Let’s break free of the cage, create a stress-free environment, and manage our time in 25-minute chunks this week with our resources. We’ll also adopt some Believership in our work world, taking advantage of our superpowers for people to align with our leadership more fully. What other nuggets will you take away from this Planners’ Picks?
:: Image of the Week
Jade Bonacolta wrote this recently: Most of our minds are filled with clutter. Past regrets, future worries, and present anxieties. But each of these are different spellings of the same word: fear. Here’s the thing. Fear is a mile wide, but an inch deep. When we look at it from afar, it’s a daunting ocean. But if we just take that first step in? We’ll realize it’s a puddle. We might even laugh, saying “This is what I was so afraid of?”
From https://thequietrich.beehiiv.com/p/rich-fearlessness
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
NPR’s Stress Less Email Series
Life is stressful. Whether you’re dealing with illness, relationship or work conflict, or if you’re worrying about the election or world events, it can all be a lot. NPR’s Stress Less series is aimed at helping you cope with life’s challenges. You will learn a wide array of science-based strategies that can help improve positive feelings, reduce feelings of anxiety, and empower you to better deal with life’s stressors.
Over five weeks, this newsletter will bring you science-backed tools and strategies that can help improve your well-being and reduce anxiety.
https://www.npr.org/newsletter/stress-less?orgid=353&utm_att1=lifekit
“I used to be addicted to overcoming things. Now my goal is to get out of my own way.” – Shirley MacLaine
:: Self-Leadership Development
Leading with Self-Compassion
In the relentless pursuit of excellence, leaders today often find themselves trapped in cycles of self-criticism and exhaustion. The traditional leadership model—one that emphasizes unyielding drive and perfection—leaves many feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from their true selves. This isn’t just a personal struggle; it’s a pervasive issue affecting the very fabric of organizations and communities.
The costs are significant. Stress, fear, and burnout diminish creativity, innovation, and genuine connection, ultimately damaging organizational performance, employee well-being, and overall societal health. It’s time to challenge the narrative that has led to these outcomes and shift towards a leadership style that starts with self-compassion.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dear-humans-being-leaders-massimo-backus-smvwc/
“Compete externally and you compare. Compete internally and you improve.” – James Clear
The High Cost of Self-Sacrifice
The more you sacrifice, the less of yourself remains. It’s a slow erosion—of passion, creativity, and decision-making; the very essence of being an effective leader. Sacrificing yourself isn’t a virtue; it’s a liability. Read this article on Leadership Freak about the new book from Massimo Backus on how self-compassion is the way out of the woods.
https://leadershipfreak.blog/2024/09/17/the-high-cost-of-self-sacrifice/#comment-423340
:: Work Culture & Team Development
How to Create a Stress-Free Workplace
In today’s episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, Scott Domann, Chief People Officer at Calm shares his journey from senior HR roles at Facebook and Netflix to his current position at Calm, where he combines his passion for mental health with his profession.
Scott delves into the importance of mental health at work, the evolving role of HR leaders, and the unique challenges faced by managers in fostering a mentally healthy workplace. He discusses practical strategies for integrating mental health support into organizational culture and the significance of authentic leadership.
In this episode, Scott discusses:
- The importance of storytelling and vulnerability in leadership
- The role of managers in creating a healthy work environment
- Challenges and strategies in integrating mental health support at work
- The journey from traditional HR roles to leading mental health initiatives at Calm
https://hrleaders.co/podcast/how-to-create-a-stress-free-workplace
:: Communication
The Law of Reciprocity Explained
Have you ever met someone who you immediately liked? Perhaps they reminded you of a dear friend or had an infectious laugh. Maybe they were wearing a t-shirt of your favorite sports team or you both went to the same college. C’mon…are those rational reasons to like someone? So what gives?
We all have a natural tendency to want to be around people we can relate to – “people like me.” It’s human nature to gravitate towards people with common interests or backgrounds, and to favor people like us. It’s an unconscious bias that happens to all of us. It’s called affinity bias when we base assessments of people on how much they’re like us.
Dr. Melissa Hughes shares more about the power of “people like me” and how to improve communication and relationships using Dale Carnegie’s “6 ways to make people like you” from his 1936 publication How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Using Humor at Work
Humor at work is a risk, right? Wrong. It’s a risk NOT to use it.
Here’s the thing: when used right, humor isn’t just about lightening the mood. It’s about building trust, increasing engagement, and breaking down silos. Read Kate Davis’ post on this topic for some suggestions on infusing humor into your communications.
:: Change Management
3 Strategies to Create a Culture of Change
There is constant change in your workplace, much of which you didn’t implement. Some might be from the negative attitudes of a few employees, some from changing work requirements over time. How do you handle it all and continue to create a positive work culture?
Here are 3 Strategies to Leverage Change for a positive work culture:
https://www.workpositive.today/blog/3-Strategies-to-Create-a-Culture-of-Change
“Your life doesn’t get better by chance; it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn
:: Remote and Hybrid Work
How to Reduce Workplace Loneliness and Polarization
There’s pretty good evidence that the water cooler at work was a real phenomenon where people did spend historically a lot of time talking with their friends. They were talking about the wrestling match on television last night, or they were talking about the local schools. Part of it was just fun and part of it you might call ‘civic discourse.’
“…Virtual teamwork or collaboration isn’t a substitute for in-person cohesion and trust that’s formed.” – Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone”
What do we do now, in the age of remote and hybrid work? Our water cooler is now a Zoom screen without the cleansing flow of in-person interaction. See all of what Robert has to say on this topic at the link below.
https://time.com/charter/7014547/robert-putnam-loneliness-and-polarization
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Believership
Author and speaker Mike Vacanti tells a great story about his life journey in Believership and transitions into his work with HumansFirst Club and much more.
“Believership brings a good heart, inclusion, diversity, and caring to leadership, lifting others through choice rather than command. We have a leadership crisis. We can do better. The identification and selection of leaders is based on a flawed myth. Our heritage of prescriptive authority is proving harmful. People are, tired, broken, and scared, lowering our human capacity to an alarming level, at a time when change is more rapid and more significant than at any time in history. We are not preparing people for the journey ahead.”
“Great leaders are unique individuals with a myriad of personalities, skills, and characteristics. So are each of your employees. Honoring each person’s unique talent is the powerful differentiator for future success, looking beyond similarities and exploring what happens when you embrace the unique gifts of each individual, unleashing their superpower. Believership is a higher form of leadership, igniting purpose and the power of many moving in the same direction. While leadership forges a path, Believership becomes a paved road for many to travel together.”
Chapter six was about superpowers, and an excerpt follows:
There is no normal.
You may try to weave a common thread through the admired leaders of today, especially in business, but there is no normal. When we look through the narrow, foggy lens of organizational norms rooted in the past, however, we understand it is ridiculous to even ponder the absurdity of normal.
Norms are limitations. Like comfort food for our brains, we subconsciously crave what is normal. While perhaps it’s comforting, we don’t need it, and it’s not our best choice. Greatness is abnormal and, at times, seemingly reckless. In all cases, great leaders fight the constraints forced upon them and move forward with resolve. People believe in them or what they are doing or what they stand for, and attach themselves, with commitment. It’s not a lead-and-follow situation. It’s with. When Believership is present, people align with the leader.
https://www.amazon.com/Believership-Superpower-Beyond-Leadership-Experience/dp/1457571277
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.” – Amelia Earhart
:: Trust, Psychological Safety & Belonging
4 Patterns of High-Performing Teams:
- They connect with each other. These teams work to bridge their differences and allow team members to be their true and authentic selves. They understand that great teamwork moves beyond interaction and into connection.
- They invest in learning. These teams are constantly growing. They respect each other’s innate need to learn, grow, and develop mastery. They build time and resource into their work day and understand that mistakes are part of the learning process.
- They crave accountability. These teams hold themselves to high standards of accountability. They’re focused on doing their best work, both individually and collectively. They know that autonomy (with guidance) expects performance and results.
- They know how to innovate. These teams feel safe to challenge the status quo of the organization. Each team member has learned to provide the air cover needed to encourage their team member’s candor, opinions, and perspectives.
Listen to a video from Leader Factor on what you need to know about psychological safety to develop high-performing teams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLsOjAsUbZo
:: Developing Better Habits
Need More Time? Pomodoro!
Today’s technique is the perfect way to harness your energetic optimism for getting things done at the start of a new week. The Pomodoro Technique was developed in the 1980s by university student, Francesco Cirillo. The name comes from the Italian word for “tomato” in honor of the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo originally used. Read Renée Smith’s article on how she uses this technique to be more productive in her work by chunking time.
https://www.makeworkmorehuman.com/blog/need-more-time-pomodoro
:: Upcoming Events
Your Phone, Its Content & Your Emotional Health
From the UW-Madison Healthy Minds Innovations Lab: Explore the impact of device usage on your emotions and how consuming content truly makes you feel. Learn practical ways to change your relationship with technology and how to curate content for your emotional well-being.
Date: October 24, 2024
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm CST
Online Live Recording – link will be shared after registration
This is a free live event / Donation suggested—Healthy Minds Innovations will be the sole beneficiary of your donation.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/your-phone-its-content-your-emotional-health-registration-1038902965737
Skills to Enhance Well-being
LifeMatters and the Employee Assistance Office are offering a virtual webinar, Mind-Body Wellness, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, noon‒1 p.m. This webinar teaches skills that can help participants slow down, get centered, and get focused by using mindfulness, gentle stretching, and more. The webinar is offered at no cost to all UW‒Madison employees. Register online to receive the Zoom link.
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024
Time: 12:00‒1:00 p.m.
Student Employee Diversity Forum
Please share the following information with your student employees and encourage them to attend!
Whether you are a current UW-Madison Student Employee or not, we all play a part in creating an inclusive Badger community for all. Join your peers in this thought-provoking forum which will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas while engaging in a variety of topics on diversity, identity and inclusion. The forum features a keynote address and workshop sessions on Friday November 15th, 2024. Students can attend all or any portion provided as part of the Diversity Forum. All sessions will take place in person at the Gordon Dining and Event Center.
Date: Friday November 15, 2024
Time: 11:30am – 3:00pm
Location: Gordon Dining and Event Center
Students can learn more at https://studentjobs.wisc.edu/se-diversity-forum/.