Today’s Tuesday Reading is from Marcia Dority, Program Leader and Leadership Coach at MOR Associates. Marcia may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
One of my favorite quotes is an African proverb; “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” The MOR leadership community goes far – across the years, the country (and beyond), many institutions in higher education, and many industries. Reflecting on our MOR alumni community, I see this success has several vital components. The first is the common language within our leadership development programs. Second is the shared experience of participating in a MOR leadership program. Third is the opportunity to invest in one’s leadership journey with a small group of colleagues, which becomes a life-long bond for many.
Community (noun): a group of people with feelings of fellowship with each other due to sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
We have a fantastic community of over 5,000 MOR alumni! We are grateful to be part of your leadership journey and look forward to continually learning with and alongside this community. We know it requires intentionality from all of us for a healthy and robust community. If we value the community as a whole, the opportunity to learn, and the community’s relationships, we need to invest in each other.
The common language and shared experience are critical takeaways for building community. That framework supports the work of the participants as they embark on a leadership development journey. Once the program is complete, the applied learning track (what one does between workshops and coaching) is critical. Setting goals enables us to learn new habits and practices to amplify our leadership abilities. The support of peers from the program evolves into relationships with colleagues across the country. When was the last time you reached out to someone in your cohort? If it’s been a while, don’t wait for the MOR reception at EDUCAUSE to reconnect!
Earlier this year, we hosted the MOR Alumni Reconnect at Boston College on May 1-2. A big takeaway was the energy and enthusiasm in the room. Based on feedback, the majority commented on how they came to this event to recharge and re-engage in their leadership development. “I find the learning environment at MOR is one in which I learn very well. The in-person workshops in particular are engaging, informative, and safe. When I saw the reconnect invite, I knew I needed to jump in immediately.”
I want to share a few takeaways from the event as a facilitator and MOR alum. First, people wanted to be there. As we figure out our new normal, relationships are essential to life. Investing in or creating new relationships is vital for us and rewarding in a time of predominantly hybrid work environments. I appreciated having an in-person event. The conversations underscored the impact of being in the room together. We often talk about how the answer is in the room, and it is even better when people are together to share the answers!
Second, participants appreciated meeting other MOR alums across the different programs. During Spring 2024 we had twenty MOR programs running, hosted six Applied Learning Clinics for current participants, and offered six Alumni Connection Calls (monthly from January-June) for our alumni community. The opportunity to connect with other alums and cross-connect programs on leadership topics is an engaging way to build relationships. The Alumni Reconnect event included MOR alums from 2008 through 2023.
Third, the refreshed and new program content shared at the Alumni Reconnect was a value-add to the participants’ leadership toolboxes. We have expanded the segments on Inclusion and Psychological Safety, as well as Leading and Managing in a Hybrid Distributed Work Environment. The Leaderly Check-up is one of my favorite additions to our MOR leadership conversations. This is similar to having a health check-up to see one’s current state and the areas to focus on for positive growth or investment.
My “a-ha” from the Alumni Reconnect is the importance of investing in one’s leadership development and the broader leadership community. We can go far together if we are intentional about investing in each other. As one participant noted, the Alumni Reconnect was “dedicated time to connect with others in my profession as well as refreshers on leadership topics that can motivate me to continue to grow.” Save the date for our next Alumni Reconnect scheduled for April 30-May 1, 2025.
We recently launched our quarterly newsletter, The Answer is in the Room for the MOR leadership community. Did you receive it? If not, let us know so we can confirm we have the best email address to connect with you. Please visit the MOR Alumni Offerings webpage for the calendar of this fall’s Alumni Community Connections calls, to RSVP for the MOR Reception at the 2024 EDUCAUSE annual conference, and learn more about our continued support for your leadership. Together, we can go further!
What do you value most from your MOR program experience?
Last week, we asked which could help you better show up:
- 35% said power of showing up – commit to do so even when it’s difficult
- 25% said positive thinking – embrace a positive outlook and focus on what you can control
- 24% said connecting the dots – recognize the cumulative effect of small decisions
- 16% said mindset shift – don’t dwell on what you’ve lost; concentrate on what you can achieve
Over one in three of identified making the commitment to be there as key, even when it is difficult. Looking at the menu of options for involvement in the alum community, how do you plan to show up? What can you control to have your desired level of involvement? It’s a series of small decisions on the path to what you can achieve.