Thanks to everyone who visited some of our planners at the CSN booth at the Employee Resource Fair last week. Congrats to Mandy Morrow and Heather Mace for their winning entries in our book giveaway raffle!
This week, we are focusing on the LMD conference and finishing October strong. We’ll lock in on the idea of “I Can,” share some positive gossip about our teams, and become indistractable.
It’s also the last week of terrace chairs at the Mem U — will U get a chance to sit in them one last time this season? 
:: Image of the Week
Our Image of the Week comes from Cindy Rowe, the keynote speaker at tomorrow’s LMD Conference. Ironically, it emulates the union chairs on our campus.
“Kindness in leadership isn’t a weakness—it’s the courage to put people first and the wisdom to know that’s where success begins.” — Cindy Rowe
:: Self-Leadership Development
I Can: The Anthem of Achievement
Have you ever felt trapped in a situation with no way out? Despite your best efforts, nothing worked, and everything seemed hopeless. If you haven’t faced a major setback yet, it’s only a matter of time. Whether it’s a health scare, financial crisis, or career disaster, life’s challenges are inevitable. While you can’t control what life throws at you, you can choose how you respond — and that makes all the difference. Turn “I can’t” into “I can” and watch new possibilities unfold before you.
https://www.franksonnenbergonline.com/blog/i-can-the-anthem-of-achievement/
Brené Brown on Lock-In and Lock-Through Power
In this special Dare to Lead episode, Brené shares one of her favorite chapters from the Strong Ground audiobook called Lock-In and Lock-Through Power. Brené uses the metaphor of a boat lock to explore the tricky work-to-home and professional-to-personal transitions that we have to navigate with our partners, children, and friends. She digs into why, at the end of a hard day, when we finally arrive home, we stay in our cars and scroll through TikTok rather than going inside, and how an intentional “locking through” process allows us to rise or lower to a new and different rhythm as we make daily transitions. And, after visiting the Teddington Lock in London and getting a lesson from the local lock keeper, she shares why moving too fast through these transitions often results in relational capsizing.
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/lock-in-and-lock-through-power/
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
Less Busy, More Happy
Are you busy… but not happy?
In today’s fast-paced world, many of us are constantly rushing – juggling endless to-do lists, battling burnout and struggling to find space for joy. At this special event, Professor Cassie Holmes will reveal how we can reclaim control of our time and rediscover what truly makes us feel alive.
Drawing on cutting-edge research and personal stories, Cassie will share practical strategies to help you stop feeling time-poor and start living more intentionally. You’ll learn why more activity doesn’t always mean more fulfilment – and how making small shifts in how you spend your hours can lead to a happier life.
Whether you’re overwhelmed by busyness or simply want to use your time more wisely, this event offers science-backed insights and inspiring ideas to help you feel more present, purposeful and content. This conversation with Dr Mark Williamson was recorded at a live Action for Happiness event on the 17th September 2025.
About The Speaker
Cassie Holmes is a professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and an award-winning teacher and researcher – and a bestselling author of Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most. Cassie’s research examines such questions as how focusing on time (rather than money) increases happiness, how the meaning of happiness changes over the course of one’s lifetime, and how much happiness people enjoy from extraordinary versus ordinary experiences. Cassie’s work has been published in such top-tier academic journals as Psychological Science and the Journal of Consumer Research. Her work has also featured on NPR and in publications such as The Economist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Scientific American.
Prof. Holmes developed and teaches the course Applying the Science of Happiness to Life Design, which has become one of UCLA’s most popular courses. Pulling insights from research in psychology and behavioral decision making, this course provides students with ideas and tools to apply to improve their day-to-day living and the design of their career and life overall. She also has a Ph.D. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and a B.A. from Columbia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g90yAdjAM4A
:: Innovation
Creativity and Innovation in Your Team
One of the most important areas to focus on is their ability to think creatively and solve problems together as a team.
Heather R Younger, author of The Art of Self-Leadership, covered this very well in The Art of Self-Leadership when she explained in one page about flexible thinking taking teams to new heights. CSN featured this book last summer during our book club.
Here is that excerpt:
In the simplest of terms, flexible thinking is when we are willing to change our thinking and our behaviors when different ideas arise or any kind of change is necessary. This kind of thinking is critical if we are to evolve, and to achieve what we set out to achieve, either alone or inside an organization. There are many benefits of this type of thinking, but I am going to address the most important in our current business climate:
Improve problem-solving: Flexible thinkers are better equipped to handle complex and novel problems. They can devise multiple solutions and choose the most effective one. Because flexible thinkers also tend to be more resilient in handling stressful situations like abrupt change, they can regulate their emotions when problems arise.
Adaptability: The ability to adjust thoughts and actions based on changing circumstances or feedback. This includes shifting strategies when current approaches are ineffective. As the above discussion demonstrates, this was an area Kodak really struggled to embrace.
Creativity and innovation: The capacity to generate innovative ideas and approaches. Flexible thinkers often employ creative problem-solving techniques and think outside the box. When you don’t confine your thinking to one outcome or set of outcomes or even one set of assumptions, you will find that you can think more flexibly about the possible solutions. This is when innovation takes shape.
p140
The Art of Self-Leadership by Heather Younger
**
But here’s the thing: empowering staff to be more creative and innovative involves you letting go of some of the oversight in how they do their work. You need to allow them to be leaders in their own right, to explore, to fail sometimes, to succeed. Interfering when the first mistake happens kills creativity and trust, and you lose everything above in Heather’s list.
https://heatheryounger.com/books/
:: Work Culture & Team Development
Designing Work That Works for Humans with Brent Kedzierski
Brent Kedzierski joins Amy Lynn to talk about designing workplaces that people want to be in—not just ones they have to be in. From brain chemistry to feedback fails to the real power skills of the future (hint: robots can’t compete with these), Brent breaks down what it takes to create a thriving, human-centered workplace.
If you’ve ever felt like work should feel better, this episode is for you!
https://createmagicatwork.net/podcast-1
“Remember how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.” ~Rick Warren
The Power of Gossip at Work
Whether you approve of it or not, research shows gossip does have value within organizations, especially when it’s used positively. Learn how you can harness gossip to improve relationships and communication with colleagues in this short interview with author Amy Gallo.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/this-working-life/the-power-of-gossip/105736154
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Question to Learn: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Career, Team, and Organization
In today’s landscape, questions are often viewed negatively, especially for leaders who may feel that asking them shows weakness or uncertainty. In Question to Learn, author Joe Lalley encourages readers to tap into a skill we all had as kids—pure, unfiltered curiosity. In doing so, we open the door to better solutions, stronger collaboration, and a more effective workplace built on trust and innovation. Question to Learn is for everyone in the workplace. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or simply looking for a better way to lead that weekly meeting, Joe will take you on a journey from feeling stuck to unstuck, and help you break the cycle of self-doubt and fear to create an environment where questions are used in their purest form—to learn.
This book releases tomorrow to the general public.
:: Change Management
Mastering Change Management Using The ADKAR Change Model
Read about the ADKAR Change Model with this post and infographic from Daniel Lock.
“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” – Charles F. Brannan
:: LinkedIn Learning
Becoming Indistractable
The world is filled with distractions. When our devices buzz and notifications start rolling in, it is harder to focus on what’s really important. And yet staying focused is exactly what it takes to get things done and get ahead. In this course, Arianna Huffington and Nir Eyal, the author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, explains how to become indistractable—one of the most important skills of the 21st century. Nir explains why technology isn’t the only habit you may need to tame and how workplace culture, social norms, and individual behaviors affect attention span. Learn why understanding your triggers can help you react better, and get practical tips for handling common distractions, such as email, and reducing unnecessary interruptions.
Learning objectives
- Determine what motivates action in the psychology of akrasia.
- Identify the cause of distraction.
- Explain how you can sacrifice some communication for better concentration.
- Recall a step that reduces distractions triggered by modern devices.
- Name the sphere in which you must begin to center your time.
“Gratitude bestows reverence… changing forever how we experience life and the world.” — John Milton
:: Communication
Hook Them To Start The Meeting!
Ever notice how every meeting starts the same? “Today we are here to talk about…” Translation: “Feel free to zone out. Nothing new here.”
If you want people engaged, ditch the autopilot script. Hook them. Surprise them. Give them a reason to stay with you from the first word. Because executive presence means your listeners lean in—not log off. What words or phrases do you frequently hear in meetings that drive you crazy?
:: Job Searching & Interviewing
What to Think About Before You Switch Jobs
CBC Listen has a “How To” series with some advice on making a tough career decision — when should you change jobs? Amy Gallo, host of the Women at Work podcast, breaks it down for us in this 5 minute recording with Paul Haavardsrud. Job switchers don’t always find the pot at the end of the rainbow; what matters most to you when considering a change?
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-379-cost-of-living/clip/16161500-what-think-switch-jobs
“Failure + reflection + another rep = competence.” – Brandon Webb
:: Upcoming Events
Preparing for Retirement: Can We Talk? Sharing Resources and Wisdom – Better Together
The UW Retirement Issues Committee (RIC) has developed a rich set of resources for planning financially, mentally, and emotionally for big transitions – like retirement. This session begins with an introduction to the resources and provides time for discussion – asking questions and sharing experiences. Our goal is to encourage participants to set up conversations within their own work units, advocating for and preparing for life transitions, encouraging small steps over time that support well-being and resilience. Carol Hulland of the RIC will present this topic.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain confidence in retirement planning
- Invest in yourself – now and for the long-term
- Encourage small steps, taken regularly, to prepare for transitions
- Become familiar with the Employee Trust Fund (ETF) resources
Disclaimer: We are not financial services professionals. Information provided in this presentation and during the discussion reflects our combined experiences and input from UW employees, retirees, and UW leaders.
Date: October 28, 2025
Time: 2:30-3:30 pm
Location: Online via Zoom link
Register here: https://go.wisc.edu/96jyji
Take Charge of Your Career On Campus
Career Development@UW is a new virtual training series offered at no cost to UW–Madison employees through Learning and Talent Development. This series provides practical strategies, tools, and resources to help you navigate your career path, identify opportunities within UW–Madison, and build career resilience.
There are a range of opportunities to invest in your professional growth and explore new ways to advance your career at UW–Madison. This coming month’s session is below:
Resume Writing that Works: What to Do (and Avoid)
Led by Christopher East, Organizational Career Development Specialist
UW–Madison employees will learn how to strategically tailor their resumes to align with specific job listings and stand out in a competitive hiring landscape. We’ll explore how to effectively market your skills and experience, leverage AI to enhance your resume without losing your authentic voice and avoid common pitfalls that can derail your application. Whether you’re updating your resume for internal opportunities or exploring new career paths, this session will equip you with actionable tips and modern techniques to make your resume work smarter for you.
Date: November 4, 2025
Time: 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Location: Online
https://hr.wisc.edu/career-management-series/home/resume-writing-that-works/
The Power of Perspective: Unlocking Your Team’s Collaborative Potential Through Integrative Leadership
Presented by Whitney Sweeney, scientist, School of Medicine and Public Health
In today’s increasingly complex work environment, success depends on interdisciplinary teams. But integrating multiple perspectives requires intentional leadership. Integrative leaders foster supportive and psychologically safe team cultures where members feel empowered to ask questions, experiment, and learn from mistakes.
They take a human-centered approach—drawing out each member’s unique expertise and facilitating the integration of knowledge to create new understanding. In this session, you’ll explore practical strategies for integrating multiple perspectives and collaborating more effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
Date: November 7, 2025
Time: 10:00–11:00 a.m.
Location: Online