Learning to Ride

At the age of 6, my dad allowed me to ride my first horse in Roundup, Montana. This old gentle grey Appaloosa graciously accepted my unbound enthusiasm and newfound confidence. Since that day, I’ve had a meaningful connection to and appreciation for horses. While growing up, I spent a great deal of time riding, caring for, and learning from them. 

This particular photo of me inspired me to reflect upon the interconnectivity among our lived experiences, learning, leading, and succeeding.

Getting Back on the Horse

When I was 10 years old, I rode Sammy down our dirt road to the neighbor’s home which was about a mile away. Sammy was a very young horse and only green broke – he was just beginning to be able to accept riders on his back. My dad was coaching me carefully as he rode next to me, as green broke horses can be jumpy and unpredictable. Sammy did great! Until…

The neighbor’s dog (old ornery dog named Keen!) nipped at Sammy’s back heels, which caused him to immediately shoot straight into the air on all fours, then proceed into a running and bucking frenzy. After about three jumps, I fell off and landed pretty hard on my right elbow. I was probably more scared than hurt at that point. Despite the tears and having the wind knocked out of me, my dad taught me an incredibly valuable leadership lesson through five simple words – “get back on the horse.”    

In the Saddle Again

It was a wonderful character building moment for me – learning the discipline of accepting and pushing through painful, difficult, ambiguous, or stressful times. This core characteristic served me well in the military, throughout my career, and in the face of personal adversity.

As a rider, it was also my obligation to teach the horse a lesson. His bad behavior was given no special attention - he was not rewarded. In addition, I showed him I was not afraid of him (horses are keenly aware of fear and will use it to misbehave).

Scanning Your Environment

One of the most fundamental skills of riding a horse is staying alert and paying attention to the overall environment. Is it windy? Are storm clouds forming? Are there other animals around? What are the horse’s ears telling you? That’s right! His ear positioning provides valuable intel about the environment. Each unique position tells you if he is relaxed, sees something, hears a noise, or is getting ready to misbehave (e.g. bite another horse, buck, or kick).

Continuously scanning your environment keeps you safe and thriving. The same is true for industry. Market scanning is continuously analyzing the external market to gain critical insights about the following:

• Market needs and new market opportunities
• What your competitors are doing
• Proactive strategies
• Value-added technology and innovation

Businesses and organizations should pay close attention to external forces, and should look to other industries for insights, ideas, and strategies. In higher education, institutions gravitate towards other institutions with a similar size, scope, and mission for insights, learning, and bench marking. 

Imagine the possibilities if institutions put more effort into learning from institutions different from their own, or from the business, healthcare or government sectors. Diversity of thought and perspective sparks creativity, momentum, and success.

Leading With Humor

When you think of a horse what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it’s strength, endurance, or unbridled freedom. Did you know they have an intrinsic sense of humor? They find ways, sometimes mischievous ways, to intentionally draw their riders and caregivers into their humor.

Do you find ways to effectively draw others in through the use of humor in the workplace? Effective use of humor can relieve stress, improve morale, change the tone of the entire room, and spur creativity. Of course, the right setting, timing, cadence, and delivery matters. It takes practice. When you find others who use humor well, pay attention to the contextual details so you can sharpen your skills.

Happy Trails

Know that your toes are going to get stepped on at some point. You may fall down or get kicked around. Your ego may get bruised. Yet this fact remains true: we are in control because we have the freedom to choose how we respond. 

One way to build resiliency is to find the things, activities, and people who bring us the greatest joy. Place a renewed focus upon these.

Trail riding is one of the most calming and uplifting experiences. Give it a try! You come away feeling peaceful, and closely connected to the horse and mother earth. 

Happy trails to you now and always.

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Forward Thinking…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.

3 Tips to Elevate Your Personal Leadership

“It took me a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent” – Madeleine Albright.


I was delighted to hear Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, speak at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) when I was serving as a member of AACRAO’s Board of Directors. Reflecting upon her influential leadership style inspired me to share my voice and lessons learned based upon my experience.

Inner Circle

Keep your trusted inner circle at work small. These are the handful of very special individuals who genuinely care for you, and are extremely loyal and trustworthy. They work diligently for you and intuitively know when to work behind the scenes and when to be overt. These individuals serve as your early warning system – detecting problems and issues before they arise. They always protect you and put you first.

Tip: Because the nature of the relationship is that of a true partnership, consistently give members of your inner circle your time, attention, and care.

Mid-Western Nice

Have you ever attended a meeting and thought, today must be opposite day? The idea proposed by an executive was disastrous. Yet, everyone in the room shook their heads “yes” in agreement, and even commented “good idea!” Yikes. After the meeting the back-channel political work begins – to undo this de facto decision. 

Remember people are not always comfortable saying “no” or giving honest feedback directly to you. They are nice people who are inherently drawn to the notion of being positive, collaborative, and supportive. Thus, they are much more comfortable saying “yes”, or giving positive feedback to you in the moment.

Tip:  Be nice to yourself and others – give meaningful, honest, objective, and direct feedback, as appropriate. Rely upon your inner circle and other networks to help you detect when others are truly behind you, or whether it’s a case of mid-western nice. Finally, pay attention to a room full of nodding heads. Seek to understand by asking probing questions such as tell me more about why you think this is a good idea, or share with me one concern you may have.

Starting Point

Stakeholders are anyone in your organization with whom you interact. Your stakeholders are incredibly diverse with a wide spectrum of perspectives and motivations. Everyone’s starting point is different. As you initiate a dialog, project, initiative, or even a meeting, try to think of the other person’s starting point. Practice Emotional Intelligence by actively listening, asking questions, and reflecting back what you think you hear. What is the person passionate about? What is their mantra? What are their spoken and unspoken needs? 

Tip: Get to know your stakeholders well. Know their strengths, weaknesses, perspective, passion, approach, and networks. Be deliberate about tailoring your communications and interactions to meet their starting point.

Reflections

Take a moment to reflect on the following quote by Madeleine Albright: “It took me a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” How have you used your voice to lift up others, and to advocate for those who are not even in the room? Your comments and feedback are welcome! 

Feel free to “like” or share this post with others. 

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Innovative…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.

Establishing Direction and Sustaining Positivity

Where are you and where would you like to be?

Everyone has a story. We all encounter difficult situations. Whether it's losing a job, dealing with a toxic environment, being declined a promotion, or job burnout...whatever the situation, we get to choose how we respond. Personal leadership is the ability to lead yourself by taking responsibility for defining a direction for all aspects of your life and moving in that direction with clarity and consistency. How does one find ways to learn and grow, whilst building up others? 

Take Charge! Leadership in Action.

• Focus upon what is important in life: make health and wellness, family, and friends a priority. 
• Have a toolkit for dealing with toxic people: https://goo.gl/ni9b9i.
• When we're too comfortable in a job, we can lose our edge, our ability to push ourselves and challenge ourselves in a meaningful way. Sometimes, it takes something extreme to occur in order to to force us outside of our comfort zones. Use these moments as catalysts for staying agile, learning new things, rebranding oneself, and adapting to change.
• Build your own resiliency by serving others. When you serve others with grace, love, and humility, you bolster your own strength, focus, and wellness: https://goo.gl/EeFQan.
• To clear the noise in your mind, listen intently to each sound around you. Be in the moment: https://goo.gl/voQhcP.
• Be thankful for what we have. Each day is a gift! How will you use your gift today? How may you be of service to others today?
• When you go through a crisis, it becomes clear who your true friends are. Consistently and persistently devote time to building and maintaining relationships.
• Even when you feel downtrodden, others still see your strength and beauty, and rely upon it. Shine for them!

Lead Yourself.

What do you need to focus upon improving? Consider selecting one or two ideas to explore further, reflect upon, or practice. Please feel free to share your ideas, an aha moment, and updates. 

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Forward-Thinking…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.