“The phoenix must burn to emerge.” – Janet Fitch It’s been an “interesting” couple of months. I’ve put myself in a couple of situations to intentionally stretch my abilities, and I have learned a lot. I have found some areas where I am better than I thought. It reinforced that I am growing, learning, and …
Category Archives: Leadership
Life is Messy…Play in the Mud
You take it all in. You let the pain of the world touch your heart and you turn it into compassion. ~Gyalwa Karmapa I am up for my 5th Year Review as Associate Dean, so I’ve done quite a bit of reflecting over the last few weeks. A lot has happened. We’ve seen big budget …
Rut or Groove?
There’s a very fine line between a groove and a rut; a fine line between eccentrics and people who are just plain nuts. ~Christine Lavin Yesterday we moved Kaitlyn into her apartment. She is an amazing person, and I am looking forward to watching her continue to grow over her sophomore year. Because she is …
Appreciating Diversity
We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion. ~Max de Per A couple of months ago I was asked a …
Getting to No
“The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” ~Tony Blair There is a great book called “Getting to Yes.” It is about negotiating agreement and makes a lot of sense. It is definitely a worthwhile read. But there is also a need for “Getting to No.” It …
Horsepower
To finish first, you must first finish. – Juan Manuel Fangio As we all ramp up and get ready to tackle 2014 many are thinking about renewing their focus or reviewing priorities. But me, I am thinking about one word – Horsepower. Now it’s not a new car, but the idea of personal or organizational …
Oz Principle
See it. Own it. Solve it. Do it. Simple words, but powerful implications. I just finished reading the Oz Principle and found it thought provoking. I’ll probably be processing it for the next few days; probably longer. It deals primarily with the A in my CARE model, but also addresses the C, R, and E …
Merlin: Power & Influence
The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret. ~Salvador Dali Over the weekend I finished watching Merlin. It is probably one of my all-time favorites and I would recommend checking it out if you have time (Netflix). While I am disappointed that there will not be a 6th season, the final …
Collective Rhythm
Two articles caught my attention last week. While they may seem unrelated, because one if from the Chronicle of Higher Education and the other Booz & Company’s Strategy+Business, they really do fit together nicely. At least for me. The first, from the Chronicle, addresses a challenge we’ve been talking about in the ECU COB for …
IT Depts. Have Become Completely Useless
The role of the CIO, the Chief Information Officer, has been debated about as long as the term in itself exists. Rarely before has there been such a misleading description, because in many companies the person assuming the position of CIO was rarely seen as the chief ‘Information’ Officer. People mostly perceived him as “Top …