Dr. Blake Faulkner

Cheryl, I believe you hit on a couple of extremely important points in your comments. I believe involving employees in the planning process is even more critical today then ever. There are so many external factors impacting higher education and the economy overall that people need a clear vision of where the organization is going and what it needs to do to get there. I believe honesty and continuing to include people in the process during difficult times is appreciated by employees and provides comfort that the organization has a plan on how to move forward. A collaborative corporate culture… >>>

Andrea, This is a common challenge in organizations. One suggestion may be to visit with other leaders in your organization about building time in the multitude of meetings you have to occassionally set time aside to brainstorm, generate new ideas from a diverse group with different perspectives. A collaborative culture is fostered by this process. It does take time so you sometimes have to pick your spots but in the end it builds buy in from employees and also leverages the knowledge and great ideas from the entire organization. Have you ever read the book Death by Meeting by Patrick… >>>

Jared, Excellent point. Sometimes we can't see the forest through the trees! Research on effective leaders shows that they tend to think and see things one abstract level above the people that report to them. Stepping back and looking holistically at a problem or opportunity and taking into account different perspectives is essential to good leadership. Taking the time to reflect as a leader is a challenge sometime when we get so caught up in the daily grind. However, strategic thinking requires time to do just that. Do you have an example of a situation you have dealt with recently… >>>