I think accountability can sometimes help us resist procrastination so that we might meet important deadlines, goals, or commitments.  That was my intention today.  I planned ahead and set aside some time with a specific intention to work on the article that I mentioned at the end of Institute, using propensity scores and tutoring data. Remember that I asked all of you, the participants, to hold me accountable for completing that article. Since returning, I have been in contact with my co-author, a doctoral student, and I have reviewed our notes and supporting articles.  Good start, right?  

A funny thing happened on my way to working on the article today.  In an effort to practice what we preach to our students, to set manageable goals and arrange the environment to support full focus with minimal distractions, I sat down at my computer with just such intentions.  It took only moments for me to decide to just clean up a few emails.  Ironically, one of them was from a Leadership blog with a very funny video on writing and procrastination by Ellen Degeneres.  Of, course, I had to watch it.  Next, I found myself sending the link out to LRNASST, and then to some other colleagues, only to realize I was doing exactly what she described in the video!  So, with this "mirror moment" realization, did I re-focus on the article?  Apparently not, because it then made complete sense to me for this experience to be the subject of the next blog post.  Sigh.

What is the lesson here?  The article is no further along, and time is running short today, so I have successfully distracted myself away from it. But at least the third blog post is complete! More importantly, is an empathetic realization of what it is like for the students we support and how the best strategies we can offer are not always easy to implement. Today was a bit humbling.

I still think accountability is a worthwhile tool, so please help continue to hold me accountable!  

Pat Maher

Many thanks to those who took part in the recent NCLCA Institute.  If you have not already done so, please complete the assessment survey so that we can learn from your feedback as we move forward.  You can access it HERE.

As we discussed at the beginning of the Institute, we hoped that you would identify 2 specific, leadership goals for yourself to accomplish in the next year. If you have not emailed those to your mentor, now is a good time to elevate it on your TO DO list!  It’s not too late. 

In addition, we suggested that everyone identify an accountability partner to help you stick to your plans.  While your mentors remain available, an accountability partner serves a different role.  For example, my husband and I serve as one-another’s accountability partners for going to the gym.  And David Reedy is often my accountability partner for NCLCA deadlines, which I greatly appreciate. 

After an experience like the Institute, where we remained intensely focused together, it’s easy to return to our everyday responsibilities and lose sight of the ideas and plans we generated.  Emailing those goals to your mentor is one way to establish your intentions but identifying someone to help you remain on task can significantly change the likelihood for success.

The American Society of Training and Development found that people are 65 percent likely to meet a goal after committing to another person. Their chances of success increase to 95 percent when they build in ongoing meetings with their partners to check in on their progress.

Have you checked in with your accountability partner yet?  How about sending him/her a brief message today?  Say hello, share your goals and perhaps create a timeline for progressing toward your goals as you move forward.  You might want to agree on regular contact time, such as checking in at the beginning or end of each month.  We all understand the demands of our busy centers, but don’t let that become a barrier to your own leadership development. You and your center will benefit!

Pat Maher

Greetings Learning Assistance Colleagues, 

This online space will serve as a discussion and resource space for conversations related to Leadership in College Learning Centers.  We are launching this as part of the NCLCA 2018 Institute as a platform for ongoing leadership development for those who attend the Institute in June.  We plan to invite all of our fellow NCLCA members to join us after the close of the Institute.

Leading up to the Institute, your mentors spent time exploring the literature on leadership. While we are together in Cincinnati, we will be working to help apply that theory in practical ways to those who lead college learning centers.  

One of the key themes that arose in our review of the more current literature is an emphasis on knowing yourself as a leader.  The majority of leadership literature emphasizes the importance of this reflective step. Some of the theoretical frameworks we will be using for this work will include Emotional Intelligence, the Let Me Learn Process®, Servant Leadership and a framework for leadership communication. 

In order to gain the most from the Institute, below you will find several resources to explore before you arrive.   

Emotional Intelligence for Leaders

Click HERE for a great video will help us to explore the basics of Emotional Intelligence. 

Let Me Learn Process®

At the core of leadership is the ability to work well with other people, hence many resources about leadership apply personality-based models.  Instead, we recommend this science-based metacognitive system that offers a different perspective. The Let Me Learn Process® helps you learn to lead and supervise with greater success by truly understanding yourself, your employees and colleagues, and the people who lead you. 

The beginning of this process involves a brief assessment called the Learning Connections Inventory (LCI).  It is embedded in an APP called the Personal Learning Coach.  Institute attendees will receive a password for this APP in an email; others can purchase access for a nominal fee.  Click HERE to access the Personal Learning Coach.

Happy learning from your mentors,

Patricia Maher, Institute Chair

David Reedy, Mentor and NCLCA Treasurer

Michael Frizell, Mentor and NCLCA President

Kathleen Volk, Mentor and WCLCA President