Designed to help community college leaders direct the power of decision making and communication to fulfill the institution's mission, this book draws from on-site interviews and a survey of hundreds of community college leaders to identify and describe models of effective governance. "Leadership in governance" is defined as the creation of conditions, through decision making and communication, which commit organizational participants to the service of institutional purposes, acting beyond mere compliance with the mandates of their job. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the nature and function of leadership in governance, describing how leadership and governing structures shape decision-making climates and the context for decision making in community colleges. Chapter 3 argues that a well-understood planning process is critical to sound internal decision making. Chapter 4 elaborates upon four aspects of decision making: context, preparation, structure and content, and participation. Chapter 5 discusses how and when various decisions are implemented and what systems or methods are used to monitor their implementation. Chapter 6 discusses situations in which the impetus for decision making comes from outside of the institution. Chapter 7 addresses the key elements of successful communication, i.e., redundancy, multiple channels, clarity, and credibility. Finally, chapter 8 offers a summary of the book's conceptual themes and provides a list of the qualities that characterize successful decision making. Profiles of seven colleges and districts, and the survey instruments are appended. (JMC)