studentlinc

The State Of The (studentlinc) Union

Greetings studentlinc readers:

This is an update to let you know what's going on with this website and my own investment in it.

Many of you have been longtime readers and a great support to the tools, resources, and articles that I have put on this site. I started studentlinc in 2005 and used this site as my own sandbox in the area of leadership development, learning to blog, and designing an online resource.

It's now time for the next chapter in my online world. While I've still been involved in writing and developing tools for student leaders, I haven't done very much on this site. Over the last few months, I've been considering a number of options and have finally started to move in some new directions. I hope this post will explain what and why I'm making some changes. Here they are:

1. I have started a new website/blog at timmilburn.com. This site will now be my main blogging/writing/thinking/resource home. I have found that I have more to talk about beyond student leadership. While I will continue to delve into the areas of leadership, this site will have more of my personality and include many of my other interests. I plan on moving many of my downloads/tools to the resource page of that site.

Some of you may be wondering...why? My simple answer is because things always change...especially on the internet. The more personal answer is because I'm finding that I want to develop a more personal brand on the web. I believe a personal website does this. I think this will help me develop better relationships with my readers because they will come to the site of a person rather than an organization or topic (like studentlinc).

2. I will be archiving studentlinc. Another reason for the change is because I am moving away from Typepad. I started studentlinc in 2005 on Blogger. I told myself that I wouldn't pay for my blog until I had proven that I would stick with it. When I reached 100 posts, I went ahead and bought a basic Typepad account and moved the site over. When I reached 200 posts, I upgraded to a Typepad Pro account and have had that since.

But along the way, Wordpress kept showing what a great blogging platform it was. So when I started timmilburn.com (on March 25, 2010) I started the site on a self-hosted Wordpress platform using the Standard theme. I am slowly learning to use Wordpress and am LOVING it.

So in the next month, I will be moving studentlinc out from under Typepad and into a self-hosted Wordpress setup at studentlinc.net. This will save me the subscription cost of having a Typepad account. It's also important to note that moving from Typepad to Wordpress is an incredibly difficult and tedious process if you want to keep your links, images, and permalinks intact. I don't know if I am willing to go through that process. If I don't, then all of the permalinks to my posts will be lost (creating some dead links across the web from those who have linked to me). All of my posts will still be available at studentlinc.net but they will have new permalinks. I'm still deciding if I'm going to do that work.

3. Finally, my request of you...if you subscribed or were a regular reader of studentlinc, then I encourage you to head over to timmilburn.com and pick up the RSS feed. It's my new home. Like I said, I'll continue to write and develop leadership tools specifically targeted for students (I just wrote a post called, When Will The Leader Emerge). But I'm going to diversify a little as well. In the process, I'm hoping to build a better relationship with YOU, the reader.

Once again, thank you for your support of studentlinc. I am grateful for the opportunity to share and learn right alongside of you.

Wishing you the best,

Tim Milburn

Inspiring Video On Leadership

You could write a post that contains all of the statements and quotes in this video, but it would lose it's power and punch. I love what they've done here. Everything sounds better with a powerful soundtrack backing it up!

Were you inspired? (even though it ends with an ad?)

How can you incorporate video into your next training?

Newest OK Go Video is... Very Cool!

If I had an unlimited supply of dominoes and a week of free time - I could come up with some pretty cool displays of momentum-toppling goodness.

But it wouldn't be nearly as cool as the latest effort from the band, OK Go, in their music video for This Too Shall Pass.

I have always been a fan of this band's ability to choreograph a music video into amazingness. This one doesn't disappoint. I've posted it here for you to enjoy if you haven't seen it yet.

Pretty sweet huh?

Reducing Your Message

Math was never one of my best subjects. I took Calculus in college for one day. It was a complete foreign language to me. I quickly dropped the class and headed toward something more...well...basic.

But there are still things I remember from math in the early days when I could show you what grade I was in on one hand. Fractions. I wasn't bad at fractions. And as I write this post, I realize that fractions have a lesson to teach us when it comes to communicating our message.

Take this fraction for example:

4937208
-------------
19748832

Now that is a tough fraction to work with. If you were required to put that fraction into an equation and try and figure out the answer to a problem, it would be quite difficult. That's why my teachers would always tell us to reduce a fraction to it's "irreducible minimum."

If you take all of the steps necessary to reduce the fraction above, you end up with this fraction: 1/4

Now that's a fraction we can all get our minds around. And the same is true for the message you are trying to communicate. Make it too complex or difficult to work with and people won't know how to use it, let alone understand it.

When you reduce your message to its most simplest form, you give more people the opportunity to understand and act on what you're saying.

Can you say what you need to say in half the words?
Can you say it in smaller words?
Can you say it with a picture?
Can you say it in such a way that those who hear could repeat it elsewhere?

Reduce your message to its irreducible minimum and you'll find that your message is more irresistible.

7 Reasons Why Confrontations Is Difficult

Nobody likes to confront someone else. The word "confrontation" sounds so...confrontational.

But if you've found yourself in a leadership position, you've probably found yourself in a situation where someone needed to be confronted. Maybe it was over unmet expectations, unfulfilled responsibilities, a misspoken word, or attempting to alleviate a conflict. Whatever the situation, you needed to have a conversation with someone and it wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

Because of that, we will often do everything we can to avoid confrontation. We don't like to do it and we think to ourselves that the one who you need to talk to won't like receiving it. So we just don't do it. And then we're surprised when the problem doesn't go away and seems to get bigger.

Here are seven reasons why confrontation is difficult for us. If you identify yourself in one of the reasons below, perhaps it's time to address your own issues so you are better able to confront in a healthy way.

1. Fear of being disliked.

2. Fear of being misunderstood.

3. Fear of rejection.

4. Fear of making things worse.

5. Fear of the unknown.

6. Not used to sharing your feelings.

7. Lack of confrontation skills.

Have you wrestled with any of these? What suggestions would you make to overcome these issues? Since the overwhelming issue is fear, how does one go about working through the fear to engage in healthy confrontation?

Watch for another post that describes the goals involved in healthy confrontation.

Pray For Haiti

There is no greater need for leadership than at a point of crisis.

Haiti has just experienced a horrific tragedy. A devastating earthquake has killed hundreds of thousands. They need more than leadership, they need our prayers and our help.

You can get involved immediately by donating to these organizations that are poised to offer assistance immediately: Red Cross, World Vision, World Relief, and Samaritan's Purse.

Photo Source: AP/Radio Tele Ginen

Maintaining Momentum Through Your Character [Article Link]

In the latest issue of Leadership Wired, a monthly leadership newsletter from Dr. John Maxwell and Giant Impact, there is a sobering article about the vital connection between one's character and momentum.

Reflecting on the recent turmoil surrounding Tiger Woods, Dr. Maxwell writes with great accuracy about the impact one's character has on the ability to start, stop, or sustain momentum. He concludes the article by saying...

Tiger's story is a cautionary tale about character. All of the momentum you build through decades of hard work and dedication can be erased if you do not craft the character to support it. Character is forged daily through the decisions we make. It comes from within and cannot be purchased. Be diligent about working on your character so that you become a person worth following and someone worthy of harnessing the momentum of success.

Read the article: Character - The Key To Sustaining Momentum

SWAT - Seize The Accomplishment [REVIEW]

My good friend, Timothy Johnson, is releasing his third book today. And it's really good.

SWAT - Seize The Accomplishment

If you are a fan of a compelling story, with twists and conflict, that teaches you something throughout - you will love this book. I read it in one sitting. But I've been thinking about it all day.

I was connected to the story immediately. A young and witty manager who has to overcome a Call Center crisis in the midst of unsupportive leadership. And his best resource is his observation and interaction with the local area S.W.A.T. team. 

I have always enjoyed learning best practices through a well-told story that contains many teachable moments. That's why books by authors like Patrick Lencioni and Steve Farber have always been ones I pick up quickly. I would like to introduce you to another fantastic author that I will add to that list - Timothy Johnson.

Without giving it all away, here's some of what I learned (and will continue to learn about) through SWAT:

1. "Consistent where critical. Variable where valued."
2. Systems thinking helps you and everyone on your team better understand the process and what's expected.
3. Drawing a flowchart is more than just a futile exercise, it actually helps you think through important next steps.
4. Clear communication is vital for everyone to be on the same page.
5. How to properly prepare yourself to fire a sidearm.
6. The steps that a S.W.A.T. team uses to infiltrate and secure a building or stronghold.
7. I need to take a better look at the inputs and outputs within my organization.
8. Rona is really mean and probably tore the heads off her Barbie's as a child.

This is the first book that I've read by Timothy Johnson. He's actually written two others that I'm excited to dive into as well:

Race Through The Forest - A Project Management Fable

GUST - The "Tale" Wind Of Office Politics

I'm wishing Tim all of the best on the release of his new book. If you are involved in any type of organization that has to critically look at the flow of information or if you want to develop better systems (or analyze how you look at your systems) I recommend this book to you. Click here to buy it!

One last thing. Throughout the book, each chapter begins with a quote. While many books include quotes at the start of chapters, I felt like these quotes were especially timely and fit well within the context of the story. My favorite quote from the book came at the start of Chapter 8:

"If the first button of one's coat is wrongly buttoned, all the rest will be crooked."
- Giordano Bruno

This book is going to help me and help you make sure that first button is right where it needs to be.

Better Tools = Better Student [Article Link]

Lifehacker's Jason Fitzpatrick has created an excellent list of tools you may or may not be using with that laptop you own. He writes...

Despite the proliferation of laptops and netbooks, the vast majority of students still use their computers like $500 typewriters. Stop working so hard and be a better student by leveraging some clever computer tools to your advantage.

Every semester I get a new wave of college freshman into my classroom, most of them armed with laptops. For the last several semesters, I have been informally tracking how they use their computers. I always assumed that my students were using their computers to their full potential to help them with school, research, and such, but almost all of them were simply using their laptops as extremely expensive typewriters and instant-messaging terminals.

What good is all the computing power of the pre-1960s world sitting on your lap if you're not using it to make college life easier? The following is a guide for students everywhere that want to spend less time on the tedious stuff, and more time on the things like study and research that actually produce results.

Read the article in it's entirey: Use Better Tools To Be A Better Student In 2010.

How To Get The M.O.S.T. Out Of Your Semester

I walked past one of my student leaders today. I asked him how things were going. He responded that he felt like he could use another week. (classes start in less than a week).

As I thought about his response, I understood how much a break can mean in the life of a student. A semester of studies can be demanding both mentally and physically. Those intense weeks of learning, reading, and studying - coupled with a student's other involvements and responsibilities - can be draining.

But this is the unique rhythm of an academic year. As many of us are starting to gear up for another semester of learning and growing, I wanted to offer some simple advice for those in student leadership (or most any student) to get the M.O.S.T. out of the opportunities each semester brings.

Manage your year
Each semester you make some commitments. Those commitments are based on your academic schedule, your extra-curricular involvements, your friendships, and your other responsibilities. You've even made some commitments to yourself. Now it's time to manage those commitments.

Get out your calendar and write everything down on it. Look at it every week to give yourself an idea of what lies ahead. Look at it every day to remind yourself of what's expected of you and to reflect on what you just experienced. Keep a calendar as your constant companion and make sure to make time for what's most important. 

Managing what's most important is called prioritizing. Every commitment is not on equal footing. Keeping some sense of balance in your life requires constant correction. Spread yourself too thin and you'll find that you don't have the energy for excellence or the time to be terrific at anything.

Others-focused
That's right - getting the MOST out of your semester isn't all about you. In fact, the most rewarding experiences you have during your semester will involve doing things for others. As Zig Ziglar says, "If you help enough other people get what they want, then you'll discover you get what you want." Listen to others. Help others. Serve others.

It's so easy to get busy and start living from event to event, project to project. When you do that, the focus tends to be on yourself and everything you're experiencing. But if you widen your perspective and include others in your area of concern, you'll find you're less worried, less stressed, and more connected to the life of your campus.

Strong Leadership
Most of the students reading this are student leaders. So I invite you to do the thing that you've signed up for - I invite you to lead and to lead well.

If you can focus on being excellent in the first two areas above (manage your year and be others-focused) you will already have gone a long way in laying the foundation for your leadership. The second semester of a student leadership year can be the most difficult. You'll begin to see the end coming, you'll experience others seeking to fill your position when you're gone, and you'll find that people aren't as motivated as they were at the beginning of the year. That's why strong leadership is so necessary at this time.

You will probably only be able to accomplish one or two more big things as a student leader. But what you accomplish can go a long way in making sure that you finish as strong as you started. It will be easy to simply pull back and go through the motions. But is that how you want to be remembered? Your legacy you leave behind is determined by the leadership you live right now. The worst thing you could end your leadership year with is regret.

Teachability
The beauty of being a "student leader" is the student part of it. You're learning. That means you get to try some things and figure out your own unique style of leadership. You get to fail and discover that it won't kill you (in fact, I hope you learn the most from those mistakes).

But learning from your leadership opportunity doesn't happen unless you have that one special ingredient: teachability.

You don't get to choose all the experiences you have, but you do get to choose what to do with them. I challenge you to make everyday an opportunity to learn. To move outside of your comfort zones and transform your experiences into new lessons. This will make each day an opportunity for lifelong growth.

I wish you all the best as you embark on a new semester. If you still wish you had a little more time for your break, just remember: If you learn to love the process, you'll find you start to love the learning.