T H E T U S C A R O R A R E V I E W 2 0 2 3 4 3 Dr. Dardello: The faculty. I will miss the love, the camaraderie, the compassion. There are just beautiful people here. People who have taught me how to be. And that has been such a great gift. I have often referred to FCC as my family because it is here where I have felt accepted. And it is here where I have felt like I belonged and where people have inspired and motivated me to be the best that I can be. Goss-Harris: Is there a lesson you’ve learned here that you hope to continue in your work? Dr. Dardello: Wow. There are so many lessons. But when I think about the biggest lesson … It’s the act of listening. I would say that it is the act of being still and using wait time. Every action doesn’t necessarily require a reaction at that moment. I’m spending some time to reflect and to understand what the true issues are. Getting feedback from others and moving in a very deliberate and thoughtful way is the way to consistently create change. I’ve also learned to lean into my fears since I’ve been here, in this role. Sharing what I found with allies who wanted to help me succeed, getting their feedback, making changes, revising. And being encouraged by them has helped me become fearless. I feel like I’m unstoppable. There is absolutely nothing I can’t do without a good plan and people that support me and tell me the truth about those plans. Goss-Harris: What books and authors do you like to read? Dr. Dardello: I love Brené Brown. I love her work. She talks about shame and vulnerability. She talks about making mistakes and recovering from those mistakes. She talks about trust. We throw this word around a lot. But she talks about what it means to create environments that are psychologically safe. So our values align. In her book Dare to Lead, Brown represents the type of leader that I want to be— one who is true to herself and is true to the values of whatever cause or whatever institution that she’s leading. And who seeks to create change in healthy and meaningful ways. She’s a favorite.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQxMTc1