Although the Arizona Legislature showed a commitment to education by supporting public community colleges with one-time funding in the 2019-20 state budget, there is still work for us to do. The temporary nature of that limited funding emphasizes the importance of creating new and expanding partnerships with individual volunteer supporters we call “champions,” businesses, non-profits and government organizations in the communities that Coconino Community College serves. Here at CCC, we’ve been … [Read more...] about Critical Components to the CCC Mission: Partnering, Lifelong Learning
Ph.D.
Putting Education to Work
We have been listening to our communities throughout Coconino County and the message is clear: We need education and training that leads to jobs and helps improve lives and communities. We are proud of the “Community” in the name of our College, and the mission that goes along with being part of the community. Our mission, in addition to providing a variety of educational opportunities, includes providing certification training in relevant industries based on community needs and focuses on … [Read more...] about Putting Education to Work
Following Happy Trails: On Leadership and Life
Recently, I was driving down I-17, heading for Sky Harbor Airport. At a certain point, I could see a full moon through my windshield, and the rising sun in my rearview mirror. It struck me that this was a pretty good metaphor for my current situation. The sinking moon and rising sun represent the close of one phase of the day, and the beginning of another. Similarly, I’m wrapping up one phase of my life, and beginning another. By the time you read this, I will be the former dean of the Franke … [Read more...] about Following Happy Trails: On Leadership and Life
The Leadership Paradox: Humility and Confidence
Leaders face an interesting, sometimes confusing, paradox. People want leaders who are humble, but also want leaders who project confidence. Projecting humility can suggest a lack of self-confidence, but projecting self-confidence can suggest arrogance. What’s a leader to do? Let’s untangle this apparent paradox by finding common ground between humility and self-confidence. Before doing so, however, it’s important to distinguish between legitimate self-confidence and defensive … [Read more...] about The Leadership Paradox: Humility and Confidence
Purposefulness: One of the Four Pillars of Self-Leadership
This summer, we’re going to focus on self-leadership. Like leadership, self-leadership is an influence process, but in the case of self-leadership, you’re leading yourself rather than others. Self-leadership is about taking control of your life, of becoming the sort of person you’d like to be. Although it sometimes doesn’t feel like it, most of us have significant control over our own lives. The goal of self-leadership is to exercise that control in a purposeful, effective way. Learning how to … [Read more...] about Purposefulness: One of the Four Pillars of Self-Leadership
Dear Graduate: Thoughts on Pursuing a Life Well-Lived
This is my second annual “Dear Graduate” letter. The inspiration for the content of this letter came from listening to a group of students who completed an eight-week Dale Carnegie course. Their comments led me to think about what we should seek as we traverse life. Dear Graduate: You have reached a significant milestone, graduation from college. Your life will quite literally never be the same. Life is good, but only if you know how to live. Here are my thoughts on what to pursue in order … [Read more...] about Dear Graduate: Thoughts on Pursuing a Life Well-Lived
Small Wins for Big Results
Change is scary, but growth requires change. Because of this leadership reality, there is no dearth of advice on leading change. One of the more novel ideas comes from organizational theorist Karl Weick. In a 1984 article, Weick laid out a method, the small wins strategy, for approaching large scale change by breaking it into smaller, easier to manage chunks. The strategy involves thinking about a big change as a set of much smaller, interrelated projects that, when completed, result in the big … [Read more...] about Small Wins for Big Results
Wag More, Bark Less
My very-dirty-this-time-of-year Subaru has a bumper sticker that says “Wag more, bark less.” As anyone who knows me even slightly, I love our two dogs, Maggie and Dallas. Both are good pups … mostly. I bought the bumper sticker because it was funny and dog related, but the more I thought about it, the deeper the simple message became to me. (Of course, I may be completely overthinking this; it wouldn’t be the first time.) The simple message is spend more time being happy and less being angry … [Read more...] about Wag More, Bark Less
