1. BAAC Fall Meeting: Keynote Address
Moving Beyond the Pursuit of Happiness: Making Meaning of Our Work in the Advising Profession
Michael (Brody) Broshears
Assistant Vice President for Academic Success
University of Southern Indiana
September 22, 2015
BAAC Fall Meeting: Keynote Address

2. Moving Beyond the Pursuit of Happiness: Making Meaning of Our Work in the Advising Profession
Indiana University BAAC Fall Meeting September 22, 2015 Michael “Brody” Broshears Assistant Vice President for Academic Success University of Southern Indiana

3. Acknowledgements…

4. Why We Work… Barry Schwartz

5. Happiness Assumptions…
Everyone deserves to be happy
We do control our own happiness
to a certain extent
Complex process (the science of happiness is surprising)
Advisor satisfaction data from 10 years ago suggests a relatively satisfied group of professionals
And yet…
Productivity at work may be more important to your supervisor/organization than your overall happiness

6. Why We Hate Work… White-Collar Salt Mine 70%
A 2013 survey of 12,115 workers worldwide found that many lacked a fulfilling workplace.
Do NOT have this at work
DO have this at work
70%
Regular time for strategic or creative thinking
18%
66%
Ability to focus on one thing at a time
21%
60%
Opportunities to do what is most enjoyed
33%
50%
Level of meaning and significance
36%
Connection to company’s mission
25%
49%
A sense of community
35%
48%
Opportunities for learning and growth
38%
Source: The Energy Project

7. Why We Hate Work… White-Collar Salt Mine 47%
A 2013 survey of 12,115 workers worldwide found that many lacked a fulfilling workplace.
Do NOT have this at work
DO have this at work
47%
Opportunities to do what you do best
36%
46%
Ability to prioritize tasks
45%
Overall positive energy
35%
43%
Understanding of how to be successful
40%
Ability to balance home and work life
37%
Ability to disengage from work
42%
Comfort in truly being yourself
Source: The Energy Project

8. Why We Hate Work…

9. Gallup’s Engagement Questions
I know what is expected of me at work
I have the materials and equipment to do my work right
At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday
In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work
My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person
There is someone at work who encourages my development
At work, my opinions seem to count
The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important
My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work
I have a best friend at work
In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress
This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow

10. Discussion Question
What are the conceptual and practical challenges of making meaning of our work as advisors/advising administrators?

11. More challenges to meaning making…
Competing/no ideals (lack of purpose)
Time, money, resources (too few)
Incredibly fast moving world of work
distractions (too many)
Advisor/advisee ratios
Uncertainty
Inability to feel like you are making a difference in your everyday work
Lack of support/understanding from supervisor or upper administration

12. Academic Advising… Practical Realities
More complex work than ever before
Being asked to do more with less
Pressure to produce results more evident than ever before
Issue of money as a motivator

13. What motivates us?
Autonomy – desire to be self-directed, especially true if you want engagement
Mastery – our urge to get better at stuff
Purpose – ability to connect our work/lives to something important
Dan Pink, Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Retrieved from

14. Satisfaction and Production more sustainable when…
Four core needs are met:
physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work
emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions
mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done
spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.
Source: The Energy Project

15. What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
Defining Success, Happiness and Purpose
Student-Centered focus
Being Present (staying distraction free)
Leading from Position
Appreciation and Gratitude
Routine AND Variety
Good enough AS good enough

16. What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?

17. Student-Centered Focus
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
Student-Centered Focus

18. “I am just an academic advisor”
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
“I am just an academic advisor”

19. Appreciation and gratitude Routine and variety
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
Appreciation and gratitude
Routine and variety
A caring, supportive environment
Culture of CARE

20. “Good enough AS good enough!”
What does this mean for our work in advising and the advising profession?
“Good enough AS good enough!”

21. The proverbial slap in the face…
Keri Zimmer Dean of Advising and Student Success Iowa Western Community College

22. Discussion Question
How can we create environments that allow for greater meaning making and work productivity?

23. Advising systems must generate alliances that benefit all students
Moving Forward
Advising systems must generate alliances that benefit all students
Have to move past unit centered goals to student centered goals
These relationships ensure a more cohesive/comprehensive experience for our students

24. Moving Forward
Advising systems must create a central understanding of each other and their processes
How do your advising systems promote an understanding of roles and process for all students/staff/faculty?
Have to align definitions with mission and strategies
Creating common language

25. Moving Forward
Advising systems must provide consistency of information for all students
What are the messages that all students receive about advising systems on our campuses?
How do we communicate those messages with students?

26. First Steps … Advisor and Faculty Relationships
Program /Service Development
Technology and Publications
Alliances to Benefit Students
 What is the advising structure on campus?
 What do we do to create alliances on IU’s campus?
 What alliances could we promote/improve?
-to increase productivity without adding
resources?
-to broaden our reach to students?
-to facilitate better communication?
Central Understanding of Each Other & Processes
How does IU promote an understanding of advising roles and processes?
Who takes leadership in that?
 How can BAAC assist in that process?
Consistency of Information for Students
How do we communicate among advising units?
What are the messages that IU students receive about advising on our campus?
 How can technology help us?
 What advising/academic skills resources are available to students at IU?

27. Next Steps Never-ending process Take advantage of events like this one
Must continue to learn and challenge assumptions related to happiness and meaning making
Have to bring people together
Find allies/support where you can
Development and training programs focused on the whole person
“How do we get to a preferred future?”
Take advantage of events like this one
NACADA Webinars and Clearinghouse Resources

28. Remembering the ‘Advising’ Experience
When I started college, I was most excited about…
As a new college student, I worried about…
What I most remember from my first college semester is…
As a new college student, my impression of faculty members was…
My first advising meeting was…
A person that had an impact on my academic life my first year of college was… why?
Because of my own advising experiences, I hope that my advisees/students will…

29. One Step Further…
What advising issues are most challenging for you? Why?
What advising issues are you most comfortable with? Why?
What, if any, campus issues make you most uncomfortable? Why?
Think back to your best and most challenging interactions with a student this semester. What happened? Why was it good/bad? How did you handle each interaction? What have you learned from these two experiences?
How might BAAC and advising colleagues help you address these issues moving forward?