Near the end of last semester, I was asked to visit with the Hall Director team on our campus about professional development. Specifically, I was asked to share information about my involvement in ACPA-College Student Educators International, my professional home since my time in grad school at Western Michigan University.

As the group is relatively small and most of our conversations are just that, conversations, there were no handouts or an ever-exciting PowerPoint. Just me – and what I think turned out to be – some unexpected advice. 

You are not a good as you think you are. There were a few audible gasps and a bit of nervous laughter in the room. To be fair to my young(er) ResLife colleagues in the room that day, I have shared this struggle. More than a time or two I thought I was all that and a bag of chips. It is important to have self confidence, maybe even a bit of swagger, particularly when advocating for a new direction or assuming a new leadership role. You do need to believe in your ability to succeed. This belief however, cannot come at the cost of your ability to hear other perspectives, to accept better ideas, give credit where credit is due, and admit when you are wrong. Most importantly, it cannot come at the expense of your colleagues.

Without authentic self-examination, you won’t grow. See above. Sure, when asked directly, most student affairs educators would say that still have things to learn, that they have blind spots. Few however can name their shortcomings and how they might work through them. Within their professional circles, they have yet to find those colleagues who will speak truth into their lives or call them on their mistakes. Time and experience can help to inform this process, but for someone to truly learn, there is one key ingredient: humility.

Start with your day job. To borrow a few lines from that sage of sages, Yoda “All his life has he looked away to the future, the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Adventure. Heh! Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things.” Far too often, particular these days, student affairs professionals are looking for the next best thing. Rather than taking to time to be thankful for the current opportunity to learn and contribute, they pine for the next conference or new role. Rather than listening to feedback or exploring how their current role contributes to the success of our students and our institutions overall, they lament the day-to-day. Before thinking about your next thing, focus on how to be exceptional in your current role.

And yet, take charge of your future as only you can. We all hope for good supervisors, those who will not only challenge us to grow, but also help connect us to the next learning opportunity and the next professional experience. If you wait for this to happen however, you will likely miss out on what could have been. My supervisor didn’t encourage me to join a committee within UMR-ACUHO; I had to suggest it. No one nominated me for the ACPA Commission for Housing and Residential Life; I nominated myself. No one suggested I be on the faculty for the ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute; I had to apply. Supervisors can be allies, resources, possibility mentors, and hopefully positive references. You however, are the captain of your ship.

Oh, and yes to professional organizations, within reason. Yes, I did actually spend a couple of quick minutes talking about ACPA-College Student Educators International. More later…