Blog from Jane Hyatt Thorpe, JD, Sr. Associate Dean for Academic, Student & Faculty Affairs, GW Milken Institute School of Public Health
FIVE Personal and Professional Highlights
- Humbled – I am humbled and honored to be nominated by my colleague, Sara Wilensky, and selected for the GWALA program with the support and encouragement of Dean Lynn Goldman to participate. GWALA represents the best of GW in terms of bringing together incredible leaders and colleagues across the university, sharing and exchanging ideas and resources to help ensure the success of leaders and their teams, and providing time and space for continued growth and professional development.
- Grateful – I am grateful for the time, space, informative readings, constructive discussion, and encouragement to reflect more thoughtfully on my leadership style and my continued growth as a person, a colleague, and a leader in my school and our university.
- Strengthened – I feel renewed and strengthened to resolve current challenges and tackle new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead with guidance and support from the GW leaders who met with us as well as a cohort of incredible peers who are committed to supporting each other as we work together towards the betterment of GW and our GW community.
- Connected – I feel connected to GW in a deeper way through my school with my Dean’s encouragement and support, to the leaders and offices that shared their perspectives and insights with us, and through my cohort peers who so graciously shared their time, energy, perspectives, challenges, and successes.
- Inspired – I am inspired by the remarkable array of accomplishments that my cohort of peers achieves in their leadership roles as well as their research, teaching, and service to their schools and the university and their ongoing dedication to GW and our GW community.
FIVE Lessons Reinforced/Learned
There were so many key lessons, experiences, and timely resources shared through GWALA that informed and shaped my thinking and day to day work as well as longer term planning and cultivation. Some lessons were reinforced, others new ways to approach challenges, and all timely, relevant, and actionable. Upon reflection, I selected these five to share.
- Be authentic, humble, trusting, trustworthy, and transparent
- Listen, listen some more
- Ask questions, question assumptions, be open to revision
- Ask for advice and/or feedback, engage smart advisors who challenge you, always learn
- Lean into decisions and lead especially when conflict/disagreement
TWO Thank Yous
Finally, and very importantly, I am so happy to know and celebrate the incredible colleagues in this cohort. They are a remarkable group of individuals and leaders who are integral to the current and future success of GW and our community. I will miss seeing them on a regular basis, but look forward to sustaining the friendships and professional connections as we lean into the future at GW. I also am truly thankful for Sara Melita and Emily Hammond for their incredible care and tending of our cohort, our guest speakers, the program, and our curated readings and exercises. Their constant support, encouragement, and the example they set truly made this an outstanding personal and professional experience.