Institute News

Melvin is downsized in the 1999 Twentieth Century Fox dark comedy movie “Office Space.”

He does not adapt well to this change. Melvin continues to come to work every day as before – even without pay.

Management, at the advice of two efficiency consultants (the Bobs), takes an indirect approach to getting Melvin to leave. They make him move his desk. They move his office. The last straw was when the manager took Melvin’s shiny red stapler. As he walked away with it, Melvin muttered, “Ok, but I could set the building on fire.” And, spoiler alert, later in the movie he does!

In leadership, there’s a quiet pressure to have all the answers. People look to you for direction, clarity and confidence—so it can feel uncomfortable, even risky, to admit when you don’t know something. But the truth is, saying “I don’t know” isn’t a weakness; it’s a strength. It creates space for honesty, curiosity and better decision-making. When leaders release the need to appear all-knowing, they also release the burden of carrying every solution alone.

Our work at IPS is more than just an operation—it is the mechanism through which communities and citizens experience fairness, safety and trust. One of the most powerful drivers in operational excellence is understanding why our actions matter. As trusted consultants, administrators and instructors it is our responsibility to foster an understanding of why our work matters at the most basic level.

There are moments in every career when the path ahead is clear, familiar and well planned. And then there are moments when life presents us with something we never anticipated — an opportunity, a responsibility or a challenge that arrives unexpectedly and asks more of us than we imagined we were prepared to give.

I’m fortunate to have worked with many outstanding leaders — and a few, well, not so great.

The truth is, I really believe that with one or two exceptions, they all were doing what they thought was best for the organization, its people and for the customers they served. In other words, their intent was for good even when the execution, outcome or impact may have been lacking. Much the same could be said for most leaders I know or know of.

I recently read an article titled "Volunteer vs. Career: The Real Reason We Are Losing Firefighters." It’s written about the fire service specifically, but the more I sat with it, the less it felt like a fire-service problem. Swap a few nouns, and it could just as easily describe higher education, government or any private-sector team I’ve worked with.

Over the last few weeks, I have been celebrating high school graduations with my son and daughter. Right behind those celebrations came the stress and excitement of enrolling and registering for college classes. Watching that transition unfold reminded me how much effort goes into preparing for what is next, not just what is immediately in front of us. It reinforced an important lesson. Preparing for the future requires intentional effort, and it often brings both uncertainty and discomfort.

One of my favorite songs, “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack, carries more than melody—it carries wisdom. Lines like “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder… Never settle for the path of least resistance” remind us that leadership is not just about direction, but about perspective.

The University of Tennessee has appointed longtime public servant and former university leader Jim Thomas as interim vice president of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service (IPS), effective Oct. 1, and launched a national search for the institute's next permanent leader.