The Last 100 Days

This July, I retired from my professional career in student affairs after 40 years. Like many in higher education, I have essentially spent my entire life on a college campus. When I reached the day marking my last 100 days in my role as the vice chancellor for student affairs at University of California, Berkeley, and ostensibly in my career, I reflected on how best to focus my efforts in this final stretch. What should my priorities be? How should I balance my engagement with pulling back enough to let my institution and other leaders emerge as I step aside? To inform these thoughts, I did a cursory search for articles and thought pieces on how others navigated this significant transition. I did not find much.

Knowing that a great deal exists in the leadership literature about the first 90 or 100 days in a job, I wanted to provide a counterbalance to the time and effort devoted to effectively stepping into a new leadership role. These initial days and months are widely seen as critical, as they help shape how one builds credibility, absorbs the organizational culture, contributes value, establishes important relationships and positions oneself for long-term growth and success within the organization. But the final 100 days—the last mile—are equally crucial. They represent the final opportunity to solidify one’s contributions to an organization and a profession, ensure a smooth transition, and honor the commitments made throughout one’s tenure.

I should note that I was privileged to know when my last day was; some do not have that luxury, unfortunately. This afforded me the opportunity for intentionality in the home stretch.

Here are the priorities that resonated the most for me during this final period:

1. Setting my team up for success. It was important to make time to engage with them about their goals, ideas and aspirations, not just in the near term but for their careers. Intentionally supporting and encouraging them as much as I could was paramount, and the success of the transition will be measured by their continued success.
2. Savoring the last times. It was not lost on me that I was experiencing most, if not all, of the special events in the last few months—functions that provide a great sense of meaning in my work—for the final time. Student award ceremonies, divisional meetings, admissions yield events and even leading students onto the platform for the general commencement all took on a unique meaning as I did it for the last time. In addition, I relished the many invitations I received to provide my insights and perspectives to a variety of groups during my last few months.
3. Expressing sincere appreciation. It was vital to express my deep appreciation and gratitude for those friends and colleagues who have meant so much to me over the years. These are the trusted people with whom I worked side by side as we managed the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19, or the complexities of student activism, or the demands of other high-profile campus events. These are the culture keepers that contribute in endless fashion to make our community a wonderful place to work.

4. Assuming a mentoring and coaching role. Many colleagues reached out for informal meetings over coffee to discuss their careers or graduate school options and to suggest strategies for furthering their careers at the university. It was a blessing to share my own trajectory and offer candid advice about both my successes and failures and in this way make an investment in the growth and development of the next generation of leaders.
5. Strategically disengaging. Staying out of the way for some things is as important as being actively involved in others. I consciously avoided the temptation to micromanage or halt momentum, moving from driver to facilitator. Certain initiatives, such as organizational change processes already in motion, progressed as needed under the guidance of other leaders. My role shifted from chief architect to supportive observer. This also meant creating space for leaders to create the processes and meeting structures that worked best for them. 
6. Assisting in the transition with the named interim. This required orienting the interim to the parts of the job that they may not readily have seen from their vantage point—the unspoken political dynamics, the nuanced relationships with key stakeholders (from students to regents) and the rhythm of the annual cycle. I saw this responsibility as being about passing on the lessons learned, not just the daily and monthly to-do list.

7. Sowing the seeds of ideas not yet realized. These are the strategic thoughts and emerging needs that had not come to fruition under my tenure but are vital from my perspective for the institution's future improvement, health and success. By articulating these nascent ideas—for new programs, partnerships or structural improvements—I offered possibilities to the new incoming leadership and my existing colleagues, without binding their hands.
8. Passing on history and institutional knowledge. As I cleaned out my office, I discovered interesting historical documents and artifacts that I felt would be useful to my team. Passing on this history and knowledge was not about telling stories of “back in the day,” but rather providing essential historical context that could give useful perspective. My goal was to detail many of the decisions, compromises and philosophies that underpin current policies and structures so that leaders can continue their roles as committed, informed stewards of the organization. Understanding the why of the present state is the most powerful tool for shaping the future.

In the end, my primary objective was to depart having enhanced, not hindered, the trajectory of the great institution that I served for more than 20 years, and the talented people who will sustain it. This career home stretch was my own capstone experience in leadership.