Outside of those working in the sport of track and field, how many pole vaulters have you met? Yeah, me too, until the summer of 2019. And what are the odds that both of those encounters would be connected to a United Airlines flight to Memphis? These unique interactions are one of the reasons 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 …
The Strength of Weak Ties
Repeatedly mentioned in the research of Gen Z, mentoring, and lifespan development, the theme of what Meg Jay calls weak ties and Tommy Spaulding refers to as lower-floor relationships is fascinating. These concepts contrast to the ideas presented in the Who’s in Your Posse post but speak to the need for all of us to …
Emerging Adults and Communication
Picture a sponge which appears to be saturated but still manages to absorb more. That is an adequate descriptor for myself and my insatiable desire for knowledge. This knowledge comes through various methods whether it is researching a geographic location for a new adventure, acquiring a new practical skill such as how to repair a …
Roaring Twenties
What image comes to mind when you see/hear the word roaring? Is your image related to the adjective and its definition of “making or uttering a loud, deep, or harsh prolonged sound” such as an engine or an animal? Maybe your thoughts conjure a business that is “lively and brisk” such as Starbucks on Union …
The Church as Mentor
My first memory involving someone I know dying was in elementary school when a schoolmate and fellow church attender Chad Benson died. Maybe I had attended a funeral before his, I don’t recall, but it was the first time for someone I had known ALL my life (all 9 years). Sadly, I now own shoes …
Transactional vs. Transformational: Toilet Paper
The story of my experience at the Wingate by Wyndham in Loveland, Colorado, this week may become the foundation for multiple presentations to come in the sport management classes at Union on topics such as customer service, being others-centered, and the defining difference between transactional and transformational experiences. Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park …
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Transactional vs. Transformational: Relationships
Conducting a simple internet search of the term leadership, one will find over six billion results appearing in the search engine. Attempting to narrow the focus in efforts to reduce that overwhelming amount into something more manageable, one might try the University library site and whittle it down to only 200,000 results. As shared in …
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More on Relational Equity
by Esperanza Gonzalez, Associate Director of Student Success at Union University Let me share that I am with you on highlighting the importance of establishing and investing in relationships. Often, we forget to re-connect with those that have helped us along the way, and I think it is extremely important to be encouraged to invest time …
Engaging and Equipping Gen Z
Although limitations exist with regards to generational theory, it has been my own experience in 25 years within higher education that there are significant lessons to be learned from this research. Personally, observing a change in my own students several years ago, I recognized that as a result of changing students, a refinement to my …
Flourishing @ Life 