Strategy

08.23.2016
I Made a Mistake
So, what do I do now? We all make mistakes. Sometimes they are small and personal like forgetting to put the trash at the curb to be picked up. Or, larger and embarrassing, like writing the amount differently in numbers and words on a check. Or, sending a critical email to the wrong addressee. Or, […]

08.09.2016
Missed Opportunity
Keep that “elevator speech” fresh! Today’s Tuesday Reading, Missed Opportunity, is an essay by Brent Tuggle, Lead Windows System Administrator, in Technology Services at the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign. The essay first appeared as a program reflection early this year. I wanted to take a moment to share a recent experience I had and an […]

08.02.2016
Neuroscience and Change – Part 3
SCARF :: A User’s Guide The focus of the past two issues of the Tuesday Reading has been on neuroscience and change. Today’s essay continues this theme, providing some practical suggestions as to how you can employ SCARF to better understand yourself and to manage and lead others. The work of David Rock and others has […]

07.26.2016
Neuroscience and Change – Part 2
SCARF :: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness In last week’s Tuesday Reading, we introduced the concept that our brains have developed in such a way that we are extremely sensitive to threats from change and ambiguity. We noted how our brains are constantly scanning our environment to detect such threats at a rapid rate. We […]

07.19.2016
Neuroscience and Change – Part 1
Earlier this summer, on June 14, MOR Associates hosted a virtual conference focused on the theme Reimagining IT as University Needs and Technology Evolves. There we heard from five university CIOs about the changes underway at their universities. [Their remarks can be found here.] Two weeks ago, in the Tuesday Reading Revolutionary Relationships, I asked, as we did […]

07.12.2016
“Plusing Up” and the Princess Doll
Today’s Tuesday Reading, “Plusing Up” and the Princess Doll, is an essay by Jerry Wood, Director of Information Technology, for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Michigan. The essay first appeared as a program reflection earlier this year. One of my biggest professional passions is providing great customer service. I think it’s an art […]

07.05.2016
Revolutionary Relationships
Yesterday was the 240th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This document announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule, and instead in a […]

06.28.2016
And, they said …
… at this year’s commencement exercises This year’s spring graduation season has come to an end. About 4,700 degree granting public and private, two and four year institutions awarded some 2.8 million degrees at their commencement exercises. And, every one of these gatherings had speakers that spoke of not giving into the darkness and despair of […]

06.27.2016
2016 MOR Leaders Conference
On June 14, the MOR Virtual Conference brought together over 1,200 leaders from over 25 universities to jump-start the discussion on “Reimagining IT.” From MOR’s vantage point the rate of change in the external environment is accelerating. We believe universities need to respond to this by exploring how their IT communities can work collaboratively to […]

06.23.2016
Video Library from the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference
Video Library from the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference: 1. Conference Opening Video 2. The Essence of Leadership – General Colin Powell 3. Digital Transformation — We Havent Seen Anything Yet – Andrew McAfee 4. Bruce Maas, University of Wisconsin-Madison 5. Len Peters, Yale University 6. Sue Workman, Case Western Reserve University 7. John Gohsman, Washington University in St. Louis […]

06.23.2016
Bruce Maas' keynote at the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference
Bruce Maas, Vice Provost for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, at the University of Wisconsin, keynote video at the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Forces and Trends Part I and II. Video of Bruce Maas, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MOR Leaders Conference – Part 1 Video of Bruce Maas, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MOR Leaders Conference – […]

06.23.2016
Steve Fleagle's keynote at the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference
Steve Fleagle, University of Iowa, CIO and Director of Information Technology Services at the University of Iowa, keynote video for the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Video of Steve Fleagle, University of Iowa, MOR Leaders Conference

06.23.2016
John Gohsman's keynote at the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference
John Gohsman, Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Washington University in St. Louis keynote video for the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference. Video of John Gohsman, WashU, MOR Leaders Conference To learn more about the program the team at Wash U is working on, please visit: http://itservicesprogram.wustl.edu/

06.21.2016
What’s My Next Skill?
Last week, many of us participated in the 2016 MOR Leaders Conference, Reimagining IT as University Needs and Technology Evolve. There we were encouraged to think about our university’s IT and what it could become. And, we were asked to identify one idea that we each could take action on? I want to take this […]

06.14.2016
Who I think about as “My Leader”
Today’s Tuesday Reading, Who I think about as “My Leader,” is an essay by Paula Torres, Senior Educational Design Technologist, Global Learning and Innovation, NYU Information Technology. Her essay first appeared as a program reflection last year. The one person I think of when I think of leadership was not my manager, supervisor, or even […]

05.31.2016
I Dropped the Ball
Every one of us has, at one time or another, disappointed a colleague or friend. No matter how hard you try, sometimes a deadline will be missed or a commitment not met. Many of these misses don’t carry huge consequences – almost always some disappointment, sometimes inconvenience, and perhaps some loss of credibility. And, some […]

05.24.2016
First Impressions
Overcoming a Bad One The very first exercise we do in the MOR Leaders Programs is one on first impressions. Sit or stand in a circle, take notes on the first impression you have of the individuals in your circle, add some notes about the first impression that you think you create, and share. For […]

05.17.2016
You Gotta Have Grit
Not the grit you think of in “gritty from hard work in a grimy, greasy environment.” But rather, it’s the grit that Angela Duckworth defines, in her 2013 TED Talk, “as the passion and perseverance for very long-term goals.” In this view, grit is having stamina, it is sticking with your future, day in, day […]