Day in the Life of the Chief Learning Officer by Dave Lambe

September 29, 2016
Day in the Life

Morning starts early (4:30 AM), it’s going to be a good week! Over 160 boxes of flowers came in over the weekend that need to be processed, but, someone is sick and cannot make it to work today. A customer 90 miles away needs product as soon as we can get there, some product came in bad and needs credit, and we need more deliveries in one route because we can’t justify a drive to Grand Island with an order of only $150.00.  E-mail has a HUGE order on it from one of our best clients, a new client orders product for the first time, we are looking to hire another driver, and payroll is due today.  Time 6:00 am.  This really is a good day! I’m happy. This is what gives context for discussion in class about change, pivots, and resource allocation in a small business.  I actually enjoy this environment.

 UNL started this week, I am responsible for over 130 students this semester, the graduate students want to get into the course material right away and have their first assignment handed in by Monday evening, lunch with my TA to discuss our strategy for making the class experience this year better than last, piloting a new platform for course material- because I know it is coming, meet face to face with over 10 students discussing their business ideas, some need patents, some need partners, some need funding, some need coding, some need ideas, some just need to catch up from their summer internship.  Tom asks if I can squeeze two more students into a class, I set up a meeting about hydroponic towers with a colleague that could lead to STEM course material for high school educators, miss my meeting with Andrew but have a masters student that I need to connect with because of it, take on 5-6 more advisees to help out a colleague who is sick and out for a while, the department wants me to be on another committee. Time 7pm. This could give some credibility to my discussion in class about change, pivots, and resource allocation in an enterprise.  No better life than that of an entrepreneur, from making your own decisions about how you spend your day, to spending time with people you enjoy, to fulfilling your own aspirations and dreams, all while serving others and empowering enterprise builders.

– Best position on campus!

Dave Lambe