zoom

and we will visit each other, see you at conferences, and texts. (Texts are good because I can be terrible with phone calls.)

Go get what’s yours.

Second Scenario

Dr. Really-good-at-her-job did not get the job. In similar fashion, she was one of two finalists. Sometimes busy (or careless) leaders never call to say you didn’t get the job, you find out from an announcement (roll your eyes with me). The candid leader who finally called said she was an excellent candidate and had everything they wanted, but they went with someone internal who had “institutional history.”

What is institutional history? I will define it not the historical way, referring to the documented and undocumented past of institutions and how those shape its present. I will define it with the individual in mind. An individual with institutional history has been at the institution for a long time, which itself is a privilege. The individual with institutional history knows everyone, mostly those that have been also at the institution forever. They have survived and seen too many policy changes, too many electronic management systems, about 5 rounds of institutional rebranding, and about 4 different deans. They know the leaders and the real decision makers. You get the idea.

There is value in institutional history. I am not denying it. In my mind there are two types of people who embody it:

1. The Comfortable (with capital C). They know how things work and how things get done. They know transactional leadership and keep the status quo.
2. The Visionary. They stay curious, study how other institutions operate, and push for meaningful change right where they are. This second type is far less common.

(I am open to any challenges regarding these two types.)

For leaders:

I get it. Dr. All-good-until already knows all the players. Good things happened under their watch, or at least you haven’t heard from those they’ve wronged. People who could speak up often leave quietly because everyone knows everyone in academia. Internal hires mean fewer headaches about recruitment, onboarding, office space, and parking. Who doesn’t complain about parking on campus? And you don’t need to fund a competitive start-up package.

The question that I pose to you is, was there value in that institutional history reasoning? If it is a confident yes, then good. I’m sure you hired the right person for the job. If not…

• Can Dr. All-good-until truly bring change?

Perhaps the answer is yes! But, perhaps the answer is that you are comfortable with the status quo. Hey! If the status quo is great, then congrats on the new appointment.

• Did you consider that you needed fresh eyes to identify inefficiencies, bloated budgets, or outdated policies and processes, etc.
• Did you weigh the benefit of someone with experience at other institutions who could bring evidence-based practices?

After all, Dr. All-good-until has been at the institution for over 20 years. Does Dr. All-good-until keep up with the scholarship, evidence or simply wishes for some things to be different?

If Dr. All-good-until is genuinely innovative and advancing your strategic goals, congratulations. But be honest: is the hire about progress or comfort?

Above all, do not bring Dr. Really-good-at-her-job if you feel like you will need to appease Dr. All-good-until’s ego. Appeasement can create dualities, competition, animosity, covert sabotage. If you will need to manage Dr. All-good-until’s happiness  then you know there is already a problem. Just don’t set up Dr. Really-good-at-her-job for failure.

Whether institutional history is valuable depends on you, the leader. But ,don’t use it as an excuse. It doesn’t soften the blow for an external candidate. Be honest about her strengths and opportunities for professional development. That feedback has real value. And don’t cling to institutional history simply to preserve the status quo.

For Dr. Really-good-at-her-job that didn’t get the job.

I’ve heard all the consolations. People that care about your success will tell you that it wasn’t meant to be; that your opportunity will come and it will be even better; that you don’t want to go over there anyway because everyone knows about Dr. All-good-until.

I choose to believe that you did not get the job because they were looking for something else. It is not about you, because as we have established over and over again, you are really good at your job, hence your name. They missed the chance to hire someone EXCEPTIONAL,  but better opportunities are coming your way, with leaders that see your worth.

Who knows? Maybe Dr. All-good-until was going to take the joy out of your work. Who knows anything?

Leaders, one last note: if you want to know the real reputation of Dr. All-good-until, ask the faculty of color, ask faculty who report to and are above them. The Drs. All-good-until always present well to those in power; the secret lies in how they treat others. So vet thoroughly.

Finally, Dr. Really-good-at-her-job. You don’t need  that job to validate how amazing, dedicated, and committed you are. We see you.