This week we celebrate NINE YEARS since the inaugural CSN meeting on August 4, 2015! Since that session where 65 people got together to network and discuss what they wanted to hear more about, we’ve hosted or been part of over 110 events!
From manning booths at the employee resource fairs to displaying posters at Showcase, we’ve connected with our potential audience in many ways. We’ve hosted many book clubs: Drive, The Clover Practice, Elevate, What Matters at Work, Quiet, The Art of Caring Leadership, Crucial Conversations, Radical Candor, Switch, and many more. We’ve had small group discussions on covering trust, managing up, communicating more effectively, handling the stresses of leading during a pandemic, and other areas pertinent to managers at UW-Madison. Also, we’ve peppered in some networking events to get to know each other better: our gratitude sessions last summer, holiday parties, nature walks, and tours of prominent venues on campus. Networking is the heart of our group, after all!
We continually survey our members and try to offer sessions that complement the other training available to you from OHR and other sources.
As we enter our 10th year serving the supervisors and aspiring leaders on campus, we want to recognize how far we’ve come and celebrate this success! What’s been your favorite CSN event? Tell everyone on the CSN Celebrations Wall: https://go.wisc.edu/88d0ix
“As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.”– Robin Sharma
:: Image of the Week
:: Work Culture & Team Development
New Sessions Added for New Employee Orientation
New Employee Orientation (NEO) is offered both in person and online, and helps employees gain a better understanding of the ‘big picture’ that is UW-Madison. We cover history, traditions, campus leadership and the many resources available to UW-Madison employees. While it’s designed for employees in their first few months of employment, all are welcome to attend regardless of how long they’ve been on campus. We pride ourselves on everyone leaving having learned something new! A few comments from past participants:
“I’ve done sooooo many orientations for this new role, and this was my favorite one.”
“I loved the history and the time taken to put this together. Made me feel good about working at UW.”
Upcoming Sessions with Room to Register:
Sept. 10, 9:00 – 11:00 am, 21 N. Park St.
Sept. 26, 10:00 – 11:30, online
New Employee Tours
Employees wanting to see more and learn about our main campus can sign up for a 1 hour driving tour aboard a climate controlled Badger Bus Trolley. Tours begin and end at 21 N. Park St. and highlight landmarks and areas of our Madison main campus. Tours are hosted by retired employees who enjoy sharing their own insights and stories of their time at UW. Space is limited and fill quickly. A NEW tour has just been added for October 2, 11:00 – 12:00!
https://www.talent.wisc.edu/Catalog/Default.aspx?CK=79621
An Enlightened Approach To Assessment
Understanding whether you are dealing with a simple, complicated, complex, or chaotic problem helps you determine your approach to solve it.
“These are complex times — not merely complicated — and they also have many chaotic features as we wrestle with how best to respond to the challenges of the coronavirus and its sudden impacts on the world.” This excerpt from my book, What Matters at Work, seems appropriate… I hope you find it helpful.
When addressing challenges we face, we need to distinguish among the types of problems being addressed. Michael Quinn Patton (Developmental Evaluation, 2010, and other writings) has created an excellent taxonomy of issues that serve us here.
https://whatmattersatwork.newzenler.com/blog/an-enlightened-approach-to-assessment
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
Feeling Stressed Too Often? Take it Outside
In today’s stress-fueled world, a shortage of time is part of life for most people. However, new research says simple relief may be available for humanity’s disordered sense of time. The solution could be as simple as stepping into the sunlight. A recent article published in the British Ecological Society’s journal, People and Nature, proposes at least two ways nature affects people’s sense of time: altered perception and altered perspective. Author Ricardo Correia examines and contributes to a considerable body of scientific evidence regarding the mental and physical health benefits associated with nature immersion and being away from the hustle and bustle of urban settings. Read this article by Julie Peterson on the benefits of nature immersion.
https://www.theearthandi.org/post/feeling-stressed-too-often-take-it-outside
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
How to Create More Belonging for Yourself and Others
There are small things we can do in our everyday lives to feel accepted and valued, and to help others feel the same.
The way we treat each other can help us feel like we belong—or not. Belonging is the sense that we’re part of a larger group that accepts and values us for who we are, to which we can contribute; we feel like we have roots, maybe even a home.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_create_more_belonging_for_yourself_and_others
:: Self-Leadership Development
Loving Leadership Lessons at the Wave Pool
Renée Smith wrote in a recent blog post:
“We have a public wave pool about a mile up the street from my house. It’s the best thing ever on a hot summer day and a big hit as a part of “Grandma Camp”, the summertime event my husband and I host for our grade school-age grandkids. I’m fortunate my husband doesn’t complain about being excluded from the branding of “Grandma Camp” and is an enthusiastic Head Counselor! We’ve made nine visits to the Wave Pool in two weeks. I’m glad for my newfound spaciousness to get out of the office, away from my computer, and to be there with the kids to play in the water, as well as enjoy relaxing, people-watching, and daydreaming too.”
What does this summer leisure have to do with Loving Leadership?
Read her whole article to find out! She can find leadership moments (and flub-ups) in just about every situation and does a great job of dissecting them here.
https://www.makeworkmorehuman.com/blog/loving-leadership-lessons-at-the-wave-pool
Why You Feel Underappreciated at Work
Despite working hard and meeting our goals, sometimes it’s not clear why we aren’t getting ahead at work. In the absence of strong feedback, we may begin to feel underappreciated or undervalued. While leaders and managers can help boost employee morale by bridging communication gaps around performance, it can be frustrating to wait for that change to happen. What can you do to empower yourself in this situation? Begin by figuring out the unique circumstances that are contributing to your feelings of underappreciation. In some cases, you may be making false assumptions that are exacerbating your negative emotions or leading you down the wrong path of action. You may need to course correct to move in the right direction.
https://hbr.org/2024/07/why-you-feel-underappreciated-at-work
:: Communication
How to Master Your Emotions & Deal with Negative People
It’s enough of a challenge to learn to deal with our own feelings, so where do we even begin when it comes to helping others with theirs? Author Susan David had an incredible and fun conversation on The Mel Robbins Podcast about exactly this. They discussed how to ground ourselves in an emotional world, important techniques for navigating emotions within our relationships, and many other essential tools for home, the workplace, and beyond. This conversation is more important than ever right now: for many, it’s become really hard to “human.”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0YgS4cF81a4BxqjvNpDwKN
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb
‘How to Have a Good Day’ is your essential toolkit for a productive day at work and beyond. Written by economist and former McKinsey partner Caroline Webb, this comprehensive guide covers it all:
> Defining priorities for your day
> Making the hours go further
> Making the most of every interaction
> Being your smartest, most creative self
> Maximising the impact of all you say and do
> Sailing through setbacks
> Boosting enthusiasm and enjoyment
When it comes to being bogged down by too much stuff and needing a way to break through, Caroline offers some particularly nifty tips. When you need a flash of inspiration on a thorny topic, try the following:
• Pose a question. When you’re feeling blocked, ask yourself: What would be a totally different approach to this?
• Refresh and reboot. Try shifting your focus to a different type of task for a while, before returning to the original issue.
• Switch views. Try a different way of describing or looking at the issue you’re working on, and notice what comes to the surface. Write about it in longhand for ten minutes. “Rubber duck” it by explaining the issue to someone unfamiliar with it. Or create a physical map of your issue using sticky notes.
• Find an analogy. Expose yourself to a different type of stimulus (eg observe another organization’s ways of working; view websites or images from fields different from yours), and ask yourself: How is this like the topic I’m working on? How is it different? What new idea does that suggest I could explore?
There a stacks of insightful tips in this book. We recommend you grab a copy and get stuck in!
https://carolinewebb.co/books/how-to-have-a-good-day/
:: Vulnerability
Brené Brown’s Top Ten Rules for Success
“You HAVE to Make a CHOICE: Am I Going to SHOW UP?” Watch this compilation video of several of Brené Brown’s talks, including themes on cultivating authenticity, building shame resilience, letting go of perfectionism, and more. One section focuses on the need for vulnerability in order to embrace change and innovation in the workplace; especially fitting in our environment on campus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDS5bqvOlhc
“You have to be odd to be #1.” ― Dr. Seuss
:: Trust, Psychological Safety & Belonging
Building Trust in Yourself
Almost all problems are a breakdown in trusting ourselves. If we could trust ourselves fully, so many things become effortless. So if that’s true … how do we develop trust in ourselves? Let’s look at what’s possible if we fully trust ourselves, then look at how to develop that trust in this article by Leo Babauta on the site Zen Habits.
https://zenhabits.net/trusting/?mc_cid=a6647110f4&mc_eid=64ed34cb6e
“In many cases, what you hope to learn by reading books or listening to podcasts can only be learned by attempting what you fear. Some knowledge is only revealed through action.” — James Clear
:: Upcoming Events
Shifting Mindsets, Transforming Cultures: A Bold Approach to Inclusive Leadership
Diversity offers many benefits but only in organizations with inclusive cultures. So, what can business leaders do to foster inclusive organizational cultures?
If you’re interested in learning how inclusive leadership can spark innovation, performance, and employee engagement, join us for a one-hour live discussion with leading industry experts, Gena Cox, Minette Norman, and Sara Taylor.
Based on decades of combined experience, Gena, Minette, and Sara will share key insights about the current urgency to invest in organizational culture and dive into the transformative power of inclusive leadership.
Prepare yourself for this interactive event where you’ll discover:
- Varying perspectives from leaders who advise about inclusion in this disrupted work world in the inclusive leadership space
- Helpful ways leaders can take action to fuel inclusion
- How teams work together to increase inclusion
- The benefits to organizations that undergo this transformation
Inclusive leadership is more than just a buzzword. It’s a crucial driver of innovation, employee engagement, and organizational success.
Date: August 13, 2024
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CST
Online via Zoom
https://weavinginfluence.com/shifting-mindsets-transforming-cultures-webinar/ (registration link works best in chrome or safari)
CSN’s ‘Summer of Celebrations’ Networking Events
We’ve enjoyed your company at the Chazen Museum and Allen Centennial Gardens. Now it’s time for a treat!
>> Babcock Dairy Tour and Tasting
Celebrate industry and discover dairy delights. Observe, indulge, and learn at Babcock Dairy! CSN members will meet at the Dairy Store for an observation experience to learn more about Babcock Dairy behind the scenes. We’ll visit the store for a treat* and head outside to enjoy it while we network and celebrate.
*A complimentary scoop of Babcock ice cream is included in this session!
Date: August 15, 2024
Time: 10:30-11:30 am
Registration Deadline: August 8 (Thursday)
Register Here: https://go.wisc.edu/dw1ly6
More information about Babcock Dairy can be found at https://babcockdairystore.wisc.edu/observation-deck-tours/