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September 22, 2015 BAAC Fall Meeting: Keynote Address
Moving Beyond the Pursuit of Happiness: Making Meaning of Our Work in the Advising Profession
Michael (Brody) Broshears
Assistant Vice President for Academic Success
University of Southern Indiana
Moving Beyond the Pursuit of Happiness: Making Meaning of Our Work in the Advising Profession
Indiana UniversityBAAC Fall Meeting
September 22, 2015
Michael “Brody” BroshearsAssistant Vice President for Academic Success
University of Southern Indiana
Acknowledgements…
Why We Work… Barry Schwartz
http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_way_we_think_about_work_is_broken
Happiness Assumptions…• Everyone deserves to be happy• We do control our own happiness
– to a certain extent– Complex process (the science of happiness is surprising)
• Advisor satisfaction data from 10 years ago suggests a relatively satisfied group of professionals
And yet…
• Productivity at work may be more important to your supervisor/organization than your overall happiness
Why We Hate Work…White-Collar Salt MineA 2013 survey of 12,115 workers worldwide found that many lacked a fulfilling workplace.
Source: The Energy Project
Do NOT have this at work
DO have this at work
70% Regular time for strategic or creative thinking 18%
66% Ability to focus on one thing at a time 21%
60% Opportunities to do what is most enjoyed 33%
50% Level of meaning and significance 36%
50% Connection to company’s mission 25%
49% A sense of community 35%
48% Opportunities for learning and growth 38%
Why We Hate Work…White-Collar Salt MineA 2013 survey of 12,115 workers worldwide found that many lacked a fulfilling workplace.
Source: The Energy Project
Do NOT have this at work
DO have this at work
47% Opportunities to do what you do best 36%
46% Ability to prioritize tasks 36%
45% Overall positive energy 35%
43% Understanding of how to be successful 40%
40% Ability to balance home and work life 37%
40% Ability to disengage from work 42%
40% Comfort in truly being yourself 45%
Why We Hate Work…
Gallup’s Engagement Questions
• I know what is expected of me at work
• I have the materials and equipment to do my work right
• At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday
• In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work
• My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person
• There is someone at work who encourages my development
• At work, my opinions seem to count
• The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important
• My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work
• I have a best friend at work• In the last six months, someone
at work has talked to me about my progress
• This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow
Discussion Question
What are the conceptual and practical challenges of making meaning of our work as advisors/advising administrators?
More challenges to meaning making…• Competing/no ideals (lack of purpose)• Time, money, resources (too few)• Incredibly fast moving world of work
– distractions (too many)– Advisor/advisee ratios
• Uncertainty
• Inability to feel like you are making a difference in your everyday work
• Lack of support/understanding from supervisor or upper administration
Academic Advising…Practical Realities
• More complex work than ever before• Being asked to do more with less• Pressure to produce results more evident
than ever before
• Issue of money as a motivator
What motivates us?
• Autonomy – desire to be self-directed, especially true if you want engagement
• Mastery – our urge to get better at stuff• Purpose – ability to connect our work/lives to something important
• Dan Pink, Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us– Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Satisfaction and Production more sustainable when…• Four core needs are met:
– physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work
– emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions
– mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done
– spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.
• Source: The Energy Project
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
• Defining Success, Happiness and Purpose• Student-Centered focus• Being Present (staying distraction free)• Leading from Position• Appreciation and Gratitude• Routine AND Variety• Good enough AS good enough
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
Student-Centered Focus
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
“I am just an academic advisor”
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
•Appreciation and gratitude•Routine and variety
•A caring, supportive environment– Culture of CARE
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
“Good enoughASgood enough!”
The proverbial slap in the face…
Keri Zimmer Dean of Advising andStudent SuccessIowa Western Community College
Discussion Question
•How can we create environments that allow for greater meaning making and work productivity?
Moving Forward
•Advising systems must generate alliances that benefit all students•Have to move past unit centered goals to student centered goals
•These relationships ensure a more cohesive/comprehensive experience for our students
Moving Forward
• Advising systems must create a central understanding of each other and their processes• How do your advising systems promote an
understanding of roles and process for all students/staff/faculty?
• Have to align definitions with mission and strategies
• Creating common language
Moving Forward
•Advising systems must provide consistency of information for all students•What are the messages that all students receive about advising systems on our campuses?
•How do we communicate those messages with students?
First Steps … Advisor and Faculty Relationships
Program /Service Development
Technology and Publications
Alliances to Benefit Students What is the advising structure on campus? What do we do to create alliances on IU’s campus? What alliances could we promote/improve? -to increase productivity without adding resources? -to broaden our reach to students? -to facilitate better communication?
Central Understanding of Each Other & ProcessesHow does IU promote an understanding of advising roles and processes? Who takes leadership in that? How can BAAC assist in that process?
Consistency of Information for StudentsHow do we communicate among advising units?What are the messages that IU students receive about advising on our campus? How can technology help us? What advising/academic skills resources are available to students at IU?
Next Steps• Never-ending process
– Must continue to learn and challenge assumptions related to happiness and meaning making
– Have to bring people together• Find allies/support where you can• Development and training programs focused on the whole person
– “How do we get to a preferred future?”
• Take advantage of events like this one • NACADA Webinars and Clearinghouse Resources
Remembering the ‘Advising’ Experience When I started college, I was most excited about… As a new college student, I worried about… What I most remember from my first college semester is… As a new college student, my impression of faculty members
was… My first advising meeting was… A person that had an impact on my academic life my first year
of college was… why? Because of my own advising experiences, I hope that my
advisees/students will…
One Step Further…• What advising issues are most challenging for you? Why?
• What advising issues are you most comfortable with? Why?
• What, if any, campus issues make you most uncomfortable? Why?
• Think back to your best and most challenging interactions with a student this semester. What happened? Why was it good/bad? How did you handle each interaction? What have you learned from these two experiences?
• How might BAAC and advising colleagues help you address these issues moving forward?
