How to Lead with Value When the Dollars Don’t Show Up In higher ed, we’re no strangers to scarcity. Budgets get trimmed. Positions go unfilled. Technology is “refreshed” less and less often. And still, we show up—managing events with borrowed supplies, onboarding new staff without full teams, supporting students through Read more
Clarity Isn’t Intrusive: Why Clear Expectations Are a Gift “They should know what’s expected of them.” Should they? It’s a phrase I’ve heard from supervisors more times than I can count. It usually surfaces after frustration has simmered too long—after something didn’t get done “the right way,” or after a Read more
Passive vs. Active Relationships: Know the difference. Use ‘em both. We’ve all walked away from a day full of meetings, events, and conversations—and felt completely disconnected. There’s a weird paradox in student affairs and higher ed work: you’re surrounded by people, and yet it can be deeply isolating. That’s because Read more
Your Wellbeing Depends on Your People: Why Social Connections Matter More Than You Think Leadership can be lonely. You’re the go-to problem solver, the decision maker, the “let’s circle back on that” guru. But if you’re not careful, you’ll look up from your endless to-do list and realize you’ve become Read more
Open Your Ears (and close your mouth!) Earning a PhD is an exciting and triumphant accomplishment, and a ton of work! Several of my clients are in various stages of their doctoral programs, and I always enjoy hearing the stories of their triumphs and encouraging them through their barriers. I Read more
BCC, FWD, OOO and All the Trappings of Email I am old enough to remember using PINE for email. That flashing green cursor, the old-school noisy keyboards, the packed computer labs. I also recall that, as a very new professional, I got to witness more seasoned colleagues figure out how Read more
Full Capacity Protocol Like so many of us, the hubs and I enjoy a hospital TV show – one of our favorites was ER, which was popular when our daughter was young. Watching ER together was important date night material when we were busy with our young family. Even now, Read more
Burnout: It’s not me, it’s not you, it’s all of us. In higher education world, February is often one of the hardest months of the year. Not only is the weather still wintering, and we are (so close!) to experiencing the turn of spring, but also for those of us Read more
Rituals, Routines and Innovation Innovation is a sexy word. When we imagine ourselves as an “innovator,” we might see a creative captain of our industry, solving the gnarly problems that have vexed leaders of the past. Innovators are solution-finders and forward-thinkers. As a leader-boss, of course you want to foster Read more
Nobody is born good at conflict resolution. NOBODY. It’s not uncommon for a client to use our time together to process a situation with a coworker. After they share the issue, I often ask: “So when you went to talk with them about this later, how did it go?” I’m Read more