I am in transition.  Leaving one job and moving into another.  I wasn't really looking for a new job, but I wasn't totally fulfilled at the old job.  Part of the problem was leadership.  In the old job, vision was scarce and always secondary to political expedients, in the new there is a clear and focused vision which drives the entire organization.  In the old, there was a focus on issues, often the wrong issues, but the focus was fragmented by delays and lack of administrative resolve.  In the new  the focus upon the vision moves everything forward and even devotes resources to remove barriers to that movement.  It really is true that everything rises and falls on leadership.

Still, I will miss my friends at the old job and will have to work to make new friends at the new; to leave the comfort of the known and venture boldly into the unknown.  But I am encouraged because it has been obvious that God has been in this move from the very beginning.  I am eager to see where the journey takes me.

I finished Onward by Howard Schultz Interestingly I was at the Global Leadership Summit (#WCAGLS) where he was on the agenda to speak and Bill Hybels was planning to interview him about the book.  Unfortunately, Mr Schultz canceled his appearance at the last second due to pressure from a minority group. 

I read the book because it was recommended in preparation for the WCAGLS and I kept wondering when I was going to come across the "meat," i.e. the instruction in leadership that was purported to be in this book.  I did find some interesting information that I didn't know:  Starbucks is socially conscious and environmentally conscious.  They make a serious effort to treat their employees with care and respect and they are serious, and I mean, SERIOUS about coffee.  Mr. Schultz did lead Starbucks through a re-organizational effort at the peak of the recent depression and brought the company back to a level of success, but how he did so couldn't easily be defined.  In my opinion, there was little "meat."  I suppose you could pick up some leadership tidbits from Mr. Schultz's rambling narrative, however, a lot of it felt self-vindicating, when he wasn't going into excruciating detail on issues that didn't seem to contribute to the book's purpose. 

What would I rate the book?  Probably 2 stars out of 5, and that's being generous. 
Would I read it again?  NO, 
Would I recommend it to a friend?  NO. 
Did Mr. Schultz's cancellation at @WCAGLS impact my opinion of the book? Possibly a little because it seemed to me that he defaulted on being a leader and caved in to pressure that was unfounded - definitely NOT a leadership trait.

Monday and Tuesday this week are my last days at Huntington University.  I have enjoyed my time at HU and believe that I have helped establish EXCEL on a track which will see it move forward in a positive direction.  There are always concerns when you make this kind of transition about whether or not what you have done actually has made a difference and I have included some comments below from adjunct faculty who have responded after hearing of my resignation:

• Wow! This is surprising! I have enjoyed getting to know you and to work with you over the past few years at Huntington.  You are brought EXCEL to a high level with your emphasis on student learning objectives and I know you will be missed.  I have found the interactions at Huntington and the training sessions for adjunct faculty to be very effective and worthwhile.
• I want to thank you for the opportunities that you have provided me during the last 2½ years.  I, too, believe that God sometimes leads us in His direction and we need to follow in faith.  Your enthusiasm for the EXCEL Program has been an inspiration to me as I continue to seek what God wants me to do with my background and experiences.
• I want you to know how much I appreciate your leadership, and also how much I appreciate and admire you as the person you are.  It has been a real pleasure for me to be a part of the EXCEL program and that is because of what you have done to make it what it is today.  Best wishes to you and your wife as you make this move, God bless and take care.
• I've appreciated your leadership and passionate Christian witness in conducting your professional responsibilities.  You came to me with an offer to instruct for EXCEL @ a critical time in my professional life.  Thank you for giving me the opppportunity to 'excel' in my teaching.
• This will be a huge loss to HU, but I trust that God will provide.  I have really enjoyed working with you.  It has been a joy to see how you have transformed the EXCEL program.  I love how you have pushed us.
• You are one of the brightest spots of growth for HU, and your work in growing EXCEL was amazing. I don’t know what prompted your desire to leave, but you will be very much missed here.
• I just heard of your resignation today.  You will be missed by Huntington.  Your inspiration and leadership during your tenure has dramatically changed the EXCEL program Rick. I believe that  you took the entire program to a higher, more professional level.  I have always found it to be a true pleasure working with you. You always seemed to have a professional approach to ensuring quality of the EXCEL Program.
• Rick:  I cannot tell you how much a loss you will be to our community and Life Long Learning.  You are a real champion in your efforts to help all adults.  I feel blessed to have worked with you and knowing you as a friend in Christ. 
• I just wanted you to know what a true pleasure it has been meeting you, working with you, learning from you.  I felt we had a meeting of the minds, so to speak, in that you took anything I had to say to heart, mulled it over, and respected the various opinions or suggestions that I had.  You can't begin to know what that meant to me.

 These comments have been encouraging to me as I make the transition from overseeing one program at a small university to   working with institutional effectiveness at a large university.  Still, it is the same kind of work that I have been doing and with God's help I hope I will be able to be as effective in my new role as I hope the records will show I was at HU.