#RoadTo10K: January 2026: Start Your Engines cover art

#RoadTo10K: January 2026: Start Your Engines

#RoadTo10K: January 2026: Start Your Engines

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 The Road to 10K kicks off 2026 with a theme that hits right where higher ed AV/IT teams actually live: the calendar turns, the mission stays the same, and the real work is recommitting with fresh intention. Ryan Gray is joined by Atkins Fleming (Texas State University, HETMA Treasurer), Erin Maher-Moran (Johns Hopkins University, HETMA Chair), and Scott Sanders (Sennheiser) for a wide-ranging conversation about what New Year’s motivation looks like when your environment is moving faster than your planning cycles.

The group digs into the tension between short-term execution and long-term direction: quarterly realities vs five- and ten-year roadmaps, stable standards vs best-in-class experiences, and the difference between working hard and actually moving forward. Along the way, they get practical about self-care as a professional responsibility (vacation time, boundaries, and culture), how feedback loops can become real KPIs, and why institutional values aren’t what a website says—they’re what leaders reward, fund, and tolerate when risk is involved. The month’s challenge is simple: don’t just start the engines—keep them tuned, aligned, and pointed at the goal.

Topics Discussed
  • January theme framing: Start Your Engines, New Year’s, Same Goal — renewing intention without pretending the mission resets
  • How planning horizons are shrinking: yearlong goals vs quarter/semester realities
  • The micro/macro balance in higher ed: semester deliverables while still steering toward five- and ten-year outcomes
  • Institutional culture as a driver: why some teams prioritize stability and standards, and where innovation can safely live
  • The classroom expectation gap: student experience shaped by consumer tech and hospitality-style expectations
  • Trouble-free vs best-in-class: when standardization is the strategy and when raising the bar is the differentiator
  • Risk tolerance as the hidden switch: what happens when leaders say they want experimentation but punish failure
  • Continuous assessment: aligning to what leaders actually do (time, money, rewards, discipline), not just stated values
  • Performance management shifts: quarterly coaching conversations and the role of ongoing one-on-ones
  • Self-care and boundaries as leadership work: scheduling time off proactively, protecting time away, and building redundancy so nobody is “the only one”


Keep the conversation going in the HETMA Community: community.hetma.org

Connect with Atkins Fleming
  • Email: atkins@txstate.edu
  • HETMA: treasurer@hetma.org

Connect with Erin Maher-Moran
  • Email: ErinMaherMoran@hetma.org
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-maher-moran/

Connect with Scott Sanders
  • Email: scott.sander@sennheiser.com

Connect with Host (Ryan Gray)
  • Email: editor@higheredav.com
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
  • Website: www.HigherEdAV.com

This show is a production of Higher Ed AV Media. Visit www.HigherEdAV.com for new content every day.
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