Putting Professionalism on Trial: The Case for SES Equality

"Professional is not a label you give yourself – it’s a description you hope others will apply to you. "

-Unknown

But what must you do to acquire that description, anonymous quote maker? RIDDLE ME THAT. 

I should probably start this blog post with an honest admission regarding my identity: I grew up working class that I think that's awesome. I have pride in it. It taught me a work ethic and approach to life that is rooted in a simple premise: work hard, but seriously, never let it phase you and always do your best for those around you. That shaped me me in a big way. I was (well, maybe still am...) a bit of a class warrior. Recognizing this bias has helped me quite a bit and allowed me to (almost) objectively tackle this topic. Now, that doesn't mean someone who is of a different SES didn't work hard but the KIND of work is VERY different. 

Disclaimer: this doesn't mean I don't recognize the identity intersectionality inherent in concepts of professionalism. I have chosen to focus on class, though I could probably make longer (and stronger) arguments related to gender, race, and ability. 

Who decides what's professional? Who the hell came up with that? Who decided what standards by which we judge people? And I mean JUDGE people. Yes, I know all major SA organizations have their professional standards and ethical conduct statements. I agree with those. They're awesome. But I'm not talking about those. Those are fantastic ideals to strive towards and you should do more than just post them in an office - you should live by them and evaluate your progress towards them. I'm talking about the social capital you need to be successful. The capital you earn through SES identity and status. The things we just think people should inherently know. 

I'm talking about the RA candidate you judged for not dressing up. I'm talking about the grad candidate you docked points from for lacking interview etiquette (read: unspoken norms). I'm talking about the Hall Director candidate you have "questions" (which is really just thinly veiled skepticism and judgment) about because they weren't "polished" enough for your institution. Yeah, let's just talk about it. Stop making excuses and admit that there is inherent judgement. And that the judgement is classist. REALLY classist. Or, as I'm going to say throughout this post, socioeconomicallynormative or, SEN. 

Socioecomonicallynormative behavior (SEN) is that behavior which is learned by having early access to economic resources, education, and environments that promote and shape practices and understanding reflective of the assumed economic majority. Hey, SA Grads, I made that up. Be careful. There are obvious flaws but it's a start. It's also just kind of a jumbled definition of social capital. 

Perhaps the easiest way to start this conversation is to breakdown the ultimate in professional norming experiences for many SA Pros: a placement conference. 

A lot of us have been there. Many of us groomed and prepped as candidates and employers. Asked the same questions and levying the same judgement. What are you wearing? What do your thank you cards look like? Did you remember to pack extra clothing just in case? Have you thought about what you'll wear at the social and how you'll talk to schools you're interested in? What about notes? What will you keep them in? Does it match? What's the right thank you message to show you're not interested? How do you manage saying no? What do you do and who do you talk to while waiting with other candidates? 

All of these things, all of the preparation, and all of the expectations around these standards creates a very distinct environment of SEN. And we judge people by these standards not for a second thinking that many candidates may not have had access to this kind of preparation. As first generation college students continue to rise we will see more SA pros coming into the field who may or may not get this. And then how do we judge them and decide what's important? 

Research shows that students who are first generation and/or coming from a lower SES are much less likely to be successful than those who come privileged backgrounds. These students report lower levels of satisfaction on campus. Fewer connections socially. An inability to navigate the systems in place designed for student success. And then we wonder why they don't want to go to the career services office no matter how many times we refer them. 

Many of the behaviors we look for and qualify as "professional" are learned by virtue of social capital and access to professional environments. Access to these environments is typically reserved for those that have been previously educated or come from a culture of education. Put simply, it's reserved for those who have the resources to experience it. When we translate this to our field through our undergraduate, graduate, and professional search experiences we unknowingly create an environment that is truly exclusive and SEN. 

I think we as a field hope that our mentorship and preparation going into the profession will solve for this and help prepare successful candidates. Because let's be real - when we send a candidate out we know that someone will judge us based on how they judge them. This makes it personal. What many forget is that learning some of this SEN behavior is an incredibly self conscious experience for those that don't know. When someone presents a professional behavior as "normal" or "expected" it says to everyone who doesn't do it that they are neither normal or fulfilling expectations. 

When we teach this stuff we're not just teaching someone how to be professional - we're teaching them new cultural norms and expecting it to become a value by which they judge themselves and others. We would never, at any point, ask a candidate to disassociate any part of their identities. In fact, we search towards diversifying our departmental identities. So why is it we propagate standards that have no respect for many of those differences?

What does this mean practically? Well, here's what seems to make sense to consider:

1. How do your employment processes control for SEN behavior and expectations? 

2. How do you structure interviews to look for and speak to professional ethics and values, not to social capital?

3. How do you train those interviewing all candidates on what to look for? 

4. Is your interview experience objective and reflective of the skills a candidate may have to do the job? 

5. Are you being honest and making the unspoken, spoken?

6. Does your interview team represent a diverse set of socioeconomic experiences?

Many of the HR practices designed to create objectivity and level the playing field don't speak towards SES and SEN. We can rely on scores as an objective measure but we still have human beings with social norms creating that score. A strong interview tool and metric based on experiences and proficiency, that is transparent and easy to understand, solves for much of this.

I'm not trying to dig on our field. I love what we do and think it's infinitely important. I also think that we're reflective enough to have the tough conversations and ensure individual identity matters. If that's the case, let's talk. Let it be messy. Let it be real. And, most importantly, let it shape the ways we seek to include all identities in the conversation. 

Destroying the "don't make mistakes in Student Affairs because it's a small field and it will follow you" myth. Because it pisses me off.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” 
― Albert Einstein

REAL TALK, AL. REAL TALK.

I distinctly remember a graduate school interview experience in which the group of anxious candidates was lectured about making mistakes. It went something like this:

"When I was a graduate student I once said something unprofessional. Someone overheard me, and now it follows me around. So never accidentally say something wrong, because it's student affairs, and a being such a small field, YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE IT."

At 21 this was frightening. All of us. Frightened. At the time I thought I was digesting sage like advice. When you're a young graduate student you're going to listen to older mentors and professionals. It's inevitable. We're brought up to never, ever, question professionals. Especially those we're trying to impress.

I would like to submit that this very line of thought is exactly what's wrong with what we do.

First and foremost I'm realistic enough to admit that this in fact a small field. It's true, there's ultimately not a lot of colleges and universities and even less residence life, advising and student activities offices. Sure, that shrinks things. And that creates the possibilities for relationships to overlap and people to get to know one another. That's inevitable. But here's the thing. All of those people that end up eventually knowing one another, believe it or not, HAVE MADE MISTAKES *GASP*! And guess what? If they're all working together they inevitably all know one another. Therefore, they've made mistakes, still have jobs and still get along.

We live and work in a field that deals exclusively in human beings, learning and the prospect of often times using student mistakes and conduct to create learning. I refuse to accept the notion that, if we are to help students learn from their mistakes, that we should be hypocrites and not let others learn.

Here's my quick and handy-dandy guide to mistakes:

1. Accept that mistakes are inevitable. 

We're all going to take chances (which is good!), misread situations and incorrectly follow instructions. That's fine. That's to be expected. What this means, most importantly, is that you should accept others will make mistakes.

2. Practice humility, patience and kindness.

Knowing that you make mistakes should allow you to be humble about the mistakes made by those around you. That humility should drive patience, and that patience should drive kindness. Don't be that professional that says "oh well I'd never make that mistake" because, hey, your career isn't over yet. So you don't know.

3. Don't be a hypocrite. 

If students are supposed to have the opportunity to learn, so are we. The more you role model mistakes and learning, the more people will buy into your professional philosophy with students. And the more students will buy into what you have to say. Trust drives learning.

4. Don't make people pay. 

There's nothing worse than making someone pay for a mistake long term by sharing it with others. People are right, we are a small field, and people talk. Sharing the mistakes of others made in an effort to "give them a heads up" is pretty mean at the end of the day. You don't have to agree with decision. You don't have to like it. And you don't have to share it.

So often we wonder why graduate students and new professionals demand a process, instructions and directions. At the very same time we are peaching this doctrine of never making mistakes and ensuring that your "reputation" is always maintained. Maybe this is just a difference in values, but I'd rather have a reputation for being open, honest and imperfect. Because that's real. And those are the people I ultimately respect the most.

Navigating the Minefield

DISCLAIMER: I recognize many countries have fallen victim to post-war minefields that have caused great harm to unsuspecting victims. This analogy is not meant to trivialize the great travesties, death and destruction cause by land mines. 

I've been told navigating a new institution can be much like navigating a minefield. You must always know where you're walking and what you're stepping on. People have feelings. People have traditions that are, much like land mines, buried, unspoken, but still very, very active. There are three distinct approaches to navigating a new institution based on this analogy. 

THE FIELD: Your institution!

THE MINES: Practices, traditions, processes and unspoken norms. 

1. Run as fast as humanly possible through the minefield in hopes of not stepping on anything.  

There's something great about being confident in who you are, what you do and your professional abilities. Confidence is key. Ideally, you were hired for a reason and within that you're trusted to navigate things. Relying on your abilities is in a great many ways essential. The problem with this is that too much confidence is like running through the minefield and hoping you don't step on anything. The reality is the faster you run, the more you rely only on yourself (and your past experience) the more reckless you become. It's never going to be like it was at your previous institution, nor should it be. It really pisses me off when professionals consistently refer to their previous institution in such a way that it's clear they're trying to recreate a past experience. We need to appreciate where we are and what we're doing in that place and in the moment. 

2. Walk as slowly as humanly possible while balancing on individual feet in an effort to avoid stepping on anything.

The slower you walk the more you're forced to balance. The more you try to balance the faster you wear out. The faster you wear out the more likely you are to fall over. There's something fantastic about taking your time and getting a feel for where you're at. It is a responsible, measured approach to being at a new place. The problem is the more time you take, the more you balance, the less confident you appear and the more likely you are to end up falling on all the mines. Believe it or not you can move too slowly. You can take too much time. You can be too careful. You can ask too many questions. 

3. Use a mine detector to chart out a path. 

Knowing exactly where the mines are would be helpful, right? That's awesome. Theoretically your supervisor and team members should act as your mine detectors. Here's the problem - no detector is perfect and the mines look different to everyone. What's sacred to some is obnoxious to others. What's ideal to one person is a major hindrance to another. Relying on those around you to get a sense of where you're at is essential in some ways and can be an awesome way to get to know what others value. The downside is you're taking the word of someone else and you'll go insane trying to figure out what matters to everyone.

So what's the best way?

Well, real talk, there is no perfect way to navigate a new institution. You're going to make mistakes. You're going to piss people off. You're going to do great things. You're going to have successes. You're going to have failures. You're going to be a human being. 

Being true to who you are and what you know to be best for students is what truly matters. Doing this with humility, while taking into account the culture and values of those around you, will always result in success. 

Look forward next time to my rant on constantly talking about other institutions!

Mentoring New Professionals: An Attempt at Honesty

John Keating: "There's a time for daring and there's a time for caution, and a wise man understands which is called for." (Dead Poets Society)

I think there's a certain reality we need to accept as Student Affairs Practitioners: showering a student (undergraduate/graduate that is going into Student Affairs) in praise is not mentoring, nor is it responsible. Constant, unchecked praise and/or recognition doesn't create confidence that sustains - it creates professionals that lack the self-awareness needed to be humble. 

Now I'm sure most SAPs would never admit to this, or to be totally honest, realize they're doing it. We want others to feel great so they transition into our profession positively with the energy, enthusiasm and the attitude needed to sustain. We say this, in part, because we realize our lives can be exhausting (mostly because we make it that way, but that's a conversation for another day) and we know how it feels to have an empty emotional gas tank with 4 months left to go in a school year. 

But let's be real - we shower future practitioners in praise because it helps to make us feel good. It helps us feel like we're doing our job - if they feel good, all must be doing well! Sorry, not so much. The chance being taken is just too great. All too often highly praised, poorly mentored students enter our field with an inflated sense of self and respond harshly to feedback because, not through any fault of their own, they've only ever been elevated. 

There's a need for guided, responsible feedback. There's also something we fail to tell incoming professionals: IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE FUN AND FEEL GOOD. It's not supposed to be! That's learning. You should walk out of some conversations with your supervisor pissed and angry. You should feel challenged and called out. You should also have the humility and self awareness to know that there's always something to learn and that you don't have it all figured out (just because you think the place you came from was awesome - maybe it was, but it's not the place you're at). 

But really, this brings up our larger culture of recognition and awards. I'll get to that in another post. 

I truly believe that a coaching model represents the best way to work with incoming professionals. I've always struggled with a "compliment sandwich" because all you're doing is dressing up feedback on either end with something positive. That's not authentic. That's not real. And it's not fair. 

We're allowing our desire to feel good and see growth in students overshadow the need for critical, guided feedback and an honest conversation about feelings not always being fact. Feeling a certain way doesn't make it true.

FEELING good at your job doesn't make you good at it.

FEELING like a mentor doesn't make you one.

FEELING like you're learning doesn't mean you're learning. 

I'm not digging on feelings, I'm digging on allowing them to validate us without having actually achieved or produced outcomes that are meaningful when it comes to incoming professionals. 

My First Two Mid-Level Months - The Happy Gilmore Phase

"Happy Gilmore: [voice over narration] During high school, I played junior hockey and still hold two league records: most time spent in the penalty box; and I was the only guy to ever take off his skate and try to stab somebody."

Probably one of the most hilarious films of my generation. For those unfamiliar Happy Gilmore is a hockey player turned golfer. He's got an amazing drive and incredible amounts of raw talent - he's just totally unpolished and does things his own way. There's a few pretty awesome instances where he rejects the golf world and chooses to have the fans and experience he wants. His biggest weakness at the start is putting - something he eventually learns to do in a way that's good for him.

If you've seen Happy Gilmore you're probably depressed that I just intellectualized it this hard. Yeah, well, it's my journey, so get over it. 

My first two months supervising professional staff and sitting in the position of leadership has felt a hell of a lot like the movie Happy Gilmore. I've read that some professionals experience "impostor syndrome" - where they don't quite feel like they belong in that position due to experience, responsibility level, etc. I don't quite feel that way but I have been immensely humbled (something I probably need anyway). 

Looking like you know what you're doing is just as important as knowing what you're doing, if not even more so. When you're supervising students it's a lot easier to fake it, make it up as you go and roll with the punches. When you're supervising a team of smart professionals who play in the same sandbox that you do it's a totally different ball game. I'm confident that my experience has taught me well and that I can lead my team. What I struggled with was showing my competency with the polish and maturity that mid-level leadership demands. As someone who is very informal, likes to joke around, always finds positive aspects and constantly seeks to connect with others, this can be difficult. 

What I've found is that I can establish my legitimacy as a mid-level supervisor through situations, not through position. I don't believe necessarily in positional respect and authority. While we all respect positions I would assert that we do so because we assume those in that position are smart and capable. Title rarely dictates competence. Thankfully, I've found this to be the case at my current institution. I love the hell out of the people I work with, for and around. This is not by virtue of position but by virtue of their competence. Everyone I work with is really, really smart. 

So how am I feeling like Happy Gilmore? I think I get it. I think that I have the skills and knowledge needed to do great things. I also know, confidently, that I have a lot to learn. Polish to gain. And maturity to develop.

 I'll always hit the ball the way I want. That's a given. But I'll spend more time thinking about the crowd I'm cheering with and how I'm developing relationships with others, because ultimately, it doesn't matter how far you can hit the ball if you're an asshole that no one wants to watch. 

The Glamourous Life of the Summer Intern

My ACUHO-I Summer Internship experience was one of the most meaningful opportunities of my career. This was due not only to being at a great place, on a beautiful campus, with great people and having unlimited access to an intern golf cart. It was because mentors and supervisors prepped me to not piss off my internship site. More importantly, they taught me how to avoid mediocrity.

No matter what your internship is, where it is or what your title is you have one simple job: MAKE THEIR LIVES EASIER WHILE YOU'RE LEARNING TO BE AWESOME FOR THE FUTURE.

It's really that simple.

Now there are fantastic books about supervising internship experiences (Learning Through Supervised Practice, etc). Strangely enough there are NO books on being an awesome employee and/or summer intern. This is learned through experience, self reflection, mentorship and ultimately through making mistakes. The flow of this thought process is outlined below:

1. Get to know your non-negotiable expectations.
2. Work hard.
3. Take a smart risk.
4. See what happens.
5. Reflect on said risk.
6. Thank all those who let you make it happen.

Alright, beyond all of that, I have a few thoughts on how to have a really awesome experience.

1. THIS ISN'T YOUR CURRENT INSTITUTION.

Well. Unless you're sticking around for your summer. Either way, this is something new. These are new people, new departments, new norms, new cultures and ultimately a new experience. With that you need to realize you have new expectations. A new means of communication. A new way to get work done. As an intern you have an insanely short period of time to learn these things. It's imperative that you speed up the process by throwing out your assumptions and become a blank slate. One way to help get to know your new supervisor is to create a expectations/successfully working together document. Be honest about who you are and what you need. Also know you need to be flexible and move out of your comfort zone.

2. SUMMER IS CRAZY. EMBRACE IT.

This is especially important if you're working summer conferences. In the short amount of time you have things will move really fast. Summer is the time that most campuses are welcoming guests of all ages, putting on awesome summer school programs and everyone is at least attempting to get some time away. You're going to work a lot. LOVE IT. EMBRACE IT. ENJOY IT. You can either let crazy make you crazy or you can let it motivate you to work harder, faster and smarter.

3. IT'S YOUR JOB TO MAKE LIFE EASIER.

That means being flexible and taking initiative. Most internship host sites have a short amount of time to get you trained and ready to work. There will be gaps in your training because you couldn't possibly be trained for everything. Roll with it, smile, laugh and file the experience away for another day. What this also means is when it does slow down FIND SOMETHING TO HELP WITH! Don't just ask, take initiative. Don't just wait to be introduced to others. Introduce yourself.

4. THE SUMMER BOTH IS AND IS NOT ABOUT YOU.

I realize these are conflicting. On one hand it is very much about you learning and growing. On the other hand, the summer is mostly about you giving the institution what they need to be successful. Some places will guide you through active reflections while others will not. Some will set up meetings with other areas on campus. Some will expect you to make this happen. No matter what you need to know that the institution and what they need comes first. By serving you will learn.

5. BE HUMBLE.

Where you came from, what you did before and what awards you have won or will win simply DOES NOT matter. You are there to learn from others. Trust me, they know more than you.

Here's to an awesome summer.

On the Hunt for Something Bigger

Earlier today the #sachat topic was about how we look for jobs. This fits in ideally to my next discussion of how I found the jobs I was interested in applying for. Before searching I had to take into account my non-negotiables, which is fine, but materializing those into a search is something entirely different. 

Here are the roads I took to start searching:

1. The internet. It's awesome. higheredjobs.com is awesome. 

2. Places my favorite people have worked. Mentors. Friends. Professionals who put on great programs at conferences. Places that host great scholars. 

3. Schools that, for whatever reason, I thought were awesome. There is nothing deeper there. 

4. Places I knew my partner would be cool with. 

HIGHER ED JOBS (www.higheredjobs.com).

It really is a fantastic website. But like all employment sites, it's only as good as what's posted. There's nothing but great things in terms of how the site functions, your search parameters, etc. My only beef is with the inconsistencies of job descriptions and often times crap-tastic construction of position postings. The website itself does a great job of trying to force employers into making sense but not every school seems to take that advice. 

The good news here is this: if you're reading a job description and think "this makes no sense to me" then you know it's probably not the right job. HOW a job description reads and is constructed tells you A LOT about a school and what matters to you. For me, I care about how it reads. I care about how it sounds. I care about how it's constructed. Organization matters. This tells me what I can expect from my future team. 

MY FAVORITE PEOPLE AND PLACES.

This is my favorite, hands down. After a few years in and two live-in positions I knew who I respected, who I liked and who I wanted to develop towards. It seemed simple asking those people how they came to be and from where. This is ultimately how I landed my position. When you know the experience someone else has had, who they are, and what they care about, half of your research is done. I am extremely uncomfortable with the idea of walking into an institution blind. Especially for the mid-level. At this point the opinion of those close to me mattered more than my gut feeling or a list. 

SCHOOLS I THOUGHT WERE AWESOME.

I realize this sounds silly. But really, if you have a cool mascot, a bunch of awesome traditions and a student base that causes others to care that aren't even associated...you must be doing something right. This all sounds selfish but the visceral reaction you get from the name of a school or the sound of a fight song matters. It's that connection that keeps you going when things get crazy. How you FEEL...matters. Deeply. 

PLACES MY PARTNER WAS COOL WITH.

Having to search with a partner was awesome. That sounds counter-intuitive, I know. But in all honesty it made our partnership stronger. Because we were searching together we knew that certain discussions about what matters both personally and professionally needed to be had. This allowed us to have them. We both agreed we would search in the same areas. Areas that were connected to things we care about like family, friends, culture and regional dynamics. The agreement was simple. Whoever got the job that gave the best opportunity would take it and the other would follow. It's not a massive sacrifice because the only real sacrifice would be not being together. 

How it worked out was really, really cool. That doesn't mean I didn't take a few shots at applying for jobs that may have not been my thing. Often times just the process of writing the cover letters and managing my resume was the practice I needed to prepare for the postings that truly mattered to me. 

The other interesting item about that is HOW you applied for a job and WHAT THE process looks like tells you quite a bit about things that truly matter. How an institution treats candidates, gives information and communicates will often times tell you if it's the right fit. When you hear questions that resonate with you or feel like the process is something you would run...you've probably found a good fit.