Welcome.
Here you will find knowledge, resources, and musings on topics such as strategy, leadership, higher education, business, and gender equity. These stem from my experiences as a higher education administrator, former management consultant and Fortune 500 leader, and more. Views are my own.
"There's no time for strategy!"
This is a common refrain I hear from countless professionals -- including those who attend our graduate programs and executive education courses. They are learning new theories, approaches, and tools, but are worried about falling back into old patterns when they return to the office.
I found the article below that has many ideas, but I also wanted to share some of the specific things I do to "make time for strategy"
Several years ago, when I started my research on the advancement of women in academia, I didn't know then how this would become a passion project that would stay with me for years to come.
On #internationalwomenday2021, I was honored to share this piece, co-authored with Women in Business Education CEO, Lisa Leander, for Harvard Business Publishing Education, which shares the updated experiences of current women leaders, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the summer, I took on a new role as Managing Director of the Goff Strategic Leadership Center. As a part of that role, I am involved in much more curriculum development, including the development of a new class that I started in Fall 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many teachers and professors, there was much to learn in developing a new online course in the “IVC” or synchronous format. Here’s my story - hope it brings you a bit of humor and perhaps some tips as well. If not, it certainly comes with a generous amount of empathy.
I’ve discovered that I am oobleck. What is oobleck, you ask? For those of you who haven’t hung around a young child or a chemistry class recently, oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid — it acts like a solid under pressure and a liquid otherwise. If you push on it, oobleck hardens up. Without pressure, it drips right through your fingers…
Based on my COVID experiences, I can relate to the properties of a non-Newtonian fluid, because that describes my work experiences pretty well: solid under pressure and otherwise…kind of squishy.
When I was 16 years old, I was fortunate enough to be gifted with a car by my parents. Well, as we all know, along with that car came things like insurance, getting the oil changed, and making sure there was actually gas in the tank. Why am I trying to give you a lesson on vehicle maintenance? I’m the last person who knows a thing about cars, but, I find that thinking of ourselves in the same way as we think about cars with respective to preventative maintenance can be a nice parallel
When I worked in retail, we often talked about our Good-Better-Best marketing strategy, which included product mix and pricing components. My morning musings had me thinking about parallels with this structure and higher education, particularly as it relates to price discounting.
The picture many people have when they think about career advancement is that of a pipeline, and it seems to be particularly prevalent in discussions related to women’s advancement. But, is a pipeline really the right analogy?
Given my background, my writing focuses on the intersection of business, higher education, and gender, with a little bit of real life thrown in, given that I have worked in all three of these spaces.
I sometimes hinder my own progress by labeling myself based on decades-old descriptions of a person who has now grown and evolved into something different. I often say that I value continuous learning. Learner is even one of my top CliftonStrengths…why WOULDN’T I grow and change?
I pivoted from a career in the corporate sector at Fortune 500 companies to one in higher education because of one Ms. Oprah Winfrey.
Simone Biles is the epitome of what we at the Goff Strategic Leadership Center call a Strategic Leader. By leveraging the self-awareness she had cultivated in her many years of training, she made the difficult decision to drop out of competition, ultimately leading Team USA to earn a coveted Olympic silver medal in 2021. And, Biles was relentless in creating value, coming back after two years to claim her 8th U.S. National Championship and her 6th all-around title at the world championships.
"There's no time for strategy!"
This is a common refrain I hear from countless professionals -- including those who attend our graduate programs and executive education courses. They are learning new theories, approaches, and tools, but are worried about falling back into old patterns when they return to the office.
I found the article below that has many ideas, but I also wanted to share some of the specific things I do to "make time for strategy"
Recently I shared my perspectives with the folks from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
“For Watson, education is all about connection: connecting professors to students, students to material, and material to the real world. Young people are poised to take on an ever-changing world, and Watson believes that strategic navigation of problems, and a problem-finding approach, can help them tackle big issues.”
Several years ago, when I started my research on the advancement of women in academia, I didn't know then how this would become a passion project that would stay with me for years to come.
On #internationalwomenday2021, I was honored to share this piece, co-authored with Women in Business Education CEO, Lisa Leander, for Harvard Business Publishing Education, which shares the updated experiences of current women leaders, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.