My Circus, My Monkeys

We've come to a generational shift as we welcome young professionals into our fold. The newest members of our teams are often Gen Zers. As with all new generations, this comes with its share of struggles. As we think about how to lead and mentor these individuals so they can become good stewards of the profession, a number of supervisors are struggling to motivate this new crop of professiona...

Valentine's Day is typically when you show love to the people that are most important to you. Now that you've done that, it's time to show yourself that same love. Some people might think this is selfish, but when you aren't getting what YOU need, you can't be your best for anyone else. Discover why taking care of yourself benefits everyone and five ways you can start doin...

Do you feel like you're spending too much of your time and energy putting out fires? If so, you're not alone. Most supervisors don't have time to plan or even get things done because they're too busy getting interrupted and putting out what seems to be a fire. But why are there so many fires that need tending? In this episode, I talk about some of the underlying causes of these...

When you first began your Higher Ed career, you were probably pretty optimistic about the impact you'd make on your students and the world. But how are you feeling now? So many leaders in Higher Ed are overwhelmed and burned out. This has absolutely impacted everyone's wellbeing and that sense of passion and optimism you might have had. In this week's episode, I talk with Carrie Gre...

This episode features my first guest ever, Dr. John Vasquez. John has worked in many areas related to student success, including multicultural affairs, LGBTQIA+ programs, counseling services, mentoring, and academic advising. He's also worked at a variety of institution types over the course of his career. In this episode, John shares how "feeling stuck" motivated him to register fo...

In the last episode, I talked about how important it is to stop and reflect about what you're doing and how you're doing it. Otherwise, you and your team might very well be wasting your energy on things that aren't working. But the next step is just as important - changing the things that aren't working. Far too many people know things aren't working, but don't actual...

It's the end of the year. That's when most of us stop and reflect on how things are going, right? Unfortunately, that's kind of like the "end of the year review" model. It's just not often enough to make a difference. Effective supervisors stop and reflect on a regular basis about what's working and even more importantly, what isn't working. In this episode,...

We need healthy boundaries for our own wellbeing and to make sure we're showing up at our best. Unfortunately, most of us are terrible at setting and keeping them. In the last episode, we talked about four ways to set boundaries, but knowing how to set them won't really help you if you don't believe your needs and wants are as important as other peoples. So in this episode, we dive...

It's November. You're probably stressed out from wrapping up the end of the semester, and soon you get to be stressed out by the holidays. Sigh. Since so much stress seems to be colliding at once, it's a great time to talk about setting boundaries. Boundaries keep you operating at your best at work and at home, but most people - myself included - weren't taught how to set bound...

Have you ever doubted your abilities as a supervisor? Are you wondering whether it's the right fit for you? Maybe you've even started looking for jobs that don't include supervision. There is a terrifying number of supervisors out there who are questioning themselves and their abilities. In this episode, we're going to dive into the Imposter Syndrome problem. We'll talk ab...

It's October, the scariest month of the year. That means it's the perfect time to discuss the SCARIEST thing about stress. You know stress isn't great - it can negatively impact your productivity, your creativity, and your relationships. But even worse, stress can ruin your health even when everything seems just fine. You'll want to listen to this episode so your health and wel...

August in Higher Education is out of control! You probably get stressed just thinking about it. But that's exactly the problem - stress. Stress makes us less productive and effective. That means you and your team are working harder and getting less done. Let's change the August narrative. There's one thing you and your team can do to lower your stress, increase your productivity, an...

When you hire new staff members, you want them to become engaged and productive employees, as soon as possible, right? Unfortunately, too many folks leave this up to chance. Yes, you're busy and excited someone else is here to help get things done. But just throwing them into the fire is a surefire way to keep them from being successful, and it might even drive them right back out the door. I...

Are you a team player? What about the folks on your staff? In Higher Ed, a team player is the person who goes above and beyond their own job to pitch in where necessary to make sure things are working as smoothly as possible, right? They come in early, stay late, and pick up the slack when necessary. The more of those team players you have, the more likely you have a winning team. At least, that&a...

As we plan and prep for the fall semester, nothing could be more important than building a winning team - one that can best support your students. The Great Resignation has had a serious impact on staff in Higher Education. Whether you've already lost folks or want to make sure your team stays intact, if you don't invest in your team you're not going to have seasoned professionals i...

If you're like most folks in higher ed these days, you have lots of stuff to do and not a lot of time or resources to do that stuff with. That can lead to overwhelm, stress, and even as hard as you're working - a lack of productivity. When we don't have the space we need to think, pivot, and replenish, we can quickly become overwhelmed and overreact to situations. All of this sends...

You have a lot on your plate. But how much of it is actually your responsibility? Sure, maybe it is now because you agreed to it, but I mean before when it was first presented to you. In Higher Ed, it's considered being a good team player to take on additional work. The problem is, the more responsibilities you take on, the less energy you have for things that are actually your responsibiliti...

Energy is your most valuable resource. Unfortunately, most of us spend the day leaking energy in 100 different directions instead of focusing it on the things that matter most. In this episode, we talk about why your energy is so important for your productivity – both on a day-to-day basis and to achieve your goals. Learn how to start better managing your energy, so you can get more done more quic...

Wrapping up our spring themed April this episode focuses on how you can plant small seeds now that will give you huge benefits later, starting with just two minutes a day. If you think you'd love things to be different but you just don't have the time or energy to invest in professional development, you'll want to listen. We talk about how you can develop new, better habits now - on...

In our third spring cleaning challenge, we dive into our systems. Whether it's your system for managing your email or a departmental procedure, your systems are the key to your success as a supervisor. The more aligned your systems are with your goals, the less energy you and your team need to expend to get things done. Unfortunately, most of our systems aren't very effective.  In this e...

We're continuing our focus on spring cleaning this week, but turn our sights on the stories we have that keep us from achieving our goals. In this episode, we talk about where our stories come from, how they impact us, and how we can reprogram our brain by creating new, upgraded stories that are aligned with our goals.  If you’re listening to this podcast, you take your role as a leader serio...

It’s spring. That means time for spring cleaning. In Higher Ed, we love adding things to our plates, but aren’t great at weeding out things that may not be serving us or our students. In this episode, we’ll discuss the benefits of doing some spring cleaning on tasks that probably aren’t the best use of our time and energy. You’ll also get a spring-cleaning challenge that will help you and your tea...

Have you ever wished one of your staff members would be more of a team player? Have you ever been told you’re a team player? Or maybe you’ve been told you weren’t acting like a team player at some point. If you're a supervisor, you're very familiar with the idea of being a team player. In this episode, we talk about how to distinguish between using the term team player in a way that buil...

Employee engagement is just as important as student engagement to student success. Unfortunately, if you're a supervisor you're probably feeling so overwhelmed you don't have the bandwidth to start thinking about employee engagement. What is it? Is it that important? And what do you do to increase it? In this episode, we'll answer all of those questions and give you five ways y...

Are you getting enough daily self care? Or if you don't like that term, are you doing enough on a daily basis to help yourself recharge and recenter? If you're like most folks in higher ed these days, the answer is no. In this episode, we talk about nine ways you can work in more daily self care on a daily basis in five minutes or less, and why it's important that you do.  If you’re...