Planners’ Picks
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
We continue to plow forward and harvest the good of leadership from the field. Before there’s frost on your pumpkin, follow these links to some resources on mental health, communicating up and down the chain, self-leadership, and team development. Who’s in your inner circle?
||| Resources on Mental Health and Self-Care |||
Feeling stressed? Here are some practical ways to approach it.
Do you ever get stressed about stress?
Often when we’re feeling stressed, we layer in additional worry, criticism and self-judgments (“I shouldn’t be so stressed!” and “All this stress is bad for me”). Some studies have shown that our perception of stress can have a more negative impact than the original stress itself. How does emotional agility help with stress?
When Dr. Susan David is feeling stressed or overwhelmed, these are some things she does…
1. Go for a walk
2. Treat myself kindly
3. Focus on my key values and goals
What works for you when you’re stressed? Or what are some small, values-aligned tweaks that might help you to deal with stress effectively? Watch this short video for some more tips from her and others on combating stress.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B34ibPAAW1I/
Simple Ways to Instantly Turn Around a Stressful Day
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, try these in-the-moment strategies to shift gears. Stress is inevitable, but we can prevent it from becoming cumulative. Research shows that in just 60 to 90 seconds, it’s possible to course correct from stress and reset our bodies and minds. So when you’re having a particularly overwhelming day, it’s essential to have a few strategies in your back pocket that help you quickly shift gears and reframe the moment.
We asked our Thrive community to share with us the small in-the-moment tips that help them turn around a stressful day. Which of these will you try?
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-to-turn-around-a-stressful-day-simple-mindset-tips
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Prioritize this 1 thing to cope with pandemic burnout
Feeling overwhelmed? Author Gretchen Rubin says the answer to coping with burnout starts with this one basic thing. “Your physical experience always colors your emotional experience,” Rubin explained. “Especially when you’re under a lot of stress or burned out: It’s easy to lean into bad habits that really wear you down and make life tough, but you sort of don’t even realize it it’s happening.”
Rubin, who recently released a collection of journals and habit trackers to assist with building better habits, says getting a good night’s sleep is usually one of the first healthy habits to go.
https://www.today.com/health/prioritize-1-thing-cope-pandemic-burnout-t231955
||| Resources on Communication |||
Managing Up: How to Persuade the Decision-Makers
Do you sometimes struggle with influencing decision-makers in your organization? Successful negotiators put a lot of time into the planning and thinking phase, before having the conversation. The more you can understand the other person, the better you can think about how to position your case.
Coaching made simple. (and Impactful)
Box of Crayons & Michael Bungay Stanier through his brilliant book “The Coaching Habit” have a process and approach that works! Question: What are the coaching questions you like to use when you are trying to be more “coach like” as a leader or when you are coaching a client?
||| Resources on Self-Leadership Development |||
The Long Game: Dorie Clark – a Podcast with Scott Miller of Franklin Covey
Join bestselling author Dorie Clark as she shares her experience in attaining goals, pivoting out of comfort, establishing a strong network, and staying focused, all as part of playing and succeeding in the long game. Listening to this podcast, you will get the feeling that networking has multiple layers and you can benefit from knowing those in your department, unit, campus, and outside world in different ways. (CSN promotes this idea through our programs.)
https://resources.franklincovey.com/on-leadership-with-scott-miller/176-dorie-clark
“Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.” – Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield
Leadership Lessons from Ted Lasso, fictitious Soccer Coach
Is Being Called Ted Lasso…a Good Thing? Check out this post from David Marlow on Linkedin about the fictitious soccer coach’s tendency to be an empathetic leader and mentor.
Who’s in your inner circle?
In this downloadable PDF, Amy Blaschka shares the five people to add to it and the three to remove from it. These people will help you develop into the leader you want to be.
||| Resources on Work Culture & Team Development |||
20 Simple Acts of Kindness For Others
Organizational behavior expert and artist Hayley Lewis draws sketchnotes on topics of leadership and personal development. Here is a great one on simple acts of kindness that you can try on team members or anyone else.
How to Assume Positive Intent, Even When You’re Frustrated
We’ve all had those moments where a colleague does something we don’t understand, and we immediately assume the worst: We might take their actions personally (why would they do that to me?), or we may make it personal about them (why are they being so lazy?). These bursts of irritability are happening more often these days, according to the American Psychological Association, which makes sense: The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly increased our stress levels, making us prone to negative thinking.
With this information in mind, though, we can take small steps to reduce our irritability and improve our relationship with co-workers –– even when we don’t see eye-to-eye. It all comes down to assuming positive intent. When we recognize that other people are not (usually) trying to disappoint us on purpose, we can better regulate our emotions in a moment of stress.
Here are three simple tips to help you assume the best even in a moment of frustration.
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-to-assume-positive-intent-even-when-youre-frustrated
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” – Sheryl Sandberg
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Register now for the 2021 UW–Madison Diversity Forum
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