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Janet Tysinger had no idea why she had been summoned to the year-end meeting
of the University Managers Association.
Turns out she was the star attraction.
Tysinger, manager of the ATN Computer Training Center, left the meeting with
the University Managers Association's Manager of the Year Award.
The award honors the association member who "made the greatest contribution to
the field of management at the University," according to Ann Dodd, president of
the association. Founded in 1983, the group has about 200 members.
The award meant a lot to Tysinger.
"To come from your peers--many of whom you idolize--is quite an honor,"
Tysinger said.
The award may be a serious honor, but Tysinger doesn't take herself too
seriously. One of her guiding principles is to keep her office productive and
fun. Humor, therefore, is encouraged.
A quick look at her desk reveals her love of a good laugh. Among her toys are
a mini-Louisville slugger more appropriate for smacking a snare drum than a
home run.
And then there's the plastic hand, index finger extended to point something
out. Be forewarned: you don't want to be standing where that finger is
pointing.
"It's a squirt gun," Tysinger said with a laugh. "But it's not loaded. For
now."
Besides a pro-humor policy, two other principles guide Tysinger's day-to-day
work. One is to treat others as she would want to be treated.
The other is to emulate the good managers she has had in her career.
"When I get in a tough spot I think what they would do," she said. "I do that
often."
That mix of fairness and humor fuels an effective leader, said Linwood
Futrelle, one of the people who nominated Tysinger for the award.
Futrelle praised her for creating an online training system that the General
Administration used as a model for the state's other 15 campuses.
He also noted the caring way Tysinger has for her employees, even counseling
one worker who was about to be discharged. That counseling led to a turn-around
in that worker's job performance.
"No matter how stressful the task, or how much work is piled upon her, she
always has a smile and a kind word," Futrelle said.
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