Archive for October 2019
Creating Community
Last week I wrote that creating community is leadership work. This week, I’d like to share some of my experiences as a leader working to create community in organizations. Colleges and universities are complicated places with multiple systems of governance. Divisions have completely different values and reward systems. There are departments with widely varied purposes and…
Read MoreLeading for Community
October is a month of community for me. Two reunions, two very different groups of people, both important to me. Res Life First up was the annual gathering of the group known on Facebook as Walker Tower 9th Floor 1975. One of the unusual elements of this group is its homogeneity. 95% of us are…
Read MoreCuriosity is a Leadership Skill
“How did you get where you are?” It’s a question I have often heard over the course of my career – especially once I became a vice president. There are many ways to answer such a question and a helpful answer depends on what the questioner really wants to explore. Some questions are about credentials.…
Read MoreListening to Learn
“The servant leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps to clarify that will. He or she listens receptively to what is being said and unsaid. Listening also encompasses hearing one’s own inner voice. Listening, coupled with periods of reflection, is essential to the growth and well-being of the servant leader.” Larry…
Read MoreThe Gifts of Fall
My first fall on campus Based on everything I know now, I can safely say I did everything wrong during my first semester of college. Well, I didn’t go home every weekend since home was 500 miles away. However, since both of my grandmothers lived within an hour’s drive, I did leave campus more than…
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