The One Hour Rule

The relatively sudden shift in how we communicate makes life difficult sometimes.

I call it "The One Hour Rule" at my institution. No matter what decision is made or who is told what in regard to housing at Gustavus, within an hour I will have anywhere from two to a dozen emails or calls from students asking me for details. "I heard you let another group of students off-campus," or "I heard some people got moved out of ____ Hall and into ____ Hall... what does that mean for me?" It might be a tiny detail affecting just one or two people, but dozens hear about it and either want justification or want to know how it benefits them. I don't know if this is because I work on a small campus - I am sure that contributes to it - but more than anything, I think it's the rapidness of communication - the ability to text it, Tweet it, post it or call about it instantaneously that creates this intricate web of communication.

I heard a great summary of this idea and I wish I remembered where, but it essentially was that the promise of technology gave us the idea that we'd have amazing freedoms in the future - hands-free! communication anytime and anywhere! - but now that the future is here, we are tied down more than ever by the thing that was supposed to be so freeing. Robots were supposed to be doing our jobs and we were supposed to have automatic cars and hover-boards. Not only is that not completely true, a little rectangle the size of a deck of playing cards determines my every move.

I'm a horrible offender when it comes to tying myself down to technology, but I'm working on it this summer.. I continuously check email, but I recently turned off the blue notification light on my phone that used to tell me when I had new emails. The incessant light was distracting and inevitably lured me into looking at the message (and 9 out of 10 times, the message was something that bothered me, upset me or immediately caused more work - and it ruined more than a few evenings or events with my wife and children. Sorry, honey). And now I wait until I've accomplished one or two core tasks at work before checking Twitter or Facebook in the morning. It's a slow walk uphill, but I'm working on it.

So how do we control the flow of information and communication at work and somehow feel okay about it? There is no "winning," right? We can't just disconnect when others are demanding our time, as much as we all say that we should be able to do that.

How do you answer that 100th email with the same exact question (and nevermind that the answer to that question was in an email sent to the student body, is on a poster in every residence hall and is in six places on the website) and be as friendly and cordial in the 100th email as you (hopefully) were in the first AND know that the message was conveyed effectively?

How does communication work for YOUR students? I think we make assumptions about what works best for our students. Studies show us how students likely communicate, but variables specific to your institution might pose different challenges or unique opportunities.

I challenge you to find the data. And don't just ask your student leaders or those who respond to surveys - ask people in the halls or in your student union. Create a 3-4 question survey for every visitor in your office and have them fill it out while they wait for their appointment. Ask how they prefer to receive information, where they heard about a specific aspect of your department, etc.

Understand your version of "The One Hour Rule" and discuss how that affects your department and your communication strategy. Don't tie yourself down with what you assume is the best way to communicate - it can lead to frustration, inefficiency and (most importantly) can lead to less-than-ideal interactions with the students you serve.

On Creativity in Student Affairs

I've been thinking a lot about creativity this summer. Summer is usually the time for strategic thinking or viewing my work from different angles and with different ways of allocating time. But what does creativity in Student Affairs look like?

There is quite a bit of noise around innovation in Student Affairs recently (just search #SAinnovate on Twitter. In fact, search #SA____ for anything and you're bound to find it. Good segue back to "creativity"...)

Creativity and innovation are often used interchangeably in the everyday Student Affairs vernacular, but they are very different concepts. The definition I appreciate is from Business Insider and it outlines innovation as the introduction of change into a relatively stable environment while creativity is "unleashing the potential of the mind to conceive new ideas." These are very different concepts and worth analyzing in our work in Student Affairs.

There is an incredible article a recent edition of The Atlantic that talks about the power of two, how the innate creative tension that comes from working together can lead to tremendous results. Perhaps unfairly, the article uses John Lennon and Paul McCartney as the prime example. The Beatles we are not, but the idea of leveraging the creativity of others to enhance your own creativity is an intriguing idea.

So with whom do you do your best creative work? It has always been primarily a solo venture for me, but the culture of Student Affairs is that we collaborate and do things together and think about things together and hang out together and be social together and let ideas happen together. But what if that doesn't work for you? The introvert in me (so pretty much all of me) finds solo contemplative time to be the most inspiring for thinking creatively. And this doesn't happen at work - work is spent in the weeds working on details and swimming through the minutiae, so creative time happens when it happens. Just as I can't sit down and write at an assigned time, I can't sit down and create at an assigned time, though there is value in incorporating creativity into discussions and planning. And perhaps summer is the time and place that creativity can happen!

Stefanie Lucas-Waverly wrote a nice piece for the Student Affairs Feature a year ago about turning creativity into transformative moments by removing boundaries and restrictions while thinking about her work. In particular, she mentions active listening as a key to creativity. This requires others (unless you are actively listening to yourself, which I argue I could do more of to be healthy), so how do you take down restrictions to thinking - remove the quick "no," remove barriers and roadblocks, etc - in your work in order to let creativity happen?

How do YOU encourage creativity in the workplace? Think about ways you can create space and time to be creative. I have a few ideas for my staff this fall and I'm excited to try them out. I'll report back here with details (even if it goes poorly!)

Creativity means taking chances. Where do you allow others to take chances? "Failing forward" is also now a thing. Failing forward is about turning mistakes into learning moments and if you are tuned into your ability to be creative, you should be failing forward constantly.

What if you don't feel like you are creative or you don't feel like you have creative colleagues? This article tells us that creativity can be taught and gives some great step-by-step methodology to help you encourage creativity.

Innovation is about rocking the boat for the better. Creativity is about more than just change - it's about doing something that feels like it's never been done before. No matter your position in an organization, you can promote creativity and use it in your work.

Here's a great video of a talk on creativity given by actor/comedian John Cleese, And just because it's awesome and because he's funny. Worth the watch. And remember: "Creativity is a not a talent. It's a way of operating."

I would enjoy your thoughts on this topic. Find me on Twitter @pottscharlie or please comment below about how you view creativity in Student Affairs work.

Thinking about Professional Development

I had the great privilege of serving on the faculty at the Regional Entry Level Institute through UMR-ACUHO in June. It was an incredibly valuable development opportunity for me and a great way to connect with new housing professionals in the region.

My topic was "Professional Development," and the topic seemed so vast and limitless that I was worried about shaping a session within the 90-minute time-frame. And if that wasn't enough, I presented in the final slot of the week, so I enjoyed hearing throughout the week "Charlie, maybe you'll touch on this during your session" and seeing my list of topics and ideas grow by the hour!

This gave me a chance to reflect on my own professional development. Within 7 years of finishing my master's degree program, I was starting my fourth job (Area Coordinator, Associate Director in activities, Associate Director in residence life and now my current job) and I had been so caught up in doing the things I thought I needed to do to get the next job that I hadn't take time to really think about how I'd grown professionally. Seems like incongruous thinking, but it's true.

So my session allowed me to talk about the things I had thought about over the last 10 years but never really said.

We defined professional development in our own lives by doing some mind-mapping. We talked about professional development being about finding where "personal interest" meets "institutional need." We talked about the high level of personal accountability required to develop as a professional - your supervisor and institution will hopefully support and provide resources, but YOU are responsible for taking advantage of opportunities.

Some things I want to share about the presentation:

-The best professional development is doing your job damn well.
-Use the competencies (CAS, ACPA/NASPA, ACUHO-I) as a guide.
-Conferences are only worth it if you bring ideas back and put them into action!
-Social Media is vital to your creating and cultivating a professional network. Be authentic!
-Write write write. Start a blog, share ideas, write about it and do it well.
-Mentors don't seek you out. You have to take initiative to find a mentor/coach.
-The "soft skills" (critical self-reflection, interpersonal communicaton, political savvy) get little attention but will make or break your career!

Here's a link to the actual presentation.

What would you tell a new professional about what "professional development" means to you? How often do you really reflect on your professional development experiences?