Planners’ Picks — January 21, 2025

Planners’ Picks A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning

We’re into the Spring semester — new opportunities for greatness, a time to reset, and a chance to survive and thrive. Let’s continue our plans to improve ourselves and our environments with this week’s newsletter content.

 

:: Image of the Week

Graphic showing: Are you moving towards what matters to you? Or are you moving toward what matters to others? Thenewhappy.com

 

:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation

Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working

In Reset, Dan Heath offers a roadmap for leaders and teams to diagnose and fix the systems that hold them back. Using real-world stories and actionable insights, Reset empowers you to create lasting change in your organization.

Early buzz about the book:

Changing how we work can feel overwhelming. Like trying to budge an enormous boulder. We’re stifled by the gravity of the way we’ve always done things. And we spend so much time fighting fires—and fighting colleagues—that we lack the energy to shift direction.

But with the right strategy, we can move the boulder. In Reset, Heath explores a framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. The secret is to find “leverage points”: places where a little bit of effort can yield a disproportionate return. Then, we can thoughtfully rearrange our resources to push on those points.

Heath weaves together fascinating examples, ranging from a freakishly effective fast-food drive-thru to a simple trick from couples therapy to an inspirational campaign that saved a million cats.

In Reset, you’ll
-Why the feeling of progress can be your secret weapon in accelerating change
-How leaders can uncover and stop wasteful activities
-Why your team’s motivation is often squandered—and how to avoid that mistake
-How you can jumpstart your change efforts by beginning with a “burst”

The book investigates Why the middle is the roughest part of a change effort. Why inefficiency can sometimes accelerate progress. Why getting “buy-in” is the wrong way to think about change.

What if we could unlock forward movement—achieving progress on what matters most—without the need for more resources? The same people, the same assets…but dramatically better results. Yesterday, we were stuck. Today, we reset.

https://a.co/d/6fMX9Mj

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

 

:: Leadership Development

How to Be Worse at Your Job

Wait – Why do I want to be worse at my job?

From the Amy Gallo weekly newsletter:

Hear me out. I don’t actually want to be worse at my job, but I also don’t want to continue striving to meet the high standards I’ve set for myself and others. I’m a believer that if you’re going to do something, you should do it right (for more on this, see my previous newsletter I’m more stubborn than I thought). I pride myself on thinking three or four steps ahead and being able to prevent disasters from happening. I hate making mistakes, even minor ones.

And (this one is hard to type because I’m embarrassed by it) I just want to be the best at everything I do.

One of the readers of this newsletter (another Amy) sent me a post she shared on LinkedIn. It’s about being an OK mom and it resonated with me from the very first line: “Are you OK with being ‘just’ OK?” Clearly, I’m not! Every day is a negotiation: How perfect do I need to be?

I’ve joked with people in my life that I’m constitutionally unable to lower the bar. That’s not a good thing! Yes, a lot of these traits and behaviors have gotten me to where I am today (especially professionally) but I’ve also come to realize they’re holding me back.

How? Well, first and foremost, it’s exhausting. Trying to maintain and meet my standards is hard work. It takes time, emotional commitment and causes stress. It’s not possible to always meet (unnecessarily) high standards and yet, when I don’t, I’m hard on myself.

Just as bad: it interferes with my relationships. I tend to hold those around me to the same high standards (note: MY standards, not THEIRS). So when they–inevitably and reasonably–fail to meet the standards, I can get resentful and impatient.

It’s not just my stress level and relationships that suffer, my creativity does too. When I’m focused on being the best, I’m not thinking about how to do something differently or in a new way. I get way too “heads down” and miss what’s happening around me.

I know this perfectionist habit will not be easy to break–I’ve got decades of experience honing it!– but I’m determined to start the process.

Here are the questions I’m asking myself.

  1. How can I make this task less stressful? Rather than approaching this newsletter or an HBR article or keynote as “how can I do this perfectly?” I’m asking, “what could I do to make this easier?” Of course, I worry that I’m going to produce something mediocre, and let myself (and you) down. So I remind myself that: bringing more ease doesn’t have to compromise the outcome. It might even make it better!
  2. Would a mistake be the end of the world? No, it wouldn’t. I guarantee it wouldn’t. So stop pretending it would (Amy!).
  3. Are you being nice to yourself? The self-talk when I don’t meet my own standards is not kind. So when it’s time to review something I’ve done, I remind myself that I’m not perfect (because I’m human) and that’s OK.
  4. Can I lower my standard and still be satisfied with the outcome? Chances are yes, I can. What would the end result look like if I dialed it back 10 or 20%? Still pretty good, right?
  5. Am I ruminating or problem solving? Sometimes when I think and overthink something, I convince myself that it’s helpful. So when I find my mind getting stuck on something, I ask myself if I’m solving a problem or just spinning. If it’s the latter, I need to put it down—at least for a while.

Avoiding “compound perfectionism”

Here’s the sneaky thing about perfectionism, though: it makes me want to be perfect at not being perfect. Apparently, it’s a gift that keeps on giving! So while these five questions are meant to help me change my habits, I do NOT want them to become another impossibly high standard. So if (just kidding, when) I forget to ask myself these questions, I have to let it go. I have to say:

“It’s okay. You’re doing really well. You’re learning new habits, and it takes time to change. I’m proud of you for trying something new and challenging.”

It’s high time to give myself as much positive self-talk as the negative self-talk I’m so good at. Can you do the same?

On that note, one other thing I’m trying out: For years, I’ve kept a compliments folder in my email inbox and whenever someone sends me a compliment, I file it in there. Until last month, I’d only opened that folder 2 or 3 times max. Now I’m vowing to open it at least once a month.

The point? Reading the compliments that my friends, colleagues, and strangers have sent is an important reminder that I’m already good enough.

Great news: you’re already (more than) good enough, too.

More on her thoughts at www.amygallo.com

“In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus

  

:: Mental Health and Self-Care

11 Habits of Supremely Happy People

We’re always chasing something—be it a promotion, a new car, or a significant other. This leads to the belief that, “When (blank) happens, I’ll finally be happy.”

While these major events do make us happy at first, research shows this happiness doesn’t last. A study from Northwestern University measured the happiness levels of regular people against those who had won large lottery prizes the year prior. The researchers were surprised to discover that the happiness ratings of both groups were practically identical.

Read this post from Travis Bradberry on the 11 habits to support happiness (none of which involve more money).

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/11-habits-supremely-happy-people-dr-travis-bradberry-zk2nf/?trackingId=Qh9s1Y5QTD28LELL3loFXw%3D%3D

 

:: Self-Leadership Development

How to Handle The Rise of the Accidental Manager

A question for you, managers: Do you want to do this job? Or are you an accidental manager? In a recent survey, Gartner found that one in five managers “would prefer not being people managers, given a choice.”

Additional development can help managers who don’t really want to be in that role. Some might even come to embrace being a manager. But others simply should not be managers. So how did we get so many accidental managers? And what can your organization do to ensure that employees who move into management actually want to make the leap and are prepared for it?

Read about the rise of the accidental manager.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91237975/20-of-managers-want-out-this-is-how-to-handle-the-rise-of-the-accidental-manager

 

:: Recognition

UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards

Please join us for the 17th annual Outstanding Women of Color Awards Reception. The Outstanding Women of Color Awards recognize some of the many faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community members who go above and beyond in the pursuit of inclusive excellence and make important contributions to our community. Award recipients are selected based on nominations by their colleagues and community peers.

Award Winners:

Hope Broadus, J
Chief Human Resources Officer, School of Medicine and Public Health

Jeneile Luebke, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing

Catherine H. Phan
Digital and Media Archivist, Libraries

Kao Lee Yang
PhD candidate, Neuroscience and Public Policy Program

This year’s honorees will be recognized at a reception sponsored by the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement on Tuesday, February 25, from 5–7:30 p.m. in Varsity Hall at Union South, 1308 W Dayton Street.

Registration required: https://diversity.wisc.edu/outstanding-women-of-color-reception-registration/

Nominations Open for 2025 Administrative Improvement Awards

Each year, UW–Madison celebrates members of our community who provide critical administrative support to our academic, research, and outreach mission.

The Administrative Improvement Awards recognize outstanding work in process redesign/development or customer service that has resulted in improved efficiency, increased revenue channels, cost savings, or improved service delivery.

Nominations are now open for individuals and teams. All current Academic Staff, University Staff, faculty, limited employees, and student employees are eligible for the award.

The nomination deadline is February 21. Details and the nomination form are available at finadmin.wisc.edu/aia.

 

:: Motivation and Time Management

What If It’s Not Too Late After All?

Do you ever feel like it’s too late to start something new or that time is slipping away? This article from Ness Labs explores “time anxiety”—the fear of wasting time—and offers practical strategies to shift your focus from outcomes to meaningful action. Discover how to define what “time well spent” means for you, design space for what truly matters, and free yourself from distractions that hold you back.

https://nesslabs.com/time-anxiety?mc_cid=ea19ddec2b

Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it. – Dr. Maya Angelou

List Of Energizers At Work – Your “More Of” List

In a recent session from Lead Through Strengths, facilitator Lisa Cummings shared a list of “More Of” items that you might want to infuse into your day.

To consider what makes YOUR list of energizers, she asks:
1. When you look at your calendar and to do list this week, which items do you wish would take up a bigger percentage of your time?
2. What are you doing at work when you lose track of time?
3. [Team Question] Describe a time in your life when you felt you were performing at your best.
4. Can you do this (or be this) even on your bad days and grumpy days? If you can, it might mean it’s a natural talent, which will likely energize your performance.

Check out the full list at https://leadthroughstrengths.com/moreof/ and construct your list today (and then start squeezing more of that list into your daily grind)!

 

:: Work Culture & Team Development

Leadership Without Losing Your Soul

Have you ever wondered how businesses can foster leadership sustainability, creating real, lasting change without sacrificing profitability? What if you could learn the secret formula for making an environmental or social impact while also standing out in your industry?

In this episode, we dive deep into what it takes to create meaningful strategic change that matters in today’s world. Whether you’re leading a team or managing a company, sustainability is a crucial challenge. Learn how the food industry has led the way and how the lessons shared here can help you create a sustainable impact in your field without sacrificing competitive advantage.

You’ll gain insights into:

  • Defining sustainability in a business context and why it’s essential.
  • Picking the right battles for creating change while maintaining profitability.
  • Leveraging relationship capital to collaborate with advocates and drive results.

https://podfollow.com/1458803180/episode/63fe216887af4a4ba776ea0d8b2a066a9cdd5265/view

 

:: Upcoming Events

Survive & Thrive In ’25: A Free Virtual Summit

DATE: FEBRUARY 4, 2025
TIME: 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM CST
LOCATION: VIRTUAL (ZOOM)
COST: FREE

Craft your path to extraordinary work for today and tomorrow!

Do you feel burnt out by toxic work environments, cynicism, or that nagging feeling of “Is this all there is?” You’re not alone.

The workplace of tomorrow demands more than just surviving — it’s about creating a place where YOU can really thrive.

Join us for Survive and Thrive in ’25, a free virtual summit where six thought leaders will help you discover how to make choices that help you break free from burnout, cynicism, and toxic work environments. Together, we’ll explore how to bring more compassion, authenticity, fulfillment, and even joy back into your work.

This half-day event is hosted by Team Elements and brings together a diverse group of speakers from various fields, each with their own approach to rethinking work, teaming, collaboration, leadership, and personal well-being. Let’s change the way we work…together.

Join us for inspiration, authenticity, and a path to the future. Note: this is not a UW-Madison event; it is being offered by an outside group.

Register here: https://www.teamelements.com/2025-virtual-summit

Navigating Uncertainty: Mastering Flexible Leadership in a Changing World

FREE, LIVE WEBINAR
Date: February 13, 2025
Time: 2:30 – 3:30 pm CST

In today’s fast-paced and unpredictable world, leaders need a new toolset to help them be flexible in approach so they can help their teams and organizations succeed.

We can wish for the “good old days” when things were a bit easier and less complex, or we can embrace the chaos and complexity and resolve to lead in ways that will work better. Which choice will give you the best chance for success?

If you are:

  • Dealing with massive change or uncertainty in the marketplace
  • Wondering how to proceed on sticky problems or projects
  • In the middle of a merger or acquisition
  • Looking to better equip your leaders – and what you have tried in the past has left you disappointed

This interactive webinar will shine a useful light and point you in a positive direction.

Register for an engaging, thought provoking, and practical session where Kevin Eikenberry, noted leadership expert and author of the upcoming book, Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence, will give you tools and perspectives to help you thrive through uncertainty and guide your team to success more confidently.

At the end of this fast-paced webinar you will be able to:

  1. Outline why leaders need to lead differently today
  2. Describe why flexibility is the best path for leadership success
  3. Apply a model to understand the context of your situation – the basis for appropriate flexibility
  4. Build a plan to grow those competencies for yourself and other leaders in your organization.

If you want to help the leaders in your organization thrive as a leader in uncertain times (and want that for yourself too!) register for this free webinar.
Note: this is an external training session, not associated with UW-Madison or CSN directly.

https://keg.infusionsoft.app/app/form/da687a0fc45f6d5a022ab0e3f23989d7