To be well read. Early in my career I remember hearing a more seasoned professional remark that a colleague was, “very well read.” The statement was shared with bit of reverence and was most certainly an indication that all good professionals should strive to be “well read.” Now that I have been in the profession for a few years I have more of sense of what it means to be a well read professional and how it helps inform my work.  This post sets the stage.  The posts to follow offer a few specific ideas for how and where you might add to your professional knowledge base by taking time to read/be more connected. But first, to set the stage, a few words of caution…

Too much of a good thing. For those of you who are familiar with the Clifton StrengthsFinder, or the version now managed by the Gallup organization via their Strengths Center, my number one strength or theme is input. For those unfamiliar, this means that I have a craving to know more. Some people strong in the input theme like to collect and archive all kinds of information. From me, I love information related to my work in higher ed – and there are times I spend far too much time researching a particular topic – aka: too much of a good thing.  As you add items to read, eNewsletters to review, and magazines to your mailbox, be careful to not take on too much. You do have a day job after all~

Make it relevant. As I mentioned above, I love all information related to the work we do in higher education. There is just something exhilarating about researching [insert higher ed topic here]! And yes, I mean almost any topic related to our work. As you read however, remember to ask yourself if the topic or information is relevant to your work specifically.  Yes, you should include topics or areas outside of your normal bailiwick. It is important that you are stretched to connect outside information to the happenings on your campus. But, you do have a day job after all. How does what you are learning inform your current practice or the practice of your department? Support, question, disprove, vilify, expand? How is the information relevant and how might you apply it?

Read what you don’t believe or agree with. We are all subject to cognitive biases, tendencies to think in certain ways that can lead to systematic deviations from a standard of rationality or good judgment. One of my favorites, particularly in election season, is confirmation bias. People tend to only listen to information that confirms their preconceptions. If you are more liberal, it is likely that you favor MSNBC over FOX News, as the stories and ideas shared on MSNBC confirm what you already feel or believe. If you are more conservative politically, vice versa.  A very important skill for a higher ed professional is the ability to actually listen to, hear, and seek to understand opposing points of view. In other words, perspective-taking. Take time to learn from those who don’t agree with you.

Don’t be an information hoarder. Lastly, share the wealth. As you begin to fit a bit of reading and information gathering into your professional life, you will come across information that might be useful to a colleague. Share it. How you do your work can make it easier for your colleagues to do theirs. And as relationships are the center of our work, work on that relationship by sharing what you found.