Change

A key theme of the 2013 MOR IT Leaders Conference was that we are entering a time when disruptive change is the norm. Given that change will happen whether one participates or not, those who actively resist it will hinder their organizations’ progress and imperil their careers.  For the conference participants, the message was clear: […]

It is a fundamental principle that leadership in today’s higher education environment must be collective, concurrent, and collaborative.  To make that happen, campuses need to create, nurture, and sustain communities in which leaders at all levels can be successful. On day three of the 2013 MOR IT Leaders conference, the morning session focused on building […]

Sarah Le Roy, vice president of Talent at Linkage is the author of today’s Tuesday Reading, “Share Your Leadership Vision One Shell at a Time” <http://mylinkage.com/blog/sharpen-your-leadership-vision/>.  In the essay she tells the story of “shelling” with her eight year-old daughter.  As they walked along the beach, Le Roy noted (to herself) that she consistently found better shells […]

All of this year’s conference attendees and all MOR staff members were invited to complete a personal assessment tool called the Strength Deployment Inventory, or SDI for short. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the sometimes messy business of engaging with other people who *gasp!* don’t see things exactly as we do. Susan […]

Today, 18 members of MOR converged on Chicago in preparation of MOR’s 6th annual IT Leaders Conference. This year’s theme, “The Leadership Challenge of Disruptive Change,” marks the fifth consecutive year that the conference has focused on change. According to Jim Bruce, one of the founders of the IT Leaders Program and a longtime program […]

Making progress toward a goal increases motivation and performance.  In today’s reading, “3 Motivational Mind Tricks Designed to Power Progress” <http://www.fastcompany.com/3012545/dialed/3-motivational-mind-tricks-designed-to-power-progress>, Janet Choi, Chief Creative Officer of iDoneThis, provides advice on how we can use our mind to power further progress. Choi notes that as you think about a goal, you really need to know where […]

Watch an online learning module of Jim Bruce on the topic of delivering results. Video of MOR Associates Jim Bruce on Results

Today’s Reading is “The One Conversational Tool That Will Make You Better At Absolutely Everything” <http://www.fastcompany.com/3003945/one-conversational-tool-will-make-you-better-absolutely-everything> from the pen of Shane Snow, a New York City-based technology writer and co-founder of Contently.com.  The article first appeared in Fast Company. “Most people are terrible at asking questions.”  We talk too much.  We accept bad answers.  We […]

Anna Mar, engagement manager and senior writer at simplacable.com posits that open positions in your organization are precursors to contests.  This piece was suggested by Bill Allison, an ITLP alum who is Director, Campus Technology Services at the University of California, Berkeley.  Bill noted that the short piece is valuable even when the leadership contest isn’t bitter […]

In Warren Berger’s Harvard Business Review blogs essay, he writes that his work has led him to conclude that the three words “how might we …” unlock our creative juices.  He notes that too often our language with phrases like “How can we do this?” and “How should we do that?” imply judgment:  Can we really do […]

The Tuesday Reading today is  “Are You Learning as Fast as the World is Changing?” http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2012/01/are_you_learning_as_fast_as_th.html, written by Bill Taylor for the Harvard Business Review blog.  Taylor is William C. Taylor is cofounder of Fast Company magazine and author of Practically Radical:  Not-So-Crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself.  […]

  There’s a rule you really have to make New Year’s Resolutions.  Today’s Tuesday Reading, “10 Resolutions to Make 2013 Your Best Year Ever” http://www.fastcompany.com/3004179/10-resolutions-make-2013-your-best-ye…, will help you get started.  It’s from the pen of Shawn Parr, CIO of Bulldog Drummond, a San Diego based consultancy focused on innovation and design. Parr notes that we […]

The Tuesday Reading today is “Don’t Sabotage Yourself” by Susan David, founder and co-director of the Harvard/McLean Institute of Coaching.  She is also a member of the Harvard faculty.  This essay appeared in the HBR blog. The essay begins with David telling a story about her friend first identifying a dream job and then not applying […]

For today’s Tuesday Reading, I thought we might revisit the topic of email.  The piece, “How to craft an email that gets a reply”, which appeared at the cbs.com business blog, arrived along with a batch of email that seemed to violate its principles and reminded me of the importance of taking the time to write […]

Today’s Reading is a blog entry “6 steps to resolve conflict”by Robert Pagliarini which appeared recently  on the CBS News MoneyWatch website.  Pagliarini works to inspire others to live life to the fullest by challenging the way they invest their time and energy. We all experience conflict and the emotional turmoil that ensues.  So, what can one do […]

Today’s Reading, Christensen on disruptive innovation in higher education, comes to us from the Changing Higher Education blog.  (Clayton Christensen coined the term “disruptive innovation” in 2003, having used “disruptive technology” earlier for the same concept.) This blog post draws from a well-written white paper – Disrupting College – that describes the challenges facing higher education today, […]

Hear from members of the MOR Associates team and past program participants as they give an overview of the Leaders Program and what to expect in the months ahead in this video.     

Peter Bergman, author of today’s reading – “What’s Your One Big Theme?” – takes time each year at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year to identify what he wants to change during the coming year.  Others, write New Year’s resolutions.  And, when you think about it, there’s no magic in any particular day.  So today may be your day […]

A few weeks ago, Erik Lundberg, an ITLP alum from the University of Washington, shared with me a short piece from Inc. – “Don’t Be Afraid to Break Stuff” – which is today’s Tuesday Reading.  Chris Mittelstaedt, Founder and CEO of the FruitGuys, a company delivering farm-fresh fruit and vegetables to the American workplace, homes, and […]

Today’s reading “Five Questions That Should Shape Any Change Program” comes from Scott Keller and Colin Price, directors at McKinsey & Company and coauthors of the book Beyond Performance.  This article appeared early in December in the HBR blog. Keller and Price wrote this book to address a key problem in leading change: “organizations that focus too […]