Understanding that self-reflection, for some, is not considered an enjoyable or worthwhile activity, I hope you will indulge me today. Perhaps this question will not be too challenging as you consider your life up to this point: Is there an activity you’ve faithfully engaged in, something that now you are grateful you were able to …
Category: Appreciative Inquiry
Stay Interviews
In my opinion, one of the most intriguing questions that can be asked in the process of Appreciative Inquiry is “What does a great day look like for you?” When it’s posed to coaches applying for a position in the athletic department, it can serve as a gauge for how relational their leadership style is …
Devaluing the Past
For the 10 years I was blessed to be a Creative Memories Consultant, one of the worthwhile benefits of this endeavor was to hear people’s stories. It is inevitable that sifting through photographs for placement on a scrapbook page, I would be regaled with the narrative behind the photo, or the person, or the experience. …
Buried Pipes
Perhaps today’s concern arises out of the fact that as days go by, I am finding myself more and more often as one of the older people in the room. Yes, I am fully aware that I am not in my twenties anymore but spending the majority of the day immersed with Emerging Generations, there …
Whiny Disposition
Conducting a quick search through both previous posts and as-yet-unpublished posts, I can confidently share that I am a consistent human being. If I share an annoyance or a struggle, it typically appears repeatedly in various iterations, so perhaps the post Whine or Worship sufficiently covered this topic; however, a recent reading, combined with an …
I Quit
Dear University President, I Quit…those words appear on a sheet of paper rolling upward from an old manual green typewriter on the front cover of a workbook created by Jeffrey L. Buller for ATLAS leadership training which addresses the Great Resignation that is currently being experienced in higher education. In the following pages, Buller shares …
Burning Curiosity
“I’m so sorry…for ringing your cowbell!” (Not an unfamiliar phrase to be uttered from these lips. At least the first part)! But last week at early voting in our county, my Burning Curiosity led me to, without permission, pick up the cute little cowbell sitting beside a computer monitor at the check-in desk. With her …
Soup Question
As the result of a friend quoting lines during a recent conversation and his encouragement to revisit a twenty-year-old movie, the educator in me not only found renewed energy to face the upcoming semester, but additionally discovered applications to an ongoing interest in the concept of Appreciative Inquiry and the struggle with students asking Lazy …
Cheers, Jumps, and Fist-Bumps
One of the endearing aspects of living a life connected to the world of sports is the reliability of Cheers, Jumps, and Fist-Bumps. It does not matter if you are standing on the sidelines of the All Star soccer field at the church, in The Fred viewing an attacker spike over the net, or watching …
Holding Space
In this current season of life, I am embracing the reality that I will always be on a journey of learning new things. This reality increases the probability that my insatiable curiosity will lead me into some sticky situations (Let’s just hope that I have at least nine lives so it doesn’t kill me!); but …