The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." -Carl Sagan

When it comes to creating a harmonious staff and kind of just being the glue which hold everyone together, I've usually been proud that this is one of my biggest strengths. When it comes to friends, family, or even some work situations, I've usually found myself as the peacekeeper and making everyone comfortable. I think one of the roughest things about being the peacekeepers is when you are having a bad day. When the glue gets a bit old, everything seems to fall apart.
Recently I've been very interested in the dynamics of my new institution. Piedmont is a great place and I've learned so much form them already. I have begun to pick up on different staff personalities and how they work well together, or what might set them off. I've usually found that prepping a staff is often like fine tuning an instrument. You might go too high or too low, but eventually you find your limitations and boundaries right in the middle. Being the director has been an interesting role on a small campus. I've realized that the politics are seen here, just like they are seen at most other schools. Certain groups sit together for lunch, and you want to make sure you are in the right group. It makes being a director of res life a bit of a confusing role since I'm still trying to figure out if I should be sitting with the higher staff members, or sitting with my res life staff. Both are potentially very beneficial choices. Siting with the administration can provide insight toward upcoming events, it can create a good relationship with them so asking for requests becomes fairly more simple than if a stranger were asking for a request, and overall they are very nice people and great to talk to. On the other hand, the res life group is also a great community which is nice to talk to. By sitting with them, you create a better sense of unity and camaraderie. There is also a better respect for the boss since they value sitting with their staff instead of joining a different group of departments. In the end, there really isn't a correct answer. I just find the situation a new experience and a bit of an odd scenario as a new professional.
Question time: How would you go about figuring out where to sit? Personally I'll probably try both tables out for a bit and eventually settle with the table I feel more comfortable. If you have any other suggestions, please let us know!
About the video: This is a bit of an older video, but Kurt recently re-released it a few weeks ago and I really wanted to share it. It's a bit of a stretch from the "Harmony" topic, but when considering that a harmonious group occurs when you bring them all together and they act as one, what better representation of that than through a medley compilation. I hope you enjoy :) Goodnight all!
(I will be on vacation this week and not sure if I will have internet, so we will see how this goes :)