Dwight C. Watson will start his job Aug. 1 as the new UW-Whitewater chancellor under less-than-celebratory circumstances.
His predecessor, Beverly Kopper, resigned after allegations surfaced that her husband, Alan “Pete” Hill, sexually harassed multiple women on campus.
Kopper will return to campus this fall as a psychology professor, and so Watson won’t be able to completely remove himself from the controversy. Her critics and defenders surely will seek to influence Watson, framing Kopper either as a victim of her husband’s dealings or an enabler. Watson described the ordeal as “situational and not systemic,” but he will likely need more than a single campus visit to determine whether Kopper and her husband inflicted a mere flesh wound or something deeper.
We hope Watson, currently provost and vice president of academic and student affairs at Southwest Minnesota State University, receives adequate support to set his own course for UW-Whitewater. He deserves permission to do things differently.
He’ll be getting plenty of unsolicited advice, which happens to be our specialty. This editorial is actually our welcoming gift, drawing from the mistakes made by Kopper and other local organizational leaders over the past year. Each case is different, but they all offer a lesson in how to be—and not to be—a leader:
Be aware of your blindspot. An 18-page report examining Kopper’s knowledge of husband’s misdeeds concluded she had “at best” a “blindspot.” She failed to realize a predator was operating right in front of her, and that alone justified her resignation, in our opinion. We all have blindspots, character flaws that turn us into our own worst enemies. The key is to be aware of your blindspot and constantly check it. Kopper didn’t.
Err on the side of transparency. Milton School District Superintendent Tim Schigur and Director of Administrative Operations Jerry Schuetz will resign at the end of this month because of the outcry over the two receiving bonuses without getting the full school board’s approval. Their defenders turn hostile at the suggestion of any wrongdoing, but the reality is the district’s business manager wanted the full board to consider the payments. Schigur and Schuetz failed to go to the board. Whenever dealing with taxpayer dollars, it’s always best to err on the side of transparency.
Don’t lose sight of your mission. Former CEO of the YMCA of Northern Rock County Tom Den Boer forgot his job was to serve Y members. He picked fights with them and kicked some out of the organization. The ensuing backlash cost him his job. Den Boer stopped building up the YMCA and started tearing it down by making his job about him. Losing sight of your organization’s mission will derail it every time.
Don’t overreact to your critics. When Jan Chesmore, a Vlogý City Council candidate who lost the April election by nearly 1,300 votes, accused City Manager Mark Freitag of trying to influence the election, most people ignored her. This was an obvious case of sour grapes. Indeed, we said nothing of it on this page—until Freitag had his personal lawyer send Chesmore a cease-and-desist letter. Suddenly, people wondered: Why is Freitag trying to silence her? What does Chesmore know? Freitag’s strong-arming tactic backfired. He gave Chesmore a voice when she didn’t deserve it.
Finally, we encourage Watson not to be afraid to make mistakes. They happen. But in making one, don’t be afraid to admit to it. Mistakes aren’t the end of the world, but denying them—whether to yourself or to the public—is problematic.
How a leader responds to a mistake says more about that person than the mistake itself.