We Must Burn to Emerge

“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 improving. Then there are these other areas… Let’s just say the image of a burning phoenix comes to mind. In one instance, I could see it burning and couldn’t do anything to change the trajectory. It hurt. It stung. It still stings. It’s an area for improvement that I identified years ago but did nothing about. Just avoided it or thought it would fix itself, eventually. But it didn’t, and I burned.

But, like the phoenix, I sense that I am rising from the ashes. It has become a call to action. It is a clear stake in the sand that says, “you have to address this.” It has greatly enhanced my clarity. So I am focused, resolved to fix it. And, do you know what? I think I won’t just “fix” the issue. But I think I will master it. My intent is not just to make it something that doesn’t hold me back, but to make it something that propels me forward. I hope that I can remember the hurt, remember the burn so that it motives me to not feel it again, at least, in this area.

So, what about you? What are you avoiding? Where have you failed? Where have you come up short? Are you using it as a reason to quit? Or, are you using it as motivation to emerge even stronger? Be the Phoenix. Use the burn to emerge.

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 cuts; new colleagues join us, colleagues leave, programs developed, etc. It’s been a mixture of good and bad. But, overall we have continued to move forward.  In many ways, despite the cuts, we are in a better place. I’ve also reflected on the life challenges that we have faced. Cancer, death, sickness, “gunbrellaman,” earthquake, storms…it’s a long messy list.

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who has experienced the unimaginable. As he reflected, he talked about how he has been candid with his challenge and is open to talking with anyone and everyone that wants to talk. He has found that the more he talks; the more he learns about the messiness of what other have been through. The sorrow, the pain, the anguish, and the struggle. It’s messy. But, somehow people survive, and it is changing the way he sees the world.

As I reflect on my own personal messiness, I can see that each one changed me. Each made me more aware. It seems that each time I found myself in the messiness of life (the mud) if I allowed myself to be in the mud, truly experience the mud, I emerged a better person.

What difficulty are you facing? Allow yourself to embrace the difficulty and play in the mud. Then look beyond yourself and see how it has changed how you see the world.

Grace & Peace!

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 important to me, I rearranged my day to help. This took me out of my normal routine, and I found it refreshing. It was a simple reminder, a new perspective, on what is paramount and the things that I just do because they need to get done. One could say I was in a rut, but I would personally prefer to be in a groove.

As Christine’s statement above indicates, there can be a very fine line between a rut and a groove. There are many days I come into the office, work for hours, and not much seems to get done. Sure I put out a couple of fires, cleaned up a mess or two, but what got done? There are days I read literature, analyze data, look at my research and just fumble around. There are days when I hang out with my family…you see the trend. Then there are days where things are a bit off kilter, like yesterday, and something meaningful happens.

So, what’s the difference between a groove and a rut? Some might say it has to do with length, or it has to do with positive or negative. I think there’s truth in both. The commonality is that they are instances where things just sort of happen. The groove is perceived as positive because we are focusing on something that is important to us. We are doing something that is meaningful for us. We are present. Whereas, in a rut, things are happening to us. We are doing things just because that’s what we do. We aren’t present.

When you find yourself in a rut, change something up. Stop and refocus on someone or something that is really important to you. Do something different. Sometimes a simple change can have a profound impact. For me, a simple change in my day, focusing on someone important, helped me out of a rut. I know it’s not always that simple, but being aware and making a change is a step in the right direction.

All the best!

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 really good question about my thoughts on diversity. I didn’t answer it nearly as clearly as I would have liked. I gave an answer that touched on three points: 1) it’s hard, 2) none of us are mistakes, and 3) I have learned a lot from people who are different from me. Now, that’s not a bad answer, but it doesn’t reflect my real thoughts. It doesn’t reflect the true value I see in diversity. So, once again I have learned a lot from something I didn’t do correctly. I’ve reflected a lot on this question since and the picture above, various glasses of wine, gets at the heart.

Now some would say that as a white male I have no place in the conversation. I’ve been in diversity-related meetings where that has been said. But I see it from a different perspective. I think I have the most learn from diversity and can be in a unique position to promote the conversation. I would take it one more step. I have the most to gain from diversity. Because so much of my time is spent with people a lot like me, intentionally seeking out people who provide a different perspective makes my life significantly richer.

For me, diversity is not something to be “tolerated” but something to be “appreciated.” A few weeks ago Christine and I attended a wine tasting at the Plum Tree Bistro with our friends. It was a blind tasting of 4 wines that ranged in price from $25 to $95 (restaurant price). We tasted them, compared notes, and then had to write in a form which one was which. Several of us compared notes before coming to our conclusions. We only got two right. The funny thing is it was the middle two. We switched the $25 wine with the $95 wine!

Now, it’s not like I am a wine connoisseur, so I didn’t think about it too much. But then I started thinking about how I enjoyed each of the glasses I experienced that day. Each was made different, they aged differently, and they each had their unique character. I was in a good position to appreciate each wine, but I was not in a position to judge them.

Another similar example came to mind which is much more intentional. Buffalo Trace has a Single Oak Project. They started with 96 American oak trees. Cut them in half top and bottom. Marked them all carefully and created barrels. Then the changed up how they charred the casks, what recipe of whiskey they used, and even how they were stored. Each was tracked carefully, and when bottled the tracking continued. Customers are asked to provide feedback/tasting notes. Their goal is to improve their product, but it also provides customers with a unique experience. You open each bottle with anticipation knowing that it is unique.

So, what does all this have to do with diversity? Admittedly, it is very superficial. Diversity, when truly appreciated, is so much richer and complex than any wine or whiskey could ever be. To see it simply as the Single Oak Project limits it to 1,396 possibilities. But we are all unique.  Our genetics are all different. We have all aged differently. Even twins are different.

We can sit back and appreciate a fine wine, or discuss the nuances of a nice whiskey. If we look at people in a similar manner and with the same anticipation the world will come alive. We will have a better understanding of each other. In the end, if we can truly appreciate each other, our lives will all be richer in ways well beyond a fine wine or whiskey.

All the best!

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 is nice to think that we can come to agreement, but that is not always the case. So, why is it difficult to articulate this? I believe getting to no is a big part of leadership and an important part of CARE. It’s just natural that Clarity is transparent and honest. No, said in the right way, is honest.

One place that this clarity and honesty can be tough is in the recruiting/hiring process. I’ve watched this from both sides and understand why things are the way they are. Nobody wants a lawsuit, but does it have to be this way? Why can’t we just speak the truth? Let people know when they didn’t make the cut. Maybe it’s my age and the fact that I have a job/career I like, but, it seems wrong to me to hold out false hope.

When I lead a search I insist on being as honest as possible with the candidates. This can scare some, but I try to treat people as I would like to be treated. If a candidate makes the phone interview stage, but doesn’t make it to the campus visit, is it right to string them along? They are good people, deserving of respect. Searches are tough and organizations are looking for people that meet the needs of the organization. That’s tough with just a resume and a phone conversation, but choices are made with the limited information that is available.

I had a great experience with this recently. One person, after receiving an email from me stating that others would be brought to campus, emailed back and said, “I am serious about this career path and would like some feedback.” Naturally, this can be dangerous. But I know that I would really value some feedback in this situation and probably would not get any. So I agreed to talk and share my own opinions. We didn’t talk about the job, we talked about our opinions of what each could do better. I came away with areas to improve and so did the other person. We also identified someone else who could assist with additional development. So in the end, my hope is this new connection ends up much better prepared for the next opportunity.

Another place is resource allocation. This is a huge issue in higher education. The budgets are not getting better, but yet “leaders” are avoiding the tough decisions. They don’t want to say “No.” It seems simpler to spread the pain and say a weak yes to everything. Again, this is tough if you are the one hearing the “No,” but when we say no to one commitment it enables us to say a stronger yes to others. That’s true for individuals and it is true for organizations. In organizations there needs to be some planning when resource allocations change. Clearly articulating an answer is best for all involved.

While these two examples are pretty extreme, this applies to other areas as well. For instance research projects, committee work, volunteer opportunities, the list goes on. It’s not just in the big areas that the clarity of no makes a difference. It can make a difference in all areas.

Now, I won’t pretend it is easy for me to say no. I am still working on it

What are your thoughts on the power and challenges of no?

All the best!

4/25 Postscript:
As I continued to think about this last night, it occurred to me that I saw an excellent example of this early in my academic career. When I was coming out of Auburn I made it to the campus interview stage at Wake Forest. It was a long day as I had picked up a cold and an ice storm was on the way. As we were heading out the dean told me exactly what would happen. There was still another candidate scheduled, then the committee would meet, and then he would make his decision. Then he told me he would call me either way and let me know the decision. Move forward a few weeks and it’s the day of the decision and my office phone rings. It’s the dean. Needless to say I did not get the position. They went with someone else. We had a short conversation and to this day I have held Wake Forest, and especially that dean, in high regard. My hope is that I learned something from his good example and it causes me to do even the little things better.

 

Experience with a Standing Desk

If you are like me, you have seen multiple articles over the last few years about the benefits of a standing desk. I’ve looked and I’ve wondered, but never did anything. One big reason is the price and the other is ECU has invested in the furniture. Then I saw the VariDesk. It had potential Most of the existing furniture could be used and it’s reasonably priced. A hutch would need to be moved to storage, but it was worth a shot. So a couple weeks back I took the plunge.

My experience has been a good one. I do sit down when working through documents, but I spend just about all of my computer time standing now. So most of the time, when I am not in meetings, I am standing. I do notice some core fatigue later in the day, but that’s a good thing. My core was becoming too “soft”. Overall I am pleased with the VariDesk because it is the best of both worlds. I can stand, but I know I have the option of sitting down if I want. When I am sitting the extra height causes me to sit up straight (another good thing). Honestly, it is not in the down position too often.

Another side benefit is time management. When I am sitting people, even with just a quick question, had a tendency to come into the office and sit in the chair across from me. Now if they have a quick question I am standing and they are standing, so they rarely sit down. But with the chair still there, if they know it will be a longer conversation they feel free to sit down and I do as well.

If I were to design an office from scratch I would definitely investigate a true standup desk. There are some very innovative ones out there now at competitive prices. But the VariDesk does the trick if you have furniture you want to keep and don’t want to invest a small fortune. Overall, flexible, very well made, and at a reasonable price.

All the best!

Optimism or Positive Attitude?

Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable. ~Voltaire

If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges. ~Pat Riley

Perhaps I am splitting hairs on this one, but if it makes you think it works for me. Many see me as an optimist, but I see myself as a realist. As I have thought about why this is the case, I think it comes down to my positive attitude.

Does a person who is an optimist have a positive attitude? I think most of the time they do. But is a person with a positive attitude an optimist? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Perhaps a simple example…

I am clearly not optimistic about the state of public education in North Carolina, and one might even say I am pessimistic about the state of higher education in NC. But I keep a positive attitude about both. The reason I maintain a positive attitude is I see the good people that are doing the right things for the right reasons. Teachers who continue to teach and go the extra mile to help students. Professors who teach, research, and serve because that’s what they are passionate about. Each has opportunities to advance their careers in different places, but they are committed to NC. This is home and they want to make it better. But at some point many of these people can no longer pass on the opportunity costs, so they do something different.

We are losing good faculty. Good people are tired and feeling beat up. That’s a reality. Some will come up with all kinds of reasons why and explanations, but that’s not the point of this post. In the end I believe we can still make a difference. We can continue to work at finding solutions, to make things better. There are still things we can control. We can work smarter, do things differently, and continue to make a difference. That’s a great reason to keep a positive attitude.

All the best!

Authentically Me

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” ~Andre Gide

I’ve debated about writing this for quite some time. It’s easier to be vanilla and not risk offending someone. That comes very naturally for me. I’d like to be a dean some day, so not offending anyone would be a good thing. But, I’m not vanilla. I’m quite unique, just like you are. And I think that ‘s great! Please don’t change who you are or what you think just to appease me. Be you. That’s quite special. In fact, I’d like to learn more about what makes you unique, when we get the opportunity.

So here are some of the boxes you can attempt to put me in, but in reality I don’t fit in any of them, because I don’t like boxes. When I learn something I tend to change. I like to think and I hope you do too.

My family is what is most important to me. I am far from the perfect husband or dad. I don’t always get it right, but I continue to try. Similarly, people are very important to me. We each have our own stories, our own struggles. I strive to recognize this and respect people as unique and special. I like people and believe ultimately that is why we do what we do.

Spirituality is important to me as well. I describe myself as a Christ-Follower. I believe the teachings of Christ, not our interpretations, have the ability to make the world a better place. I believe that Jesus’ goal was to make the world a better place. I believe many have distorted his teachings to make the world as they would have it. Organized religion bothers me. For me it is really simple, Love God and Love People. Everything comes from this. So I strive to do this better and forget all the other “stuff”. I love learning about other religions and look for ways that it can enrich my own understanding. I’ve learned a lot from agnostics and atheists. In fact, the more I learn, the more I realize I have so much more to learn and I really have no clue.  It’s all faith. Andre Gide said it best “Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.” You can count me as one who is seeking the truth.

Politically, I am a Libertarian, because I believe we each have a right to choose. Who am I to say what is right for you? But I get frustrated with Libertarians (politics in general) because they can take it too far. I tend to avoid extremes. Things won’t change overnight and extreme changes can be detrimental to society. We need to quit dividing and start uniting. Political parties have made it “us against them” and we have forgotten that there should be no “them”, it should be all “us”.

I take the EDGE perspective seriously. Yes, this is a key component in the ECU COB curriculum, but it is also something I really believe in.

Ethics: It’s not always easy, but doing the right thing is always the right thing to do. I am encouraged by companies that are doing well by doing good.

Diversity: I am passionate about diversity and am concerned that many simply don’t get it. It’s more than just counting colors, religions, or sexual orientation. It’s about truly appreciating the unique view we all have due to nature and nurture. How rich it is to see the world through someone else’s eyes. My own view is so limited, so biased. Add in a couple of different views and the picture becomes so much richer. I want to live a rich life by surrounding myself with people who have a different perspective than me.

Globalization: The world is an interdependent web. We need to get beyond just doing things that are good for one country and start looking for win-win situations. The US is a great place, but it is not the only place and we need to learn from others. Like diversity it’s not easy, but the potential is huge.

Environment: This is the only earth we have and we can clearly need to be better stewards than we have been. Can we leave the earth in better shape than we found it? It’s worth trying.

As you can glean from the previous, I truly do love what I do. I have a passion for business education and its potential to change lives and change the world. Seriously. My frustration is we have equated learning with passing exams. College was a period where I grew; I changed. Did I get it right? Heck no, but it set me on a course that few would have imagined. I was the first Schwager to get a college degree. So a PhD was unthinkable. Yet here I am. My dad had to work 3 jobs at one point to provide for us. College gave me the hope of a better life for my family. I believe my mom and dad would be proud, God rest their souls. How many people are in exactly that same situation? How many can we impact the trajectory of their lives? That’s worth fighting for. A college education is so much more than passing a test.

Technology continues to intrigue me. I’ve always enjoyed playing with and learning about technology. I’ve tried it all and currently I can honestly say I love my Mac. I’ve become an “Apple Fanboy” because Apple products are well designed and the do what they are designed to do. But I respect why others are passionate about their technology and the way it can make their life better.

My CARE (Clarity, Accountability, Respect, Encouragement) model is something I really do believe in and is something I hope to continue to refine. It works well as a personal model and a leadership model. Can’t say I live it as consistently as I would like, but I am a work in progress.

So what does all this mean? Yup, my boxes don’t match yours! That’s great. We’re different. I’ve had this site for many years (since I was at Auburn) and it has always floundered. Never quite becoming what I would have hoped it would be. I think that is because while it is PaulSchwager.com, it only reflects a small part of me. So my goal will be to reflect more of me. Share a bit more of my interests and struggles. My hope is not that my thoughts will provide answers for visitors (I have more questions than answers), but that visitors will feel comfortable asking questions along with me, and learning along the way.

So, now when you read my thoughts you will understand a bit about where they come from. Here’s hoping the next 15 years of PaulSchwager.com will be more authentic than the first 15 years.

All the best!

Paul

Pick & Stick

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. ~Alan Lakein

 

I take time management seriously. After seeing my first pocket Day-Timer in college, I was hooked. I think I still have one  in a drawer in my home office. There’s something symbolic. Quickly, I noticed that there was a high degree of correlation between those who used Day Timers and success. To me it became a sign of someone who had their act together. But, over the years I have learned that’s not always the case.

Since college I have tried countless methods and solutions. Everything from Covey to GTD to Kanban.  I’ve read so many books and articles on the topic that I’ve lost count. In the end I have learned several things: there is not one perfect solution, everyone has an opinion, and it is actually quite simple. It all comes down to what David Allen teaches – you have to have a system that you can trust. It really is that simple. But it doesn’t work unless you “pick it and stick it”.

In our pursuit of the perfect solution we miss out on some systems that really work. We just think there must be something better. If we don’t stick with something we never quite get traction. We never learn how good it can be and we never develop a system we truly trust. It’s the trust piece that keeps us trying new things.

Maybe this makes sense for me because I have a solution that adequately addresses all the concepts I believe are most important. It allows me to address the best of Covey, GTD, and Kanban. My primary tool right now is Trello. It allows me to see everything visually, but add details. But there are many other good products that I continue to wonder, “could this one be better?” So if you are looking for something might I suggest you check out some of my favorites: Todoist, Wunderlist, Firetask, Toodledo, KanbanFlow,  Secret Weapon (Evernote),  WorkFlowy, and there are others. Now, some of these I continue to use for other purposes (Evernote & Workflowy) but I continue to use Trello for all of my tasks and time management needs. The key is find one and use it.

Obviously, I need to take my own advice and pick it and stick it. I am finding this to be true in other areas as well, but I’ll leave that for another post.

photo credit: stirwise via photopin cc

3 Words

Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right. ~Henry Ford

I spend a lot of my time interacting with a many different people. This provides an opportunity to see a lot of different perspectives. Themes begin to emerge. One theme, I have noticed for quite some time, is quite subtle. It’s how we tend to start our thinking. Due to economic and other challenges most people seem to start their thinking with:

Why we can’t.

It’s definitive, it’s clear, and it acknowledges the limitations of the current environment. It’s also very limiting and pessimistic. But then there are others (and I like to think I am in this group) that start their thinking with:

Why can’t we?

Same words, but totally different flavor. It’s open to possibilities. It has hope. It’s not as definitive and it’s optimistic.

Same words, but totally different perspective. Sure we are facing challenges, but why let them limit us? Let’s keep looking for ways we can get things done and not limit ourselves.

Just a simple thought that can make a big difference.

Personally, I am going to use the second phrase to inspire me to blog more often. Sure the posts will not be perfect. But why can’t I?