The semester is coming to a close soon — are you ready for summer break? We’ll step back in this week and work smarter, earn trust, and take action.
:: Image of the Week
“We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.” – Helen Keller
:: Communication
Left Out of the Loop? Here’s How to Step Back In with Confidence
You’re reading the latest executive update when it hits you: you’ve been left out of the loop—again. You didn’t miss the memo—there just wasn’t one. You’re a key stakeholder. You own part of the work. Your team is affected. And yet somehow, you were left out of the conversation.
It’s not just frustrating—it’s disruptive. It slows progress, creates confusion, and adds unnecessary repair work. Worse, it sends a subtle message: You’re not essential here. But you are. And the way you respond matters—not just for your influence, but for the tone you set across your team and peers.
Read the latest article from Let’s Go Leaders on when you’re the stakeholder and out of the loop.
“A leader’s tolerance for discomfort is a huge indicator of their capacity for courage and empathy.” – BRENÉ BROWN,
Right Now, You’re Avoiding a Conversation That Could Save Your Culture
Most leaders don’t avoid tough conversations because they DON’T care. They avoid them because they DO. Read this post from Traci Austin on how to navigate the tough conversations eloquently.
:: Work Culture & Team Development
The Art of Action: How to Apply What You Learn
We’ve all been there – we train on a new process or software as a group for more efficiency or improvement. But does the individual put what they’ve learnt into practice? If they don’t, it defeats the point of doing the thing in the first place.
The reality is that you can’t control what happens post a learning experience. You can influence it though!
The University of California discovered the average American consumes 35 gigabytes of content daily. That roughly represents 100,000 words a day. We can safely assume similar behavior can be found across cultures. We live in the greatest time in history for access to any information we want. But, what do we do with all this information?
Read more from Ross Stevenson on this topic at https://stealthesethoughts.com/2020/10/14/too-much-knowledge-not-enough-action/
“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.” – Rosa Parks
Leading a New Team
Are you in charge of a new team?
These are 6 tips to have impact immediately from a post on LinkedIn, including an infographic for reference. From welcoming new ideas to talking less and listening more, this post has you covered on starting out on the right foot.
:: Productivity and Innovation
Enterprise AI Tools: Help Your Team Work Smarter, Not Harder
Help your team leverage UW–Madison’s free enterprise AI tools while maintaining data security. Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini can assist with writing in plain language, document accessibility, meeting summaries, and policy documentation, while Webex AI Assistant and Zoom AI Companion enhance virtual meetings—all with enhanced data privacy and university compliance.
Lead in 3D Alignment Planner
How often do you reflect on how you align your time, energy, and attention across three dimensions: Me (personal wellbeing), We (relationships and teams), and World (broader impact)? This quarterly planner from Nell 3D will guide you through a sensory “sense check,” goal-setting across spheres of life (Self, Family, Work, Community, etc.), and intentional action planning to foster meaningful alignment.
Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey (Nell 3D) challenges our ideas about leadership with her groundbreaking Lead in 3D framework. This approach emerged from Nell’s studies and personal experience, as well as work with thousands of leaders across sectors, industries, and geographies.
https://uwmadison.box.com/s/s5a4hdqm74w2pdi038v7rxjuzerfsme7
:: Self-Leadership Development
Successful People Don’t Ask for Feedback – Do This Instead
Asking someone for feedback typically goes one of two ways, says Wharton organizational psychologist Adam Grant.
You could get some helpful takeaways, or the other person may tread too carefully to tell you anything useful, scared of bruising your ego. The latter is more common than most people think, says Grant. The bestselling author’s simple workaround, which highly successful people tend to use, he says: “The best way to get people to coach you is, instead of asking for feedback, you seek advice.”
Read more from Adam Grant here: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/11/wharton-psychologist-adam-grant-successful-people-ask-for-advice-not-feedback.html
“There is just no getting around that turning bad things into good things is up to you.” – Deepak Chopra
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
The Let Them Theory
A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Talking About!
The Let Them Theory is a step-by-step guide on how to stop letting other people’s opinions, drama, and judgment impact your life. Two simple words, Let Them, will set you free from the exhausting cycle of trying to manage everything and everyone around you. It’s time to build a life where you come first—your dreams, your goals, your happiness. Mel Robbins, New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned podcast host, introduces The Let Them Theory—a groundbreaking approach to reclaiming your life by focusing on what you can control and releasing what you can’t.
The Let Them Theory helps you prioritize what truly matters and put yourself first. Through relatable stories and science-backed strategies, Robbins provides a toolkit to rediscover your inner power, transform your relationships, and find the happiness you deserve.
https://www.melrobbins.com/letthemtheory
:: Job Searching & Interviewing
The HBR Guide to Standing Out in an Interview
Job interviews can be daunting. In this video, author Amy Gallo culls advice from top experts in the field and shares strategic tips on how best to prepare, what to do, and what to say so that you can make a great impression in your next interview. She also offers advice on what to do if you notice your interviewer losing interest or you’ve stumbled over some answers. Mistakes happen. Just keep going and stay focused. Answer the current question as if it’s the first one. Even acknowledging the situation with a corrective statement like, “Am I giving you what you need? Is there other information I could give you?” and then following their cues can help dig you out of the current hole and get the conversation back on track.
https://hbr.org/2024/09/the-hbr-guide-to-standing-out-in-an-interview
“If there’s a story in you it has to come out.” – William Faulkner
:: Servant Leadership
10 Traits of a Servant Leader
What are ten traits that make you a leader? They might not be what you think of initially. The landscape of leading has changed in recent years from traditional top-down methods to more servant-leader styles. Ashley Couto shares an infographic and her ten traits of a great leader.
“Only in community do we feel confidently vulnerable about opening up and being courageous enough to tell our truth.” – Christa Williams
:: Trust, Psychological Safety & Belonging
How to Earn Employee Trust
In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, Chris Rainey speaks with Jeanette Winters, Chief Human Resource Officer at 8×8, about building resilient HR strategies that balance agility, transparency, and authenticity. Jeanette shares her unique insights on leadership consistency, the critical role of lifelong learning, and why transparency, especially in times of uncertainty, is essential for trust and engagement.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-earn-employee-trust-2025-christopher-rainey-fi1ve/
:: 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 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.
Working Hell to Working Well: Making Your Company Work for You with Lindsay Barnett
If you’re feeling the effects of burnout at work, you’re not alone. The ability to work from anywhere at any time is leading individuals to work themselves sick and become sick of working. The good news is that there are actionable steps you can take to change the focus back onto you and your well-being while still contributing meaningful work to your organization. Don’t miss this live webinar with Lindsay Barnett, author of the #1 New Release on Amazon, Working Hell to Working Well: Making Your Company Work For You.
During this one-hour event, you’ll discover practical tools you can use right away to take charge of your work life:
- Proven strategies to reduce stress and prevent burnout
- Actionable steps to own your choices and amplify your voice at work
- Techniques for driving positive change—no matter your role or title, and more!
Whether you’re a leader looking to boost morale or an individual seeking new practices of being, you’ll walk away with everything you need to move from hustle to harmony.
DATE: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
TIME: 12:00 pm CST
RSVP NOW to get the link