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A New Spring: Now What?
By Bob Hassmiller
Spring has sprung. This is the time when college business officers think about ending the current year and planning for a new academic/fiscal year. The challenges behind you AND the challenges ahead call for the renewed energy and sense of "starting over" that spring suggests. How difficult is THAT if you have fewer staff to face greater challenges and far fewer dollars with which to fund your critical college programs? But you KNOW you need to renew! What should you consider as you end one year and begin another?
I’d suggest spring cleaning. By that I mean:
1. Take a look at your strategic plan for your operation, and take a look at your personal plan for yourself. Personally and professionally you need to know where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you’re going. Don’t throw out the old without knowing what you’ll need in the future.
2. Prioritize. We recognize that the entire U.S. economy lived through one of the greatest boom times, depending on how you measure it, for at least 10 or 20 years. Because we’ve had the resources, both personally and professionally we’ve said "yes" to a multitude of requests that now make life exponentially more complicated. We still have the students, but we don’t have the resources we once had. Take the time now to see what is critical, and plan to delete, simplify or consolidate that which is not important to your mission. Clean out your closets ... organize yourself by following your priorities.
3. Manage expectations. This is related to "Prioritize." "Nice, but unnecessary" functions cannot be eliminated unless you set up the reasons and expectations for doing so. Always explain what you are doing to those who are senior, at the same level, and subordinate to you. In your professional life get buy-in from those about to be affected by your decisions. You are asked to be a change agent, but you do NOT necessarily have to do that alone.
4. Look for improvement opportunities. This relates back to #1. If you don’t change, growing with new needs and expectations, you will decline. Use your renewal time to set up a more positive tomorrow. I’m beginning to HATE the phrase "new reality," but that really is what spring cleaning is all about.
You DO make a BIG difference. AND, if you need additional support, please look to us at CCBO, your colleagues, to help you. Our members are community college business professionals providing programs exclusively for community college business professionals.
At CCBO you’ll find others just like you meeting business partners, meeting each other, talking about education programs, sharing ideas and having fun. Our biggest event, the CCBO Annual Conference is coming up in beautiful Louisville, Kentucky in September. If you haven’t yet, plan now to refresh, recharge, and renew there. You’ve been cleaning house. Now treat yourself with some renewal time. At CCBO, we’re just like you, in fact we ARE you, and we want to see you there.
Dr. Bob Hassmiller, CAE
Executive Director
Community College Business Officers (CCBO)
3 Boar's Head Lane, Suite B
Charlottesville, VA 22903-4610
Phone: 434.293.2825 x222
Fax: 434.245.8453
Email: bob@ccbo.org
www.ccbo.org
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