As an executive coach specializing in higher education leadership, I often work with corporate leaders or government leaders eager to transition into university administration. They bring valuable expertise in strategy, operations, and organizational leadership, yet they sometimes struggle to translate their experience into the language and expectations of higher education.
Whether you’re an executive or more specifically a technical leader, it’s critical to understand the differences in governance, culture, and leadership style. Success in a higher education executive search requires more than a strong resume—it requires a strategic shift in how you position yourself. Here are four key considerations to help you align your background with the priorities of higher education institutions.

4 Strategic Positioning Considerations

1. Align Your Leadership Philosophy with Higher Education’s Mission

Higher education is mission-driven, focusing on student success, knowledge creation, and service to society. To position yourself effectively, you must demonstrate how your leadership philosophy supports these values.
Key Considerations:

  • Highlight your experience in strategic planning, budget management, and sustainable growth. How does this experience translate in the higher education environment to include supporting faculty and student demographics?
  • Connect your work to education’s broader impact. How has your broader organizational impact aligned with key priorities in a university environment?  Illustrate explicit examples for how your executive leadership experience in industries such as  health care, government, and research (to name a few) culturally align with the job profile at your desired institution.
  • Translate corporate success into institutional sustainability. While revenue growth is essential in the corporate world, universities prioritize financial stewardship and long-term viability.

2. Understand Shared Governance and Collaborative Decision-Making

One of the biggest shifts for corporate leaders considering an executive role in a university is adapting to shared governance. Unlike corporate environments where executives make quick decisions, universities rely on collaborative governance models that include faculty, staff, trustees, and sometimes students in decision-making.
Key Considerations:

  • Highlight your ability to build consensus. Have you led cross-functional teams, board engagements, or regulatory negotiations? These are directly relevant to navigating university governance. Create descriptions of your achievements that align well with this cultural attribute.
  • Show respect for faculty leadership. Faculty are key stakeholders in university decision-making. Institutions want leaders who understand their role and foster strong faculty-administration relationships.
  • Demonstrate patience and process-orientation. Changes in university environments takes time. Highlight your experience guiding long-term initiatives with multiple stakeholders and ensuring broad engagement.

3. Shift the Focus from Operational Efficiency to Inclusivity and Student Success

Higher education institutions are deeply focused on student outcomes, faculty support, and creating inclusive learning environments. Corporate leaders must demonstrate an understanding of these priorities and how their leadership contributes to fostering a thriving academic community.
Key Considerations:

  • Connect customer success models to student, faculty, and administrator service experiences. What initiatives have you directed that support diverse organizational units and stakeholders?
  • Highlight inclusive leadership. Universities want leaders who foster a culture of belonging and accessibility. If you’ve implemented  leadership development programs, or organizational culture initiatives, these are directly applicable.

4. Leverage Storytelling to Demonstrate Fit

When executive search consultants or hiring committees evaluate candidates, they don’t just look at qualifications—they want to understand how your experiences translate into a university environment. Storytelling is a powerful way to make your leadership approach tangible and relatable.
Key Considerations:

  • Frame your leadership in terms of impact. Describe how your leadership improved access, developed people, or strengthened communities.
  • Share your personal connection to higher education. Executive leaders across all industries and sectors have a deep appreciation for learning—whether through mentors, executive education, or past collaborations with universities. Make that connection explicit.
  • Use narratives to showcase your adaptability. Talk about moments when you navigated a complex, mission-driven environment, built consensus, or led organizations through change.
  • Explicitly connect the dots between the required job role areas of expertise (technical leadership or otherwise) and your achievements.

Universities value leaders who bring fresh perspectives while respecting academic traditions.Corporate leaders have much to offer, but successfully transitioning into a university environment requires reframing skills, understanding governance structures, and demonstrating a commitment to student and faculty success.

Are you a corporate leader interested in pursuing a leadership role in higher education? Let’s talk about how to craft your transition strategy and position yourself effectively in your search.