UI Foundation/UI Advancement Weekly Update 03.18.22

Dear Team:

With our clocks moved ahead, the only thing left to do to welcome spring is wait until Sunday at 10:33 a.m. (CT). I am looking forward to spring 2022 for several reasons, but also because it is another step on our journey toward a return to whatever the “new normal” will be. Those of you employed by a university may have begun your new normal a while ago, but for UIF staff, it begins April 4, when most employees start their regular in-office and alternative work site schedules.

Experts have said all along returning to the office will be more challenging than leaving. As one who started his new normal earlier than most, having been back in Harker Hall fairly regularly since July, I’ve returned to what feels like my pre-pandemic-level travel schedule. Although it has been wonderfully energizing visiting donors and participating in conferences and other business in person, it has been a shock to the system, too. After two years away, it has taken time to get used to a faster pace of work and life.

I tell you this as a reminder that beginning your new schedule will probably be an adjustment. There is more to it than simply showing up in your office and turning on the computer. Many of you will have to alter your home schedule and other areas of your life before even beginning your work plan. So, give yourself and your colleagues some grace. We all strive to be excellent, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself or others to be perfect right away. It will be a process. And remember, part of the journey to excellence involves what we learn from failures along the way. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress, as former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said.

I do hope your weekend is as close to perfection as possible and that the new season will add a “spring” to your step. Enjoy!

Best,

Jim