Category: Blog

  • VoiceGivers

    The late Dr. Stephen Covey got quite famous on the strength of his writing of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (2004). He followed that book a year later with The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (2005). Both were excellent; I liked the latter even more than the first.

    What is that 8th Habit? Finding your voice and helping others find theirs.

    Finding our own voice is challenging enough. From a leadership perspective, however, helping others find theirs is extremely difficult. Some of the things that can foster that development of voice in others…

    • Creating environments where it’s safe to dissent. 
    • Inviting others to lend their voice/thinking/perspective to complex problems.
    • Articulating clearly the desire, and expectation, for others to speak up/out.
    • Being genuinely open to the ideas/perspectives of others.
    • Being better Listeners than we are Talkers.
    • Saying “And” quite a lot, and saying “But” almost never.  
    • Making respectfulness in interactions an organizational non-negotiable.
    Helping others find their voice requires of us skill, discipline, and time. 
     
    Who’s in?
    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning. 

  • Wanted

    Most of us want something we don’t currently have. Sometimes it tangible stuff, sometimes intangible.

    Wishing for it, however, usually doesn’t fulfill our aspirations.

    Consider a well-used recipe for getting what we want:

    • Be crystal clear about what it is we want.
    • Make sure that want is righteous, and does not harm others.
    • Dedicate the necessary time, effort, and resources required to attain that want.
    • Ask for the help of critical others in attaining the want, and be prepared to reciprocate.
    • Don’t give up if the going gets a little rough in pursuit of the want.
    And when we get what we think we want?????
    Use it for good, and to make the world a better place.
    GO!
    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.

  • CondensedLeadership

    Tomes have been written about effective leadership. 

    One of my faves is Primal Leadership, written by Daniel Goleman, et al (you can find it under the Book Recommendation tab on this site).

    In the book, DG articulates six types of leaders: Visionary, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, Commanding, and Coaching. The best leaders I know flex among and between those six typologies.

    Coaching is the one that speaks to me the most. In pretty simple form, it is grounded in a few on-repeat questions:

    What are we doing?

    How well are those things advancing us toward the Vision we have articulated?

    If so, how might we do them better?

    If not, how can we take corrective action TODAY?

    We can’t do it ALL today, but we can do SOMETHING today.

    As with all recipes (and the best things in life), it’s more art than science.

    If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.

  • FearShackles

    Fear in the workplace is like putting shackles on continuous improvement.

    When team members have fear, the very best in potential performance and the highest aspirations of the organization are mired in concrete.

    What would cause apprehension and tentativeness in the minds of team members? Fear of…

    • Having decisions made within policy and law reversed.
    • Public criticism.
    • Retaliation.
    • Social isolation.
    • Embarrassment. 
    • Being marginalized.
    Some leaders use FEAR as leverage. FEAR is not tool, however, that affects, fosters, and promotes continuous improvement. 
     
    Where we headin’, Boss?
    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning. 

  • John Sharp Joins CEN Board of Directors

     

    Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp Joins CEN Board of Directors

    [Austin, TX] – Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN) Board of Directors unanimously approved the addition of retiring Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp to its Board earlier this week. Chancellor Sharp brings a lifetime of public service and transformational leadership to the organization, marking a major milestone in CEN’s mission to elevate rural education and workforce opportunity across Texas and beyond.

    Dr. Kim Alexander, CEO of Collegiate Edu-Nation, shared his enthusiasm about the appointment:

     

    “Based on Chancellor Sharp’s incredible legacy of service and visionary leadership, we at CEN are absolutely ecstatic that he would be willing to share his knowledge and expertise with our organization,” Dr. Kim Alexander, CEO of Collegiate Edu-Nation, said. “His passion for the Texas A&M Land Grant Mission aligns perfectly with our mission to uplift rural communities through education. In my personal opinion—and one I know many Texans share—John Sharp has long been the most influential person in Texas. He has used that influence to make both the Texas A&M System and the State of Texas number one in the nation.”

     

    Chancellor Sharp’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for CEN, as the organization continues to scale innovative, place-based education and workforce development models throughout rural communities. His addition to the Board is expected to amplify CEN’s reach and accelerate opportunities for partnership, growth, and impact.

     

    “Chancellor Sharp’s leadership will be transformational as we move Collegiate Edu-Nation into its next chapter,” Dr. Rachael McClain, President of CEN, said. His strategic vision and lifelong dedication to public service will help guide and strengthen our efforts to create lasting change in rural communities. We are honored to have him join us in this mission.”

     

    Chancellor Sharp’s decades of experience in higher education, public service, and rural economic development will be instrumental in guiding CEN’s strategic direction and advancing its mission on a broader scale.

     

    To learn more about Collegiate Edu-Nation and its Board of Directors, visit www.edu-nation.org.
    Collegiate Edu-Nation

    Pictured left to right: Dr. Darrell Dromgoole, CEN Community Development Consultant; John Sharp, retiring Texas A&M University System Chancellor; and Dr. Kim Alexander, CEN Founder and CEO.

  • EmpowerPower

    Empowered teams are powerful teams. They can get “stuff” done.

    Teams that are DIS-empowered feel/look/smell like this:

    • De-energized
    • Helpless
    • Listless
    • Weak
    • Fearful
    • Useless
    • De-valued
    Teams that feel empowered feel/look/smell like this:
    • Bold
    • Eager
    • Confident
    • Energized
    • Optimistic
    • Accountable
    Complex problems required the work of TEAMS of skillful, intelligent, enthusiastic folks. The environment we create for our TEAM makes all the difference in the outcomes we achieve.
    We can always do it better, and today is a good time to start.
    Power up, or EMPOWER up!
    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.

  • EvalAntacid

    Nobody likes annual evaluations. Well, perhaps a few masochists or sadists do, but none of the rest of us do.

    Why do those yearly events cause us so much angst? From my experience on both sides of that table, it always feels painful due to the judgmental-prescriptive dynamic that is built into it. One person in the conversation, usually the boss/supervisor, is tasked with “scoring” the other person on their performance, then giving them advice/counsel on how to do that job better. 

    An alternative that seems a bit less painful is a collaborative inquiry-based conversation. Some questions that generate reflective examination of performance (for both parties) can include the following:

    • From your perspective, what are two or three of the primary things we need to try to accomplish in order to achieve the Vision our organization espouses?
    • What about your assigned work role seems to align well with that Vision?
    • What about your assigned work responsibilities seem misaligned, or maybe even run contrary, to that Vision?
    • In what ways do you feel you’ve improved in the work you do?
    • What about your work seems to give you the most pleasure?
    • What about your assigned role causes you the most heartburn or anxiety?
    • If our organization was performing perfectly, how would it look from your role?
    The need for regular and reflective examination is obvious. Perhaps it might be more productive if we could fashion it into a conversation about getting better, and less about ranking and sorting and critiquing. 
    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning. 

  • LeadSharing

    Leadership, effective leadership, is a shared endeavor. Just like intelligence, it is always collective; never singular.

    Yet, some think otherwise. They think…

    • Accountability flows only in one direction.
    • Others only improve with their help.
    • Dissent should be squelched.
    • Permission must be pervasively granted.
    • Others must be pushed or driven to do the right thing.
    Probably the very reasons that, when these folks look over their shoulder, ain’t nobody following.
    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning. 

  • Greater Texas Foundation Grant

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    Collegiate Edu-Nation

    Greater Texas Foundation Awards More Than $1.1 Million to Collegiate Edu-Nation to Expand Postsecondary Pathways in Rural Texas

     
    ROSCOE, TX – June 6, 2025 — Greater Texas Foundation has awarded a $1,118,985 grant to Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN) to strengthen and expand postsecondary access for rural learners through its Year 13/14 initiative and the launch of its new Edu-REACH program.
     
    This investment directly supports CEN’s mission to build sustainable pathways to postsecondary success by addressing opportunity gaps in rural Texas communities. According to state data, only 29% of young adults (ages 18–24) in rural regions are enrolled in a college or university, and just 42% of adults hold a degree or credential.
     
    “Our rural communities are full of potential, but access to higher education and workforce credentials remains a barrier for far too many,” said Dr. Kim Alexander, Founder and CEO of Collegiate Edu-Nation. “This grant allows us to support students beyond high school and provide working adults with meaningful pathways to economic mobility.”
     
    The Year 13/14 initiative ensures students who begin dual credit coursework in high school can transition seamlessly into postsecondary education. Through targeted support services, academic coaching, and hands-on learning opportunities, participants can continue their education and earn a degree or credential that aligns with local workforce needs.
     
    The newly launched Edu-REACH program focuses on adult learners seeking an alternative pathway to a dependable and lucrative career. Designed with flexibility, the program offers hybrid learning formats, workforce-aligned credentialing programs, and job-specific training to help adults advance in high-demand fields.
     
    This funding will allow CEN to deepen its impact in existing districts and expand its reach to more rural Texans seeking education and career opportunities.
     
    For more information about Collegiate Edu-Nation and its programs, visit www.edu-nation.org.

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  • PeoplePalette

    In most organizations, we’ve got the people we’ve got. Only in the rarest of situations does the leader of an organization get to craft the team from scratch. And in most organizations cleaning house and starting over is not an option.

    Some leaders I have watched spend a lot of time wishing for better players, complaining about the team they have, and spending inordinate amounts of time trying to squeeze people out.

    Some really wise others, however, choose to take the team they’ve been dealt and see how much they can get the team to grow, learn, adapt, and excel.

    Both approaches take a LOT of time. The latter approach seems far more interesting, invigorating, and gratifying.

    We get to choose how we “mix the colors” on the palette of people on our team. And we get to see what kind of picture we can paint with them.

    *If you’d like to read more of nc’s blatherings, go to nc’s Recursive Learning.