Thanks for this, Robert! It provides reassurance that focusing on one or two areas near the edges of my zone of control, areas where there will be some friction and just a few others who are in alignment to collaborate with, is a way forward. Finding that tipping point between what is possible and ineffective within existing systems, and choosing to put more effort there.
This really hit home, in a good way. One of my daughters recently asked if I liked being a professor. This unleashed a sort of dam break that surprised even me... in a nutshell, I said I really liked the work and the autonomy, and was grateful for all the career had given me. But that I was incredibly frustrated to work in organizations run by people with no leadership training or, typically, aptitude, and who always, always seem to choose the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Not that they're evil or untalented or don't work hard...the leaders I know are all the opposite of those things. But they just seem to thrash around in the dark, like amateurs, which isn't fair to them or to any of the rest of us. This essay shows a way forward within this reality. Thanks for writing it.
Thanks Michelle. This was sort of a brain/heart dump for me as well. On the one hand I owe higher education everything, for making my adult life as great as it is. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of what higher ed has become, and can't we do better than this?
Thanks for this, Robert! It provides reassurance that focusing on one or two areas near the edges of my zone of control, areas where there will be some friction and just a few others who are in alignment to collaborate with, is a way forward. Finding that tipping point between what is possible and ineffective within existing systems, and choosing to put more effort there.
This really hit home, in a good way. One of my daughters recently asked if I liked being a professor. This unleashed a sort of dam break that surprised even me... in a nutshell, I said I really liked the work and the autonomy, and was grateful for all the career had given me. But that I was incredibly frustrated to work in organizations run by people with no leadership training or, typically, aptitude, and who always, always seem to choose the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Not that they're evil or untalented or don't work hard...the leaders I know are all the opposite of those things. But they just seem to thrash around in the dark, like amateurs, which isn't fair to them or to any of the rest of us. This essay shows a way forward within this reality. Thanks for writing it.
Thanks Michelle. This was sort of a brain/heart dump for me as well. On the one hand I owe higher education everything, for making my adult life as great as it is. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of what higher ed has become, and can't we do better than this?
This is very stabilizing and motivating, thank you. I also appreciate what you said in footnote 3.