June’s first PP tells us to let go, give in to perfection paralysis, and create environments where others will blossom. We’ll also disagree on some things… productively.
*Note: Don’t fret if you can’t get to all of these resources! You can choose one or two that interest you if you’re short on time.
:: Image of the Week
:: Self-Leadership Development
How To Get Ahead In Your Career By Letting Go
Many of us resist giving things up because we’ve always had them, or we might use them again one day. It’s incredible how much stuff you can accumulate, especially when you haven’t taken the time to assess whether you still use or need it. Remember to be mindful of the company you keep and the activities that you engage in, and ask yourself if they support what you want to do, not just what you’ve done. More from author Amy Blaschka on this:
Student Supervision Certification Exploration
The Student Employment team in the Office of Student Financial Aid is exploring creating a student supervision professional development certificate, similar to the Principles in Supervision and Management – but especially catered to student supervision. We have questions for student supervisors across campus to ensure that as we develop this certificate program it’s built with their needs centered from the beginning. If you supervise students, Please take 5 minutes to share your thoughts!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScO0m216896c1VkI7_MqGtdD01GKaC4etb-II7ZxWs7gdJ7VA/viewform
“Authenticity and knowing who you are is fundamental to being an effective and long-standing leader.” – Ann Fudge
Self-reflection for Leaders in Five Steps
Ben Bryant offers a concise 5-step self-reflection guide for leaders, using Carlos M.’s experiences to highlight emotional awareness in leadership in this Institute for Management Development article.
https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/leadership/self-reflection-for-leaders-in-five-steps/
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
The Power of Optimism
This is such an important reminder from Melissa Hughes, Ph.D., about how we can impact our own state of mind and cultivate an optimistic outlook through the expression of gratitude. “…on those gloomy days when your happiness meter isn’t registering, the best way to change your outlook may be to express your gratitude to someone else.” It’s easy to slide toward pessimism, but following Melissa’s guidance here can lead to important physical and mental health benefits.
What are your three good things today?
https://www.melissahughes.rocks/post/the-power-of-optimism
:: Productivity
Overcoming Perfection Paralysis
We all want to be good at what we do. But sometimes, the goal of excellence goes too far…and becomes perfection. Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. Striving for “perfection” can be a motivating force. But it can also lead to Perfection Paralysis: a state where the fear of not being perfect hinders our ability to get things done. See this article by Administrative Professionals Conference keynote speaker Chrissy Scivicque.
https://eatyourcareer.com/2024/01/overcoming-perfection-paralysis/
:: Work Culture & Team Development
3 Ways to Engage and Retain Your People
Many organizations and their leaders are struggling to develop engaged employees who will stick around for the long haul. The causes of low engagement and high turnover are many—and the impact on organizations is tremendous. Consider these data points in the new report from Gallup:
- 77% of employees are either disengaged (59%) or activelydisengaged (18%)
- 51% of currently employed workers are watching for, or actively seeking, a new job
- 70% of the variance in employee engagement is attributable to the manager
Think about that last point. If you’re a manager, is that a sobering thought? It should be. Your leadership accounts for 70% of your team members’ engagement at work.
So what can you do, as an individual leader, to develop and retain engaged team members? Ken Blanchard suggests you implement these three leadership methods in his recent servant leadership article.
“It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Magic in the Room #179: Commitments and Accountability
We continue to share this series on the skills needed to lead a team. The Purpose & Performance Group started with building trust in episode 178. In this Magic in the Room episode, Hannah, Chris, and Luke discuss a new skill: creating an environment of commitment and accountability. The core idea in this conversation is that people can only be accountable if they know what they are committed to. People can hold themselves accountable once we have a common understanding of commitments.
https://www.purposeandperformancegroup.com/magic-in-the-room-179
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
The Heart of Business
Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy and orchestrator of the retailer’s spectacular turnaround, unveils his personal playbook for achieving extraordinary outcomes by putting people and purpose at the heart of business.
Back in 2012, “Everyone thought we were going to die,” says Joly. Eight years later, Best Buy was transformed as Joly and his team rebuilt the company into one of the nation’s favorite employers, vastly increased customer satisfaction, and dramatically grew Best Buy’s stock price. Joly and his team also succeeded in making Best Buy a leader in sustainability and innovation.
In The Heart of Business, Joly shares the philosophy behind the resurgence of Best Buy: pursue a noble purpose, put people at the center of the business, create an environment where every employee can blossom, and treat profit as an outcome, not the goal.
This approach is easy to understand, but putting it into practice is not so easy.
It requires radically rethinking how we view work, how we define companies, how we motivate, and how we lead. In this book Joly shares memorable stories, lessons, and practical advice, all drawn from his own personal transformation from a hard-charging McKinsey consultant to a leader who believes in human magic.
The Heart of Business is a timely guide for leaders ready to abandon old paradigms and lead with purpose and humanity. It shows how we can reinvent capitalism so that it contributes to a sustainable future.
https://www.hubertjoly.org/book/
Also, check out a recent interview with Hubert and Scott Miller at FranklinCovey: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/ol-s36-e358-hubert-joly?x=jmhfld
“Leadership is not about titles or the corner office. It’s about the willingness to step up, put yourself out there, and lean into courage. The world is desperate for braver leaders. It’s time for all of us to step up.” – Brené Brown
:: Communication
TED: How to disagree productively and find common ground | Julia Dhar
Some days, it feels like the only thing we can agree on is that we can’t agree — on anything. Drawing on her background as a world debate champion, Julia Dhar offers three techniques to reshape the way we talk to each other so we can start disagreeing productively and finding common ground — over family dinners, during work meetings and in our national conversations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phgjouv0BUA