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2018 January AAL Newsletter

Leadership Insights from NASA

by Chris Maxwell

Paul Sean Hill, former flight director and director of mission operations for human spaceflight at NASA, tells Chris Maxwell why, in times of crisis, it is important that leaders take stock of the situation and get ideas–even criticism–from those around them. “After alignment on team-purpose, I insist on full transparency, usually phrased as, ‘All cards are face up on the table in every decision with the full team,’ ” he says.

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Five Neuroscience-Based Tips for Meetings

by Dick and Emily Axelrod

Neuroscientific insights can help leaders to better develop and execute meetings that empower team members to participate, write Dick and Emily Axelrod. “Create opportunities for participants to influence the meeting’s direction and participate in decisions that are made there,” they explain.

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Seven Higher-Education Trends to Be Aware of in 2018

by Julie Peterson and Lisa Rudgers

Peterson and Rudgers discuss the challenges that higher education will face in the coming year. They matter for everyone.

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Puerto Rico’s Fight to Rebuild and the Role of Its University

by Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz

Professors and students at the University of Puerto Rico strive to restore brightness, for their university community and all Puerto Ricans.

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Da Vinci’s Intense Creativity and Curiosity, and Their Implications at Work

by Knowledge@Wharton

Walter Isaacson discusses his latest book, about Leonardo da Vinci, and the lessons for businesses and leaders who are willing to embrace da Vinci’s kind of intense creativity and curiosity.

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The strategic plan is the cornerstone to effective institutional management. Dr. Jim Galbally, AAL Senior Consultant and President of The Galbally Group–which provides strategic and operational counsel to colleges and universities–comments on the disconnections that can exist between budgeting, resource allocations, and effective planning outcomes.

Dr. Matthew Poslusny, Senior Vice President and Provost of Meredith College, discusses the new role of the chief academic officer. How can that individual become an active enabler of change and not just an observer?

 

2017 December AAL Newsletter

Always Question Strategy and Execution

by Paul Leinwand and Matthias Bäumler

Not enough leadership teams question whether they are clear about their company’s value proposition or can state what differentiates their organization, write Leinwand and Bäumler. If you want to create a culture of accountability and improvement, they say you must ask these and other difficult questions about your organizational strategy.

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Keep on the Right Path by Staying True to Core Values

by Art Barter

Live by your core values and act on behalf of others when times are tough, writes Barter, the CEO of Datron World Communications. Barter explains, “It’s not just about me surviving the challenge–everyone is trying to survive and overcome the challenge set before them.”

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Is Higher Education Kicking the Ball Down the Road?

by Jim Galbally and N. Karl Haden

Arguing that it is past time for a new business model in higher education, Jim Galbally and Karl Haden explain the flaws in current leadership approaches and propose a scorecard model to effect sustainable change.

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Quarterly Questions to Ask Your Staff

by Chris Hallberg

Hallberg recommends asking your staff to rate the organization in such areas as accountability, communication, and recognition, and to do it on a quarterly basis. While the answers may be difficult to hear, you’ll learn what’s going on and who might become your next set of leaders.

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Learn the Necessity of Letting Go

by Tom Epperson

Similar to last month’s post on perseverance versus pivoting by AAL’s CEO Dr. Karl Haden, Epperson asks “What activities, by stopping them, will allow you to focus on the leader you want to be?”

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The Truth About Being a Workaholic–Why It Isn’t Always Bad for You

by Knowledge@Wharton

Do workaholics, perceived to be “working themselves to death,” really have an increased risk of such health issues as heart attack and stroke? Knowledge@Wharton looks at new research from management professors Nancy Rothbard and Lieke ten Brummelhuis, and consultant Benjamin Uhrich. What they found might surprise you.

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Tips to Reach Mindfulness at Work

by Alaina Love

Need to achieve reflective, mindful work? It becomes easier when you take time out to be introspective and practice being in the moment by refusing to multitask, writes Love, explaining that “You’ll feel more balanced; you will become less reactive and more thoughtful as events in the workplace unfold; and you’ll be far more able to effectively manage stress.”

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Professor Pamela Zarkowski, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Detroit Mercy, examines the role of legal counsels for administrators and leaders in higher education.

Professor Joe Morrow, Associate Dean for Management at the UT-Houston School of Dentistry, explains what to do if there is no monetary return on investment (ROI) of people or equipment in higher education, and why the answer to those project requests is not always no.