Gratitude

9/26/11 Gratitude           

Delta College is a community supported endeavor. And, we are here only for one reason, to facilitate student success. We have the opportunity to be thankful for the interactions we get to have with our VERY diverse student, alumni and coworker community of customers. But being thankful is not enough. William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Gratitude is an investment that costs naught but a second, yet pays in virtually immeasurable dividends of good will, increased productivity and positive feelings.  You were given 86,400 seconds today. Could you spend just one of them saying, “Thank you”? And, please accept my thanks to you for your gift to us of your time, talents and positive attitude. YOU make this office and college a great place to work, learn and grow.

No Excuses for Not Planning

9/12/11 No Excuses for Not Planning

It's been said that "Failing to plan is planning to fail." The mission of our institution does not change. We are usually glad to be beholden to it. But, there are times when we allow excuses to creep in about why we can't fulfill our mission... "We are too busy to..." Busyness is our number one excuse, but it is always really about priorities. We hide behind busyness but we must instead think about what must be done, what should be done, what is getting done, when things are getting done, and- the hardest- what must be discarded. In an age of increasingly limited staff time and financial resources, something has to give- without sacrificing the mission. So, yes, we DO have time to meet and strategize and prioritize because we are more likely to fail to meet the mission otherwise.

“Hustle” in the workplace

8/29/11 “Hustle” in the workplace

You may have heard me use the word "hustle" in the context of career advising with someone. While it could have negative connotations, I only use it in respect for someone who is always ready to step up and seize- or create- an opportunity. Success is frequently defined as the convergence of preparation and opportunity. If the opportunity comes and one is not prepared, nothing happens. If one spends all of his or her time getting prepared but fails to seize an opportunity (usually from fear of failure), again nothing happens. A "hustler" is one who is simultaneously very aware of his/her skills and ALWAYS looking for the opportunity to exploit them for the greatest gain. We can NEVER be so immersed in the immediate that we never come up for breath long enough to see the opportunity. Conversely, we have to attend to daily and ongoing projects appropriately and not only continually look to the horizon for the 'next big thing'. The best "hustler" in the workplace finds the balance for both. 

You make a difference!

8/27/11 You make a difference!

You impact students every day! One of the greatest impacts you can make in customer service is to genuinely communicate that we are glad each of our students are here. It is not overstating to say that any one (or every) interaction might make the difference in whether they finish school, or not. Also, I am glad YOU are here. I see the difference you make!

The importance of work

8/1/11 The importance of work

Over the last couple weeks, you've spent dozens of hours working at Delta College. The main reason you were here, of course, is to be able to get a paycheck to put food on the table and pay your bills. But, work does have it's advantages. A positive work environment is a great social connection. People who have good relationships with their coworkers are healthier on almost every measure. We spend a lot of time with our coworkers- sometimes significantly more than our significant others. This should also remind us that the people we work with are also our "customers". We can approach our coworkers with the same commitment to great service as we do every day with our external customers.  I appreciate the relationships I have established with you. You make my day every day!

When we look back on today…

7/19/11 When we look back on today…

It will be great because we are all working together for students and YOU are affecting students every day in the work you do!

Freedom through Learning

6/30/11 Freedom through Learning

As we reflect on a our Independence Day, we should think about how higher education relates to the life of a free person. Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." We have fought wars to gain freedom, but we stay free only to the extent to which we continue to learn and grow as citizens. At Delta College, we provide access to higher learning. We are helping people be more free and changing the world every day! 

One of the Great Values of Higher Education

6/20/11 One of the Great Values of Higher Education

A college education is less about the acquisition of facts and more about building the ability to synthesize the information into a known set of truths. And also, it is about continuing that search for information to better bolster our understanding of truths or to find new ones. We play a number of roles in that process by providing facts and assisting in the search for better self-knowledge and an increased understanding of the work world in which our customers will move.

Let’s be GREAT!

6/6/11   Let’s be GREAT!

We are a really good Career Services office! We help our students find what they are looking for and discover more about themselves. But, what would it look like if we were GREAT? Jim Collins, in Good to Great, stated that "Good is the enemy of Great". If we settle for good enough, that is all we will be. How would our services look different if we provided GREAT service?

The Circle of Teamwork

3/14/11 The Circle of Teamwork

Today is Pi Day… 3/14 (as in 3.14…) While the date is a completely arbitrary connection mathematically, it can give us pause to think about the circle. Circles are highly symbolic in ancient cultures and our own… We are all a part of the circle of life. We wear an unbroken circle as a wedding ring among many other symbolic examples.

As a team, we are a circle of needed participants. Our team is most successful when we all work together. Our team can fail when any one of us fails. It is in all of our best interest to help each other succeed. Thanks for being a part of the circle of our team. We need YOU and we support YOU! 3.14

Are we Teachable?

2/14/11 Are we Teachable?

As we have a new employee beginning right now, we are all thinking about the things we desire to teach him to help him, thus our team, be successful. But, how many times do we interact with someone and learn something from them?... A lot if we are open to it- I would say. As we deal with customers and other staff members, are we approaching those interactions with an open mind? Are we really listening and ready to gain something from each person? Our interactions can be best maximized if we are teachable.

Let’s be Great!

1/31/11 Let’s be Great!

Jim Collins said, Good is the enemy of Great!” We can provide good service all of the time. It would be easy to rest on “good enough”. But our students and customers need GREAT service to really see a difference. Thanks for striving for that with us!

Inspiration and Encouragement

1/17/11 Fairness in the workplace

The compulsion of fairness in interpersonal and work relationships and customer service holds us back from being generous. Generosity is the greatest gift we can give our customers.

12/5/10 We help unlock students’ potential

Despite “white out” conditions, we best serve our students when we believe that we can add color and flavor to their lives by facilitating a series of self-discoveries; career and personality assessment, unlocked academic  potential, and introduction to various new lifeskills; leading to real self actualization.

11/22/10 Together or not at all

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Henry Ford

10/25/10 The Gift of Customer Service

We give the greatest gift to our customers. We give them our time, attention and support. To paraphrase a great quote by Forest E. Witcraft, “One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, how big my house was, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of another person.”

10/11/10 Mastering yourself

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” Lao Tzu