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The real work ahead isn’t choosing the next credential. It’s building the capabilities needed to support whatever comes next.

Stories Hold Systems Together

The best conferences still do what higher education at its best does: they give us an opportunity to think together.

Why Building Situational Awareness Matters Now More than Ever

Two-way doors aren’t hypothetical. They’re how organizations learn when the world around them is changing faster than they can plan.

The most profound shift in higher education recruitment isn't happening in marketing departments or admissions offices. It's happening in the daily media consumption habits of prospective students and families. And universities that figure this out will be far more competitive.

It's to choose tools that make you more resilient rather than more rigid. Because in a world where uncertainty is the only certainty, the institutions that thrive won't be those that predicted the future correctly.

Having observed how decisions actually get made across hundreds of institutions, I sum up what's really happening every day in just one word: pragmatism.

Here's what I've learned after watching dozens of these emergency meetings: We don't rush to solutions because we're lazy or careless. We rush because our brains are designed to look for patterns and shortcuts.

There are basically four different types of problems, and they're about as different from each other as a goldfish, a horse, a weather system, and a hurricane.

ext time an AI solution lands on your desk—and there will be a next time—try this simple framework. Think of it as your survival guide for the impossible conversation.

We're actually wired to care more about what we think other people think than about what we think ourselves.

Stephen Covey was absolutely right about personal development, so go for it. Begin with the end in mind. It’s a great way to think about your life and leadership. But if you’re someone leading within a university, maybe the better advice is this: begin with the truth of what defines your context and what your community needs.

Here's the thing nobody tells you about leadership: the hardest part isn't making decisions when everything is going well. It's making good decisions when everything feels like it's on fire and you’re the one in charge.

99% of the time, if you're being honest, the real answer is, "It depends." Because you don't have a crystal ball. You can't predict the future. And these kinds of issues are often really, really complicated.

We jump straight to solutions. We skip right past what's already working. And we miss out in the process.

VUCA had its moment, at least for me. It helped me acknowledge that the world wasn't predictable and controllable. But it approached challenges from the outside in, analyzing conditions rather than starting with human experience. BANI flips this around. It starts with how people actually feel within challenging conditions: brittle, anxious, confused by non-linear effects, and overwhelmed by incomprehensible systems.

Higher education institutions and consultants can get stuck in a "deliverable deadlock" of rigid, transactional engagements that impede lasting transformation. Breaking the cycle requires deep, intentional collaboration and strong internal structures to harness the value consultants create.

When I look at new technologies now, I always ask myself not just "What can this do today?" but "What might this enable tomorrow?" That's the question that reveals the truly transformative innovations…the ones that don't just change what we can do now, but create foundations for possibilities we're only beginning to imagine.

Embracing Rapid Adaptation in a VUCA World When I was an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, I was invited to join a small group of students to contribute to the university's Vision 2020 strategic plan . I remember it as if it were yesterday. The meeting was held in a fancy administrative office overlooking the campus, led by a prominent university administrator who shared grand visions for Aggieland's future. At the time, I'll admit, I had no idea what was going on. I did