Good afternoon,
I hope you all enjoyed the spring holiday! This past Monday, I had the opportunity to serve as a guest lecturer to Carolina students in the Human Organizational Leadership and Development (HOLD) program. HOLD prepares students with the foundational skills and tools to become future change leaders. I walked the students through projects that reflect OE’s three focus areas: 1) plan and execute executive-level projects, 2) transform university-wide administrative projects, and 3) develop continuous improvement core competencies campus-wide. Through specific project examples, we were able to home in on the ways that OE’s work serves as a catalyst for change across the University.
I shared how OE brought together members of the Carolina community and external partners to deliver creative solutions to the challenges that arose in opening the Carolina Community Academy. We also discussed the various elements of a solution design approach from the Future of Work project. I demonstrated moving a project from the problem state to assembling an effective solution design team to implementing and passing on the recommended solution. Being in the continuous improvement mindset, I expressed the importance of following up after implementation — there is value in periodic assessments and analyzing whether the changes are still beneficial. Finally, I shared the role OE played in supporting Carolina during COVID-19. We discussed best practices and how OE is helping to build sustainable processes that best position the University to respond in the event of another crisis.
Prior to my engagement, the HOLD students read “The Prepared Leader.” In summary, the book reminds us that crises are inevitable and the best thing we can do is prepare for them. I provided useful crisis management tips such as applying structure and prioritization to chaos, bringing stakeholders and subject matter experts together, facilitating problem-solving and decision-making, identifying solutions and action items, and implementing proactive and sustainable changes.
Please feel free to share this email with your colleagues. You can also visit our website to learn more about Operational Excellence, read my previous updates, and submit feedback. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at wernoski@email.unc.edu. I read every email.
Best,
Rick