Apr 8, 2021

Leading with Dignity

At the recent International Ombuds Association (IOA) annual conference, we heard an excellent keynote address focused on dignity. Presented by Dr. Donna Hicks, from the Westford Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, she explained that there are three simple truths that guider her work around “dignity.” We all want to feel that we matter. When…

Sep 28, 2020

Essentialism – the disciplined pursuit of less

McKeown identifies three steps to achieving less to be more successful. First, one must explore the “very critical things you want to pursue” by creating space / time to discern what is important. He encouarges you to develop a rountine – schedule time to just think! Second, once you’ve identified the critical elements, then eliminate…

Aug 10, 2020

Building Extraordinary Teams

Feb 7, 2020

Total Leadership

I was recently asked by various faculty leaders (a Dean and Department Head) to present some ideas about building teams. Based on work as ombuds and prior work in the conflict resolution field, I shared several concepts including the idea of Total Leadership. Total Leadership is based on work I did with Bill Sanford from…

Sep 12, 2019

Meeting Guidelines Revisited !

Jul 22, 2019

Transition Management – What do you need to know about me?

I recently worked with a faculty member and part of our discussion focused on a new person joining the department that was also going to be sharing office space. We discussed how addressing expectations and making decisions about how to work in the same office space could be very helpful to set up the work…

Jun 10, 2019

The Manager Self Test – are you abrasive?

In late March I introduced you to the Boss Whisperer aka Laura Crawshaw and her thinking about different types of managers. In my work with faculty and staff at NC State, the majority of the issues focus on evaluative relationships – meaning, people bring concerns about their direct report. In many ways, this is not…

Aug 8, 2018

Micromanager or Performance Leader?

As the NC State Faculty & Staff Ombuds, I do get visitors to the office who express dissatisfaction that their “leader” is a micromanager. I hear – “why won’t they let me do my job!!??” or “do they think I’m stupid” or “I’ve got these great ideas, but don’t get a chance to share them”…

Jun 26, 2018

National Academies of Sciences – Engineering – Medicine Supports Ombuds

  The National Academies Press recently published a Consensus Study Report titled “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.” This report from the Committee on the Impacts of Sexual Harassment in Academia provides a comprehensive view on this challenging topic and also references and supports the role of…