Meandering a little further down the road in this journey to define and explain relational equity, we discover a second destination in the book entitled The Listening Life by Adam McHugh where he discusses the importance of “assuming the listening posture of a servant. We speak volumes, but we listen in snippets.” Similar to the …
Category: Mentoring
Others-Centered in a Self-Centered World
Listen, Love, Repeat Relishing the reading of many great authors in the journey to define and explain relational equity and its importance to personal and professional success, some reoccurring themes have emerged over the last few months. Previously under the impression that it might be worthwhile to blend these thoughts into one summary post, I …
Whistles and Watches
If I were to pose the question to this audience about what images your mind conjures up when you think of starting a new school year, it is doubtful that the answer would be a stopwatch or a coach’s whistle; however, as a physical educator, these can be essential tools for managing the classroom environment. …
Think Crockpot Not Microwave
Anyone else find it interesting the way the human mind will narrow its focus and see things that existed all along, but until it was on your radar, you were unaware? Take an automobile for instance, there have probably been hundreds of white Ford Explorers in my town, but until I owned one, they went …
Controlled Floundering
Controlled floundering is a term that I latched onto years ago because it conjures for me the image of students grappling with a new concept or skill that doesn’t come naturally for them. Well, this past week I was reminded of what floundering means as I began a new semester with what seemed like error …
Why Do I Have to Change?
“Entitled” is a descriptor associated in a negative manner with the Millennial Generation and in a recent faculty workshop, the term was offered to illustrate Gen Z as well, but Ryan Jenkins offers another perspective on this concept when posed with the question from leaders, “Why do I have to change?” Jenkins replies, “…it signals …
Five Floors of Relationships
Building relational capital is how Tommy Spaulding explains creating relational equity in his book entitled It’s Not Just Who You Know. With a wealth of information that I am sure to reference repeatedly in my own research, Spaulding exposes the reader to “relationship economics…how to define relationships that matter, how we can create relationships that …
Bubble or a Greenhouse
Coming across a shared social media post by Marisa Boonstra, I was struck by the similarities between her perceptions on parenting and my thoughts on instructing emerging adults. It probably drew my eye even more because she used some of the key terms, such as cultivate and flourish, that have resonated again and again in …
Renee Wiebe Hultgren
If you were to consider some wise advice to offer younger Renee about life, either personal or professional, what would it be? If I could share something with my younger self, I think the two most important things I would share would be to take chances and be confident. The first, taking chances…is what I …
Return on Relationships
As we explore the significance of creating relational equity, I will offer various perspectives on the relationships we establish in our lives both personally and professionally and the importance of the varying depths of those relationships. Although it may not always be a simple task, or even necessary, to categorize each relationship we encounter in …