Planners’ Picks
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
It’s International Women’s Day, Showcase is happening at Union South, and we’re continuing to march forth toward spring. All of today’s quotes are from female leaders; we hope they inspire you to lead in a more human way with your team.
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||| Resources on Work Culture & Team Development |||
Creating a Meaningful Corporate Purpose
While purpose is a popular business concept now, defining one that is meaningful, authentic, credible, powerful, and compelling is very hard. How can a company go about defining its why? Find out in this article on Harvard Business Review:
https://hbr.org/2021/10/creating-a-meaningful-corporate-purpose
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” — Dolly Parton
The Neuroscience of Employee Engagement
Engaged employees stay for what they can contribute. Disengaged employees stay for what they can get. So, what’s the secret of the most engaged employees?
Engaged employees are passionate about their jobs, and they have a strong impact on the company’s success. Satisfied employees are okay… they may even be content, but that doesn’t mean they are engaged. They aren’t setting any fires, but they aren’t setting any records either. Even the ones who don’t like their jobs may be just satisfied enough not to leave. Some of your most satisfied employees may be doing the most damage to your culture and your bottom line.
https://info.melissahughes.rocks/neuronugget/the-neuroscience-of-employee-engagement
“Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent. You will be amazed at how your whole approach to a person or problem becomes very different.” — Indra Nooyi
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Stories as Clues to Job Decisions for You or Your Staff
Is it time to leave your job? What about some of the staff you lead? When do we know it’s time for a change?
In this special episode of Your Stories Don’t Define You guest speaker and Human Resources and Organization Development expert, Karen Elkins Cohen provides insight into deciding whether it is time or not to move on to a new opportunity for you or another person on your team. Listen in as Karen lists and explains the three main points in understanding when a shift in employers is needed.
https://elkinsconsulting.com/sarahs-blog-podcast/2022/2/22/217karencohen
It’s not about the office, it’s about belonging
Leaders are increasingly worried about the impact of the past 20-plus months on company culture, connectivity, and cohesion. Our recent Great Attrition survey justifies their concern. More than half of employees who left their job in the past six months did not feel valued by their organization (54 percent) or manager (52 percent), or they lacked a sense of belonging (51 percent). Additionally, 46 percent cited the desire to work with people who trust and care for each other as another reason to quit. Employees want stronger relationships, a sense of connection, and to be seen. The world has changed, and employee attitudes have shifted. To build community, cohesion, and a sense of belonging, organizations need to evolve their approach.
||| Resources on Hybrid and Remote Work |||
Rebuilding Relationships Across Teams in a Hybrid Workplace
The coming year of inventing our way toward whatever our workplaces will look like offers a marvelous opportunity to refresh and reinvent cross-functional relationships. Working to rebuild these bonds is especially important because most people won’t be returning to work as the same people they were before the pandemic; the last 18 months have changed all of us in some way. Organizational fragmentation isn’t a byproduct of remote work. It results from a lack of intentional bridge-building to link discrete groups and regions. Silos were certainly prevalent before the pandemic — hybrid work has simply created new requirements for effectively connecting teams that must work together to achieve shared outcomes. The author offers three approaches to help leaders and their teams reestablish strong connections across organizational boundaries as they’ve shifted to hybrid work environments.
https://hbr.org/2021/11/rebuilding-relationships-across-teams-in-a-hybrid-workplace
Workers Care More About Flexible Hours Than Remote Work
Workers, flush with power as employers raise wages and scramble to fill open jobs, say they care even more about flexible schedules than whether or not they go into an office. Ninety-five percent of people surveyed want flexible hours, compared with 78% of workers who want location flexibility, according to a new report from Future Forum, a consortium focused on reimagining the future of work led by Slack Technologies Inc. How can you take that into consideration as a manager at UW-Madison?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers-care-more-about-flexible-hours-than-remote-work-11643112004
“I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head.” — Princess Diana
||| Resources on Self-Leadership Development |||
How to demonstrate calm and optimism in a crisis
Read about six practices can help leaders build their self-awareness and guide their organizations through the challenges ahead. To stay calm and optimistic while under such pressure, leaders should practice what we call integrative awareness: being aware of the changing reality in the outside world and how they are responding emotionally and physically. This intentional practice allows leaders to shift from viewing challenges as roadblocks to seeing them as problems to be solved and even learned from.
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty and joy to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. … The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” – Helen Keller
Inclusive Recruitment: 9 Practices + Infographic
In the last couple of years, it has become evident that providing equal opportunities to people from minority and marginalized groups is of the utmost importance. Prioritizing minority groups not only contributes to society at large but also helps to improve companies.
While the advantages of embracing diversity in a workplace are finally being recognized, implementing the right strategies to promote inclusivity remains a challenge for many business leaders.
This article by Custom-Writing.org will:
- explain what inclusive recruitment is about;
- talk about the importance and benefits of inclusive recruitment;
- introduce 9 effective inclusive hiring practices.
https://custom-writing.org/blog/inclusive-recruitment-practices
“Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.” — Sheryl Sandberg
Curiosity, Not Coding: 6 Skills Leaders Need in the Digital Age
Leaders who set out to reshape their companies to compete in a fast-evolving digital world often come to a daunting realization: To transform their organizations, they must first transform themselves. In light of the speed at which new technologies continue to emerge, digital transformation is not a one-and-done process, and neither is the leadership transformation required of leaders. Here’s our advice, based on our research, for leaders trying to recalibrate.
- Being a catalyst for change and learning, not just a planner.
2. Build trust by empowering people to make meaningful contributions.
3. Be curious!
4. Be courageous when failure is a risk…especially when failure is risk. Cultivate the psychological safety to do so.
5. Be PRESENT – Sharpen your emotional intelligence so that being empathetic, vulnerable, and self-aware become second nature to you and your leadership. And speaking of…
6. Live your values with great conviction. Leaders must make it clear not just what they’re doing, but why they’re doing it if they expect people to care enough to buy in.
Read in more detail here:
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/six-unexpected-traits-leaders-need-in-the-digital-era
||| Upcoming Events |||
Feel Better with Kindness – with Dr. Kelli Harding
Thursday March 10, 1:00 pm – Online via Zoom
Can kindness help us be healthier as well as happier?
After years in emergency medicine, Dr. Kelli Harding became curious about why similar cases often had drastically different outcomes. She stumbled on a remarkable study of rabbits, where heart disease was avoided for one group looked after by a particularly kind researcher. This sparked her ground-breaking research into how kindness can enable us to live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
At this special event, Kelli will reveal the vital importance of social connection and what we can do about it. She’ll show us why every kind and positive action we take can help us and others around us too. Kelli will explain why connection and kindness may be even more important for our health than other factors (such as exercise, diet, or sleep). And she’ll share practical actions you can take to discover and share the benefits in your daily life.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/feel-better-with-kindness-with-dr-kelli-harding-tickets-261688175377