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30-Day Shift Plan β€” Dr. Alexandra Chen
Leadership Reset Diagnostic™  Β·  Companion Deliverable
30-Day Shift Plan Decision Rights Mapping
A structured, week-by-week implementation guide for shifting the specific challenge identified in your Executive Working Session β€” with daily actions, conversation scripts, email templates, and weekly reflection built in.
Reset Priority
Decision Rights Mapping
Specific Challenge
Faculty Senate Governance Loop
Issued
April 2026
Working Session Date
April 14, 2026
4
Weeks of structured action
4
Email templates included
4
Conversation scripts
4
Weekly reflections
Prepared for
Dr. Alexandra Chen
Vice President of Academic Affairs  Β·  State University System
Prepared by Dr. Nicole R. Robinson  Β·  thevisionandimpact.com
Confidential  Β·  Not for distribution
30-Day Shift Plan  Β·  How to Use This Plan
Dr. Alexandra Chen  Β·  April 2026
Before You Begin
How to Use This Plan

This 30-Day Shift Plan is the implementation layer of your Leadership Reset Blueprint. It takes the single reset priority identified in your Executive Working Session β€” Decision Rights Mapping β€” and translates it into a specific, week-by-week sequence designed to shift the Faculty Senate Governance Loop challenge you described.

The challenge, named precisely: The Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Subcommittee holds significant advisory authority over your reorganization initiative but has no defined obligation to reach conclusions. Every item routed to them returns either deferred, tabled, or wrapped in conditions requiring further review β€” creating an indefinite loop that consumes initiative momentum without any accountability for resolution. This is not a faculty problem. It is a structural one. And it is solvable within 30 days.

How to Work This Plan

Check boxes as you complete each action. This is a working document β€” mark it up, add notes, return to it weekly. The reflection prompts at the end of each week are not optional. They are how you calibrate what's working before you move to the next phase.

If something on this plan doesn't land, do not skip the week. Substitute the closest equivalent action and note what you did instead. Momentum matters more than exact sequence.

Your Starting Conditions

Based on what you shared in your Working Session, here is the landscape entering this 30-day period:

Provost Harris
Your Direct Supervisor
Aware of the stall but has not intervened. Likely assumes you are managing it.
β†’ Primary conversation target, Week 1
Dr. Marcus Webb
Faculty Senate Chair
Runs the subcommittee process. Protective of faculty governance authority. Open to relationship but will resist overreach.
β†’ Relationship target, Week 2
VP James Okafor
Peer VP, Finance & Operations
Has informal access to Provost Harris that you currently lack. Not adversarial but not aligned.
β†’ Observe and map, Weeks 1–2
Subcommittee (7 members)
Faculty Senate Academic Affairs
Mix of engaged faculty, skeptics, and overloaded members. The loop is structural β€” most members are unaware of the downstream impact.
β†’ Engage indirectly via Dr. Webb
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30-Day Shift Plan  Β·  Week 1
Dr. Alexandra Chen  Β·  April 2026
W1
Days 1–7
Clarify What You Own
Get explicit about your decision-making authority before taking any external action.
Week 1 Intention

Nothing external changes this week. This week is entirely internal β€” you are mapping the terrain before moving through it. End the week knowing exactly which decisions you can act on without approval, which require Provost Harris, and which belong to shared governance by design rather than default.

Days 1–2  Β·  Build Your Decision Rights Map
List every active element of the reorganization initiative on paper β€” not a spreadsheet yet. Get it all out.
Label each item: I own / can act  β€”  I own / need approval  β€”  Advisory only / belongs to governance.
Identify the 3–5 items where you are genuinely uncertain which label applies. These become your clarification targets for the Provost Harris conversation.
Flag any items you have been acting on as "I own / can act" that may actually require approval. These are your snap-back risk zone.
Days 3–4  Β·  Conversation with Provost Harris

Request a focused 20-minute conversation. Frame it as an operational check-in β€” calibration, not confrontation.

Send by Day 3. If no response within 48 hours, follow up once β€” briefly, by reply.
Prepare your clarification items as specific questions before the meeting. Example: "On the curriculum alignment piece β€” can I finalize and communicate the department timeline without your sign-off, or do you want to review first?"
Conversation Script  Β·  Opening Frame
"Thanks for making time. I've been doing some internal mapping of the reorganization work and I want to make sure I have a clear picture of my scope β€” specifically where I have authority to move on my own versus where I should bring you in before I act. I have three or four specific things I'd love your read on. Is it okay if I walk through them?"
Why this works: You frame this as serving him β€” keeping him appropriately informed β€” not as surfacing a problem with the current dynamic.
Write down exactly what he said about each item after the conversation. Do not rely on memory.
Send a brief follow-up email within 24 hours summarizing what was agreed. This creates a soft paper trail without being adversarial.
Days 5–7  Β·  Finalize Your Decision Rights Map
Update your map using Provost Harris's input. Finalize the three-column structure.
For each item in "Belongs to shared governance" β€” note: is this there by design (appropriate) or by default (the loop)? This distinction drives Week 2.
Identify the one item most stuck in the Faculty Senate loop that you have the most standing to address first. This becomes your Week 2 focal point.
What to Watch For This Week
  • β†’Positive: Provost Harris responds within 48 hours and the conversation is direct and clarifying.
  • β†’Caution: He deflects, reschedules twice, or gives vague answers. Note it β€” it tells you something important about where the fog actually lives.
  • β†’Watch yourself: Resist any external action on the Faculty Senate situation this week. Clarity first, movement second.
Week 1 Reflection  Β·  End of Day 7
Before you move to Week 2, answer these in writing.
What did I learn about my actual authority that I did not know before this week?
What surprised me about the conversation with Provost Harris?
What am I now clear enough on to act without asking permission?
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30-Day Shift Plan  Β·  Week 2
Dr. Alexandra Chen  Β·  April 2026
W2
Days 8–14
Interrupt the Loop
Engage Dr. Webb directly. Shift the subcommittee dynamic from indefinite review to bounded input.
Week 2 Intention

The governance loop persists because no one has named it as a problem and proposed a different structure. This week you name it β€” carefully, respectfully, with a concrete alternative already in hand. You are not asking the subcommittee to give up governance authority. You are asking Dr. Webb to help design a process that makes their input actionable rather than indefinite.

Days 8–9  Β·  Prepare Your Proposal
Draft a one-page "Governance Input Structure" specifying: (1) What questions the subcommittee is being asked. (2) The format their input should take. (3) A defined response window β€” propose 21 days. (4) What happens if no response is received.
Keep language collaborative throughout. Frame every element as serving faculty interests too β€” clarity benefits everyone.
Have one trusted colleague review it. Ask: "Does anything here feel like it diminishes faculty governance authority?" Fix anything that does.
Days 10–11  Β·  Meeting with Dr. Marcus Webb

Request a one-on-one β€” not a subcommittee meeting. This is a relationship conversation first, a process proposal second.

Conversation Script  Β·  Opening the Webb Meeting
"Marcus, I appreciate you making time. I want to be direct: I think the way we've been routing the reorganization through the subcommittee hasn't been working well β€” and I don't think that's anyone's fault. The questions we've been sending aren't framed in a way that makes it easy to respond, and there's no clear timeline, so things stay open longer than they need to. I'd like to propose a structure that would make your committee's input more useful and less burdensome. Can I share what I've been thinking?"
You take shared ownership of the problem, name a concrete cause, and lead with what's in it for him before presenting your proposal.
Bring your draft but do not open with it. Have the conversation first. Introduce it only once he acknowledges the problem.
Ask for his edits, not his approval: "I'd rather co-design this with you than bring it to the full committee cold. What would you change?"
Do not leave without agreeing on a next step β€” even just: "Let me revise this and send it back to you by Friday."
Days 12–14  Β·  Consolidate and Document
Revise the Governance Input Structure based on Dr. Webb's input. Send the revised version within 48 hours.
Send Provost Harris a brief update: "I met with Dr. Webb this week and we're designing a cleaner process for routing subcommittee input on the reorganization. I'll share the final structure once we've aligned."
Identify which reorganization item you will route through the new process first β€” something meaningful but not your most politically sensitive. You want a successful first cycle.
What to Watch For This Week
  • β†’Positive: Dr. Webb engages with your proposal and suggests edits. Any engagement β€” even pushback β€” is productive.
  • β†’Caution: He routes your request back to the full subcommittee without meeting with you first. Accept the meeting but bring the same proposal β€” don't let it become a committee deliberation.
  • β†’Watch yourself: Do not over-explain or over-justify your proposal. Say it once, clearly. Then listen.
Week 2 Reflection  Β·  End of Day 14
Before you move to Week 3, answer these in writing.
What was Dr. Webb's actual response β€” beneath what he said, what did I sense about his stance?
Did I stay in relationship mode or did I slip into problem-solving mode too quickly?
What is the most important thing to protect going into Week 3?
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30-Day Shift Plan  Β·  Week 3
Dr. Alexandra Chen  Β·  April 2026
W3
Days 15–21
Move Something
Use your clarified authority to act on at least one item you own β€” without waiting for permission you don't need.
Week 3 Intention

Weeks 1 and 2 were about clarity. Week 3 is about momentum. You now know what you own. You have interrupted the governance loop at the relationship level. This week you demonstrate β€” to yourself and your team β€” that things can actually move. Choose one item you own and act on it. Fully. Without routing it through anyone who does not need to be involved.

Days 15–16  Β·  Choose Your Move and Prepare Your Team
Select the one item from your "I own / can act" column that has been stalled the longest and that your team is most aware of. This is your Week 3 action item.
Meet briefly with each of your three direct reports individually: "I want to give you an update on where things stand and let you know what I'm moving on this week."
Ask each one: "What would make the biggest difference for you in the next two weeks?" Write down what they say. You don't have to fix it immediately β€” but hearing it matters.
Days 17–19  Β·  Execute Your Move
Take the action. Draft the decision, send the communication, schedule the meeting, finalize the timeline β€” whatever "act" means for your chosen item. This week, not next.
Inform Provost Harris after you act, not before: "I wanted to let you know I moved forward on [item] this week, consistent with our conversation. Here's what happened and what comes next."
Route the first item through the new Governance Input Structure with Dr. Webb. If not yet finalized, route it anyway with a cover note explaining the proposed new process β€” don't wait for perfect conditions.
Days 20–21  Β·  Check In on Your Team
Follow up briefly with each of your three direct reports. Five minutes or a short email: "I wanted to circle back. I moved on [item] this week. Here's what that means for your work."
Notice who re-engages. You are not fixing disengagement in one week β€” you are planting a signal that things are moving again.
What to Watch For This Week
  • β†’Positive: You took an action you own without seeking permission you didn't need. That alone is the win this week, regardless of how anyone responds.
  • β†’Positive: One or more direct reports responds with energy β€” asks a follow-up, volunteers for something, seems more present.
  • β†’Caution: Provost Harris pushes back. If this happens, do not retreat immediately. Ask: "Was this outside my authority, or is there something about the approach you'd like me to handle differently next time?"
Week 3 Reflection  Β·  End of Day 21
Before you move to Week 4, answer these in writing.
What did it feel like to act without asking for permission I didn't need?
What response did I get β€” and what does it tell me?
What one thing shifted this week, even slightly, that didn't exist three weeks ago?
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30-Day Shift Plan  Β·  Week 4
Dr. Alexandra Chen  Β·  April 2026
W4
Days 22–30
Stabilize and Name What Changed
Lock in what's working. Document what you learned. Set the conditions for the next 90 days.
Week 4 Intention

The shift doesn't become permanent just because you took action. It becomes permanent when you institutionalize the new pattern β€” decision rights documented, governance structure agreed upon, and your team seeing consistent follow-through. This week is about making the last four weeks stick.

Days 22–24  Β·  Finalize and Document
Update your decision rights map with everything learned since Week 1. This is now your operational authority reference.
Formalize the Governance Input Structure with Dr. Webb. Even an email confirmation counts as agreement.
Share the finalized structure with Provost Harris as an informational update β€” not for approval: "Dr. Webb and I have aligned on a process for routing subcommittee input. I wanted you to have it for your records."
Days 25–27  Β·  Reconnect with Your Team
Schedule a brief team meeting β€” not a project update, but a direct conversation with your direct reports together. Acknowledge what has been hard. Tell them what you have been working to shift.
Name one specific thing that has changed in the last 30 days. Something concrete they would have noticed. This signals that momentum is real, not rhetorical.
Ask what they need from you to stay engaged over the next 90 days. Write it down in front of them.
Conversation Script  Β·  Team Reset Conversation Opening
"I want to be straightforward with you all. I know the last several months have felt like a lot of effort without a lot of movement β€” and that's been frustrating to watch as your leader, because I know how much you've invested in this work. I've spent the last month getting clarity on some things I needed to understand better about my own authority and about how decisions are actually moving β€” or not moving β€” in this institution. Here's what's different now: [name the specific thing]. I can't promise everything gets easier immediately, but I know more clearly now what I can move and what I can't, and I'm going to keep moving the things I can. What I want to know from you today is: what do you need from me over the next 90 days to stay in this work?"
You name the difficulty without dwelling, show self-awareness without over-confessing, give them something concrete that changed, and hand the floor to them.
Days 28–30  Β·  Your 30-Day Completion Review
Review all four weekly reflection responses. Look for patterns β€” what kept coming up? What surprised you most?
Write a one-paragraph summary of what shifted in 30 days. Be specific. This is for you.
Identify the next item on your decision rights map to move in Days 31–60. Name it. Put it in your calendar.
If you are working with Dr. Robinson on Implementation Coaching, bring your four reflection responses and your completion summary to your next session.
How to Know the Reset Worked
  • β†’Success looks like: You can name at least one decision you owned that moved without waiting for unnecessary permission. The governance loop has a defined process. At least one direct report is more engaged than 30 days ago.
  • β†’Still in progress looks like: The structure exists but hasn't been tested. You still feel uncertain about some areas of ownership. These are not failures β€” they are the agenda for your next coaching session.
30-Day Completion Reflection  Β·  End of Day 30
Final questions. Take time with these.
What do I know now about my own leadership that I did not know 30 days ago?
What is the one thing I am most proud of from this period?
What is the most important thing to carry forward into Days 31–90?
Where do I still need support β€” and from whom?
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Reference Tools
Dr. Alexandra Chen  Β·  April 2026
Appendix
Reference Tools

Decision Rights Matrix

Your working reference throughout the 30 days. Fill in every active element of the reorganization initiative, assign a category, and review after each significant conversation.

Initiative Item Category Who Else Involved Notes / Status
Curriculum alignment timeline I own / can act Direct reports Moving in Week 3
Dept. head reporting structure I own / need approval Provost Harris Bring to 1:1 Week 2
Faculty workload policy change Shared governance Subcommittee Route via new process Week 3
    
    
    
    

Governance Input Structure Template

Use this as the basis for the document you bring to Dr. Webb in Week 2. Customize to your actual items.

Element Content
What we are asking Specific questions the subcommittee is asked to address β€” numbered, focused, answerable
Input format Written response / meeting / email β€” one format, defined in advance
Response window 21 days from date of routing β€” proposed default
If no response VP of Academic Affairs will proceed with available input and note subcommittee was consulted
How input is used Incorporated into implementation plan before submission to Provost for approval
Who receives outcome Subcommittee receives a summary of how their input shaped the final plan

If you complete 70% of what is in this plan, the trajectory will have changed. Bring your four reflection responses to your next session with Dr. Robinson β€” they are your best data on what is actually happening and will shape what comes next.

Dr. Nicole R. Robinson
Founder & Principal Consultant  Β·  Cultural Connections by Design
thevisionandimpact.com    resetandlead.com
30-Day Shift Planβ„’  Β·  Confidential  Β·  Β© Dr. Nicole R. Robinson  Β·  Cultural Connections by Design, LLC
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