Planners’ Picks:
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
May the Forth be with you! We explore creativity, imposter syndrome, difficult conversations, Jedi mindfulness, and focusing on small wins.
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Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
In last month’s book club CSN hosted on “What Matters at Work” (Harry Webne-Behrman), one of the lessons we focused on was about having difficult conversations that matter in your organization. One of the references in that lesson was to the book “Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most” by Stone, Patton, et al.
Jessica, one of our attendees, highly recommended this book to our attendees as a resource for anyone in a position of potential difficult conversations. Does that describe you? Likely so. Consider checking it out!
Leadership is a “Title Less” Role
Monte Pedersen of The CDS Group LLC says leadership is a “title less” role, and he’s absolutely right. Anyone can lead at any time from any level of an organization. Leadership is essentially influence, getting someone to follow you because of who you are and what you represent (John Maxwell’s 5 Laws). When you lead effectively, people follow you because they want to. They believe in you and they trust you.
5 Different Types of Imposter Syndrome (and 5 Ways to Battle Each One)
Many high achievers share a dirty little secret: Deep down they feel like complete frauds–their accomplishments the result of serendipitous luck.
This psychological phenomenon, known as imposter syndrome, reflects a belief that you’re an inadequate and incompetent failure despite evidence that indicates you’re skilled and quite successful.
In short, it’s a hot mess of harmfulness. It can also take various forms, depending on a person’s background, personality, and circumstances. If you’re familiar with the feeling of waiting for those around you to “find you out,” it might be helpful to consider what type of imposter you are so you can problem-solve accordingly.
https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-different-types-of-imposter-syndrome-and-5-ways-to-battle-each-one
Bonus: Ted Talk on Imposter Syndrome by Elizabeth Cox
Creativity: How to Unlock Your Hidden Creative Genius
This link pulls together James Clear’s most essential information about creativity. He shares how creativity works, how to find your hidden creative genius, and how to create meaningful work by learning how to make creative thinking a habit. He presents the basics of everything you need to know to start mastering creativity, even if you don’t have much time.
At the end of this page, you’ll find a complete list of all the articles he has written on creativity.
https://jamesclear.com/creativity
The 53 Lessons I Wished I Learned (And Embraced) Earlier In My Career by Amy Blaschka
Amy Blaschka posts an article on her 53rd birthday to reflect back on her career. She states that there are lessons she wished she had learned earlier that would have saved her lots of time, worry, and headaches. Check out the 53 bits of advice she’d give her younger self:
How to Break Your Team’s Creative Rut
We all get into a rut sometimes. We run out of ideas and struggle to think outside the box. The same thing can happen to team members, especially after their previous ideas have been shot down. Once people have seen a number of their suggestions rejected, confidence slips and new ideas become even harder to find. So what can a team do to overcome a bad experience and find the courage to continue generating innovative solutions? One group of researchers conducted a survey. They found that, as always, psychological safety is important but so is the company’s “corporate memory.”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-break-your-teams-creative-rut-allen-gannett/
Focus on Small Wins for Massive Growth in Your Life
Small wins compound over time. Suddenly big and lofty goals seem achievable. Jerry Seinfeld in one of the most famous comedians of all time. His advice to aspiring comedians? “The way to be a better comic is to create better jokes. The way to create better jokes is to write every day.” Small wins give you the power to change yourself and your life. Every day you move closer to where you need to be. Closer to the person you want to become. To the best version of yourself that you can be.
https://dansilvestre.com/small-wins/
What Does It Mean to Be a Manager Today?
Managers used to be selected and promoted largely based on their ability to manage and evaluate the performance of employees who could carry out a particular set of tasks. But three disruptive, transformative trends are challenging traditional definitions of the manager role: Normalization of remote work, automation, and changing employee expectations. These three trends have culminated in a new era of management where it’s less important to see what employees are doing and more important to understand how they feel. To be successful in this new environment, managers must lead with empathy. This will require organizations and their HR functions to develop their managers’ skills, awaken their mindsets to manage in new ways, and create the capacity across the organization to enable this shift. The authors present a holistic strategy that invests in all three of those strategies.
https://hbr.org/2021/04/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-manager-today
Action for Happiness Meaningful May Calendar
The site Action for Happiness puts out a lot of materials for your benefit, including this awesome monthly calendar. This month’s theme is all about reflecting on what gives our life meaning. Being a part of something bigger than ourselves and focusing on things that we value is key to our well-being. So let’s take time to reflect on what we care about this month and keep these things at the front of our minds as our societies begin to open up again. You can download it in several formats, including into your Google calendar. Enjoy!
https://www.actionforhappiness.org/may
Got a favorite groundskeeper or custodian? Honor them with a Recognition Award from FP&M!
Facilities Planning & Management is taking nominations through May 7, 2021 for their annual recognition awards. A Recognition Award is a great way to highlight FP&M employees’ contributions, accomplishments, and service to a unit or department over time. FP&M employees span such areas as Environmental Safety, Physical Plant, Transportation Services and more. Consider nominating someone you know shines in their role by following the links on this page:
https://inside.fpm.wisc.edu/employee-recognition/
There are options for the annual awards, along with shout-outs to give a brief “thank you” and recognize an FP&M employee in the moment. Even after May 7, you can always Send a Shout-out and make someone’s day brighter.