Our second Final Question response comes from Ryan Bye who shared his FQ during the October 18th chat on Effective Leadership Development Strategies.

How do you go about inspiring new leadership?

We have my student staff member, Spencer Willson, to thank for this question of how to go about inspiring “new” leadership. In the context we were discussing this was how do we go about getting new students to desire to lead, but another idea comes to mind. How do we, as leaders, inspire our student leaders to new forms of leadership? In the SA chat that inspired this post we saw many posts stating…

So how do we inspire new leadership? The idea of leadership as the action and impact a student takes. Especially with this resounding dislike of how students are viewing leadership as a title, position, or something that is seen.

Create a culture of reflection. During this #sachat I placed a high emphasis on having students reflect on what “worked” and what went “poor”. As I advise and supervise student leaders I work to ensure that reflection is part of our weekly meetings. Taking time to reflect on the skills that are contributing to their leadership style and which ones are hindering them from being as effective is essential to leadership development.

Last year I had a student who struggled with time management and completing job expectations, which was reflected in their evaluation. This year this student has excelled in EVERY aspect of their job. When talking with them it is evident to me that they spent a lot of time reflecting on their evaluation and sought to improve. Due to reflection this student was able to realize that just because they had the title of a Community Advisor, did not make them a GREAT leader, but by correcting their actions they could be a leader making an impact.

Develop a culture of leaders, not followers. In reflecting with my peer and friend, @DustinKillpack, he made this statement that it is important when working with our traditional leaders in defined/elected leadership positions to develop a culture of leaders not one of followers. How do we do this?

Empowerment. As student affairs professionals we need to set an example of empowering our “followers” to be their own, individualized, leader. This starts with not allowing our student leaders to become dependent on us, and teaching them to not allow the group to be dependent on them. If you have ever read the novel, Ender’s Game, and if you have not – I highly recommend it, Ender’s philosophy as a leader was to ensure that the commanders under his lead knew the goals, but felt comfortable making autonomous decisions that would ultimately be in line with the mission. I believe we need to help our student leaders get to a place like Ender.

Inspiring others through self-empowerment with self-discovery. This is my six-word memoir for the year, and how I believe we can help turn this focus on leadership as a position into a focus on the impact one makes.

Please share your thoughts with me @byebyeryan.

In peace,
Ryan Bye

Ryan Bye is a Graduate Hall Coordinator and 2nd year graduate student in Higher Education at Texas Tech University.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our #SAchat focused on Beginning Research in Higher Ed. This week’s topic produced 443 tweets (once we cut out the spam!) from student affairs professionals, graduate students and undergraduates interested or working in the Student Affairs field!

Read the transcript as a google doc.

What are some other topics you would like to see us cover? Please let us know your ideas and feedback to keep #sachat growing strong. Until next week, (if you haven’t already done so) please make sure to LIKE our Facebook Page. Thanks for your continued support!

It’s time to put away the swim floaties and water guns and head back to school. As many of our friends are gearing up for their first day of classes, we are excited to announce that #SAChat will be back with you this week as well! Join us as we get the peer learning conversation going this Thursday at 12 noon CST. If you need a refresher on participating in the chat, or want to help some folks in your office get involved, check out our handy informational guide. Have and idea for a topic? Tweet us @the_sa_blog to let us know.

See you Thursday!

Join us this Thursday, July 19th at 12 noon CST when we discuss Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, book two in our summer book club series.

Our friends from The Cronk of Higher Education will joining us again as we talk about Pink’s view on the need to change how we approach motivation in the work place. Most research shows that what actually motivates humans to do better does not fall in line with how the traditional work place chooses to reward and motivate employees. How do we make changes to better our work experience? What can we do to stay motivated when those around us seem to be satisfied with the status quo?

Want to suggest a question or topic for the chat? Tweet to @the_sa_blog!

I’ve been attending a training lately about helping students and colleagues in crisis. The sessions have been really interesting. At one point we were talking about how to build trust with individuals who are in crisis mode. One of the tactics the facilitator was explaining was all about how we need to be honest and admit mistakes when/if we made them with such individuals. We talked about this in contrast to the opposite – which would be telling lies, deflecting answers, avoiding topics…etc. The basic premise was all about building trust which would help to diffuse the situation.

I jotted this note down:

Being honest + admitting mistakes = builds trust >>> SUPERVISION!
Obviously triggering in my mind that this also applies to supervision.

For readers who have read my blog a lot in the past, you will know that I love talking about and thinking about how I supervise & how I can supervise better. While I am not going to go out and say that I purposefully deflect or lie to those that I supervise, I do admit that I have been known to occasionally sugar coat things.

As I reflect about this concept, I think about the difference between being honest and admitting mistakes vs deflecting or avoiding topics and how this impacts those that I supervise.

I know when my supervisor (or past supervisors) say “I can’t answer that,” I respect them more. While I still really want to know the answer, I realize that they have heard my question and are being honest with me. I then respect and trust them more.

For those who know me at all, you know that I am quick to admit mistakes. I have no problem telling those that I work with and for that I have messed up. Just the other day I sent an email asking for a piece of information I had already received. Once I figured it out, I was quick to send an apology email – even pointed out that I felt foolish! For me, this is all about being honest with those that you work with.

What do you think about how this concept? Do you feel that being honest and admitting mistakes builds trust, which helps make you a stronger supervisor? How? Why?

Photo credit Dev.Arka

My short answer to the radical question: no.  Don’t worry, there’s a longer answer coming at you.

A long while back, Eric Stoller asked “Where Are the Radical Practitioners?”  My gut reaction back then was the same – that I wasn’t one, even though I felt like it is a necessary part of learning and growing.   If nothing else, I saw the value of constantly questioning as a part of positive group growth (thank you, Tuckman).  I started this post in February, with the same title, though I didn’t have the courage to finish it until today.  I kept trying to find ways to change my answer to yes.

I still feel scared about posting this.  In the midst of a job search, I’m not sure what prospective employers will think about “being radical” and pushing the limits.  However, I maintain that being authentic is one of my best strengths, so I’m writing it anyway.  In addition, if you read through the comments on Eric’s article (please do), you’ll see a lot of folks who generate some great conversation about being radical while developing partnerships, remaining collaborative, and being student learning focused.  These are all skills & traits I value and strive to exemplify and uphold.

The reality? Some days, I feel like I’m just an average “do what’s expected” practitioner, but I know that I also challenge the status quo.  The problem? Managing that “push” and maintaining relationships is really tough.  There are a thousand factors to consider and you won’t always be successful.

There are a few other sources that prompted my courage to complete this post.

1. A couple weeks ago I moderated my first #sachat (yay!), and I really loved the discussion.  The topic was “Discussing job (dis)satisfaction with supervisors.” The transcript isn’t up yet, but I’ll link to it when it is.  Some of the great points mentioned included understanding fit & office culture, identifying allies, owning your responsibility in dissatisfaction, and knowing when it’s time to leave (if you weren’t able to participate in this #SAchat, I highly recommend reading through the transcript – folks were really engaged and honest)
2. Recent reflection on the nature of feedback and how to best create a culture of feedback (here’s a great article that guided some of this reflection: How to Get Feedback When You’re the Boss)
3. Re-watching this amazing talk by Brene Brown
4. Reading this fantastic article from Tara Sophia Mohr on the Dark Side of Girls’ Success in School
5. Lots and lots of twitter chat over the past six months on being “innovative,” which I correlate with radical in a way

Now, obviously, that’s a lot of information (can you tell that input is one of my top strengths?) and you don’t actually have all of it, so I’ll try to reference important facts when necessary.

I want to be radical in that I am wholeheartedly idealistic and I just want us to do better, always.  And by us, I mean me, my staff, my colleagues, my department, my institution – all of us.  There is always room for improvement and if we’re not trying to do what we do better, then what are we doing this for?

Enter the understanding that I learned: 1) to be a “good girl” (via Tara Mohr’s article) and succeed in school by following the rules and doing what I was told, and 2) a piece of my core self disagreed with a lot of what was going on in the world around me – which created a strong internal need to bring voice to that disagreement.  A strange dichotomy, and one that manifested in a few different ways.  When I was younger, this often appeared as bringing home A’s but engaging in some nasty screaming matches with my mom, needing to feel popular but standing up for those being picked on (which, among other reasons, made me not popular).  As an undergraduate, it looked like writing the kinds of papers my instructors wanted (I was an English major – there were LOTS of papers) while staying up late and engaging in typical young adult behavior, learning to work the system and do the minimal amount of work to keep up my GPA but still have the “college experience.”  In graduate school, it surfaced as reading enough (but not everything) to participate in engaging dialogue during class while also trying to confront the things I saw wrong with the “system” of my program (which my faculty can likely tell you was not always pleasant or effective).  In professional positions, the dichotomy still exists.  It shows up in accomplishing the tasks in a job description or possibly a timeline but trying to create new programs or change institutional culture.  The kicker in the professional world is that completing those “assignments” does not always guarantee the “A” or the next step up the ladder and though graduate school taught us strategies to understand institutional culture and affect change, putting them into action is a whole different ballgame.

The last few paragraphs from Tara’s article stood out to me.

“To blaze a trail, women and men need to know how to experiment with their ideas when they are messy and imperfect. They need an ability to take considered risks, challenge authority and respond to criticism with a thick skin.

Boys are more likely to acquire these skills from what they learn from family and peers and from the stories of adventurous, authority-challenging boys and men that they see in video games, films, TV and popular culture. Too often, girls are still learning a different story from the media and from school itself — how to be a good girl. It’s time we started rewarding girls’ risk-taking as much as their rule-following at school. It’s time we celebrated them not just when they gained the teacher’s praise, but when they thoughtfully challenged authority.

Those of us already in the midst of our careers need to make a shift. Let’s use our “good student” toolkit as a foundation for doing quality work. But let’s also start to paint with new colors: greater risk-taking, shrugging off criticism and experimenting with our work when it’s imperfect and not yet fully formed.”

I’ll be honest – I’m definitely still learning how to do all of these things.  My transition from a small, private liberal arts institution to a large, division I institution has been a challenge for me.  I 100% own this transition and the accompanied struggles as my choice; I sought out this space in order to have colleagues/peers who are in my same role rather than being “the only” at a small institution.  However, strategies that worked really well for me last year (when I was in my third year on a small department) are not working for me quite as well this year.  Now that I’m part of a larger department, there are now multiple levels and deeper nuances of political savvy, of which I’m not always conscious.  I’ve always been a jump right in kind of person (despite being a worry-wart), and a verbal processor (despite being an introvert), which leads to talking first, considering the risks of participation second, and often less successful results.  At the same time, I want so much to “earn the A,” be liked, and do my best work.  I also know I need to be true and authentic and to listen to that voice inside that is constantly questioning.

Therein lies the rub.  How to navigate those relationships, partnerships, and politics while pushing for positive change?  I need to figure out how to be my authentic self without just succumbing to my exposed vulnerability and shame in not succeeding.  My initial reaction was that I should silence myself, disengage.  But a wise friend and mentor sent me Brene Brown’s talk after processing through this feedback with me.  I had seen the talk and watched it several times before, but it held so many valuable reminders.

“Courage: to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.”

Vulnerability is the core of shame and fear and our struggle for worthiness…

To deal with vulnerability, we make the uncertain certain.  We are afraid.  We blame as a way to discharge pain and discomfort.

The wholehearted have the courage to be imperfect, show compassion for self and others,  and are connected to others as a result of authenticity.  They are willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they are.

Brene’s talk was compounded by well-timed tweet from Cory Booker:

“Don’t allow your wounds to turn you into a person you are not.” Paulo Coelho

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 5, 2012

So here I am, tempted to be silent (to make the uncertain certain – disengage from the discomfort) and struggling to navigate this world in my authentic voice.

Have you experienced an internal struggle such as this? How did you successfully (or perhaps unsuccessfully) manage to be your own person but also fit into the culture around you? In an effort to be a voice for those unable to speak, please share advice, tips, stories for those who are in a situation similar to mine. 

This is cross posted at EricaKThompson.com.

Looking for ways to jumpstart your #altprodev plan? Join us for the summer 2012 #SAChat book club!

We’re starting off the summer reads by joining forces with our friends over at The Cronk of Higher Education. They’ve selected The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose.

Kevin Roose wasn’t used to rules like these. As a sophomore at Brown University, he spent his days drinking fair-trade coffee, singing in an a cappella group, and fitting right in with Brown’s free-spirited, ultra-liberal student body. But when Roose leaves his Ivy League confines to spend a semester at Liberty University, a conservative Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia, obedience is no longer optional.

Cronk News staff writer and saucy elder Irma Pelt will lead discussion number 1 on Wednesday, June 20th at 9:00 pm EST. Follow along via #CronkClub. We’ll then continue the discussion on Thursday, June 21st at our usual 12:00 noon CST time via #SAChat. We know this first discussion is happening quickly, but promise this book is a page turner!

And to give you a special preview, our second book of the summer will be Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink. Discussion will be held Thursday, July 19th at 12 noon CST. More details to follow!

Happy Reading!

Who is your mother’s mother?

This is the question that a recent blog post by Ann Marie Klotz, Assistant Director for Selection and Training at DePaul University had me thinking about during Women’s History month.

I was recently enjoying the hot tub at the rec center one Sunday evening before heading back to work, when an older gentleman who was also enjoying the spa sparked up a conversation with my friend and me. He started off the conversation by exclaiming, “This is the life”, which we enthusiastically agreed, and he said “If you think this is the life now, wait until you’re older, if I knew I was going to live this long I wouldn’t have done half the stupid things I’ve done”. I quickly learned that this man was not just a talkative older gentleman, but also a firefighter in town that remembered when a friend and I delivered treats to the firehouse on MLK day, but he could have probably never guessed where my mind went with that comment about life expectancy. Then, I realized, I’ve just never really thought about that, just like I never really thought about going to college.

Yet who was Jean Klein (Goodin)? She was the daughter of a Chicago horseback police officer and an older sister. She grew up in the Catholic school system, and was told by her father that she would go to an all-girls Catholic school for the entirety of her life. I guess in this sense she was a rebel. She didn’t have the grades she says to get into Mundelein College so off to DePaul she went.

What would she major in? Education of course, her father determined that, he would tell both his daughters, when they asked if they could be nurses instead, “No daughter of mine will be changing bedpans”. So a teacher she would be. When I first heard this story I was a little saddened. Saddened because I felt my grandmother had no choice, but she reminded me the choice has always been hers. Sure if she chose a different path things may have been more difficult. She was happy. She was happy because her children were able to go to any school and choose any major. She knew her granddaughters and grandsons would have those choices – and that she would be right there with us supporting and loving us.

As I said before, I never really thought about going to college. I just knew I would. I knew I would because my grandmother had, because her father made sure she did. In this sense I consider myself quite lucky. I always knew that there were “dorms” and RAs, I knew about financial aid, and I knew I’d have to pick a major. Now that I think about this, I’m sure my great-grandfathers decision to have his daughters be teachers has greatly influenced my desire and passion for this field – it has led me to recognize that not all students view college this way. There are so many people out there who view Higher Education as an impenetrable fortress, this is what has led me to want to do this work, to be able to help students work through college. This privilege I have and have had gives me a sense of responsibility to give back. We all have something, some strands of knowledge, that we can give back, give to someone else. Who will you remember today? Who will you help tomorrow?

Ryan Bye is a graduate hall coordinator at Texas Tech University.