Archive For The “Leadership” Category
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sun Tzu (Chinese General and Writer, b. 500 BC) The need for strategy and strategic planning is highly touted. A myriad of articles, analyses, and thought pieces in the business literature highlight this critical process. Accrediting agencies demand [...]
We have just been through the formative stages of one of the greatest transformations that any university or academic community can experience… the consolidation or amalgamation of two institutions into a new one. The union has been made easier by the fact that we were both public institutions under uniform governance, but made that much [...]
The consolidation of ASU and GHSU has been dominating our landscape and will likely do so for some time. Like all things of great value, it is fraught with difficulty and challenge. Hurdles abound. How do we mesh two apparently divergent institutional missions? How do we ensure local access at a research university with a [...]
Few of us would argue that addressing the challenges we face today as a nation – a recessive and stalled economy; aging and crumbling infrastructure; declining health and increasing healthcare costs; waning educational and manufacturing competitiveness; and progressive moral breakdown – requires new thinking, novel approaches, and innovative strategies. To paraphrase a quote attributed to [...]
“A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor. To meditate is to labor; to think is to act.” Victor Hugo (1802 –1855) Les Miserables, Book 7, Chapter 8 thought•ful ( thôt“f…l) adj. 1. Engrossed in thought; contemplative. 2. Exhibiting or characterized [...]
In February, President Azziz posted a piece on his blog titled Giving Shape to New Ideas: Sculpting in Clay. He emphasized the iterative nature of the creative process, how ideas and initiatives, in their earliest form, are like shapeless lumps of clay. As we gather more information and obtain greater levels of clarity, Dr. Azziz [...]
One of the critical roles of leadership is managing change. Leadership is about moving your team forward through a shifting environment. And determining the pace of transformation is one of the key ingredients of managing change. The ticking of the metronome. The call of the coxswain. We – in fact, many organizations – often judge [...]
Communicating in a large, heterogeneous and complex enterprise can be difficult, very much like trying to make waves by throwing a pebble into a tar pit. Our challenges, like those of many other organizations, include: • Quantity—A constant influx of information makes it hard to distinguish important from unimportant data, particularly amid a busy schedule. [...]
Note: Earlier this month, Vice President for Strategic Support Deb Barshafsky vacationed in Finland and Estonia. While in the Finnish Laplands, Deb had the opportunity to drive a dog-sledding team. She sent these reflections about her experience to me and her colleagues on the Executive Cabinet. I enjoyed Deb’s piece and wanted to share it [...]
