Hopefully, you’ve recovered from a long holiday weekend and are back in the swing of things. We’re going to thrive this season, serve up some gratitude, and check our blind spots in this issue of PP.
:: Image of the Week
You can relate this quote to an actual tree this holiday season, or to those who experience trauma by another’s hand. As a leader, make sure your lasting impact is a positive one so the “tree” remembers kindness, compassion, and care.
“Sooner or later we all sit down to a banquet of consequences.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
Holiday SurThrival Guide: Intentionally Connected Holidays
The holidays can be beautiful. They can also be heavy, complicated, and lonely. Over the next eight weeks, many of us will step into rooms where the relational dynamics are… a lot. Old patterns. Unspoken tensions. People we love who are struggling in ways we don’t know how to reach.
This guide is designed to help you use this season differently. To notice who might need support. To navigate the tricky conversations. To connect more deeply with the people who matter most. From author Jen Marr, who brought us Showing Up (featured a couple of weeks ago).
This guide will get you in the holiday spirit with reflection prompts to prepare for (and make the best of) holiday gatherings, card and gift lists, event calendars for November and December, lists of people to support and how, and our classic Holiday Conversation Starters (a fan favorite!).
Download for free by entering your email at “checkout”!
https://www.showing-up.com/store/p/mrrarwxyhjaz1633u9hgep443ejaa9
“Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf.” – Jonatan Mårtensson
Find the Good in Every Situation
Do you look on the bright side or harp on the problems, see the good in people or nitpick their faults, envision the possibilities or fear the dangers? Think how much happier you’ll be if you choose to be positive, see the silver lining, and appreciate all the wonderful things in your life. When you see the good in the world, make people feel special, and serve as a positive influence, your soul will smile.
https://www.franksonnenbergonline.com/posters/find-the-good-in-every-situation/
:: Productivity and Innovation
Improve Productivity with Play, Breaks, and Nature
Enhance your productivity and creativity by incorporating play, taking time to walk in nature and prioritizing breaks over trying to plow through your work, writes Elan Gepner-Dales, the national director of SKY Schools. “The most effective leaders know inspiration can’t be forced; it must be cultivated. They make room for silence, play and reflection, for themselves and their teams,” Gepner-Dales writes in this Rolling Stone article.
:: Remote and Hybrid Work
Beware of ‘Hybrid Creep’: This New Workplace Trend is Taking Over Offices
When was the last time you worked a full five-day week in the office? Depending on your role, the answer may vary, but for many of us, the days of commuting Monday to Friday feel firmly behind us, with flexible working arrangements reigning supreme instead. But what if the tide is slowly starting to turn back towards in-person office time?
The idea of hybrid working has long been a contentious subject. On the one hand, some studies suggest that it may affect your chances of getting a promotion. Yet at the same time, the ‘hushed hybrid’ trend is in full flow as managers allow their workers to continue working from home, despite a return to office company policy.
However, there has also been a recent increase in employers gradually pushing to bring employees into the office more frequently, often without a formal announcement, known as ‘hybrid creep’.
You might not have noticed it in your own office… yet. But according to career expert Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of Kickresume, it’s becoming more commonplace, meaning that it’s important to be aware of the signs.
“Values aren’t taught, they’re caught—usually in the moments that test them.” – Roy E. Disney
:: Self-Leadership Development
Asking for Help Is Strength, Not Failure
What if the strongest thing you could do wasn’t holding it all together—but asking for help?
In this episode of Becoming Unshakable, Heather Younger sat down with Mary Beth Sandin and Kristina Fusella, two powerhouse leaders who opened up about balance, fear, confidence, and the courage it takes to stay grounded when life feels uncertain. It was Heather’s first time hosting two guests, and the conversation felt like sitting with old friends who’ve learned to find grace in the chaos.
Kristina shared how her Taekwondo practice taught her that balance isn’t about standing still, but about finding stability while in motion. Mary Beth revealed how self-awareness and allyship can create calm even when everything feels like it’s spinning.
Together, they brought fresh, practical wisdom to what it really means to be unshakeable—especially when the world expects you to be perfect.
If you’ve ever tried to do it all and felt like you were falling short, this conversation will remind you that strength doesn’t always look like resilience. Sometimes, it looks like vulnerability, community, and the small decision to reach out instead of powering through.
Listen in and rediscover what it means to be strong from the inside out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o41jp5EkwJc
:: Work Culture & Team Development
From Lack to Abundance
A big part of developing people comes down to perspective. Are you operating from a mindset of lack or abundance?
Lack looks like this:
- The person who keeps a best practice to themselves, hoping to be the hero.
- Companies where silos block communication, efficiency, and morale.
- Gossip that spreads negativity instead of building trust.
- Holding tight to money, affection, or resources out of fear there’s never enough.
Abundance, on the other hand, looks like this:
- Shining a light on others and celebrating their successes.
- Sharing best practices to lift the whole team.
- Taking the time to help someone, even when it’s not convenient.
- Letting go of short-term gains because you trust the long-term benefits of doing the right thing.
When an organization-or a person-operates from a foundation of lack, it creates a stifling, fear-based environment. But when the foundation is one of abundance, there’s energy, flow, and expansion. It’s like a ripple effect. Moving from lack to abundance isn’t just a shift in mindset; it’s a change that touches everything and everyone around you.
This excerpt is from the book Finding Humanity by Heather Hansen O’Neill. Do you have stories of how abundance wins in your world? Please share.
“Understanding your employee’s perspective can go a long way towards increasing productivity and happiness.” – Kathryn Minshew
Unlock Your Potential with Career Counseling
Note to Supervisors: We encourage you to nurture UW-Madison employees on their personal development journey. This resource is intended for you AND the team in your care. Please share!
Unsure about your next professional move? Are you and/or your employees looking for guidance in their career path? Do you want assistance with having career conversations? The Employee Career Counseling team is here to help all of you navigate the winding road to success. Our career counselors are dedicated to helping you along your career journey.
Career counseling is a personalized guidance service available to all UW–Madison employees that helps individuals explore, plan, and manage their career paths to achieve professional success and satisfaction. Our personalized approach focuses on your unique skills, interests, and aspirations. Whether you’re new to UW or a seasoned professional looking for a change, our counselors will provide the guidance you need to excel in your chosen field.
We have a multitude of resources on our webpage for a DIY career planning approach, additional career resources, and more information. To schedule a confidential one-on-one appointment, contact employeecareercounseling@wisc.edu or (608) 265-2257.
The Most Overlooked Performance Hack? Gratitude
Gratitude may be the simplest, most underused performance-enhancing behavior in modern work. It costs nothing, takes seconds, and yet produces measurable physiological and organizational benefits. The problem isn’t that we don’t believe in gratitude. It’s that we underestimate its impact.
The absence of gratitude at work isn’t a moral failure; it’s a biological blind spot. Our brains are wired to detect threats faster than appreciation. In evolutionary terms, noticing danger kept us alive, while noticing good fortune was optional. Gratitude practices flip that bias by retraining the brain to focus on what’s working rather than what’s missing. The effects ripple through mood, motivation, and even physiology.
https://chiefexecutive.net/the-most-overlooked-performance-hack-gratitude/
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Blindspotting: How to See What Others Miss
Be Honest. Be Curious. Be Flexible. What if the biggest obstacle to your success is something you can’t even see?
Intellectual humility, intellectual curiosity and cognitive flexibility can transform the way you lead, think and grow. In Blindspotting, award-winning leadership expert Dr Kirstin Ferguson reveals how the best leaders aren’t those with all the answers – they’re the ones who can say, ‘I don’t know . . . yet.’ In today’s fast-paced, polarized world, adaptability is the key to success. Whether you’re leading a global company, managing a small team, or simply striving for personal growth, Blindspotting equips you with practical tools to navigate uncertainty, foster stronger teams and spark breakthrough innovation. Through compelling stories and cutting-edge research, Ferguson uncovers the hidden forces shaping our decisions – often without us realizing it.
This isn’t just a leadership book from Kirstin Ferguson – it’s a game changer for anyone who wants to see the world, and themselves, with fresh eyes.
:: Upcoming Events
Goal Setting in Reverse—Future Self Exercise
Look Back from Success: Map Your Milestones.
Join Rich Gassen from CSN to explore your future self! We’ll connect on Zoom and magically travel 3-5 years into the future. We’ll then go through three small group exercises, discussing the audacious thing you’ve achieved in the past few years and the steps or path that got you there.
The three prompts:
1. Share your original goal(s) and how you feel now that you’ve accomplished them.
2. What was the hardest thing you overcame to meet your goal(s), and how did you do it?
3. What are your happiest clients or peers saying about the work you’ve done for them or the positive change you’re making since achieving the goal(s)?
Come prepared to have a future self in mind to role-play and engage with the group! Note: this can be a completely fictitious scenario, or it can be a real goal of yours that you haven’t actually accomplished yet; your choice! Examples to consider: A promotion or new role / becoming an entrepreneur / buying a vacation home / starting a side hustle / retiring comfortably / _______________?
Growing Career Resilience in an Ever-Changing Workplace
Our workplaces continue to change at a rapid pace. So much so that we sometimes lose our ability to adapt in healthy ways. How can we grow our career resilience to work in the most effective ways through these constant changes? This workshop will share what career resilience is and how to grow it, while participants work through a challenge of their own to better work and develop in their careers.
Why should you attend?
- Understand what career resilience is
- Learn how to grow your career resilience
- Leave with resiliency strategies you can implement immediately
Presenter: April McHugh, Director, Employee Career Counseling Program
December 18, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:00 pm
Location: Online
https://hr.wisc.edu/career-management-series/home/growing-career-resilience/
Perspectives Employee Learning Series
Understanding and empathizing with others’ perspectives-especially those with different experiences-are key to building healthy, trusting, and innovative work environments and relationships.
Why Participate?
- Learn how to remove barriers to employee belonging and well-being.
- Improve your ability to recognize and address harmful workplace behaviors.
- Discover practices that foster a better workplace culture.
- Access resources and opportunities for ongoing learning and development.
Register for courses/offerings:
Perspectives: LGBTQ+
- This is a self-paced virtual training available to employees within Canvas.
- Complete as you are able and return to the resources provided as needed.
Perspectives: Disability and Ableism
Upcoming session:
Date: January 14, 2026
Time: 1 – 3 pm
Venue: Zoom
More sessions will be added in the spring.
Link to Perspectives webpage: https://hr.wisc.edu/professional-development/programs/inclusion-at-uw/perspectives/