The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness

Drawing on research from the fields of neuroscience, faculty development, work productivity, positive psychology, and resilience, The Peak Performing Professor is filled with techniques, strategies, and practical tools for managing the complexities of academic life while maximizing professional potential. This much-needed resource reveals the four skill sets (PACE) that enhance peak performance and shows faculty step-by-step how to: Power their work and lives with purpose and meaning. Align all of their activities with that purpose. Connect with mutually helpful colleagues and intimates. Energize themselves to thrive in this interesting and engaging career. To help develop these essential skills, the book contains exercises that can help faculty hone their abilities to anchor their work, roles, and use of time in their most deeply held values; to integrate their personal and professional lives into a seamless whole; to experience more work-life balance; and, ultimately, to create a legacy of a life well-lived. Administrators will also find the book a useful tool for guiding their faculty to produce, stay engaged, and experience job satisfaction. "The first time I saw Susan present her Pyramid of Power model, I knew I needed to learn more. This book provides both the ideas and the practical advice that can help faculty and faculty developers make our lives more effective and more livable." — L. Dee Fink , author of Creating Significant Learning Experiences "An amazing book—essential reading for every faculty member. The integration of sound scholarship and practical advice is extraordinary. This book will power faculty workshops and faculty lives!" — Barbara Walvoord , professor emerita, University of Notre Dame; author of Effective Grading

About the Author vii Acknowledgments ix Dedication x Introduction xi 1 Practices of Peak Performing Professors 1 PART 1 POWER YOUR WORK AND YOUR LIFE WITH PURPOSE 19 2 Your Ideal Life 21 3 Your Purpose 31 4 Your Mission 41 5 Your Vision and Goals 51 6 The Dream Book 65 PART 2 ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR POWER 73 7 Establish Priorities 77 8 Align Projects with Priorities 83 9 Organize Projects 91 10 Align Resources 107 11 Align Your Work Habits for Success 123 PART 3 CONNECT WITH MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE 133 12 Engage Others: Meeting and Greeting 137 13 Collaborate for Mutual Benefit 153 14 Negotiate Mutual Needs: Solve Problems and Manage Conflict 167 PART 4 ENERGIZE YOURSELF FOR A LONG AND HAPPY CAREER AND LIFE 177 15 Wellness 181 16 Well–Being 197 PART 5 PACE YOUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 217 17 The Professor 219 18 The Teacher 225 19 The Scholar 243 20 The Servant Leader 255 21 Life Roles 265 Epilogue 275 References 281 Appendix 301 Index 303

A former professor of psychology and department chair at the Notre Dame of Maryland University, Susan Robison provides faculty development workshops and productivity coaching at higher education conferences and on college campuses.