Talking Stick - September/October 2013 - 38

how true Professionals
view the World: their
habits of mind
True professionals have an outward
focus. They understand that “It’s not
really about me.” Rather than focusing
on themselves, they focus on others
or on the cause or issue at hand.
This outward focus allows a level of
personal resilience and the ability to
deal with disagreement without being
confrontational.
As students, we are invited to
critique and correct the world. In day-today professional life, we are encouraged
to evaluate the organizational culture
and to understand our place in it. Katie
Boone, director of residential life at
the University of Maryland Baltimore
County, explains the importance of
understanding the larger context. “I
am challenged by new professionals
who arrive on campus and begin
seeking change without knowing,
asking, or appreciating context.” It’s
also important to carefully select the
appropriate targets of evaluation. “I
wish I had known earlier in my career
where to better select my battles
carefully and, even more, where to
convey my sentiments differently,”
Boone explains.
True professionals are able to accept
criticism objectively and to view it as a
learning opportunity. Pam Schreiber,
director of housing and food services at
the University of Washington in Seattle,
reflects, “When you have great passion
for your work, you throw yourself into
it – heart and soul! That can make it
very difficult to separate yourself from
your work in those instances when your
decision is overturned, or you miss
the mark on solving a problem, or an
unhappy student/parent goes over your
head. I eventually figured out that these
were learning opportunities and that no
one, ahead of me or behind me, hadn’t
made the same mistakes. I also came
to realize that true grace is being able to
accept these situations without excuses,
rationalizing, or pouting!”
Freed from the burden of
taking everything personally, true
38

Talking STiCk

professionals develop the inner voice
that reminds them that “MY answer
may not be THE answer.” They come to
understand that being heard is different
from getting your way and that fairness
is a relative term. They learn to
appreciate the fact that our campuses
are filled with internal and external
stakeholders who are equally passionate
in their beliefs as to what is important,
what should be funded, what changes
are needed, and what the overall
direction of the institution should be.
When no two people view a situation
from the same frame of reference, it
comes as no surprise that everyone has
a different take on the next steps.
A true professional makes peace
with one of the most difficult realities
in organizational dynamics: Some
decisions are outside of your control.
True professionals understand the
bigger picture. They accept that
decision-makers have earned the right
(and the responsibility) to make tough
calls. They understand that difficult
decisions must be made in the context
of what promotes the greater good. To
drive this concept home with a bit of
humor, Countess Hughes, assistant
director of residence life operations at
Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia,
encourages her mentees to “focus
your locus.” Your sphere of control
and influence may be small initially,
and it will not likely expand until
you have mastered those items you
have control over and are expected
to manage well. Part of any campus
professional’s role is balancing their
locus and understanding their unique
contribution to the larger life of the
campus. Gerry Kowalski, executive
director of housing at the University
of Georgia in Athens, reflects on the
challenge of “helping staff to think
things through and be savvy and aware
of political and upper administration
scrutiny.” There is always a broader
view.
Sometimes it seems that, just
when you have come to understand
your organization and your place in
it, just when you have successfully
identified your locus of control and
Talking Stick - September/October 2013

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