You’d be a fool not to want to take action on some of this week’s resources. From showing up to managing up, we’ve got you covered! We will also experience failure and fog, and find what’s missing in our lives.
:: Image of the Week
Show Up
People who only show up when they feel like it are destined for failure at worst, mediocrity at best. You’ll achieve much more by being consistently reliable than by being occasionally extraordinary.
Sahil Bloom reminds us that showing up is the first step in all of your successes. (Woody Allen is quoted saying 80% of success is showing up.)
“Show up and participate.” — Rich Gassen
:: Self-Leadership Development
How to Better Manage Your Emotions
Being a leader means that our emotions get triggered, often many times a day. While none of us can avoid those triggers, how we respond to them can make all the difference. On the recent Coaching for Leaders episode, Dave Stachowiak talked with Ethan Kross on how to better manage our own emotions. Ethan is the author of the book Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don’t Manage You.
Here’s what he said:
- We often assume that approaching emotions is universally good and avoiding emotions is universally bad. Reality is much more nuanced.
- We can strategically use our senses to modulate our feelings.
- Music is a simple and powerful way to manage emotions proactively. Use playlists that align with the mood you wish to create.
- Using distancing language when talking to yourself (i.e. saying “you” instead of “I”) can help you regulate.
- Time shifting may help regulate your emotions. Ask yourself, how will I feel about this in a week? A month? A year?
- Different tools work for different people at different times. Experiment to help you determine what works best for you.
Sound interesting? Check out their conversation here: https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/better-manage-your-emotions-ethan-kross/
“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” – “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Fail! Fail a Lot! It’s Good for You
“There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” —Brené Brown
Failure is baked into the human experience. So why are we so terrible at dealing with it? Fear of judgment and the stigma that our failures reflect poorly on us discourage us from trying new things. Negative self-talk and rumination convince us that our failures mean we’re incapable and undeserving. But failure is typical in all professions. While it’s acceptable in some areas to fail often, not all jobs allow for this strategy.
To overcome failure, it’s helpful to recognize that what we feel in the aftermath is not particular to each of us as individuals. Every person knows what failure feels like. Maybe that will allow you to show yourself a little more compassion when you experience it yourself. Read this article by Nir Eyal on how to work through failure with self-compassion and positivity.
https://www.nirandfar.com/fail-a-lot/?mc_cid=057118d181
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge
Author Melody Wilding, LMSW knows that we are all wondering how to have a better relationship with our boss all the time and she has the answers in her new book!
Do you feel vulnerable to the whims of your boss, peers, or internal politics, pushing through each day with a nagging undercurrent of anxiety? Maybe you’re micromanaged, interrupted in meetings, saddled with busy work, or overlooked for career opportunities. But what if you could subtly teach those above you to value your ideas and treat you with respect—without ever changing your job title?
Human behavior professor and award-winning executive career coach Melody Wilding has helped thousands of clients advocate for their needs at work while navigating the minefield of office politics. In this clear, tactical guide, Wilding shows you how to operate from a position of power—even if you lack formal authority—to build the emotional intelligence, relational capital, and negotiation savvy to succeed in a world of competing stakeholders and remote work.
Drawing on real-life client stories and the latest research on trust and persuasion, Managing Up distills a vital skillset into ten key conversations, including:
• The Alignment Conversation: How can I get in my boss’s head to understand their needs, motivations, and goals?
• The Styles Conversation: Will I earn more respect from my manager if I get to the point quickly, or should I try swapping stories and building rapport?
• The Boundaries Conversation: How do I say no and push back with tact when my manager saddles me with yet another task?
Packed with time-tested strategies, detailed scripts, and transformative insights, this book is a must-read for professionals of all levels ready to reclaim control of their careers.
“A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” – Madonna
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
Feel Like Something’s Missing? Try to Live an Interesting Life
Find out what experiences researcher Shigehiro Oishi might call “psychologically rich,” because they are novel, interesting, and challenging; inspire complex emotions; and change your perspective in profound ways. His new book, Life in Three Dimensions, explains how aiming for psychological richness can be central to “the good life”—and, perhaps, take us beyond the goals of finding happiness and meaning. See this short interview script with Oishi and Jill Suttie for more on living an interesting life.
:: Remote / Hybrid Work
A Guide for High-Energy, Collaborative Async Meetings
Asynchronous meetings are an excellent way to foster collaboration, keep the team aligned, and make progress without the constraints of scheduling conflicts. This guide from People Forward Network provides practical steps for creating asynchronous meetings that are engaging, collaborative, and impactful, with mandatory participation from all team members. Download the link below.
https://uwmadison.box.com/s/lf256081y4arsdxs1zmj7t3974qjrn9l
:: Process Improvements
The Hidden Cost of Broken Things
Some things in your life are broken—but not in ways you might notice. A leaky faucet, a cluttered drawer, an unanswered email, a lingering tension in a relationship. Each one quietly drains your energy, charging an invisible tax on your well-being.
The good news? Fixing them is easier than you think. This article reveals why tackling small, nagging problems—both physical and mental—can create an outsized impact on your clarity, focus, and peace of mind.
https://www.raptitude.com/2025/01/fix-three-broken-things/?mc_cid=857c3c89d0
“I don’t regret a thing I’ve done. I only regret things I didn’t do.” – Ingrid Bergman
How to Move from Apathy to Action
When the world is on fire, it can feel like the scale of action needed is simply beyond us. Author Priya Parker tells us three questions to ask when you want to move from apathy to action in this recent newsletter on her website. Parker is the author of the book “The Art of Gathering” which is a must-read for anyone who hosts events, facilitate group discussions, or entertain company.
She reminds us that we don’t need all of the answers to do something. Often, just simply putting words around a shared, urgent question can open the world.
https://www.priyaparker.com/art-of-gathering-newsletter/apathy-to-action
:: Change Management
Navigating the Fog: How to Help Your Team Thrive in Uncertainty
Here’s something that doesn’t fit neatly into leadership development programs: constant uncertainty is taking a massive toll on our teams. According to recent research, 76% of employees report that uncertainty at work impacts their mental health, and 60% say it affects their physical well-being.
And for mid-level managers? The pressure is doubled. You’re absorbing anxiety from both above and below—trying to implement changes you may not fully understand while simultaneously reassuring your team that everything is fine. (Spoiler alert: They know when it’s not fine.)
This isn’t about complaining or catastrophizing. The last thing we need is to feed the anxiety cycle. Read this article from Marisol Solarte-Erlacher on practical ways to support your team through uncertainty while maintaining your own sanity.
“You don’t need more time. You need more focus. Time isn’t the constraint. Your choices are.” – Shane Parrish
:: Kindness in Leadership
The Importance of Everyday Kindness
Do you live in a kind community, a kind society, a kind country? This may be a fraught question for some of us today, as we see evidence of unkindness (and worse) in the news at every turn. But according to the World Happiness Report 2025, how benevolent our society is—and, separately, how benevolent we think our society is—matters for everyone’s well-being.
The World Happiness Report draws from the annual Gallup World Poll, which surveys around 1,000 people per country. The happiest countries are ranked according to residents’ average life satisfaction: how they would evaluate their life as a whole on a scale of 0–10, from the worst possible to the best possible.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/world_happiness_report_highlights_everyday_kindness
:: Upcoming Events
New LTD Series: Enhance Your Supervision and Management
In today’s dynamic workplace, effective supervision is crucial. The Enhance Your Supervision and Management (EYSM) series offers timely topics to enhance supervisors’ impact. It equips leaders with the skills, knowledge, and strategies to confidently lead and inspire their teams beyond the Principles of Supervision and Management (PSM) program.
These courses are highly interactive, including small breakout rooms. Participants will work together to explore techniques, share best practices, and foster a collaborative environment to thrive as leaders.
EYSM topics will evolve with each offering of the series. You are welcome to attend one, some, or all of the courses in the series. It is not a sequential curriculum or associated with a certificate. EYSM is limited to participants who are people managers and will be held virtually on Zoom. To show interest in registering for a class topic, complete that respective Google form.
Spring 2025:
- EYSM: Leading Through ChangeApril 16, 9 to 11:30 a.m.
- EYSM: Leading with EmpathyApril 23, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
- EYSM: Building Trust at WorkApril 30, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
- EYSM: Coaching Employees for RetentionMay 7, 9 a.m. to noon
- EYSM: Documenting PerformanceMay 14, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
- EYSM: Navigating Difficult ConversationsMay 21, 9 to 11 a.m.
- EYSM: Resilient LeadershipMay 28, 9 to 10:30 a.m.