As an institutional researcher, I have never gotten a 2:00 a.m. phone call notifying me of a data emergency. I’ve never been asked to come to campus immediately to assist the data crisis response team or make pivot tables. Never. However – my colleagues in...
Every college or university has a Board. They go by slightly different names, Board of Trustees, Board of Regents, Board of Governors. We use the generic term “Board” to refer to all these groups. Boards are primarily comprised of people who are NOT experts in...
In an earlier blog, Tackling Tough Problems: Part I, we discussed the value of tackling the problems no one else wants. Being the one to solve a difficult puzzle can be a real professional boost for any higher education staff member. But where to start? Finding the...
In The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost celebrates the value in going where others have not. In higher education, you can have that experience by taking on the problems no one else wants to address. Tackling these tough problems is good advice – we share...
Promoting student success at colleges and universities is a goal that almost always requires leaders with cross-functional team management skills. Improving student graduation rates can involve almost every area of the institution. So, it's important--if not necessary--to get the buy-in of a broad group of...
Have you started to notice “Cross-functional team management skills" required on recent job postings or asked about in interviews? I certainly have. But what does that really mean? It sounds like a clever way of saying ‘you’ll need to manage a group of people who...
In Be an Innovator: Part I, we noted that Thomas Edison, one of America's most prolific inventors once said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." But let’s be honest . . . if you want leaders to view you...
We are all busy. Super busy. But somehow we make time for the things that matter to us – paying bills on time to avoid a penalty, stopping for a coffee or tea, hitting the snooze button for just 5 more minutes. Instead, we prioritize...
