I noted in a previous post that I was looking forward to going back to school this fall – as a student. I enrolled in a for-credit on-line screenwriting class at the local community college. Although I have written articles, books, columns, lab manuals, and radio pieces, screenwriting was a writing form I knew littleContinue reading “Back to school”
Author Archives: Lisa Ann Rossbacher
Creativity is critical to leadership.
Leadership roles have great potential to stifle creativity. The calendar pressures of meetings and travel can sap time that could otherwise be invested in planning, new ideas, and new ways of looking at old ideas. Being trapped in a reactive mode, responding to the crisis du jour, can crowd out the creativity of proactive thinking. DwellingContinue reading “Creativity is critical to leadership.”
Starting a new academic year
As the beginning of the fall semester approaches, I realize that, for the first time in nearly two decades, I am truly looking forward to it. As a university president for last 21 years, the start of the academic year has brought some very specific expectations: speeches, welcomes, receptions, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and referring studentsContinue reading “Starting a new academic year”
I’m back!
I am shocked to see that five years (and a few days) have passed since my last posting on this site. I have always been critical of writers who start a site on any platform and then abandon it, so I feel a personal responsibility to re-engage and resuscitate this particular effort. Having been extraordinarilyContinue reading “I’m back!”
Row, row, row your boat…to leadership
In the last few weeks, I’ve heard some long-time friends speak enthusiastically about the lessons they learned from rowing when they were in college. I’ve learned a lot, and I look forward to learning a great deal more. These friends were prompted to share their stories because I was bragging about the success of the HumboldtContinue reading “Row, row, row your boat…to leadership”
36 decisions a day
At a recent meeting of women leaders in higher education, a colleague president observed that she is asked to make about 36 decisions every day. (You could see everyone else in the room trying to calculate their own tally.) But, she said, only about three or four of these daily decisions were really important decisions.Continue reading “36 decisions a day”
Leadership lessons from…roller derby?
In November 2013, I visited the State University of New York at Oneonta, and I had the opportunity to talk with a number of faculty and students. Most of them were from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, the other natural sciences, and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. In one of theseContinue reading “Leadership lessons from…roller derby?”
Sometimes, the jump rope breaks.
People in leadership positions sometimes feel like they are ringmasters in a circus. Many things are happening at the same time. Some of the animals are dangerous or, at best, unpredictable. The star performers need to have their egos stroked. The clown car breaks down. Everyone needs to work together to put on the show. Continue reading “Sometimes, the jump rope breaks.”
A leadership lesson from Gettysburg
Last week marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Because I grew up in a historic part of Virginia and I lived 30 miles from Gettysburg for a number of years, I have always known the presence of history on a daily basis. Today, I can see Kennesaw Mountain, site of another CivilContinue reading “A leadership lesson from Gettysburg”
Recommended summer reading for 2013
As you plan your summer reading list, I hope you are including some of the great books about leadership that have been published recently. Here are two that I have just finished. I recommend them both, and I see some interesting connections between them. “The Fearless Fish Out of Water: How to Succeed When You’reContinue reading “Recommended summer reading for 2013”
On Leadership 