May: A Crucial Time for Higher Education Professionals

As a higher education executive coach, I have witnessed the dedication and passion with which many professionals navigate the complexities of academia. As we step into May, a pivotal time for higher education, I urge you to take a moment for self-reflection. This is a powerful tool that can help you understand your work habits and approach, empowering you to make positive changes. Today, I want to shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of our professional lives: the unseen challenges and the importance of seeking perspective.

• The Challenge of Seeing Clearly

In the dynamic environment of higher education, it's remarkably easy to miss the forest for the trees. Deadlines, administrative responsibilities, student concerns, and the impending close of the academic year can obscure your view. The first step in overcoming this is to acknowledge a simple truth: It is harder to see what's happening in your life and career when deeply entrenched in your day-to-day activities.

• Working Harder Than Necessary

There is an assumption in academia that ceaseless hard work and long hours somehow equate to success. While dedication is crucial, I challenge you to consider this: Are you working harder than you need to? Often, we stick to routines and processes simply because they are familiar, not because they are efficient or effective. This May, take a moment to evaluate your workflows and tasks. Ask yourself whether there is a more innovative way to achieve the same outcomes.

• Energy Drains in Disguise

As you reflect on your work habits, identify the tasks that drain your energy. These are not always the ones you despise; sometimes, they are tasks we believe are vital but depleting. Energy drains could be redundant meetings, email overload, or ineffective administrative processes. Recognizing these can help you reallocate your efforts to more fulfilling and impactful activities.

• The Power of External Perspectives

One of the most valuable actions you can take is to open yourself up to external perspectives. Your friends, family, colleagues, and coaches are part of your professional community, and they can often notice your overexertion and misallocated efforts before you do. Their external viewpoints can offer insights that you might miss in the midst of it all. They can see if you're taking on too much, spreading yourself too thin, or stuck in an inefficient loop. This support system is invaluable in your professional journey.

Actionable Steps for May

1. Seek Feedback Actively: Don’t wait for performance evaluations and tenure reviews; ask for feedback now. Engage with peers, mentors, and your coach to get a fresh perspective on your work habits and strategies.
2. Audit Your Activities: List your regular tasks and mark out those that feel particularly draining. Consider ways to optimize or delegate these tasks.
3. Embrace Innovation: Investigate new tools and methodologies that could streamline your work, ranging from new software for administrative tasks to different pedagogical approaches that energize your teaching.
4. Prioritize Self-Care: Ensure that you’re not sacrificing your well-being for work. Balanced professionals are more effective, and self-care is critical to long-term success.

May, a month of significant energy and potential in the academic calendar, offers a chance to wrap up the current academic year and lay the foundation for a more balanced and effective new year. By acknowledging the unseen, questioning our assumptions about work, and leveraging external perspectives, we cannot only enhance our professional lives but also the academic environments we cultivate. This potential for growth and improvement should inspire us all as we look ahead to the challenges and triumphs of the upcoming academic year.