Kansas State University

Dislikes

Submitted by Gregg Hadley

I hope everyone spent quality time with their families and friends this weekend. Labor Day weekend is more than the unofficial last weekend of summer. It is a weekend set aside each year for family and friends, reflecting on the fruits of our labor, and recreation, recharging and relaxation.

Last week you learned of my likes. This week you get to peer into my heart, mind, and soul – poor you – and learn about some of my dislikes. I would like to state up front that nobody is perfect. We are human. We all, including me, sometimes backslide and do some of the things I will mention. The important thing is that we try to avoid these behaviors and make things right when we fail to do so.

Here are my dislikes:
• Unethical and illegal behavior
o Breaking laws, ignoring policies, and doing things that do not align with the Extension Professional’s Creed and Talbert’s “The Extension Worker’s Code” will get an Extension professional or volunteer in trouble.
• Covering up unethical and illegal behavior
o A lot of things can be atoned for by a simple apology and a valid attempt to make things right.
• Creating a hostile work environment
o There is a difference between dealing with an issue in the workplace and purposefully trying to sabotage the workplace or someone’s career.
o The phrase “Those who live by the sword; die by the sword” seems appropriate here.
• Attitudes such as “change for change sake” or “tradition for tradition sake.”
o What makes solutions work is how well they address the issue at hand; not whether they are “brand new” or “tried and true.”
• Phrases, attitudes or actions aligning with “I don’t serve them!”
o We will be an inclusive organization and proactively reach out to all people residing in Kansas.
• Complacency
o This leads to mediocrity, which lead to irrelevance.
o We will practice continual improvement.
• Programmatic silos
o Many of the complex issues the people of Kansas face require interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approaches.
o Work with and be supportive of our colleagues in all of our programming disciplines.
• The phrase “That’s not my job!”
o If it relates to providing education to the people we serve in the most efficient and effective manner possible, it is our job.
• Negativity
o Negative attitudes rarely generate positive outcomes.
• Not caring about the people we serve, our teammates, our profession, and our system
o These are the most unpardonable behaviors on this list.