Leadership Program Reflection

I don’t know about you, but I still reflect on what I learned during my MOR workshops. A theme that was a cornerstone of our MOR experience: Presence.

I can’t pinpoint when things started to change. It wasn’t some big, life-altering event but a series of small choices that shifted my perspective.

When you are good at a team sport, you might become team captain. After much trial and error, I learned things I want to share.

Learning new things, whether fun or professional, comes with stress. Here are some lessons that have helped me navigate new territory.

Resilience is an essential quality for leadership. What better way to nurture personal well-being than through a summer vacation!

As I ponder the essence of leadership, one word resonates deeply: values. The internal compass, the True North, that guides our actions.

Let me tell you a story. As a young person and well into my teens, I was severely introverted. I was afraid of my own shadow…until that day.

I have been a MOR graduate for ten years! My cohort created a menu. I started reflecting on what I still serve off that menu ten years later.

I am grateful for how my cohort and coaches have helped me to look inward, an honest look at myself and my mindset. It has been transformative.

I tend to say “yes” to everything. There are many reasons. For a long time, this served me well enough, but it all became too much.

I volunteer as a bingo caller at my church. During a recent game, my mind meandered to how a good bingo caller is similar to being a good leader.

There have been times when my work started to feel stale less engaging. Learning a new skill or tackling a new challenge helped reignite my spark.

[This reading is from Vania McBean, Assistant Director of Information Technology for University Recreation and Wellness at the University of Maryland – College Park.  She is a recent MOR program alum.  Vania may be reached at [email protected].] From time to time, as leaders we have to stop and press the pause button. MOR practice requirements […]

[This reading is from Dr. Julie A. Traxler, Associate Dean for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University.  She is a recent MOR program alum.  Julie may be reached at [email protected].] During our MOR sessions, I could see us collectively cringe, but we began slowly to get more comfortable (or maybe a […]

Never waste a good crisis! [This reading is from Evelyn F. Griffith, Assistant Director of Data Management at Michigan State University.  She is a recent MOR program alum.  Evelyn may be reached at [email protected].] What a time to write a reflection! There are so many valuable lessons that we gain from participating in MOR.  However, […]

[This reading is from Jessica von Borck, Director of Land Use Planning at Stanford University.  She is a recent MOR program alum.  Jessica may be reached at [email protected].] “’Cause love’s such an old fashioned wordAnd love dares you to care forThe people on the edge of the nightAnd love (people on streets) dares you to change […]

[This reading is from Michael Chakerian, Director of Information Technology for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.  He is a Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) MOR Leaders Program alum.  Mike may be reached at [email protected].] Perhaps the most difficult thing that no one prepares you for with a major […]

[This reading is from Jelene Crehan, Interim Director of Network Engineering and Telecommunications at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She is a recent MOR program alum.  Jelene may be reached at [email protected].] After spending much time reflecting on reflecting… I realize I do a lot more reflection in my car, driving in complete silence, when […]

Before the winter break, I spent some time considering who would make a great example of leadership for my reflection. I kept coming back to the idea of describing my friend David, who was once a colleague of mine at another university. Over the years, we’ve kept in touch on a regular basis, and kept […]

By Maria Curcio, [email protected]  MORLP 2016, August 29, 2016. In his article, “Why Luck Matters More Than You Think” (Atlantic, May 2016), Robert H. Frank discusses luck in terms of wealth and success: “Wealthy people overwhelmingly attribute their own success to hard work rather than to factors like luck or being in the right place at the […]