Accepting Change?

11/13/17 

I struggle with change. As a natural revolutionary, I am prone equally to seeking change, to resisting the authority that wants to make a change, to desiring to set up an alternate structure, and in reflexively wanting to fight to protect the change I had fought for originally- even if it that fix has run its course. So, yeah, cognitive dissonance is a regular bedfellow of mine. Thankfully, though, my professional maturation has led me to temper most of my revolutionary tendencies- leaving me more processing capacity to roll with changes and problem-solve real-time.

Many of us will complain/vent about a new change- even while another part of our brain is working to accept it and move on. All of those responses can be positive… as long as we do accept the change and respond appropriately. Having a person to vent to is really important, as is having that same, trusted person respond with, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

Often, such a question causes us to change gears mentally. We are thrust into a solution-oriented mode. With that mode comes the necessity to balance many considerations like our values, strategies, political and resources costs, relationship impacts, etc. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave us some insight by suggesting that “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Our hope is realized in our positive response to change. 

… In Doing Good

10/16/17 … In Doing Good

It’s easy to grow tired as we struggle to carry around all of our various life-burdens: psychological, physical and physiological. It’s easy to work primarily for the weekends when we experience ongoing difficulty in our work. Those difficulties can come with the stuff of life outside work, tough customers, leadership decisions that bother you, instability within your company, and much more. Tiredness can lead to weariness- especially if we lose sight of goal.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet struggled with some of these things. May be you can identify with his perspective during his “To be or not to be” soliloquy regarding the situations that make a “weary life.” Probably, we all are affected by the “whips and scorns of time,… the law’s delay and the insolence of office,” and we might feel like it’s just not worth it to keep putting up with all of it. But, we are “doing good.” That is- the work we do every day makes a difference and helps people- it is good that we are doing for our customers- for the world- the universe.

The Apostle Paul, in one of his letters to his supporters in a (messed up) church in Galatia, suggested that his people “not grow weary in doing good for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” This is our challenge: Despite any pressures, we must keep a focus on the fact that what we are doing is to the GOOD. Get some rest to take care of your tiredness, but do not grow weary. Please do not give up.   

Celebrating Your Labor

9/1/17 Celebrating Your Labor

Toil. The Grind. Making a living. Working like a dog. We have so many idioms surrounding work because it’s a huge part of our lives. You come to work every day and spend 8 to 10 hours doing what you do in your chosen profession. Maybe that profession is your “calling,” and maybe it’s just how you pay the bills every month. Either way, I know you put your best into it. You try to be creative in solving problems and use integrity in your decisions. You labor.

You are a laborer. Whether you work with your hands or sit at a desk, you are producing and processing and helping all that goes into making our economy work and making our nation better. When you give it your all, you are making a difference. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote that, “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” We certainly uplift in our work. We strive for those who need our support to get to a different plane. Education is the single greatest factor in upward social mobility. We labor for good. 

Cultivating Success

7/13/15 Cultivating Success

As I drive my hands into the sun-warmed garden soil to till or sow and squish my bare toes into the cooling leaf mulch while pruning, fertilizing and watering lush plants that will yield fruits to nourish my family, I can’t help but have my soul filled, my spirit energized and my body satisfied. I know that I am making the world a better place by adding beauty and nutrients to our lives. Throughout my labor, I keep drawing analogies between the process of sowing and growing things with the work of an educator. As Liberty Hyde Bailey writes, “A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.” 

Can we avoid comparing gardening with our work as educators? Replace the word garden with “student success” and plants with “students.” Even as we think about the “difficult” students we deal with, consider Emerson’s thoughts on that, “What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.”  Thus: What is an unsuccessful student? A student whose virtues have never been discovered. 

We are cultivating our students’ ambitions, critical thinking, and- really- their future. We are improving our cultural landscape by providing the necessary fertile soil of creativity and ingenuity. We are making the present and future better by growing healthier and more conscientious citizens. Grow a student today. When he blossoms, you will know you have done something amazing for the world.

A Total Eclipse of Our Attention?

8/21/17 Eclipsed?

Has the Solar Eclipse eclipsed our attention to anything else? It seems to be all we want to talk about. Will this ever end? Short answer? Yes.

Often, we will say that one person or situation eclipsed another; meaning the new person or situation overtook the other. In my head, though, as I compare this phrase to the actual eclipse we will experience, I am reminded that the moon only eclipses the sun for a very short time. So, as whatever current concern “eclipse” all other issues in our work, we need to remember that these other needs will reemerge as the currently exigent situation passes. Because… it WILL pass- just as the moon passes the sun.

Also, there is danger in the eclipse in that it cannot take all of our focus. We can’t stare at it. Likewise, there is danger in allowing ALL of our focus to fall on whatever our current emergency is. Why? Because there will ALWAYS be a current emergency eclipsing other plans. If we only ever jump from one emergent need to the next emergent need, cosmic or otherwise, we will fail to be prepared. We will only ever be reacting. We must be much more strategic. We must not allow the current situation the Universe dropped on our laps to eclipse our long term strategy. Why? Because the universe is still in constant motion. And, because the world still turns. And, especially because the sun will come out tomorrow… uh… and today… again. 

A Key Aspect of a Great Team

7/10/17 A Key Aspect of a Great Team

Among so many, I’d like to highlight one key aspect of this team that make this such a great place to work. I’ve observed that we are best when we start with the assumption that each of our actions and utterings come from a place of helping and student/customer focus… that is- positivity. 

We are an inherently positive group who seeks the best for our customers and colleagues. We seem to live the following quote and to reap the reward of which Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo writes. She says, “Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent. You will be amazed at how your whole approach to a person or problem becomes very different.” Many have commented on how affirming, forward thinking, action oriented, and helpful this office is. 

I credit this natural ethos of assuming positive intent.

Putting on Our Best Selves

5/24/17 Putting on Our Best Selves

Every day, we don a set of clothes of our choosing. People close to us notice. Are our clothes nice? Are they well put together? Do they match the season, and are they appropriate for the social context?  Our outward appearance is a form of our non-verbal communication. What are we projecting- communicating- with our outfit? What do our clothes say about us? 

But... Is our attitude a part of that outfit? Do we “put-on” a certain emotional outlook in the same way we put on clothes? Are we that intentional about our attitude? Should we be more so?

Certainly, there are times when an uncontrolled reaction to a significant event are equally warranted and appropriate (fire, attack, injustice). Most times, though, the world turns more smoothly when we control our reactions and maintain a positive attitude. Because, who benefits when we have a dramatic or unprofessional reaction to an event- especially in the workplace? 

This has been one of my professional growth challenges- to remain professional even if a situation is bad- maybe especially when it is so. Sometimes our coworkers and students find themselves out of control emotionally. Our controlled and solution-oriented response that starts with listening to and assessing a situation may be the first step in reducing the impact of an exigent circumstance. Even if we are feeling out of control, practicing “fake it ‘til you make it” may be the most prudent response.

This is me putting the clothes, face and attitude of my best self. 

Control

5/15/17 Control

You’ll often hear me say, “…Because… there is no one else in the Universe we can control but ourselves.” The main reason I say this so often is because I regularly need to remind myself of this fact- that I must respond to difficult situations with emotions in check.  I need to tell myself to take a deep breath and say the right thing and be the right person. As a professional- colleague and customer service provider- my imperative is to avoid getting drawn in to someone else’s emotional drama. I must remember to “take the high road” when being attacked because the greater good, along with the institution’s and my own reputation are at stake. Having a person to occasionally share venting sessions with is a very helpful way to release some of the emotional pressure that can build up. 

But, ultimately, isn't it up to each of us in each situation to control the only person in the world we can? All the fingers point to… Me. 

We’ve got a Mission and Value for That

5/20/13 We’ve got a Mission and Value for That

Like every other company, we have an app for our organization. Our customers can log-in quickly from a smart phone or tablet to access our app. Got a problem? Yeah, we’ve got an app for that. But what about when the problem is ethical or outside the normal scope of our everyday considerations? We may not have an app for that, but we do have an institutional mission, values, guiding principles, code of professional ethics, laws and regulations, etc. Our organization has decided corporately to adopt a core focus and the philosophy under which literally all of our activities should fall. When any one member of the community strays from the company mission or values, the whole organization could suffer greatly. Jim Collins in Good to Great talked about having the “right people on the bus.” 

To extend the analogy further, I would also make the case that everyone in the organization should know where the bus is going, their role on the bus and what the edges of the road look like that it is supposed to be driving on. So, if the bus begins to veer off the road or turn off on the wrong road, any number of people in the organization can raise an alarm and hold others accountable before the bus goes careening over a cliff. 

Our mission, values and guiding principles delineate the parameters for solving problems, innovating and planning for the future. Got a problem? Yeah, we’ve got a mission and value for that.

Here is the page for the Delta College Mission, Values, Guiding Principles and Vision. http://www.delta.edu/aboutdelta/missionvalues.aspx

Do you know what your company's mission, vision and values are? If you are applying for a job, do you know what that company cares about? If not, make sure you do. 

The Real You

The Real You

I was struck this weekend while hanging out with several dozen high school choir students that the youth of America have really, fully embraced the idea of owning and just being who they are. I observed that they seem to have a sense of self that I would have given anything for in high school. Much of the stereotypical “teen angst” that older generations have always assumed seems to have transitioned into a license for each person to genuinely seek out who they are in the world and various social orders and to just go with it. At forty years old, I’m still not sure if I know who I am in the world. I know that I am still developing and growing. I am moving toward what I feel is my purpose, but also continually seeking to learn more about that purpose.

As I am working to help people in my job, I have to speak with authority that attaining formal education is valuable and a key part of enhanced self-discovery.  I believe this, but I also think it is only a part of the process. I would suggest that a key part of knowing more about oneself lies in embracing the beauty and import of where you are at this very moment. It’s quite a paradox to always be looking for your role in the next thing while simultaneously being present where you are right now. But, both are vital for success. Consider this quote by Seth Goldman, a commencement speaker for the American University in 2010, "If you believe in what you're saying, if you believe in what you're doing, you'll be more effective, more passionate and more authentic in everything you do."

In many ways, doing this job, we’ve got it easy because we do believe what we are saying and doing. We know who we are and why we are here at this moment. And, we continue to move toward finding and accepting who we are going to be and what our purpose will be in the next moment and beyond.  So, our message will be readily accepted because it’s real.

Administrative Office Professionals Day- Have I Told You Lately?

Have I Told You Lately?

(To the tune of Rod Stewart’s version)

Have I told you lately that I appreciate you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
You fill my office with brilliance; make a difference for all our students.
Ease student troubles, that's what you do

For our morning coffee in all its glory,
you greet me each day with smiles and support too.
You help to end the blandness; add color to our drabness.
Counteract A/P weakness- that’s what you do.

There's a thanks that is mine.
You lend your ear when I whine
and need some fun.
And at the end of the day
when you’re staying late I’ll say
you’re the one, worth a million.

Have I told you lately that I admire you?
Have I told you we can’t do this without you?
You staff our counters with aptness; help customers to find happiness.
Make a difference, that's what you do.

There's no staff more refined,
And I value your mind
Like… a ton.
And at the end of the day,
I always give thanks and pray
To the One for your passion.

Have I told you lately that we need you?
Have I told you I don’t know how we’d replace you?
You fill my day with laughter, somehow you make workbetter
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

Songwriters: Van Morrison with Dan

Still Optimistic

4/17/17 Still Optimistic

In a world where negativity and apathy abound, it would be very easy to fall into pessimism. But, we mustn’t! Our chosen call is to be a sunbeam of positivity and optimism cutting through today’s fog of uncertainty to a future that is infinitely brighter. The work we do makes a difference for every single person around our constituents. When we help one person to discover, dive into and achieve their dreams, we have thrown a pebble of hope and success into a pond whose ripples will lap at the feet of an entire community standing tenuously on the shore worried about taking the plunge. 

Anne Frank wrote in her diary while hiding from agents of certain death, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” We start, restart and continue today- right now. Thank you for joining with me on this journey to improve the world.  

Better than Golden Customer Service- Platinum!

6/27/12 Better than Golden Customer Service

 

You've heard of the Golden Rule coined by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount... "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." This is a great rule to live by and fine in a customer service environment such as we work daily. But, couldn’t we take this a bit further and adopt the Platinum Rule … "Treat others the way THEY want to be treated." Our job in customer service is to meet our customers’ needs as they perceive them. Our own needs are really not relevant in that interpersonal experience. The customer's own desires are key! But, could we take this even further? Bryan K. Williams, a customer service consultant, coined the idea of the Double Platinum Rule; "Treat others the way they don't even know they want to be treated." Anticipate and meet their needs before they even conceive of them. This is one of the greatest ways to create satisfied and returning customers. We should suggest activities, services or process steps that the customer hadn't considered yet to provide more holistic service than only that within the limited scope of our office or normal daily work. This consideration requires that we make ourselves aware of other offices’ activities and processes besides those in which we normally experience.

The Choice of Costume

10/31/16 The Choice of Costume

Are we subconsciously (or consciously) telegraphing anything about our self with our choice of Halloween costume? Surely we are trying to say something to the world. Of course, it could be something as benign as desiring to bring whimsy or causing a shock. But, I wonder if we could really be indicating more about how we see our own place in the world. Do I put on a Superman costume? Einstein? A zombie (probably holding an empty bag of coffee grounds)? A presidential candidate? Why did I choose these costumes? Are they really costumes or some sort of greater aspiration or revelation?

And, that’s just thinking about Halloween. What about the rest of the time? Do we not “put on” a certain persona for various social and professional situations? Do we code switch to speak and act differently as we are interacting with our customers? This is just a necessity in life- especially in our professional lives. Because, we can’t act out at work on every intense feeling we are experiencing in our personal lives and, vice versa, we can’t go home and yell at our loved ones because of a crappy day at work, right? And yet, we also crave authenticity.

So, how do we balance all this? The answer seems to be to put on our best selves all of the time (easier said than done). But, “don’t let yourself be someone’s everyone, and don’t let someone else be yours. There is no balance in that.” We don’t put on our best self to please everyone else but to satisfy our own spirit’s longing to be real with the world. Maybe, I should wear a superman shirt under my work shirt everyday if I need to exude more courage? Writer Doug Coupland wisely wrote, “If human beings had genuine courage, they’d wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween.” So, what’s your true costume? What should you be wearing today? What should you wear every day?

Managing the Wait

5/6/13 Managing the Wait

 

In our world, we wait. We wait for lots of reasons and as individuals we must learn to manage ourselves while we wait. In our place of business, our customers will certainly wait at times. During peak busyness periods they will wait more than during others. As purveyors of great customer service, we must be conscious of how the wait will be received by our customers and how we manage it as professionals and as managers.

 

Patricia Lotich wrote a great article on this topic for EzineArticles.com. In it, she wrote, “It is unfortunate that organizations often get so wrapped up in the performance of delivering a service that they lose sight of the service experience. When was the last time that you assessed your service through the eyes of the customer?” When we was the last time we sat in our own lobby? How do our customers receive their welcome measured on their wait? What sorts of conditions help you to feel positive about a waiting experience you’ve had?

 

In my opinion, the two biggest tools for providing a positive wait are friendliness and ongoing communication- the communication of the concern for your wait and of the realistic time to expect to wait especially. I have waited for doctors who were known for their great interpersonal skills and desire to answer patients’ questions. The staff of those doctors would call ahead and indicated if the doctors were running behind. What are some ways we can be innovative in managing the wait? How do smart phones play a role in the wait? Could we have some funny or relevant texting-based surveys running at any given time on a computer monitor?  Could we have a list of recommended apps for our clients to view? Are their apps directly relevant to our work that we could recommend- or should we develop one?

Microagressions?

8/22/16 Microagressions?

 

Have you heard this word come up a lot lately? For me, it’s kind of a new addition to my vocabulary. I frequently hear it, or see it written, in the context of someone sneering about “this weak generation who must be coddled.” (See Clint Eastwood’s comments that I won’t repeat here). Free speech in public must absolutely be protected, yet the workplace and the educational environment are not public forums. We all work in this helping field because we value and desire to support the success of all people. We’ve become increasingly familiar with the requirements of Title IX and the Civil Rights Act which prohibit outright discrimination or harassment but also the creation of a “hostile environment.”

 

Usually, those of us committing microagressions do so unintentionally. We are operating under long-standing, culture wide norms that perpetuate stereotypes that the workplace belongs to a certain group and the rest of us are basically just guests at their table. I read a story this morning about a woman (one of the few) working in a Wall Street firm who was asked to be “the woman” on a panel discussing what it’s like to be employed for the company before a group of new interns. This woman was asked what it was like for women in that company. Her cautious and tentative opinion was quickly dismissed by the three other men on the panel who insisted it was a great place for women to work. They didn’t see the irony.

 

I’m sure I can provide examples from my own daily life. Consider if I ask a coworker who mentions his spouse and respond- intending friendliness- with, “Oh, what does your wife do as a career?” Why do I assume he has a wife and not a husband? Did my attempt at being friendly just become a microagression making my coworker feel excluded? Why am I so invested in such a heteronormative mindset? I am a person who desires to be inclusive, so why is it so hard to change my modes of speech and ways of thinking? And, yet, I am responsible to do so but it takes intentionality to do so. I try to make myself aware of my communication and have apologized for such misuses of language.

 

This next example was reported in a Huffington Post article on the subject by John Fitzgerald Gates. “Following a recent interview with General Motors CEO Mary Barra, NBC’s Today show host Matt Lauer was roundly criticized for asking Barra if she could be a good mother and effective CEO of a major company. In suggesting that Barra could not balance work and motherhood, Lauer made a judgment about the competence of female executives that would never be made about male executives, like him, who are celebrated for being power players in boardrooms and great fathers at home. He advanced an erroneous and bigoted narrative that women are inferior to men. In doing so, he demeaned working mothers and damaged his own credibility on such issues.”

 

I have seen such statements made about men taking “paternity leave.” “Why does he need to stay home for several weeks after his wife has a baby? What does he have to do with all that? (paraphrase)” Because, of course, child rearing is ONLY a woman’s job? Whatever the reason, there is much sexism in that microaggressive statement. It hurts as much as calling someone the N-word because it devalues and demonstrates that someone is “less than” if they don’t fit into some antiquated and illegal cultural norm.

 

Perhaps, and hopefully, the concept of microaggressions is coming up more because we are all increasing our awareness of being more inclusive in the world around us. We are wincing and holding accountable people who comment on the hairstyle of a world class gymnast when that would NEVER have been brought up about a male or a Caucasian. We are having social media discussion of such topics and making memes about it. But, in this workplace and educational environment, we are required by law and virtue to speak up and call out such microagressions to ensure that it is inclusive of everyone and not hostile. This is our challenge. This is our mission. This conversation must continue.   

Post-Decision Research?

6/27/16 Post-Decision Research?

 

As an educator and educated voter, I have been aghast at the information coming out of England since the Brexit vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. It seems that many people voted BEFORE learning about the impact of their actions. The Brexit topics were all trending on Google. A common theme before the vote was that the populace was annoyed at the constant barrage of opinions of experts who make decisions based on data and research. These experts kept saying that the impact of the Brexit would be detrimental for world economic stability, but the average bloke didn’t care. They wanted to make a statement. They acted on emotion. Then, afterward, they suffered remorse and watched markets and currency values tank

 

In our work, how do we go about making decisions? How do these decisions govern our work? Are we attune to the results of data analysis and prevailing research in student success or best practices? Are we acting on emotions? Answering these questions prior to making decisions and taking action necessitates intentionality and prioritization. Otherwise, we might be scrambling to understand what we did after the fact.

Greener Grass?

5/26/16 Greener Grass?

 

We’ve all heard, and maybe used, the old saw about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence perhaps as a warning to ourselves or others, or perhaps to confirm that someone jumped the fence to find that the grass ended up being the same. This idiom’s agrarian roots harken back to cows always wanting to eat the grass in the next field, and is, of course, an analogy for a human’s typical penchant for coveting other folks’ wealth, jobs, families, spouses, houses, etc. But, really, we all know intellectually that each of those will indubitably come with their own difficulties and detractions.

I’ve modified this idiom as a reminder of to myself of why someone’s grass might be greener. This is because sometimes I need to remember that the grass is GREENEST over a septic field. It’s possible that someone’s waste sits just below the pretty surface of that lush greenery. And, I recently had another thought about this as well… Grass grows best and doesn’t get consumed by encroaching saplings and weeds when it’s mowed. We must make our meadow healthy by cutting out things that detract from it. We must cut back distractions if we want to maintain a lovely lawn of life. Where can the grass of our lives be greenest? Where we take care of it.

At this moment in time...

3/21/16 At this moment in time

 

We put so much into the concept of time- that is- OUR concept. Certainly, we experience different feelings and perceptions of time throughout our lives. A child measures time in the distance between snacks or recess or time with mom. We measure our time with our children in developmental milestones and in “the lasts”- e.g. the last time my pre-teen daughter bounds into my arms when I come home from work or the last time I change a diaper. We measure our work day in appointments, meetings and deadlines. We say and feel that time is money. We even talk about it like money. But, so much of our time is spent doing things that are beyond our control. Those of us who are control freaks hate this aspect of our lives and make every effort and multiple lists to mitigate such losses of control to our schedules (time). Of course we should act strategically and plan for future contingencies, but when they show up, all we can control is our response in that moment in time. So, mental preparedness can be an important activity. And this is one of the ultimate essences of what our lives look like- How do I respond to the stuff of life that is occurring at this moment in time?   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO1rMeYnOmM

Tax Time

4/8/13 Tax Time!

 

As citizens and public servants of this nation, April 15 is a vital day for us. It’s a day about responsibility; our individual responsibility to pay our taxes as we are liable to do so, our corporate responsibility as public educators to manage the tax moneys we receive, and one in which our lawmakers must always be aware of their own responsibilities as stewards of the public trust and funds. We are all important cogs in many wheels. As educators and career advisors, we are bolstering each of these aspects of American society. We can be fiscally responsible with the funds we have received to operate our office. We promote an educated citizenry in which people with higher levels of education are much more likely to be an active influence on policymaking locally and nationally. And, we are helping our students and alumni acquire the tools they need to maximize their skills to become gainfully employed; thus taxpaying citizens. We make a difference for our individual students and alumni as well as for the very operation of our nation. Uncle Sam says, “Thank You!”