Blog from Elizabeth A. Waraksa, Associate Dean, Libraries and Academic Innovation
Participating in GWALA came at a crucial juncture in my career at GW, namely at a time when campus life felt like it was returning to a predictable cadence after the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. With the worst of the frenzied decision making behind us, I felt able to slow down and really apply myself to our pre-work and in-person meetings. Looking back, I am really pleased to see that I achieved one of my own goals going into GWALA, which was to carve out more time for strategic thinking and personal growth.
One thread that, for me, ties together many of our sessions is the importance of delegating. Several of our guest speakers addressed this as an important skill to exercise in academic leadership, with each speaker using slightly different frames. In one instance, we were reminded that “When you delegate to your reports, you empower them; when you make the decision yourself, you’re taking away their power.” Similarly, we heard advice to “Delegate or think about why you’re not delegating. It’s a mentoring opportunity.” And even more bluntly, we were cautioned, “Don’t be ruled by your ego.”For academics who have been trained to work as solo practitioners, this advice was a most welcome reminder that we sit on teams at GW, and need not solve every issue alone.
Dovetailing with our speakers’ advice to delegate was much wisdom around keeping perspective, from reminders to consider “What brings you joy?” to exhortations to put space between yourself and the problem, make time to socialize on and off campus, and tend idealism like a garden. Our distinguished speakers brought empathy and humanity to our conversations, which I believe the cohort carried forward as the program continued.
Many thanks are due to Sara Melita, Jeff Brand, and Zachary Hawk for creating the space and time for our cohort to get to know each other, for modeling good pedagogy, and for gently keeping us on task. I am also deeply grateful to all of our guest speakers for taking the time to speak with us. I will not soon forget nuggets such as “If it’s keeping you up, talk to someone about it,” “Know where you have authority and where you have influence,” and “Sometimes the status quo is the right decision.”
Finally, a big thank you to my cohort-mates for our many conversations about the opportunities and challenges of serving in leadership roles, especially during our small group discussions and networking breakfasts. I learned just as much from listening to your experiences as I did from the more formal parts of our course, and I am grateful for the openness with which colleagues shared their stories, and the generous and sage advice offered when sought. I look forward to our continued collaborations across campus!