Planners’ Picks
A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning
We’re getting curious this week in PP; We also ignite motivation in our teams, speak more confidently, and develop leadership communication skills for the modern workplace. Enjoy!
:: Image of the Week
Being patient is hard.
It’s hard to wait; it’s frustrating, it’s difficult, and it can even make us feel helpless, like we have no power over what happens next. What’s the vibe of patience? Waiting in line at the doctor’s office, waiting for difficult situations to change, waiting to see the results from your daily habits.
But there’s a state very close to patience — one where you are still waiting for something to happen — that has a completely different emotional tone. It’s the state of anticipation.
Anticipation is exciting. Something good is going to happen. There’s joy just around the corner; it’s going to be so wonderful when it finally arrives. You anticipate vacations, special events, and life milestones. As it turns out, research finds that anticipation can sometimes be even more enjoyable than the event itself.
Here’s something to try out today:
- What would it look like if you waited with anticipation instead of patience?
- If you were anticipating… you would be certain that good things were coming, so you’d feel excited and hopeful.
- If you were anticipating… you would trust that changes were occurring, even if you couldn’t see them quite yet.
- If you were anticipating… you would enjoy the process of waiting rather than simply rushing to get to the end.
Wouldn’t that be more so much enjoyable?
From The New Happy newsletter: https://www.thenewhappy.com/blog/patience-to-anticipation
:: Resources on Mental Health and Self-Care
Healthy Minds Program App Added New Content
Recently the people at Healthy Minds Innovations launched new Awareness content in their free phone app! They’ve collaborated with experts from various backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives to bring you a richer, more inclusive experience. With evolved lessons + practices, you’ll hear from people who represent pieces of the beautiful tapestry of our global community while gaining new insight into awareness. You should check out their app and the tools they supply within it. More details can be found at https://hminnovations.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/14793614203277-New-Awareness-Content-in-the-App- or you can download from your favorite app store by searching for Healthy Minds Program.
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” ― Eckhart Tolle
:: Resources on Work Culture & Team Development
How to Speak Confidently to Your Team During Chaotic Times
These days, many employees feel like they’re constantly receiving a stream of bad or confusing news that affects their work in unpredictable ways. When they only hear simple summaries from their leaders about issues they know aren’t so simple, teams can feel frustrated and even angry. Next time you feel you need to say something, but you’re not sure what to say, try these three strategies: 1) Recognize the power of “and” — it allows you to align two seemingly separate thoughts, such as “things are difficult and things will be okay.” 2) Teach the past to arm the future. Unpacking the past and connecting it to the present can help you create more certainty. 3) Adopt a more experimental mindset. This can help change feel less risky.
https://hbr.org/2023/08/how-to-speak-confidently-to-your-team-during-chaotic-times
Curiosity: How to Fuel Continuous Growth Along the S Curve
Are you familiar with the S-Curve of learning new things? By using each phase of the S Curve as an opportunity to learn and progress, you too can achieve continuous growth. The key is to stay curious: about yourself, your work, and what’s next. Are you leveraging your curiosity to explore new areas of growth? Read this short article by Whitney Johnson on one person’s journey of navigating transition using the S-Curve.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/curiosity-how-fuel-continuous-growth-along-curve-whitney-johnson
:: Resources on Self-Leadership Development
Cultivating Curiosity: The Art of Living a Learning Life
This article explains why being more curious will benefit you: Cultivating curiosity helps you get unstuck, and opens doors you never knew existed.
“Curiosity allows us to learn, grow, and be playful even in our work. It requires not only noticing but actively seeking out solutions.
Nearly unstoppable once started, curiosity contains and creates its own perpetual motion, where one question leads inexorably to another, a never-ending path of learning and wonder.”
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cultivating-curiosity-art-living-learning-life-a-human-workplace/
“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Coaching Circle Pods at UW-Madison
Coaching Circles have launched at UW-Madison, and now is your chance to see what they’re all about! Form new connections with a small group of colleagues from across campus. Have a trusted place to share your challenges and support others with theirs. Discover a space once a month where you can show up completely unpolished. CSN featured some introductory classes over the past year, and OHR continues to add people to pods as they express interest.
One participant said, “Simply amazing. I learned so much from their listening to help me move forward. Thank you so much for this gift.”
Want to learn more? Go to the website for information and a short video. Sign up for an upcoming Intro Course.
https://hr.wisc.edu/professional-development/programs/coaching-circles/
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Range: Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World by David Epstein
What’s the most effective path to success in any domain? It’s not what you think.
Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world’s top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.
David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.
Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.
Epstein also discusses the idea that specialists are not always looking wide enough at a problem to come across the solution. He references situations where people from completely different fields provide answers to complex challenges in medicine, science, music, sports, space travel and more. While there is value in striving for mastery in a specific area, keeping an open mindset and exploring other ideas is not only helpful but crucial, in Epstein’s opinion, to succeed. With few exceptions which he points out, the range you have is key.
Link to a TED talk from David about this topic: https://youtu.be/8COaMKbNrX0
Link to Epstein’s book Range: https://davidepstein.com/the-range/
:: Resources on Communication
LinkedIn Learning: Leadership Communication in the Flow of Work
As a people leader, you want to communicate to engage, inspire, and retain your employees while driving the business forward. Communicating is more than exchanging information to do work—it’s fundamentally how others experience you. In this course, Molly Tschang, host of the popular podcast Say it Skillfully, teaches you how to develop leadership communication skills for the modern workplace based on an easy-to-apply framework with humanity at its center. When you excel in communicating as a leader you can inspire people to grow and do their best work—together. Join Molly in this course to discover how.
:: Upcoming Events
Student Supervisors Community of Practice Kick-Off!
Student supervisors: we hear you! We hear that the professional development opportunities for supervisors of professional staff isn’t always applicable to supervising students. We hear that there’s an appetite to connect with one another more regularly to troubleshoot, affirm & uplift your work, and share best practices & resources. We hear you, we see you, and we AGREE!
The Student Employment team in the Office of Student Financial Aid is launching a Student Supervisors Community of Practice and we’d love for you to join us. Our kick-off event is Tuesday, September 19th; 12:30-2:00; Union South. Light snacks will be provided.
At this kick-off, we will start to define & design what the Student Supervisors CoP will be in order to best meet the needs of our community. Come ready to roll up your sleeves and help shape the direction of this CoP in a way that meets YOUR needs! We’ll be utilizing resources provided by Learning & Talent Development, so if you’d like to do some homework ahead of time check this out.
We hope to see you there! Please RSVP HERE
And lastly, mark your calendars for future CoP dates (3rd Tuesday, every other month, 12:30 – 2 pm Union South TITU).
- November 21, 2023
- January 16, 2024
- March 19, 2024
- May 21, 2024
Webinar: Three Strategies to Ignite Employee Motivation
Do you struggle to motivate employees? How do you know what drives each person on your team or in your organization?
Join Purpose and Performance Group’s VP of Executive Coaching, Stephanie Licata with her friend and colleague, Christopher Orozco, founder of Create Leadership Co. for “Three Strategies to Ignite Employee Motivation” on Thursday, September 28th at 12:30 pm CST. Stephanie and Christopher have a combined 40 years of experience in guiding leadership and employee engagement strategies across industries.
Here are a few reasons to attend:
- You want to discover THREE key strategies to tap into motivating your team and organization. the first of which will be: Collaborative Role Definition.
- You are interested in what is possible when employees have a clear understanding of their role, AND they are invited to bring their unique talents and abilities to their work.
- You want to find ways to unlock hidden talent in your team and organization!
Save your spot below and feel free to forward this email to your colleagues!
Date: September 28, 2023
Time: 12:30 pm CST
Location: Online
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4016911766244/WN_fsCGX-zDSjif6IqRcXPRjQ#/registration
Networks That Work!
Creating a culture of wellness and tools that encourage self-confidence and resilience to meet life’s challenges and transitions
CSN is taking over LMD! Some of the CSN planning committee members are partnering with Jamesetta from Employee Assistance and Carol from the Retirement Issues Committee to bring you a panel discussion on wellness at the LMD conference.
This panel discussion begins with an introduction to Campus Supervisors Network, the programs and resources it provides, and its impact developing a strong campus network that encourages strong relationships and wellness for supervisors and staff. Attendees are invited to ask questions throughout the session. Panelists from CSN, Retirement Issues Committee and the Employee Assistance Office will answer questions and provide guidance on having sensitive discussions, empowering employees to ask questions, and encouraging employees to advocate for their own financial/mental/emotional development to build resiliency and resources to manage inevitable transitions such as job changes, health issues and retirement.
If you’re attending LMD, please check out our panel discussion!
Date: October 18, 2023
Time: 9:45-11:00 am
https://hr.wisc.edu/leadership-and-management-development-conference/sessions/