Strategies
Being Whimsical (Seriously)
“Okay, so it’s summer time again, and while not as hot as last summer, when the drought was so heavy that UTSA lay under the horrendous heat like coal that has been buried for millions of years, under thousands of pounds of pressure creating diamonds that glisten like ice in the glass of sweet tea…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Capacity?
Supervising staff is one of the most challenging tasks we have, isn’t it? Is it that the staff member doesn’t understand the task? Is it that they are overwhelmed? Is it a matter of a mis-match in communication styles? Are they unable or unwilling? Sometimes though, it’s not about ability or willingness, it’s more of an issue of…
Read MoreRealized Potential
Occasionally, I look at prior newsletters from UTSA and UT Austin to trigger ideas about topics, but today, as I am on the road, I’m going all in and just reprising an oldie. This is from the UTSA newsletter in August of 2009 and I’ve left in the UTSA specific references. Max De Pree is…
Read MoreStart Where You Are
Regular readers of this blog may have discerned that I have subscribed to a lot of newsletters. Some of them are new – I just subscribed to Matthew Dicks daily newsletter. Others, like the Ripples newsletter and A.Word.A.Day, I’ve been reading for many, many years. Daily, weekly, monthly they appear in my inbox and bring…
Read MoreTouchstones and Wayfinding
There’s a scene in the movie “Terms of Endearment” when Patsy says to her best friend who is dying of cancer, “You’re my touchstone, Emma.” It’s an interesting moment because to the outward world, Patsy is the one who looks like she has it all and has it all together. Emma on the other hand…
Read MorePlans and Planning
Today I want to tell you about a presentation I heard several years ago. The speaker was Dr. Jeremi Suri. He holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University’s Department of History and the Lyndon B. Johnson School…
Read MoreGiving and Connecting
“We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on our long-term moods. The key to a happy life, it seems, is the good life: a life with sustained relationships, challenging work, and connections to the community.” Paul Bloom, Yale Professor of Psychology…
Read MoreResolutions, Goals, and Wishes – Oh My!
It’s the first full week in January – how are you doing on your resolutions? When I used to do resolutions, I was lucky if I remembered I had made them two weeks out. Accomplishing them was never likely. They were more in the neighborhood of wishes, things I’d like to do, things that were…
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