Never Miss An Opportunity to Grow🪴

I do my best not to miss opportunities to learn and grow. Yesterday, I attended “Staff Enrichment Day” at Montgomery College. Montgomery College is the #1 Community College in Maryland and #17 in the whole country.

When many academic institutions closed their diversity and inclusion offices and rolled back equity of all kinds, Montgomery College never once wavered in its commitment to inclusive excellence.

This deep commitment, which is weaved deliberately into our culture, includes equity, inclusion, integrity, innovation, adaptability, sustainability, and respect.

Montgomery College can’t transform lives, enrich the community, and change the world if it goes “backwards”. It’s ALL about moving forward. 

It’s about leaning into the needs of staff and faculty while prioritizing innovation so we can best serve our students at the highest levels.

Our dynamic and innovative leader, President Jermaine F. Williams never misses an opportunity to tell us (faculty and staff) just how important we are to helping our students discover their passions and unlock their potential. 

Montgomery College isn’t just a “good” place to work; it’s excellence in action. I’m so grateful to be a part of their teaching community. 💕

In addition to some general sessions on organizational updates and self-care/wellness, I attended two learning sessions.

(𝟭) Recruiting with Purpose: Navigating Job Market Change and Delivering Excellence Candidate Experience; and

(𝟮) Everyday Mediation: Practical Tools for Navigating Conflict at Work and in Life

🌺 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘆:

(𝟭) You can’t pour from an empty cup. Make yourself (and your self-care) a priority:

(𝟮) Organizational excellence begins with senior leadership and is sustained by leaders at all levels. Staff and Faculty are on the front lines of student experience and student success. Our best every day changes lives and has an immediate impact on our community (Montgomery County, Maryland, and beyond).

(𝟯) Conflict is normal, escalation is optional. To keep conflict from escalating, consider asking: 𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒?