I vote to focus on building trust; I vote to take better care of myself; I vote to always be impeccable with my word; And I vote to find authentic happiness, all in this election-day edition of Planners’ Picks. Make sure to vote for what matters to YOU today, and every day, through your actions.
:: Image of the Week
If you were in the audience at the Campus Supervisors Network presentation on Empowering Multi-Generational Staff to Become Innovative Leaders, you heard that empowerment and communication are ineffective if you don’t have a foundation of trust in your unit or department. The image of the week shows us several parts of what a trusting relationship looks like. Which are you missing in your area of leadership? Where are you excelling?
Find several articles and resources on empowering multi-generational teams at http://go.wisc.edu/52xm27
“Your words and deeds must match if you expect employees to trust in your leadership.” – Kevin Kruse
:: Self-Leadership Development
Engage Your Workforce by Empowering Your Managers First
The hard job of managing people has gotten even harder in recent years. New demands for worker flexibility in the remote and hybrid workplace and increased risk of employee mental health problems add to the already difficult job of managing. In 2023, Gallup found one in five employees reported feeling loneliness, anger, or sadness during a lot of the previous day, and four in 10 felt a lot of stress.
Managers already have many responsibilities such as carrying out leadership initiatives, keeping up to date with customer and product needs, monitoring time and expenses, performance management, and training. But their role of inspiring people has never been more urgent. They are uniquely positioned to know each employee’s specific needs, career goals, and work-life situation.
This is your call to develop and take care of yourself first in order to be a successful leader to others.
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/645398/engage-workforce-empowering-managers-first.aspx
“If you dig a hole and it’s in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn’t going to help.” – Graphic designer and illustrator Seymour Chwast
The Four Agreements
“The Four Agreements for a Better Life” is dedicated to helping people from all walks of life and from all around the world to live a better life by expanding their awareness of universal principles of modafinil, and by offering resources and ongoing support for integrating these principles into their lives in a meaningful and lasting way. See what Don Miguel Ruiz envisioned several years ago as the way to navigate this world.
If you attended the recent Leadership and Management Development Conference at UW-Madison, you heard the keynote speaker focusing on the Four Agreements in his leadership journey several times.
Find articles and other resources at https://www.thefouragreements.com/
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)
An exciting new look at the essential gathering spaces in our society where friendships are formed, relationships are nurtured, and the tapestry of community is woven.
Do you have a third place? Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to socialize and build friendships. Yet, for several reasons, many people today find themselves without a third place of their own. At a time when our nation is facing an epidemic of loneliness and communities are suffering from a loss of trust, low levels of engagement, despair, and political polarization, what if the answer to many of our problems lies in a simple idea? What if we just need to pay attention to the places where we find ourselves?
https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Your-Third-Place-Communities/dp/1682754723
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. – Andy Warhol
:: Work Culture & Team Development
Have you found your IKIGAI?
You’ve heard the phrase “money can’t buy happiness,” right? But is that also true in the workplace? I mean, sure, a juicy salary feels AMAZING, but it might surprise you to know that many people would happily trade some of that cash for… well, a little more life. According to recent studies, over 60% of employees would prefer a better work-life balance over a higher salary.
But, seriously… this whole “work-life balance” thing is a fantasy. We’ve been told over and over again that we need to have this perfect balance—like some zen master juggling careers and family and personal passions flawlessly. How’s that working out for you?
This is where Ikigai comes into play! See what Dr. Melissa Hughes has to say about Ikagai in her recent blog.
https://melissahughes.rocks/so/17P9ePIQd?languageTag=en&cid=9d357a21-8c12-4875-9aae-89d0deaed78c
“Intentionality is the name of the game. Be purposeful, be deliberate, especially in a remote or hybrid work environment.” ~ Bev Kaye
A Synopsis About How to ‘Help Them Grow’
During their LinkedIn Live event on September 18, Bev Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni discussed the updates to and key insights from the third edition of their book, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go. The conversation, hosted by Christy Kirk from Berrett-Koehler Publishers, delved into the evolving nature of career development conversations, the new tools included in the book, and how leaders can better support employee growth in today’s dynamic work environment. The book emphasizes a practical approach to career development, addressing the need for ongoing, intentional conversations rather than formal, one-time events. I thought this overview might be of interest.
This link has the summary, as well as a link to their actual video conversation.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/synopsis-how-help-them-grow-bev-kaye-c8ogc/
Managing a Polarized Workforce
One of the toughest challenges leaders face is managing diverse perspectives—and given heightened tensions over politics and movements, that’s more difficult today than ever before. At the same time, productive disagreement and engagement with opposing views are crucial to high-functioning teams and organizations. So how can leaders both foster passionate debate and preserve collaboration and trust? Drawing from work conducted with scholars of psychology, sociology, and management, Harvard’s Julia A. Minson and Francesca Gino offer advice for leaders on approaching disagreements productively and helping employees at all levels do so. Tactics include training that defuses fears of disagreeing (it’s usually not as unpleasant as we expect); encourages people to cultivate a receptive mindset by, for instance, intentionally considering information from the opposing perspective; teaches people to choose words carefully, hedge claims, and emphasize areas of agreement; and fosters a culture of tolerance through actions and tone. Honing these skills takes time and practice, but the resulting decrease in frustration and negativity is well worth the effort.
https://hbr.org/2022/03/managing-a-polarized-workforce
:: Managing Up
3 Vital Questions You Must Answer to Manage Up Effectively
Episode 276: Do you ever feel like your attempts to manage up leave your manager more frustrated than satisfied? If you’ve answered their question without adding your perspective, you might miss a key opportunity to increase your influence and reduce their stress.
As a leader, your ability to communicate effectively directly impacts your success and your team’s performance. In this episode, we dive into leaders’ four common mistakes when managing up and how these simple missteps can lead to frustration, missed opportunities, and micromanagement.
Listen to this episode to:
- Discover the three critical questions to help you build trust, save time, and increase your influence with your manager.
- Learn practical strategies to present information that adds value instead of confusion.
- Understand how to align your communication style with your manager’s needs to avoid miscommunication and frustration.
Learn how to master influencing your boss for better results and less stress!
:: Other CoPs on Campus
Project Manager Community of Practice Monthly Meetings
The Project Manager Community of Practice welcomes those at UW-Madison who are interested in sharing information, improving their skills, or have a passion for the project management practice.
They meet virtually on the 1st Thursday of each month from 3:30-4:30 pm. Any member can propose topics for monthly meetings, and they invite project managers from all different departments across campus.
https://projectmanagercop.wisc.edu/
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.” – E.F. Schumacher
:: Communication
From Discord to Dialogue: Using Communication to Navigate Tense Times
Webinar replay: In an increasingly polarized environment, productive dialogue is more essential—and more challenging—than ever. While the upcoming election may magnify differences, the trend of rising incivility isn’t limited to this moment. This month, leadership and communication experts Karin Hurt and Diana Peterson-More will join me in an exploration of how leaders can harness the power of communication to foster better conversations, even in the face of disagreement. Learn how to create a culture that honors and leverages different points of view while avoiding the toxicity that can undermine relationships and results. Discover strategies to lead civil discourse, strengthen connections, and leverage the diversity that makes teams thrive.
https://www.linkedin.com/events/fromdiscordtodialogue-usingcomm7241867647494021120/
You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments…the best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It’s because they lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it.” — Roger Federer
:: Upcoming Events
UW–Madison Diversity Forum
Registration is now open to attend the 2024 UW–Madison Diversity Forum — “Threads of Belonging: Navigating Differences and Building Community”— which will be held November 13 & 14 at Union South with options to participate in-person and online. As always, the Diversity Forum, hosted by the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA), is free and open to the public.
The 2024 conference will focus on underscoring the importance of bringing our full selves to the collective while engaging with diversity and difference to gain new perspectives and facilitate growth.
Date: November 13-14, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m
Location: Union South / Online
https://diversityforum.wisc.edu/register/
Find Authentic Happiness – A Talk with Stephanie Harrison
How can we get happiness right in a world that has got it wrong?
We’re told that achieving our own success will make us happy, but we’re being misled. Authentic happiness isn’t about chasing after some unrealistic, perfect life – it comes from letting go of outer expectations and helping each other to live happier lives.
At this special live event, bestselling author Stephanie Harrison will share her uplifting new approach to happiness. Building on extensive research, she’ll explore some of the most common happiness-related challenges, from confidence and self-compassion through to relationships and purpose.
Stephanie will help us get beyond the unhelpful stories we’re told about happiness and the simplistic cliches of self-help messaging. She’ll remind us that we don’t have to be “perfect” or “successful” and, above all, we don’t have to do it all alone.
Taking part in this event will leave you with simple, but powerful, new ideas to help you feel happier, cultivate gratitude, help others and find a greater sense of meaning in your life – even in uncertain and challenging times.
Date: November 13, 2024
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm CST
Online via Zoom (link sent after registration)