Planners’ Picks:
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
Today’s votes are for flexibility, shifting your focus, and feeling safe at work. Hopefully, you can “fall back” on some of these articles when needed.
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Flexibility advised for voters
Supervisors should provide flexibility to UW–Madison employees who plan to vote in-person on Election Day, Nov. 3, according to guidance from the Office of Human Resources. Employees should reach out to their supervisor in advance to ensure their voting plan can be accommodated.
https://news.wisc.edu/flexibility-advised-to-accommodate-voting-plans/
Developing a COVID-19 Winter Resilience Toolkit is Important for Mental Health
Between the end of daylight saving time, colder temperatures, and stress related to COVID-19, people are more at risk of experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder. UW Health says a “COVID-19 winter resilience toolkit” can help, offering eight simple tips in this link.
Book Barn: Infinite Mindset by Simon Sinek
Leaders who embrace an infinite mindset, in stark contrast, build stronger, more innovative, more inspiring organizations. Their people trust each other and their leaders. They have the resilience to thrive in an ever-changing world. Simon Sinek, the bestselling author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last, gives us another great book explaining how having the ability to adopt an infinite mindset is a prerequisite for any leader who aspires to leave their organization in better shape than they found it. Read about his five steps to master the infinite game in Rich Gassen’s book review from earlier this year.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20-2020-infinite-game-rich-gassen/
Dare to Lead Podcast Series with Brené Brown
For those of you who have read Dare to Lead by Brené Brown, this podcast will be a great review; for those who have not yet experienced this material, it’s your lucky day. Dare to Lead is now the topic of a podcast series, hosted by Brené herself. She just started so there aren’t many episodes, but if you’re a fan this is one to pay attention to in the future.
“One deeply human truth that’s rarely acknowledged – especially at work – is that courage and fear are not mutually exclusive. Most of us feel brave and afraid all day long at the exact same time. And, during our really tough moments, when we’re pulled between our fear and our call to courage, we need shared language. We need tools. We need skills. We need daily practices that can support us through these difficult rumbles. The goal of our Dare to Lead podcast is to create a place where we can learn (and unlearn) from each other. Welcome!” ~ Brené
Follow + listen for free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6
Find many resources related to this book here: https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/
Where Simon Sinek and Brené Brown agree
It’s safe to say Brené and Simon have a lot in common. If you’re familiar with them, you know their work on vulnerability, starting with why, building trust, and thinking strategically. But more importantly, both agree on one key message for leaders: We need to feel safe at work in order to thrive. Not just physically safe, but psychologically safe. Read this interesting article which goes into more depth on how you can offer psychological safety to your team.
https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/SimonSinekBreneBrownsafeworkplace
8 Powerful Evening Habits That Will Prepare You For a Better Tomorrow
When you build better morning and evening routines, you prepare your brain to face the varying challenges each day brings. This is even more important when working from home, and creating separation from work by following a “shutdown ritual” will help you relax and be better prepared for the next day.
And Finally…
This was a note to a CSN Planner from an online connection about being ‘good enough’ these days:
“Instead of beating yourself up for not sticking to a goal or new routine, think of life like seasons. Between pandemic fatigue (a real thing, for sure), election and political fatigue, overwork thanks to blurred lines between home life and work life, as well as emotional fatigue, no wonder we’re all exhausted! This is the season we’re in, which means that expectations can be a bit lower from what we’re used to, and goals and habits can be rejiggered to make it so that we’re still living our best life – without feeling the pressure to read a book a week, hit that HIIT morning workout, eat super healthy every day, start a new gratitude practice, or take those extra training courses. This season will pass, but until it does, let’s simply continue doing the best we can. Let’s make sure our “should”s or “could”s are aligned with our season.”