Ingenious Leadership: Creating Solutions to Wicked Problems in Higher Education

In past decades, the traditional higher education leadership playbook sufficed—as long as a crisis didn’t hit.

Now, with higher education facing unprecedented challenges and grappling with wicked problems—those complex, multifaceted issues with no simple solutions—the old playbook has failed. Conversations with over 100 college and university leaders featured on the IngenioUs podcast reveal that today's volatile, uncertain landscape demands a new kind of leadership.

In Ingenious Leadership, Melissa Morriss-Olson presents a framework for developing this innovative leadership approach, informed by insights from forward-thinking leaders who have guided their institutions through stormy times. Discover the principle themes of ingenious leadership, the practices and empower it, the habits that develop it, and the stories of those who exemplify it.

The companion workbook includes a leadership self-assessment and practical worksheets to help you apply these concepts to your own leadership journey.

Early Reviews

“Melissa Morriss-Olson’s Ingenious Leadership is a call to action for higher education leaders. It challenges us to be bold, embrace change, and lead with purpose in an era of unprecedented complexity.” - Barbara A. Farley, President, Illinois College

"Higher education is going through unprecedented change, much of it with no playbook to follow. Leadership will require imagination, courage, and fresh thinking. This book couldn’t have come along at a better time.” - Paul LeBlanc, Former President, Southern New Hampshire University

“Melissa Morriss-Olson’s Ingenious Leadership is a vital contribution to our understanding of effective leadership in higher education. This is an essential read for anyone committed to transforming lives through higher education.” - Elsa Núñez, President Emerita, Eastern Connecticut State University

"No one is better able to advise both current and aspiring leaders on how to thrive in this environment than Melissa Morriss-Olson. Ingenious Leadership is a wise, practical, and indispensable guide.” - David J. Staley, The Ohio State University, Author of Alternative Universities: Speculative Design For Innovation In Higher Education and Knowledge Towns: Colleges And Universities As Talent Magnets