The K-12 kids will be out of school soon – what are your plans for a summer of fun? CSN is cooking up a summer of You-W with our book club featuring The Art of Self-Leadership and our 10th anniversary event August 4th. We’ll sprinkle some other personal development into the batter too.
:: Image of the Week
:: Self-Leadership Development
At the Heart of Business with Hubert Joly
Hubert Joly is a senior lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy. He is also a member on the board of directors at Johnson & Johnson and at Ralph Lauren. His most recent book, The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism, is a playbook for facilitating the re-foundation of business and capitalism. It chronicles his journey turning Best Buy around from the brink of extinction to being ranked 75 on the Fortune 500 list.
Hubert joins Marcel Schwantes on the Love in Action podcast to discuss what lies at the heart of business, and how to foster a great work environment. CSN has featured Joly’s book in past newsletters. Learn more about his ideas on putting people at the center, embracing all stakeholders, and treating profit as an outcome, not the goal.
https://www.marcelschwantes.com/hubert-joly/
How to Lead When the Future Feels Unpredictable
Uncertain times abound, and as a result many of us are enduring a prolonged separation from our normal ways of being and doing. We are having liminal experiences, in other words — experiences that represent a break from the familiar but that don’t fully replace it. The protracted uncertainty that comes with living in liminal times can cause leaders and employees alike to feel unsettled or anxious, but the authors of this article remind us that we have more agency during these times than we might realize. They offer guidance on how to not only survive such periods but also embrace them as a time for reflection and learning.
https://hbr.org/2024/11/how-to-lead-when-the-future-feels-unpredictable?mc_cid=a5df595803
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health
Awe can mean many things. It can be witnessing a total solar eclipse. Or seeing your child take her first steps. Or hearing Lizzo perform live. But, while many of us know it when we feel it, awe is not easy to define.
“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world,” said Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley.
It’s vast, yes. But awe is also simpler than we think — and accessible to everyone, he writes in his book “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.”
Sharon Salzberg, a leading mindfulness teacher and author, also sees awe as a vehicle to quiet our inner critic. Awe, she believes, is “the absence of self-preoccupation.”
This, Dr. Keltner said, is especially critical in the age of social media. “We are at this cultural moment of narcissism and self-shame and criticism and entitlement; awe gets us out of that,” Dr. Keltner said. It does this by helping us get out of our own heads and “realize our place in the larger context, our communities,” he explained.
The good news? Awe is something you can develop, with practice. Here’s how.
“Everyone should live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding” – John O’Donohue
:: Work Culture & Team Development
How to Get Good at Conflict
According to a new book, there are tools we can learn to help us sit with conflict and grow from it.
Joel Salinas, a Harvard neurologist, and Robert Bordone, a Harvard lawyer, are experts in the study of conflict. But their communication styles are quite different: Salinas, with over a decade of experience sitting side by side with his neurology patients, possesses a gentle, sensitive nature and isn’t accustomed to engaging too intensely; Bordone, accustomed to heated negotiations in high-conflict settings, feels perfectly at home with more tense interactions. Writing their new book, Conflict Resilience, was an opportunity to learn more about their own styles and the styles of others, and share those insights with readers.
Check out their conversation around getting good at conflict below, and then you may want to look at reading their new book.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_get_good_at_conflict
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
Career development is the single most powerful tool managers have for driving retention, engagement, productivity, and results. Nevertheless, it’s frequently the thing that gets side-lined. When asked, the number one reason managers give is that they just don’t have time. Don’t have time for the meetings. The forms. The administrative hoops. But there’s a better way. And it’s surprisingly simple: frequent short conversations with employees about their career goals and options, integrated seamlessly into the normal course of business. Kaye and Giulioni identify three broad types of conversations that have the power to motivate employees more deeply than any well-intentioned development event or process. These conversations will increase employees’ awareness of their strengths, weaknesses, and interests; point out where their organization and their industry are headed; and help them pull all of that together to design their own up-to-the-minute, personalized career paths.
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go is filled with practical tips, guidelines, templates, and nearly a hundred suggested conversation questions. Illuminated with stories, quotes, and the perspectives of real managers and employees, this book proves that careers are best developed one conversation at a time.
https://www.help-them-grow.com/
:: Communication
Why You Struggle Speaking Up at Work
Have you ever wanted to say something in a meeting, but held back? Have you hesitated to give feedback, advocate for yourself, or challenge an idea—even when you knew you should? You’re not alone.
Heather Younger and her Gen Z employee Ashley recorded a talk about why so many people stay silent at work—and what leaders can do to change that.
Here’s what really stood out:
- Fear is real. Fear of rejection. Fear of consequences. Fear of being labeled “difficult” or “too much.” The weight of these fears keeps so many people from sharing their ideas, feedback, and even their truth.
- Culture sets the tone. It’s easy for leaders to say, “We value open communication.” But if people don’t feel safe, if they don’t see real action backing those words, they won’t speak up.
- An “open-door policy” isn’t enough. Leaders have to do more than just say their door is open. They need to invite people in. They need to ask, listen, and actually act on what they hear.
- Psychological safety changes everything. The best workplaces don’t just tolerate feedback—they welcome it. They make it clear that every voice matters, that speaking up won’t cost you, and that real leadership is about listening first.
I’d love to hear from you—what’s one time you held back from speaking up, and what did you learn from it? Hit reply and let me know. Because change starts when we stop waiting and start leading.
https://www.youtube.com/live/5P7BFaUjqYs?si=BUk-rjggHwYaIB8V
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Bill George
:: Trust, Psychological Safety & Belonging
5 Ways to Create Psychologically Safe Meetings for Introverts
1) Distribute meeting agendas, topics, and materials in advance. Introverts are incubators. They need time to absorb and reflect on questions, problems, and information.
2) Create air space for introverts to ask and answer questions. Introverts tend not to process verbally while extroverts relish thinking out loud. Contain the extraverts, especially those who lack self-awareness.
3) Don’t force a public response. Introverts like to crystallize their thinking before making it public. While extroverts see their comments as raggedy raw material, introverts see theirs as refined finished goods. Yes, ask them what they think, but don’t force a point of view. That often comes later.
4) Avoid impromptu meetings and improv sessions as a pattern. There are times when a spontaneous and agendless meeting makes sense, just don’t make it a habit. When you need an impromptu meeting, be careful not to marginalize your introverts by lavishing praise and recognition on those who shine in that setting.
5) Hold shorter meetings. Introverts tend to become emotionally fatigued before they become intellectually fatigued. In marathon meetings, extroverts often gain energy while introverts lose steam.
Download the LeaderFactorNotes here. Provided by Dr. Timothy R Clark.
:: Creativity
Always Anxious? Creativity’s The Cure, According To Book ‘Beyond Anxiety’
A creative life might not be easy, but author Martha Beck believes it can pare and perhaps eliminate anxiety. Even creative pursuits like gardening, cooking and knitting can calm an overactive brain.
Carl Jung claimed his psychotic patients could be cured through writing, painting or other creative pursuits. But Beck’s new book, Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose (Penguin Random House), thoroughly details the mechanics of the process.
“Anxiety spirals pull us away from the world,” Beck writes. “Creativity spirals pull us into it.”
The route to calming anxiety? Activate the part of the brain where all the fireworks happen: the spatially and visually oriented right hemisphere. See this article on the topics of Beck’s book, which was the focus of a lively and interactive CSN discussion last week.
“The pessimist criticizes; the optimist creates.” – James Clear
:: Retirement Planning
How a Second Job Affects Your Finances in Retirement
Retirement is often seen as the finish line for decades of hard work, but for many retirees, a second career becomes part of the plan—whether for financial stability, personal fulfillment, or both. Taking on work in retirement can positively impact your finances, but it’s important to understand how it fits into the bigger picture.
> Boosting Income and Easing Budget Pressure
The most obvious benefit is the additional income. A part-time job or freelance work can supplement Social Security, pensions, or retirement savings, giving retirees more breathing room in their budgets. This extra cash can help cover rising costs like healthcare, housing, or even travel and hobbies, and keeps you from dipping into your savings too quickly.
> Impact on Social Security and Taxes
If you haven’t reached full retirement age (FRA)—currently around 66 or 67 depending on your birth year—earning too much can temporarily reduce your Social Security benefits. In 2025, if you’re under FRA, your benefits are reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above $22,320. However, once you hit FRA, you can earn any amount without reducing your benefits, and the government recalculates your monthly benefit to account for the withheld amounts.
Additional income can also bump you into a higher tax bracket. Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can become taxable if your combined income (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + half of Social Security benefits) exceeds certain thresholds. That means more of your benefits and other income could be subject to federal tax.
> Healthcare Considerations
Working in retirement may impact Medicare premiums. If your income rises above certain limits, you could be subject to an Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, increasing your Part B and D premiums. This is often overlooked, but it’s important to factor in if your second job pays well. It would be wise to research future employers on the number of hours worked per week and the eligibility of certain health benefits offered.
> The Bottom Line
Taking a second job in retirement can improve your financial picture, stretch your savings, and offer mental and social benefits. But it can also create unintended consequences for your benefits and taxes. Before clocking in, it’s wise to talk to a financial advisor or tax professional to make sure your extra income truly works in your favor.
Written by Christopher East
:: Change Management
Six Keys to Change
Change sucks. It requires one to step into the unknown. To twist and turn into a new transformed self, team or firm. To leave the safety of the known path. Lift anchor and sail into a foggy horizon with no guarantee of safe harbor. Difficult as it is…
Irrelevance is worse. Individuals, teams and companies that wish to transform must endure change.
Successful change requires six steps:
1) Strategy.
2) Acquisition of new skills/M&A.
3) New organizational design.
4) Buy-in.
5) Aligned incentives
6) Education and training.
Read Rishad Tobaccowala’s take on these six steps at https://rishad.substack.com/p/six-keys-to-change
“It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear…It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.” – Marilyn Ferguson
:: Upcoming Events
Action for Happiness: Deep Listening – with Emily Kasriel
How can we feel heard and truly understand others? In a world of constant opinions and distractions the ability to truly listen has become a rare and radical act. All too often, we struggle to feel heard and we miss opportunities to listen more deeply to each other.
At this special event, author and coach Emily Kasriel will share her work on Deep Listening as a proven approach to help you engage more meaningfully and to truly understand others.
Drawing on rigorous academic evidence and real life experiences, Emily will reveal a more effective way of engaging with others, particularly across divides. At a time of deep division and social disconnection, Deep Listening offers us a way to slow down, be more present and create space for curiosity, empathy and respect.
By taking part in this event, you will learn how to use this transformative approach to have more profound connections with people around you and to understand them better, even where you disagree. Whether as a partner, leader, parent, friend or colleague, this may be the most valuable life skill you’ll ever learn.
Date: Thurs June 5, 2025
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm CST
Location: Online via Zoom
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/deep-listening-emily-kasriel-tickets-1338446542639?aff=oddtdtcreator
Save The Date! CSN 10-Year Celebration
Date: August 4, 2025
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Location: DeLuca Forum — Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery
Campus Supervisors Network is celebrating Ten Years of Leadership Learning this summer, with several events to focus on You-W.
We culminate with a special session on August 4th, featuring a livestreamed visit with international speaker Rachel Druckenmiller, an inspirational message from author and TEDx speaker Heather Younger (featured in this summer’s book club The Art of Self-Leadership), some fun in-person networking activities, and a look back at some of the successes CSN has experienced since its inception in 2015.
We’ll also have light refreshments and snacks, as well as some exclusive raffle prizes and giveaways for attendees. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate your premier leadership network’s anniversary!
SO mark your calendars for Monday, August 4th from 2:00-3:30 pm, with an after-session gathering too. More details to follow; stay tuned!