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Valentine’s Day is traditionally reserved for loved ones, but this morning when I opened my email inbox, a marketing email that I received called upon readers to extend our gestures of appreciation and kindness to the workspace.
Is that a stretch? Some may say so, but it sparked my memory about a podcast that I stumbled upon last week: the Australian-based HigherEd Heroes podcast hosted by Seb Kaempf and Al Stark. The podcast highlights and lifts up innovative faculty who are changing the way we think about teaching and who are ultimately advancing student success. We must remember that the “hero” title isn’t exclusive to faculty, though. Every employee on campus has an opportunity to make a difference for students.
This idea of showing appreciation and giving recognition isn’t a new one. A Harvard Business Review article lists it as one of the key traits of high-performing teams, and at its core, a college or university is one massive team that needs to work together.
So, don’t be afraid to show your colleagues some love today. If nothing else, let this serve as a reminder of the importance of lifting up colleagues — in departments/offices near or far — who are doing incredible work.
Of course, we can’t forget the value of recognizing our own good work, no matter the size of its impact. At times, we get caught up in all the details of our professions — the hours, the pay, difficult colleagues, mounting piles of work — and lose sight of the impact our work is making. While all those details deserve our attention and require resolution, it’s important to take a step back and look at your work through a different lens occasionally. Have you made a difference for a student lately?
Student success and retention are a crucial part of a college or university’s success, and that ultimately comes down to student experience. Do students have support in all the areas they need — whether academic or personal? The answer lies in the culmination of every single experience they have on our campuses and their interactions with every individual — from the maintenance staff to campus police to faculty to advisors. It’s easy to get stuck in our respective silos, but truly understanding the student experience means grasping how all the dots connect (or perhaps don’t connect) to result in successful outcomes of which your institution can be proud.
Who are the heroes on your campus or in your professional sphere? What are you or your colleagues doing to innovate and make a difference for your students and campus life? Lift up these examples and shout them from the rooftops. We all need to be reminded of the success stories and the ‘why’ behind our work. Show someone — or at least yourself — some love today.
Disclaimer: HigherEdJobs encourages free discourse and expression of issues while striving for accurate presentation to our audience. A guest opinion serves as an avenue to address and explore important topics, for authors to impart their expertise to our higher education audience and to challenge readers to consider points of view that could be outside of their comfort zone. The viewpoints, beliefs, or opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the author(s) and don’t imply endorsement by HigherEdJobs.
