I've decided that cuddling up under a blanket to read is the only thing I like about winter. The weather hasn't even been harsh here in Oklahoma, but I just really don't like the cold. My disdain toward winter weather probably is why I've read more during the last couple of months. I read 13 books in November. Of those, I have two … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Create More Margin in Your Life
Our students have no margin. That was my takeaway after doing a time tracking activity with the student journalists who myself and another full-time adviser advise. The last time I had done the time-tracking activity with students, we discovered interesting takeaways about how we used social media or how much Netflix they were watching. … [Read more...]
7 Proven Ways to Become a Better Leader
Student editors frequently ask me how they can become great leaders, probably because I teach on editorial leadership. I'm sure they're disappointed when I tell them that I don't know. I have a couple of philosophies on leadership. First, I don't believe anyone can appoint themselves as a leader. Being a leader is a title assigned to you by … [Read more...]
Why Using the ‘Forbidden Phrase’ Just Makes You Look Bad
When your staff isn't performing the way you think they should or as well as you know they can, it's time for you to take a look in the mirror. What are you doing as a leader that's encouraging or supporting these behaviors? In other words, how are you condoning or promoting your staff's underperformance? As a leader, you have to ask how … [Read more...]
7 ways to battle the winter blahs
I don't know about you, but when the weather gets cold, it gets dark earlier and the sky is gray more days than not, I find myself getting a little bit down. Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as "seasonal depression" or "seasonal blues" is a health condition that occurs during seasonal transitions, typically starting in the fall and getting … [Read more...]
My Favorite Books of October
Holy cow! What happened? It got a little bit colder and my reading went through the roof. I read 15 books in October. Of those, I gave eight books perfect grades—a record five non-fiction books and three fiction books. Know My Name Chanel Miller is tired of people not knowing her name. She has been known as "Emily Doe" since her … [Read more...]
Lucky No. 13
I’m not sure when 13 became my lucky number. I guess at some point I decided to shed the number of its negative reputation and embrace it in my life. Thirteen has become so engrained in our family that it’s even my daughter’s basketball number. I’m not sure if my husband and son think it’s lucky (or even think of it at all), but she and I … [Read more...]
