What gadgets/apps/software do you rely on?
I try to make use of Outlook at as much as possible. I'll email a lot of stuff to myself rather than trying to save it in the cloud because it's easier for me to search in Outlook. I tried a couple of reminder apps or to-do list apps and they just never really worked for me. I do like the new Cortana thing that Outlook sends out every morning [This now comes as Microsoft Viva: Your daily briefing]. That's very helpful in reminding me of things that I've promised or other people who are waiting on me that tend to get lost in my email. I also like the feature where Cortana, on Fridays, will let you book focus time into the next week — which is really helpful for me. I need blocks of time where I'm not getting interrupted, and even though that may not happen, at least if somebody goes looking for a meeting with me, they'll know that I've got a lot on my plate right now.
How do you plan for and manage the day, the week, the semester?
The day and the week are easier because you can always look at your calendar and it gives you an outline of what you have to hit this week. It tells you, not only what meetings you have, but it lets you know what you need to prepare for in those meetings. The semester: The best advice I have to any new dean is to keep an outline that has January, February, March, April through December and as you do important tasks during those months, write them in there so that you know in the next year that these things are coming up. Then each week, take a glance at that and see what's around the corner. The other thing I've done for reviews — especially classified reviews, is I will put them on my calendar with a two-year repeat so that I know someone’s review is coming up next month.
What is the best productivity or time management trick you’ve learned?
Hire the best people you can. No matter how long it takes, and grow them, because if you don't have good people, that's going to suck all of your time and energy.
What tips would you offer to a new manager? Hard skills? Soft skills?
Communication. Of course, email and spreadsheets are really vital tools. I think spreadsheets are underutilized by a lot of managers. I think the hard skills are eclipsed by the soft skills: Empathy. Humility. A very, very, very, very thick skin — which I don't have. The ability to see the strengths of your team members and play to their strengths as much as possible. It's really your team that makes or breaks you. It's not your own skills.
Are you currently trying anything new in terms of organization?
There are things I would like to try. I feel like if I can just do one thing better every semester, that's a win. That was the feedback I got when I was instructing too. If I can just do one thing better for this class the next time I teach it, it'll just keep improving and it'll become a better and better class, and I feel like I will become a better and better dean if I can do that.
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Something to think about:
“If you were forced to work just one hour per day, what would you work on during that hour to be most effective?”
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The Rabbit Hole (resources, content, etc. that are relevant to the job):
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