Dedicated students, distinguished colleagues and dear friends,

Happy Friday!

Ah, summer! I know I am early but given the breakneck pace of the final weeks of the academic year, I feel permitted to indulge in the illusion that summer is a time to catch up on all postponed tasks. Until, of course, the new summer term begins, along with old and new initiatives that need attention, not to mention the usual procrastination that manages to intervene with our best intentions. For some reason, for me, summer is a bigger culprit than any other season in this regard, and I even blame the heat for it!

You see, philosophically speaking without getting philosophical, postponing something in favor of working on “something more important” is what happens every time I create my “must-get-done" list! Or so I think! But you know what? All along I know that it isn’t the “something more important” at all that is the problem; it is the “make work” that creates havoc! So, years ago, I decided to transition to a “got-done list” instead of a must-do list in an attempt to measure progress – real, tangible progress. And sure enough, comparing the two lists has revealed what I suspected all along – it’s the urgency of the neglected earlier tasks that intervenes and not necessarily the recognition of the more important. Further, if I neglect to consult my Eisenhower Matrix, I regret to learn that I have let the important become urgent, resulting in yet another delay in methodically addressing the important but not yet urgent! Or worse, the day will get away with parochial, local business that interferes with my good intentions of addressing the important tasks.

I also face another challenge once the day-to-day administrative functions relent and I face my formidable, game-changer initiatives – the accomplishments of which will be mentioned in your obituary. The kind that require a substantial, uninterrupted amount of time and steady persistence to tackle them. It is those that justify postponing dutiful completion of tasks on the list, now that the inspiration of tackling the “big fish” has hit. The great successful procrastinators I know routinely sneak away to tackle great new initiatives at the cost of crossing off the items on their to-do list, or for that matter, the got-done list.

The advantage of uninterrupted work, on the other hand, is not only the continuity of effort but also the continuity of thoughts. During the academic year, faculty respond to many teaching, research, service and administrative tasks that render their days segmented. After two or three interruptions in a day, the focused work becomes, well, “every other minute” at best. The kind of concentration that is no concentration at all. In fact, I have always attributed success of small faculty research teams to few interruptions due to fewer members resulting in more focused effort. In my mind, smaller teams are always synonymous with more work, less interruption and high productivity. As teams build up, interruptions increase and productivity suffers. Interoffice errand accomplishments mask themselves as real accomplishments, the kind that one can check off the list.

And so I have discovered a potential downside of the got-done list – confusion of motion with action! In fact, after completing my got-done list, I delineate them as M, for motion, or A for action, in hopes of reducing motion in favor of action. The markings help the realization that make work is not work, even though it fills the day and provides a false sense of immediate gratification.

Interestingly, our highly accomplished students, faculty and staff recognize the need and the good feel of small, immediate gratification, but they also fully understand the importance of facing the bigger, impactful challenges. The trick to accomplishing both is proper time management and appropriate accountability measures to ensure delineation of motion and action.

On the occasion of our Staff Appreciation Day yesterday, to our dedicated staff, I say thank you for all your hard work and commitment. I appreciate the work of our Staff Council in organizing a terrific Staff Day experience, and for all the work they’ve done over this past year to recognize exceptional efforts and provide greater opportunities for our staff to advance in their careers. Due to these efforts, nearly 20% of our staff members have participated in our Leadership and Professional Development training series sponsored by our Staff Success Center.

Finally, I wish you a productive summer with minimum disruption. No matter the effort, what matters most is the journey and the delineation between action and motion, if we are to achieve the desirable outcome.

Warmly,

-Mo.

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Mohammad Dehghani, PhD
Chancellor
mo@mst.edu | 573-341-4116

206 Parker Hall, 300 West 13th Street, Rolla, MO 65409-0910
chancellor.mst.edu