Personal Leadership: the Perspective of an MSU Registrar

Be Intentional When speaking with audiences on the topics of leadership and management, the feedback I often receive is along the following lines: “This is really helpful information! It makes sense . I can see I should be doing these things, but I just don’t have the time. I’m overwhelmed with my day-to-day work. My days are filled with meetings and countless interruptions. My office is substantially understaffed. I’m already so far behind in my work. What you’re challenging me to do takes time and energy – that I don’t have.” Creating and sustaining a forward-thinking, high-performing culture requires a heightened sense of focus upon leadership. As leaders we establish, communicate, and foster the strategic direction, vision, and truth. We must be relentless in finding ways to be able to see what’s around the corner when it comes to internal and external forces. We need to find ways to create time and space for carrying out this important body of work. We must be intenti...

I decided to take a step back from my typical blog posts about personal leadership to provide an important context for future posts. What is a registrar? What does a registrar do? After having been a registrar for 15 years, I was remiss to think everyone is familiar with the profession. While job responsibilities vary from institution to institution,  the core expectations are the same. Here are a few highlights of responsibilities from the perspective of a large research intensive university.  Department Head First and foremost, the University Registrar is the head of an academic support unit. As the department leader, they are responsible for their staff, budget, strategic planning, and overseeing operations of the unit.  Operations oversight typically includes the following functional areas:  aca d e m ic re c o r d s , deg r ee ce r tificat i o n, d i p l o m as, r egistrat i o n , v e t era n s s er v i c es, r eside n c y , clas s r oo m sc...

At the age of 6, my dad allowed me to ride my first horse in Roundup, Montana . This old gentle grey Appaloosa graciously accepted my unbound enthusiasm and newfound confidence. Since that day, I’ve had a meaningful connection to and appreciation for horses. While growing up, I spent a great deal of time riding, caring for, and learning from them.  This particular photo of me inspired me to reflect upon the interconnectivity among our lived experiences, learning, leading, and succeeding. Getting Back on the Horse When I was 10 years old, I rode Sammy down our dirt road to the neighbor’s home which was about a mile away. Sammy was a very young horse and only green broke – he was just beginning to be able to accept riders on his back. My dad was coaching me carefully as he rode next to me, as green broke horses can be jumpy and unpredictable. Sammy did great! Until… The neighbor’s dog (old ornery dog named Keen!) nipped at Sammy’s back heels, which caused him to immediat...

Inspirational Leadership “It took me a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent” – Madeleine Albright . I was delighted to hear Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, speak at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) when I was serving as a member of AACRAO’s Board of Directors. Reflecting upon her influential leadership style inspired me to share my voice and lessons learned while working as a top official for Michigan State University (MSU). Inner Circle Keep your trusted inner circle at work small. These are the handful of very special individuals who genuinely care for you, and are extremely loyal and trustworthy. They work diligently for you and intuitively know when to work behind the scenes and when to be overt. These individuals serve as your early warning system – detecting problems and issues before they arise. They always protect you and p...