Ahhh summer…where have you been all of my professional life? I always love when colleagues from around campus see me and ask, is this your down time? Do you ever really get a summer break? I usually just nervously scoff and say yeah I guess June is our “down time” but who am I kidding? I know summer time may feel far in the distance at the start of the academic year but we have finally made it! Our campuses are hopefully quieter, our inboxes are hopefully emptier and our calendars are hopefully less stuffed. Which means…it’s finally time to shift our focus to ourselves! You might be asking…is she talking to me? Yes, YOU! This is your moment to reach up, grab the mask and put the oxygen on you first. Or maybe, just maybe you’re lucky enough to have plenty of time during the academic year to truly and passionately focus on your professional development but if that isn’t you…then this blog is for YOU! Yay!
Here are the first 5 of 10 questions you can ask/answer during the summer months…
1. What are my short-term and long-term career goals, and how can I align my actions today to achieve them?
When was the last time you wrote down and/or reviewed your goals? Or maybe you have never set goals because you never had the time or never knew it was something that should be done. Travel back in time with me…in my first Assistant Director role at the University of South Carolina. We did an activity for professional development that asked us to write a professional statement of character. Side note…email me (cartersk at wfu dot edu) I had to spell it out so I don’t get spammed…I will gladly share the questions with you. At the time, I didn’t know how much I would refer back to this document or share it with others when talking about supervision and leadership but I have. In it we were asked to answer questions about who we are as individuals and what our professional goals were. At the time I wanted to be a Director of Residence Life at a mid sized institution. Not that you asked but I liked the “people part” of our work and just figured someone else could be responsible for making sure the building didn’t fall down around us. Part of my own development going forward was to figure out what I needed to help make my words on paper become a reality.
So back to my point…take some time this summer to write some short-term and long-term professional goals. A few goals will do, this should not be a stressful thing. Once you have then written down, now is the time to create the roadmap to achieve them. If you were like the version of Stephanie from years ago, wanting to be a Director of Res Life, I would tell you to find job descriptions that match what you want (title and school type/size) and see where your skills are lacking or what gaps you have and devise a plan to fill them. Engage your supervisor in those discussions. My hope is that person cares about your development as much (or as close to as much as you do) and can point you in the right direction. Now if they can’t, it’s time to talk to or find a mentor that can help with this. Or tap into social media connections with other professionals. Share your goals and ask what suggestions they may have to help you take the necessary steps to move closer to them.
2. What skills or competencies do I need to develop to progress in my career, and how can I acquire or enhance them?
This question marries nicely with the previous one. Once you have your goals created you can start to identify where you have gaps in skills or competency areas. Then decide how you get from point A to point B then all the way to Z. For example, are you lacking in leadership and management skills? If so, when is the last time you read a leadership book or listened to a leadership podcast? Or looked around at the resources on your campus that may be free of charge to staff to enhance leadership or management skills? Or maybe reach out to HR to ask what they can provide, it never hurts to ask. Or maybe in your self-reflection you find that you need to polish up your communication skills or interpersonal skills. Check out offerings that might be local or virtual. Maybe you don’t handle crises or conflicts in the most productive way possible. Look into resources that allow you to learn how to handle conflicts, emergencies, and crisis situations effectively. These resources don’t have to be specifically for Residence Life and Housing but find resources that help you use diplomacy, empathy, and problem-solving skills when you encounter conflicts and emergencies because they are coming.
Let’s not forget about DEI and the skills and competencies associated with it in our self-reflection journey. Look into options that help cultivate awareness of social justice issues, cultural competence, and inclusive practices from a student support lens to a hiring lens and all points in between. In a time where dismantling DEI is making headlines and waves nationally. It is still, in my opinion, that as a professional in our field, you must be able to challenge your own biases and learn about inclusive practices and engage in conversations that may be difficult to you and ask why they are and what you can do to help make them less difficult.
The list can go on and on under competencies but let’s think about a few more…think about your skillset as it relates to: fiscal management and budgeting, strategic planning, technology, collaboration and partnership-building, data analysis, risk management and safety planning, and facilities management to name just a few. Be honest with your self and set actionable goals to help move you forward. Honing these skills will only better prepare you for the next level when the time comes.
3. Am I regularly seeking feedback from colleagues, mentors, or supervisors to identify areas for improvement?
Well, are you? If you are not, why is that? Has anyone ever said feedback is a gift? It may not come wrapped the way you want it. However, when it’s given in the spirit of helping make you a better person/professional then it truly is a gift. Seeking feedback is essential for several reasons. It provides you with insights into your blind spots. Trust me, we all have blind spots regardless of how well you think you are doing your job. Sometimes we can’t see the frame because we are in the picture. So ask someone who can see all of it and all of you how you can improve and receive the feedback from them. Seeking feedback also means you’re open to continuously learning and growing. Seeking feedback is also a part of relationship building. Requesting that someone provide you with feedback is a show of humility and willingness to learn from others. Which hopefully helps you strengthen relationships and foster a culture of care and collaboration. Seeking feedback should also help you improve your performance, as long as you take the feedback seriously and take the necessary steps to improve what has been identified. While I could go on and on about the benefits of seeking feedback lastly, it shows you are demonstrating a growth mindset. The belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work says a lot about you as a professional.
4. What networking opportunities am I actively pursuing to expand my professional connections and opportunities?
Summer time can present some challenges when it comes to networking. For some, networking happens at our state or regional conferences or other venues as such and over the summer there just aren’t as many opportunities. Or maybe there are opportunities but they are out of your price range and your development dollars are dried up or maybe were non-existent to start. Perhaps it’s time to get creative. Reach out to colleagues at neighboring institutions and see if you can set up a virtual or in person meet and greet opportunity.
Also see what your regional association has planned for the summer. I am part of the SEAHO region and our Professional Development committee has a couple of virtual development opportunities once a month even over the summer. This is a low stakes way to connect with others and listen to other colleagues discuss pertinent issues affecting the region and our work in general. Find out what your region is doing or send an email and suggest some topics to them. As an active member of a regional association the Exec Board would love to hear from you! Put yourself out there, it’s for your own growth and the growth of others.
5. How am I staying updated on trends, best practices, and emerging technologies relevant to our work?
How plugged in are you to things happening on and outside of your campus? World events are not just world events they are showing up each and every semester on our campuses. We are embarking on another election season and if you don’t think something will come knocking on your door during that time, brace yourself for a rude awakening. Aside from that, how closely have you been following all the FASFA concerns or the enrollment cliff or even the ongoing debate on whether or not higher education is even important? So much is happening today it’s kind of hard to keep up. Let alone are you tracking what software company merged into the larger one and how that might impact the technology your campus uses? Or maybe you want to use it but it just got that much more expensive. Even early on in your professional career, understanding trends, best practices and tapping into resources all around you are important. Also, it’s important to understand the trends on your own campus. What does enrollment look like for the upcoming year? Or understanding who to reach out to when you want to better understand best practices or how another university is using a software system. The higher you climb up the ranks the more your staff will look to you for information or perhaps engage them in conversations regarding these types of matters.
Stay tuned for next month’s edition as I dig into 5 more questions you should be asking/answering this summer. Take some dedicated time this summer to work on you. Refill your cup, focus on your development and make sure you are prepared for both your current role and the ones soon to come in the future. Proper preparation is essential!
