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This is a joyful cross-generational nudge story! 💥  Over 10 years ago, I was facing a toxic situation in my clinical field placement. I called my mentor, Sheila, who said, "I will talk to you every day if that's what you need to get through this. And, I'll be happy to do it. Someone did it for me. And, someday, you'll do it for someone else."
Fast forward to this weekend! I'm using artwork my 18 year old niece created for me as a Valentine when she was little as the logo for my consulting practice. (She's a prodigy in all artistic ways!) Over the weekend, I reviewed the contract to purchase her art with her. I asked her to name her price. Mine was 3x hers. She lost her mind with excitement. After she calmed down, I told her, "Now it's time for you to negotiate with me for more money." Then, we walked through how to do it. Such a joy!

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Early last year, I began feeling a desire for change in my professional life.  I started to notice that I was longing for new challenges (perhaps even in a new field entirely - I didn't know). I went to my DoF to candidly share that I was struggling to answer this question and admitted to even considering leaving the school or teaching entirely. During this meeting, she shared with me that there would be an opening in our academic office the following year, as Assistant Dean of Academics. Although there is a bit more to this story, long story short - I jumped at the chance! I don't think I ever would have thought of myself for this role (let alone applied for it) had it not been for this nudge...

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A few years ago I was working mostly as a Spanish teacher, it wasn't quite full time so I was assisting in Student Life to round out the position. Our Dean of Student Life became pregnant and I was asked to step into her role as the Acting Dean of Student Life for a semester. I was focused on teaching and hadn't been considering a role in administration for my near future. It was scary to accept and to start, but it was a huge vote of confidence from leaders that I admire. Knowing that I was taking the role temporarily and that it had been requested of me helped empower me to ask for help when I needed it and pushed me to push past the boundaries of what I thought I was capable of. Following that semester I expressed interest in a new position supporting our international travel programs and am grateful to have been working in our experiential education programs ever since.

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Transitioning from teaching to administration is a big leap--even as an experienced department chair. I was at a school that was reorganizing and provided an opportunity for teachers to get their feet wet in administration through a hybrid position.

As I went through the interview process for that position, I told my supervisor that I really wanted the full-time administrative position. She "nudged" me to apply to that one, too, even though I thought it was too big of a step.

I did apply, and although I didn't get it, it told me that I needed to look for a bigger leap like that. When I found my current position (a much better one!), I had the confidence to apply and get it!

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I've never had a true, "official" mentor until about a year and a half ago. I had never asked. I went to the Head's Network, and people asked the question "How do you get a mentor?" And of course, the answer was: "You need to ask." That was the first nudge, honestly, that led me to ask my mentor, who has done more than nudge me. She has made me think more critically about my own thoughts about my career, my beliefs about my own limitations, and also pushed me to just generally THINK harder and SEE more. I am floored by her dedication to me, her belief in me, and her availability. It's given me a HUGE boost of confidence and pushed me to find the ways in which I stand out and actually acknowledge these things as truth. Most recently, she helped me believe that I have a future in education if I want it, as a DEI Practitioner and eventually a head of school if I choose that path. It's such a huge leap of thought for me, but she keeps it in my side view mirror. She believes in me ALL the time. I have always been more of a mentor for others. At 41, this is the first time I am actively in a mentee role and I am so grateful.

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When I began teaching in 1999,  I always thought I'd be a lifelong teacher, that I'd retire an elementary school teacher.  Being a child teacher parents, I saw how much they loved their job and wanted the same for myself.  I never thought I'd end up in administration and a couple of years ago, an opportunity in Admissions presented itself.  I never thought that I'd leave the classroom, but after having had opportunities to work in several committees, and having more confidence in myself, I really saw that I could make more of an impact at my school.

I had a fellow colleague and good friend who left the classroom and went into admin about a year or so before I did and with his nudge, I put myself out there and began to believe that I could continue to do well outside of the classroom.

I'm lucky to have been around  and continue to be around colleagues who continue to nudge.

I now feel that the "sky's the limit" and I can continue to grow and take on any new opportunity that is presented to me.   I look forward to seeing what the future holds but  also appreciate each and every single day.

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I feel I have so many personal nudge stories ... Many of my early career moves relied on my mentors recognizing potential in me and it took a long time for me to acknowledge my own potential and strengths.

In terms of nudging others to fulfill their potential, I encouraged one of my mentees to put herself forward for Department Chair as my replacement. She is brilliant, forward-thinking, creative, and an incredible collaborator.  She said to me that she did not see herself as "ready' for that role yet, since she had only been teaching for 4 years at that point. She also expressed concern that an older, more experienced male colleague would "feel weird" about her applying to the same position as he. "Poppycock!" said I. 😊 "He doesn't have any more right to the role than you do."   As I predicted, the committee was deeply impressed with her vision for the department in alignment with our school's Strategic Plan. I was so proud of her for taking that risk, despite the possible "political" (and frankly, misogynistic) fallout.

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From Jennifer: May have been more of sharp tug than a nudge... 

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From Jennifer: May have been more of sharp tug than a nudge... 

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Several years ago, a regional association for college admission officers created the Leadership Development Institute (LDI). The heart of the program was a year-long mentorship between an experienced admission/enrollment leader and a rising star and also included two in-person meetings for the entire cohort. Part of the reason it was created was because a number of rising star types were leaving the profession, and the organization wanted to do something to help retain talent.  The President of the association asked if I would serve as a mentor in the inaugural year, which I did happily and comfortably. He then asked if I would consider running the program. By this time, I'd been out of college admission for almost a decade. Many of the players and processes had changed, and I wasn't sure if I had the "sway" to pull people into the program or to convince leaders to share their time, energy, and resources, nor was I sure I could help to build a relevant program. My concerns were met with surprise and total confidence in my abilities. He noted my relational nature and organizational skills and was excited to the program over to me. The association is an all-volunteer organization and one that I benefitted from as I "grew up" in my career, so I felt a bit obliged to step up and give back. I ended up running LDI for four years, and it was a blast! It was really fun to connect with the rising stars as well as leaders, and I learned so much from them, too. With feedback from the participants, I continued to develop and refine LDI to better serve the group. The program continues to this day and has had a positive and lasting effect on participants' careers and networks, and has helped retain talent. I'm super grateful to have had an opportunity to contribute and to push myself to grow, too.

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Tell us about a story about your "nudge," or someone else's suggestion of your strengths or potential: a time when you paid close attention to that "nudge” to make a change, when you have nudged others to fulfill their potential, or when you were unable to listen to that nudge - and why.

Click on the pink ( + ) sign at the bottom right of your screen.

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A colleague and I were meeting with a school leader who described some leadership challenges she was grappling with. After hearing her concerns, I suggested that she might want to consider a coach for her leadership team, and I told her I would follow up with a few suggestions. Later, my colleague said to me, "Why are you suggesting other people to her? Why not put yourself forward to do that work?" My reason: I hadn't thought of myself as a leadership team consultant. I mulled it over for a few days, then followed up with the school leader, sending her a list of suggestions and proposing myself among others. She then asked me for a formal proposal, and I have a planning meeting scheduled with her this week. If my colleague hadn't nudged me, I wouldn't have put myself forward - and I'm still reflecting on the whole episode and what it says about how I'm defining myself and the scope of my work.