CTRL-ALT-LEAD with David Hinson

Episode: What Can I Do Today?
Date: January 23, 2026
Host: David Hinson, Campus CIO at Boldyn Networks

Episode Overview

In this episode, David Hinson addresses the overwhelm that higher education leaders face amid daily busyness and offers practical advice for focusing on actions that create meaningful, lasting impact. The episode centers on how technology and administrative leaders can shift from simply staying busy to working in ways that generate enduring value—compounding results rather than just motion. Hinson presents a five-point framework for structuring a day around high-leverage activities, with the aim of fostering progress, motivation, and sustainable leadership.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Challenge of Measuring Progress in Higher Ed

• Theme: Higher Ed is full of urgent tasks, but it's easy to end the day feeling like nothing truly meaningful moved forward.
• Insight: A good day isn't about how much you handle; it's about what you actually improve.
  • Quote:

    "If you remember nothing else from this episode, please remember a good day isn't measured by how much you handled. It's measured by what you improved." — David Hinson (01:20)

1. Work on One Thing That Makes Next Month Easier

• Action: Identify and eliminate a small recurring friction point, be it a confusing process, a workflow bottleneck, or a persistent system quirk.
• Example: Documenting a process that only lives in someone's head; cleaning up an oft-broken workflow.
• Story:
  • Quote:

    "Today at one of my schools, we modified our provisioning process for new student accounts... saving close to 30 minutes every time we ran our provisioning scripts." — David Hinson (04:20)

• Rule of Thumb:
  • "If a change saves 10 minutes three times a week, then it's worth doing." — David Hinson (03:50)

2. Invest in One Relationship That Quietly Matters

• Idea: Progress in higher ed is built on trust and pre-existing relationships, not just perfect ideas.
• Advice: Maintenance, not networking—send a note, check-in, or offer help proactively.
• Insight:
  • "Higher Ed doesn't move at the speed of technology. It moves at the speed of trust, approvals, funding, alignment, adoption." (06:10)
  • "The most effective leaders...consistently show up as reasonable, prepared, and helpful. That reputation gets you grace later, when things go wrong. And things will go wrong." (07:00)

3. Finish One Outcome You Can Point To

• Challenge: Technology and administration work can feel invisible, as projects often span months and consensus is slow.
• Prescription: Define a finishable task for the day—make a decision (even if provisional), send a draft, or narrow options down.
• Key:
  • "By the end of the day, you should be able to say this moved forward. That sense of completion isn't trivial." (08:12)
• Purpose: Protect your motivation in a system that rarely offers immediate feedback.

4. Do One Act of Professional Self-Protection

• Reality: Higher ed often rewards (and overburdens) those who absorb everything.
• Action: Set one boundary—say "no" or "not now," push back on scope creep, or clarify ownership.
  • Quote:

    "Burned out leaders don't serve campuses well. And boundaries aren't a failure of commitment. They're an essential condition of longevity." — David Hinson (10:11)

5. Spend 15 Minutes on Your Future Self

• Intention: Each day, devote 15 minutes (not an hour or full retreat) to your longer-term growth, e.g., reading a relevant article, jotting a bullet for your annual review, sketching an idea.
• Warning: "In our technology and infrastructure roles, it's easy to become reactive. The future only gets attention when it breaks into the present." (12:05)
• Benefit: "Those 15 minutes are how you stay ahead instead of merely catching up." (12:30)

What Does a Good Day Actually Look Like?

• Formula for the Day:
  • One system improved
  • One relationship strengthened
  • One outcome completed
  • "Not everything and not everyone. Just those three simple things." (13:05)
• Acknowledgment: Some days will be chaotic or out of your control, but focusing on leverage over volume makes a difference in how you experience your work and your impact.

Leadership Takeaways for Technology Leaders

• Role Redefined: CIOs and technology leaders exist not just to keep the lights on, but to make institutions more capable for tomorrow.
• Long Game: Most progress is quiet and impact is delayed—but it's still real.
  • Quote:

    "Our job isn't just to keep systems running. It's to make the institution more capable tomorrow than it was today... Leadership in higher ed is a long game." — David Hinson (14:00)

• Parting Advice:
  • "Work on what compounds. Work on what lasts. Work on what makes the next day easier for someone else. That's how real change happens on campus." (14:31)
  • Hinson encourages listeners to pause for ten seconds and choose their "one thing" for the day.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On impact over busyness:

  "A good day isn't measured by how much you handled. It's measured by what you improved." (01:20)

• On invisible value:

  "Nobody applauds when a process becomes clear. Nobody sends a thank you note when a system stops being confusing. But those are the changes that quietly buy back time and credibility." (03:47)

• On sustainability:

  "Boundaries aren't a failure of commitment. They're an essential condition of longevity." (10:21)

• On the higher education pace:

  "Higher Ed doesn't move at the speed of technology. It moves at the speed of trust, approvals, funding, alignment, adoption." (06:14)

• Final rally:

  "Work on what compounds. Work on what lasts. Work on what makes the next day easier for someone else. That's how real change happens on campus. And that's leadership worth doing." (14:31)

Key Segment Timestamps

• Introduction & Theme: 00:00 – 01:50
• Point 1: Make Next Month Easier: 01:50 – 04:35
• Point 2: Invest in a Relationship: 04:35 – 07:25
• Point 3: Complete an Outcome: 07:25 – 08:55
• Point 4: Professional Self-Protection: 08:55 – 11:00
• Point 5: Invest in Your Future: 11:00 – 13:05
• What a Good Day Looks Like/Recap: 13:05 – 14:31
• Leadership Reflection & Closing: 14:31 – 15:45

Tone & Style

• Calm, direct, and gently authoritative
• Blends practical advice with personal reflection
• Encourages intentionality and self-compassion in leadership

This episode is a concise yet rich guide for technology and administrative leaders in higher education (and beyond) who want to move beyond busywork toward meaningful, sustainable impact—one focused action at a time.