Career and Personal Development

Winter Is for Wisdom

And wisdom begins with stillness.

It’s mid-December. Meetings are thinning out. The inbox is less of a firestorm and more of a slow drizzle. There are cookies in the breakroom, holiday playlists in the hallway, and a collective exhale starting to ripple across campus.

This is the moment the academic calendar quietly hands you a gift: stillness.

Not the stillness of doing nothing — but the kind that comes from being deeply grounded. Present. Unhurried. Curious. Wise.

Because wisdom isn’t just about what you know. It’s about knowing when to pause.

The Space Between Semesters

Academic life is relentless — one grant, one semester, one onboarding process bleeds into the next. If you’re not careful, you’ll walk into January with the same cluttered mental inbox you carried in September.

But winter offers a softer path. One with more blankets. More tea. More reflection.

In the True North Framework, wisdom is about zooming out. It’s the practice of seeing your work — and yourself — from a higher vantage point. Of remembering that strategy isn’t just a Q1 activity, it’s a mindset you carry into every season. Especially the quiet ones.

A Gentle Re-Centering

If you can, take a few minutes this week to step away from the noise. You don’t need a five-day retreat or a fancy journal (although if that’s your thing, go for it). Just find ten minutes of quiet and ask:

  • What felt true this year?
  • Where did I lose my sense of clarity?
  • What would it look like to lead with wisdom in the year ahead?

These aren’t performance questions. They’re perspective questions. You’re not grading yourself — you’re grounding yourself.

The Wisdom of Doing Less

You don’t need to plan the entire spring semester before you log off for winter break. You don’t need to make next year’s resolutions, restructure your lab, or color-code your strategic priorities.

You just need to listen. To yourself. To your energy. To what’s been trying to get your attention all year.

And if what you hear is exhaustion? That’s okay too. Sometimes wisdom sounds like please rest.

Further Reading

Intentionality is Not Optional: Designing Research Administration Experiences on Purpose
People Will Forget What You Did—But Not How You Made Them Feel: The Emotional Impact of Research Administration
Why “Good Enough” Will Never Be Memorable: Rethinking Excellence in Research Administration
Service is Black and White. Hospitality is Color: Reframing Excellence in Research Administration
Disclaimer: I was not compensated, sponsored, or asked to promote this book in any way—I simply found it valuable and worth sharing. A Different Kind of Book Club In academic settings, the idea of a “book club” often feels informal—something reserved for personal growth or casual discussion. Yet some books demand a more deliberate kind of engagement, particularly when they challenge the way we approach our work. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect is one of those books. While it is grounded in the world of fine dining, its core message extends far beyond restaurants: any profession can choose to operate in the hospitality business. In research administration, this idea is both unexpected and deeply relevant (Guidara, 2022). At its core, Unreasonable Hospitality argues that excellence is not enough to differentiate an organization—what matters is how people feel as a result of their experience. This concept challenges the traditional framing of research administration as a primarily procedural or compliance-driven function. While accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory adherence remain essential, they are also widely expected. What is less common—and far more impactful—is the intentional design of experiences that are clear, supportive, and memorable. This shift from task execution to experience design forms the foundation of this series. This is not a book review. It is a translation exercise. Over the next series of posts, we will take key concepts from Unreasonable Hospitality and apply them directly to research administration—exploring how ideas such as service versus hospitality, intentionality, small moments of impact, and leadership behaviors can reshape the way we support faculty, scholars, and trainees. Each post will focus on a single principle, offering both reflection and practical application. The goal is not simply to understand the ideas, but to integrate them into daily practice. Framing this series as a “book club” is intentional. A book club implies participation, reflection, and conversation—not passive consumption. The invitation is not just to read, but to consider: How do these ideas apply to your own work? Where do they challenge your current approach? What might change if you adopted them more fully? In this way, the series becomes a shared exploration of how research administration can evolve—not through large-scale transformation alone, but through small, intentional shifts in how we approach our roles. Importantly, this series also recognizes the context in which research administrators operate. The work is complex, deadlines are fixed, and resources are often limited. The goal is not to add more to an already full workload, but to rethink how existing work is experienced. Many of the concepts explored—clarity in communication, anticipation of needs, consistency in leadership—require minimal additional time, yet have significant impact. This is the central promise of unreasonable hospitality: that small, thoughtful actions can create disproportionately meaningful experiences. Ultimately, this series is about expanding how we define excellence in research administration. If service is the baseline, hospitality becomes the differentiator. If processes define what we do, experiences define how that work is remembered. By engaging with these ideas over time, we can begin to articulate a more intentional, human-centered approach to our work—one that aligns precision with purpose. ________________________________________ What to Expect in This Series Over the next several posts, we will explore themes including: • The difference between service and hospitality • Why “good enough” is not memorable • The role of intentionality in designing experiences • The impact of small, thoughtful moments • Leadership behaviors that shape culture and trust • Balancing systems with personalization • Defining your own signature experience Each post will build on the last, creating a cohesive framework for applying these ideas within research administration. ________________________________________ Action Items to Get Started • Begin with awareness. As you move through your work this week, notice where interactions feel transactional versus experiential. • Select one upcoming interaction and consider how you might intentionally shape the experience. • Approach this series actively. Reflect on each concept and identify one small way to apply it in your context. • Engage your team. Consider discussing these ideas collectively to build shared language and alignment. This is not about doing more. It is about doing what we already do—with greater intention.
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