By Jeremy Tiers, Vice President of Admissions Services
2 minute read
The beginning of a new year is a popular time to reflect and plan out our goals.
Here are 10 things that have been on my mind a lot! Each one came up frequently during conversations with many of your peers throughout 2024.
- There is no perfect time to begin a new habit or make any change you’ve been considering. The longer you wait for the perfect time or the perfect plan (IMO those don’t exist), the harder it will get and the more likely you are to keep putting it off.
- Don’t let fear or self-doubt prevent you from giving yourself permission to do things like – think bigger, fail, ask for help when you need it, say no to things, hold yourself accountable, and remove (or spend less time with) negative people and people who bring you down. No one is successful 100% of the time. Failing and falling short is inevitable. Having a process for dealing with it and moving past it is the key.
- Action is the secret ingredient that separates those who have a good amount of success from those who are not so successful.
- Building strong relationships takes time, takes listening, takes curiosity, and takes intentionality. There are no shortcuts.
- Mentors, coaches, friends, and family help us navigate things like change, fear, and failure faster. It’s not only okay to lean on your “people” from time to time, it’s necessary for our mental health.
- Anyone can lead – it doesn’t require a title or a specific amount of experience.
- Leadership’s “job” is to be bothered by the people they directly manage. Don’t ever avoid a conversation with your boss because you don’t want to bother him or her.
- Tough conversations do not belong in an email or text. They deserve an in-person meeting or a phone call or video chat.
- Talking in a more conversational tone does not make you unprofessional because you work in Higher Ed. It actually makes you more relatable and believable – especially when communicating with young people.
- Each week I encourage you find one person on your campus and say the words “I appreciate you because… (fill in the blank with a reason)”
Which one of those resonated most with you?
If you’d like to talk more about it, a conversation with me costs nothing but your time. All you have to do is reply back, or email me here and we’ll find a day and time that works.
And if you found this article helpful, forward it to someone else who could also benefit from reading it.