Planners’ Picks
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
Are you limited in your ability to be creative due to circumstances outside of your control? Are you falling in love with your work? Are you confused about the difference between coaching and mentoring? Then this PP is for you.
:: Image of the Week
:: On Creativity
Your Elusive Creative Genius: A TED Talk by Author Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_your_elusive_creative_genius
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou
:: Resources on Change Management
3 Ways To Lead Through Change In 2023
Change will be inevitable in the coming year. Perhaps your organization will hire a new senior leader, go through a merger or acquisition, launch a new computer system, or face a new competitor. Change can shake employee confidence in even the best corporate cultures. Ironically, it is the very moment of change when organizations need their people to buy-in the most, and yet their faith is often challenged.
“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” – Michelangelo
Manage The Chaos Of Adopting Change
You may be familiar with FranklinCovey’s change model. The model is a simple representation of something that each organization and team faces—change.
Ideally, the your respective change goes as quickly and positively as possible. But sometimes, it can frequently and easily devolve into a chaotic mess that lengthens the time it takes before your change starts to spark better performance.
As a first-level leader, here are two actions you can implement to keep your chaos to a minimum and have a short and shallow results curve during your period of change.
https://franklincoveyme.com/resources/Manage-The-Chaos-Of-Adopting-Change
:: Resources on Hybrid and Remote Work
Questions for Leadership Reflection: Linkedin Post and Infographic
All leaders need to reflect on these are critical questions each day. Check out this short Linkedin post and infographic on how to help your team after the pandemic.
Managing Conflict in a Remote Work Environment
All of us navigate workplaces full of competing interests, clashing personalities, limited time and resources, and fragile egos, which can result in conflict. Handling disagreements and tensions can be challenging when you’re in the same space as your coworkers, but it’s even more complicated when you’re working virtually. Whether you’re exchanging snarky emails, openly disagreeing on a video call, or wondering whether your colleague is giving you the silent treatment, it’s frustrating and sometimes painful. In this course, workplace expert Amy Gallo goes over how to handle conflicts in a virtual or hybrid work environment. Amy helps you understand remote conflict, avoid it when it’s not necessary, and address it effectively when it arises. She shows you how to plan your response, including when to respond and when to let it go. Plus, Amy walks you through following up after a remote conflict to mend relationships and build stronger relationships.
:: Resources on Self-Leadership Development
We Contain Multitudes
We all have a hidden layer underneath our observable behavior called mental models. The majority of what drives our behavior is hidden in these mental models. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke reflects on how we can bring our hidden mental models to make intentional choices about how we act. Listen to Luke Freeman’s perspectives on this concept in a short podcast episode.
https://www.purposeandperformancegroup.com/magic-in-the-room-134
How to Fall in Love with Your Work…
Attraction is one thing, love is another. Attraction gets our attention. Love’s attraction, now that takes us to where we belong. And that’s something you have to look for. And love, while it takes time, slowly, and then all of a sudden, in a flash we marvel and say, “I love you.” “I love my job.” “I love my team.” “I love my leaders.” “I love our customers.” “I love my company.” Slowly, and then all of a sudden, that’s when all of the little things in a moment of realization add up. You sense it’s coming. It’s not a single event. It’s from the day and in day out moments when we’re cared for and we care for them, that take us to being grateful, deeply thankful. They are your tribe, and you are theirs. It started with a deep spark.
Sounds pretty amazing huh? Well, here are a few things you can do to get to that place. And surprisingly, if you do these things, you might even just fall in love with the place where you currently work. Some creative writing by Paul Haury.
https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/how-to-fall-in-love-with-your-work/
“Power is influence over external events. Peace is influence over internal events.” – James Clear
Moving from Doing to Leading
Many of us move from excelling at our jobs from a technical level to being promoted into a leadership position. We go from doing to leading in one day, and this transition can be very challenging. Listen to a podcast from Coaching for Leaders, where Gemma Aguilar talks about her journey from doing to leading. She discusses the transition she made of doing it all herself early on in the business to now empowering a large team. She details how she made this change tactically through calendar blocking, regular delegation, and intentional outcomes. Plus, they explore how asking for help is a critical muscle for all leaders to develop. While this is an entrepreneur’s story of this transition, much of the information applies to leading a group at UW-Madison; removing herself from team meetings where the employees were empowered to make decisions, for example. She was also able to start doing more big-picture things in her business once she freed herself up from managing some smaller tasks.
https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/doing-to-leading-gemma-aguiar/
:: Resources on Mental Health and Self-Care
Mindfulness Changes More than Your Attitude
Mindfulness is a pretty big buzzword these days. And before you dismiss it as new-age hype, there is scientific research and neural imaging studies to back it up. Mindfulness doesn’t just change your mindset; it literally alters your brain. Mindfulness is what arises when you pay attention on purpose in the present moment and without judgment.
https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/mindfulness-changes-more-than-your-attitude/
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ― Albert Camus
:: Resources on Work Culture & Team Development
Coaching vs. Mentoring: What’s the Difference?
Coaching and mentoring are important for professional development, but there are some key differences between the two. If you are considering a more formal approach to professional development, you may wonder whether mentoring or coaching can provide you with a better experience. (Hint: both are great!)
So here’s a birds-eye-view of mentoring vs. coaching.
https://aceup.com/coaching-vs-mentoring-whats-the-difference
How to Motivate a Top Performer — When You Can’t Promote Them
Organizations can’t promote everyone; there will always be high-performing employees who want to get promoted in situations where promotion isn’t possible or requires waiting. This creates a problem for managers and leaders who want to retain top talent, but don’t have flexibility in promotions. The solution is to develop interim strategies to help these employees get their underlying needs met. For example, by narrowing down what the promotion signifies or enables for a given employee, managers can then scan for opportunities that could lead to uniquely meaningful work experiences. This article is also valid in our public sector situation where pay increases are not directly tied to performance review cycles.
https://hbr.org/2023/01/how-to-motivate-a-top-performer-when-you-cant-promote-them
:: Upcoming Events
New Ignite and In Scope Professional Development Offerings for Spring 2023
The Office of Strategic Consulting is excited to announce the spring 2023 schedule for our two professional development series: Ignite: Fueling Organizational Excellence and In Scope: Managing Projects at UW–Madison.
Both series are designed to promote and support efforts to improve organizational effectiveness at UW–Madison. Experts in organizational excellence and project management and delivery will facilitate focused peer-to-peer conversations and present engaging, useful tools and resources. You’ll walk away with new skills to advance initiatives, change, and innovation at UW–Madison. There are no fees to participate in these events but registration is required.
Ignite: Fueling Organizational Excellence Schedule
February 21, 1:00-2:30 p.m. (online)
Anatomy of a Strategy
March 22, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (online)
Navigating Unchartered Waters: Building Leadership Capacity and Resilience
April 5, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (online)
Strengthening a Culture of Innovation at UW–Madison
May 9, 10:00-11:00 a.m. (in person)
Maximizing Your Impact on a Project without Direct Authority
https://strategicconsulting.wisc.edu/ignite-fueling-organizational-excellence/
In Scope: Managing Projects at UW–Madison Schedule
February 16, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Developing a Business Case: Determining Whether and How an Initiative Will Benefit the Organization
March 21, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Change Management as Continuous Improvement
April 27, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Whose Project is it Anyway? Successfully Collaborating with Project Stakeholders
May 31, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Leveraging Microsoft Teams for Project Team Collaboration
https://strategicconsulting.wisc.edu/in-scope-managing-projects-at-uw-madison/