Higher Ed: Holding On Tight Is Easier Than Letting Go. Why We Need To Learn How To Do Both Well.

As Dr. Ed Burger prepares to leave Southwestern University to become President and Chief Executive Officer of St. David’s Foundation in Austin, Texas, he and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the art of letting go, as they wrap up the KUT podcast “Higher Ed.”

Ed says “letting go” in the workplace starts with a pretty straightforward assessment.

“That’s a great test. In the middle of working on something, just stop and say right there and then, ‘whose job am I doing right now?'” says Ed. “And if it’s not your own, you should stop – if you want to embrace the art of letting go.”

But Ed acknowledges “letting go” when the emotional stakes are higher presents more of a challenge.

“It is so easy to hold the unpleasant things or the poisonous things that we experience – the negative stimulation around us,” says Ed. How we let that go, he continues, is what dictates how joyful a life we can lead.

So how does one go about “letting go?”

Some ideas from Ed:

* Trust other people.

* Share responsibility and accountability with others.

* Exercise mindfulness.

* Embrace different points of view.

*Forgive.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about grappling with letting go. For this final episode of “Higher Ed” we have practiced the art of letting go by ditching the puzzler!

This episode was recorded on Oct. 22, 2019.

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