To Alfred: Xiao Long milks that look for everything it's worth -- and it works!

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Today was day 1 of a leadership workshop, nicknamed "chair's academy." We discussed how we as leaders can motivate people.  One interesting reaction was, fine, now we know how to motivate people, but how do we motivate ourselves?

Common sentiments were that we found our work meaningful, that doing the job was part of our duty to the university, that it gave us a chance to bond with other chairs and with the organization, and that we were contributing to the overall quality of the education we deliver.

Later in the day, another issue came up: how do you get past ill-will towards a faculty member who does something terribly unprofessional, e.g. resigning in the middle of the sem.  The reactions of the chairs were: You don't have to.  Hahaha!  And here I thought that we were supposed to be so mature! 

These discussions are time-consuming, but they are always intersting.