Planners’ Picks
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
As we develop better habits, embrace change, and learn to influence others more effectively, we become better versions of ourselves. What will you work on this week to grow as a leader and person?
:: Image of the Week
This timely message from Thrive Global came into my feed the same day I did a presentation along with Jenny Erickson on the book Atomic Habits at the Administrative Professionals Conference. – Rich Gassen
Which of your habits are serving you — and which ones aren’t? A great question to get curious about and start your habit revision journey.
“There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker
:: Resources on Productivity
The Magic of Flow: Harnessing a State of Bliss
“Flow is a state of mind in which the sense of self disappears, and a person experiences optimal experience, total immersion in an activity, and a feeling of effortlessness and ease.” Susan Jackson
Imagine you are in a kayak going with the flow on a fast-running river. Everything is perfect, you are one with the river, and nothing can interrupt this magical experience.
When you are in the flow, you do not even feel or think that you are until you, for a millisecond, stop and think you are in the flow. At this moment, the feeling of flow disappears. You can return to that flow fast sometimes and not so fast in others.
Ipek Willamson tells us that when we are in flow, we are happy, joyful, and alive.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/magic-flow-harnessing-state-bliss-ipek-williamson/
:: Resources on Mental Health and Self-Care
These Words Can Change Your Life
Nancy Depcik was the keynote speaker at last week’s Administrative Professionals Conference. She shares many great stories on resilience, perseverance, and gratitude in her presentations and on her website. This post is about our ability to choose and be in control of at least part of every situation we are faced with. Read her post, and check out other blog entries in her vast library!
https://nancydepcik.com/four-words-that-changed-my-life/
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~ Anais Nin
Four Steps to Get Unstuck and Embrace Change, with Susan David
Susan David is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School; cofounder and codirector of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital; and CEO of Evidence Based Psychology. She is the author of the bestselling book Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life. In this Coaching for Leaders podcast episode, she covers four points on getting unstuck and embracing change in organizations:
- Showing Up: Instead of ignoring difficult thoughts and emotions or overemphasizing ‘positive thinking’, facing into your thoughts, emotions and behaviors willingly, with curiosity and kindness.
- Stepping Out: Detaching from, and observing your thoughts and emotions to see them for what they are — just thoughts, just emotions. Essentially, learning to see yourself as the chessboard, filled with possibilities, rather than as any one piece on the board, confined to certain preordained moves.
- Walking Your Why: Your core values provide the compass that keeps you moving in the right direction. Rather than being abstract ideas, these values are the true path to willpower, resilience and effectiveness.
- Moving On: Small deliberate tweaks to your mindset, motivation, and habits — in ways that are infused with your values, can make a powerful difference in your life. The idea is to find the balance between challenge and competence, so that you’re neither complacent nor overwhelmed. You’re excited, enthusiastic, invigorated.
Listen to the podcast, and check out the book as well!
https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/297/
:: Resources on Work Culture & Team Development
New Research Highlights Early Bias Toward Talented Naturals Over Hard Workers
Have you ever heard people say that someone is just naturally talented? Or that someone else has worked really hard to get good at something? The idea of whether someone has natural talent starts to form in our minds when we’re just kids. But does the amount of effort that we perceive someone puts in really matter? It might.
A recent study by Chia-Jung Tsay, the Bruce and Janice Ellig Professor in Management at the Wisconsin School of Business gives us some insight.
Make Meetings More Human, Please!
We spend a lot of time meeting, without really meeting. However, most people want three things:
- We want our leaders to care about us as human beings and to see us for who we are.
- We want our teams to care for each other and again, to be known as individuals.
- We want to have support if we face a personal crisis.
We can adopt many practices to help us be more human at work. For better or worse, meetings are the building blocks of our organizational lives. And actually, meetings can be incredible opportunities for creating human-centered cultures and effective workplaces rather than dehumanizing experiences. Read more and see a check-in meeting practice tool from The Human Workplace here:
https://www.makeworkmorehuman.com/blog/make-meetings-more-human-please-1
“Leadership is about getting it right, not being right.” – Tony Gambill
Why AI Will Never Replace Managers
Artificial intelligence is all the rage, and for good reason. But while AI is becoming more efficient at solving all kinds of problems, humans still hold a considerable edge when it comes to reframing and determining what problem to solve.
In this article, learn why reframing problems is essential in a rapidly changing technological environment and explore four strategies that can help you hone your reframing skills.
https://hbr.org/2021/09/why-ai-will-never-replace-managers
:: Linkedin Learning Courses
The 10 Essentials of Influence and Persuasion
In today’s fast paced, constantly changing workplace, so much of our success comes down to our ability to influence colleagues, persuade co-workers, and get clients and customers to say yes to our ideas, proposals, and requests. But how can you become a more effective persuader? In this course, international best-selling author and persuasion researcher Steve Martin offers up ten proven ways to ethically and practically improve your ability to influence and persuade others at work, at home, and online. Join Steve as he shares his valuable information and action-orientated insights to help you develop and maximize your powers of influence and persuasion and get ready to hear more of the word “yes.”
:: Resources on Self-Leadership Development
Learn to Love Networking
“I hate networking.” It’s a familiar refrain. But in today’s world, networking is a necessity—and fortunately, an aversion to it can be overcome. Drawing on laboratory experiments and on studies at a large law firm, the authors have identified four strategies that can help people become more excited about and effective at building relationships:
· Focus on learning. Adopt a “promotion mindset” and concentrate on the positives, and you’re more likely to perceive networking as an opportunity for discovery rather than a chore.
· Identify common interests. Consider how your goals align with those of people you meet, and networking will feel more authentic.
· Think broadly about what you can give. Remember that you have something valuable to offer, whether it’s knowledge, gratitude, or recognition.
· Find a higher purpose. Frame your networking in terms of a larger goal—the collective benefits for your company, say—and the activity will feel more authentic and will lead to connections that bear fruit for everyone.
When you’re curious about others, you’ll be amazed at what you learn and possibly benefit from it.
https://hbr.org/2016/05/learn-to-love-networking
Intentional Leadership: Being Brave with Guest Kimberly Davis
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Kimberly Davis, the founder of Brave Leadership University, joins Hannah and Luke to continue our exploration of Intentional Leadership. Kimberly helps us understand that we can be brave by connecting to our “super objective,” which is the impact we want to have. She defines bravery as “being my best, most authentic and powerful self,” which is critical for Intentional Leadership.
https://www.purposeandperformancegroup.com/magic-in-the-room-139
2022-23 Teaching Assistant Award Winners Demonstrate Educational Excellence
Twenty-one outstanding graduate students have been selected as recipients of the 2022-23 UW–Madison Campus-Wide Teaching Assistant Awards, recognizing their excellence in teaching. We can learn from their aspirations for the future by checking in with our own values and mission in our personal journeys.
UW–Madison employs over 2,300 teaching assistants (TAs) across a wide range of disciplines. Their contributions to the classroom, lab, and field are essential to the university’s educational mission. If you supervise one of these TAs, or any TA for that matter, let them know you value their work.
:: Upcoming Events
Coaching Circles Intro Courses and Practice Sessions
CSN has been partnering with Theresa Kim of LTD over the past few months to get a coaching circles community started on the UW campus. We hosted 3 introductory sessions, along with a practice session for those who had been to a training, to garner more interest in this program. Theresa has continued with additional sessions on the OHRD website — if you have an interest in learning about how coaching circles can benefit you in your leadership journey, or want to practice the skill after taking the intro course, go to the OHR Registration System and search for Coaching Circles to see her current offerings. Reach out to Theresa directly if you’ve completed the training and want to be assigned to a pod on campus.
https://hr.wisc.edu/professional-development/courses/?q=coaching+circles
Free Retirement Planning Help
It is never too early to start preparing for retirement. The choices you make today can affect your income and insurance options as a retiree. UW–Madison offers free, online information sessions for employees at every stage in their careers:
- Those who are 15-30 years from retirement can learn about strategies for preparing early by attending Starting to Save.
- The Mid-Career Retirement Check-In is designed for employees who are 5-15 years from retirement.
- UW employees who might retire within 5 years can learn about the retirement process in the Ready to Retire session; a recorded video of this session is also available.
All sessions are offered on multiple dates. Learn more by visiting the Retirement section of the UW–Madison Human Resources website.