I’m currently going whole hog (great guns? full steam ahead?) on my presentation for the NEMA conference in a few weeks. Part of the presentation is, of course, a Q & A with experts. I’m asking for questions ahead of time because: You may not be attending the session; You might not want to be identified as the asker of… Read more →
Cumulative Stress — It’s a thing.
As I try to balance working full-time, serving as Board President for a small non-profit, advancing Joyful Museums, planning for a conference session, and maintaining relationships with friends and family, I think about work/life balance. I recently brought in a consultant to talk with my fellow board members about time management (I had taken her workshop years ago and it… Read more →
Free webinar: “So You Want to be a Leader? How to Prepare Yourself for a Leadership Role in Higher Education”
It’s possible this webinar will be about leadership in general and therefore good for museum people to check out: Webinar: “So You Want to be a Leader? How to Prepare Yourself for a Leadership Role in Higher Education“ Hosted by: HigherEdJobs Presenter: Lucy Leske, Managing Partner, Education Practice, Witt/Kieffer Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Time: 02:00 PM Eastern Standard Time,… Read more →
Oct. 25 – From the survey
Tell me about a great moment at work, when you felt happy, proud, or joyful. This could be either an individual moment or a shared one with your team. The past two years I have been supervising a wonderful student and mentored her in producing an exhibit. The opening of that exhibition was a real joy — I was… Read more →
Oct. 23 – From the survey
If something about your workplace culture was improved, how would this change the way that you work, both in the short and long term? If my boss behaved better — showed appreciation for my work, didn’t constantly interrupt me with nonsense that has nothing to do with work, wasn’t rude and inconsiderate — I wouldn’t dread going to work… Read more →
Oct. 21 – From the survey
What museums do you think have a positive workplace? Why? Hard to say, but I typically imagine that the museums where senior staff has been in place for a very long time must have good work culture. Read more →
Oct. 19 – From the survey
If something about your workplace culture was improved, how would this change the way that you work, both in the short and long term? I would consider making this job potentially a longer term position if my work culture was improved (been here 6+ years already though). I would likely not be stressed as much, because half of my stress… Read more →
30 minutes per day for two weeks can make your colleagues more compassionate.
During my work on this project, I’ve learned that one of the reasons for negative workplace culture in museums is a lack of resources. It’s complicated, but it does follow logically that when cuts need to be made to balance the budget, professional development is often the first to go and staff, reasonably, resent this. Knowing that a lot of… Read more →
Oct. 17 – From the survey
Tell me about a great moment at work, when you felt happy, proud, or joyful. This could be either an individual moment or a shared one with your team. Very simply, I was thanked for my work by several board members. I have been leading a project in which they are all involved, so I’ve had more contact with them… Read more →
Oct. 15 – From the survey
Are there any for-profit/corporate organizations that you think have great workplace cultures? Why? It seems like the tech companies (Google, Microsoft) have got it pretty good. I think organizations that value the idea of working hard and playing hard usually succeed. In museums I think sometimes a culture of “work mediocre and then get out of here” can develop… Read more →