Planners’ Picks — March 10, 2026
March is a great time to connect with nature. It’s also a wonderful time to connect with others around you. How can you be a light for someone who is in a dark season?
:: Image of the Week
:: Self-Leadership Development
Why Leaders Don’t Seek Feedback
You don’t seek feedback because you care. It feels personal. Besides, you already beat yourself down. Giving feedback is easier than seeking it. Mastery is an act of service, not insecurity. Growth requires input. When leaders grow, everyone around them gets better. Reject comfort. Choose improvement. When was the last time you showed up saying, “I’d like your feedback?” Read this article from Leadership Freak on 5 Ways to Seek Feedback Like a Pro.
https://leadershipfreak.blog/2025/12/08/why-leaders-dont-seek-feedback/
“I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life.” – Sylvia Plath
Showing Up Brave
Bravery isn’t a personality trait. It’s a practice.
In this video, Jen Marr sat down with Nicole M. Bianchi CSP®, Master Certified Coach and the mind behind Bravership and Small Brave Moves.
Nicole helps leaders build courage into the everyday moments that actually decide culture: the conversation you keep avoiding, the feedback you sugarcoat, the boundary you don’t hold, the decision you delay.
If you’ve followed Jen’s work, you know she lives in the Awkward Zone. That space where everything is changing and you are not sure what to say and when to say it. Your people are overwhelmed, change is constant, mental health is showing up at work, and leaders feel the pressure to do the “right” thing… and still get results. It’s awkward and nuanced.
Nicole and Jen connect the dots between brave leadership and supportive leadership: How do you show up with courage and support when people are in the thick of it?
https://www.linkedin.com/events/7426812125404262400
How to Take Action (Even If You’re Scared)
You’re being cautious.
You want something, but you’re scared. You keep telling yourself: I must be careful. I can’t ruin what I already have.
Like, maybe…
- You have a new job opportunity, but you’re hesitating — afraid you’ll lose the security you fought hard to build.
- You want more from someone (a favor? a partnership? a relationship?), but don’t want to risk your friendly connection.
- You want to create content (writing, videos, whatever), but you’re afraid it won’t be perfect and you’ll embarrass yourself.
Today, I want to help you move forward — and to do this, I’m going to teach you the Messy Couch Principle. It’s a new way to assess your problem, and then find the confidence to act boldly.
It’s time to stop hesitating, and to see what’s on the other side of action.
But first, let’s talk about that couch.
www.jasonfeifer.com/how-to-take-action/
“The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario, but a mindset that can handle uncertainty.” – James Clear
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Change: How to Make Big Things Happen
Most of what we know about how ideas spread comes from bestselling authors who give us a compelling picture of a world, in which “influencers” are king, “sticky” ideas “go viral,” and good behavior is “nudged” forward. The problem is that the world they describe is a world where information spreads, but beliefs and behaviors stay the same.
When it comes to lasting change in what we think or the way we live, the dynamics are different: beliefs and behaviors are not transmitted from person to person in the simple way that a virus is. The real story of social change is more complex. When we are exposed to a new idea, our social networks guide our responses in striking and surprising ways.
Drawing on deep-yet-accessible research and fascinating examples from the spread of coronavirus to the success of the Black Lives Matter movement, the failure of Google+, and the rise of political polarization, Change presents groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting new science for understanding what drives change, and how we can change the world around us.
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
How to Make Work More Satisfying
Finding ways to bend tasks toward your strengths and passions can make you happier, more productive and find more meaning in your life—no matter your job. Here’s a short recording from the Greater Good Magazine on how we can explore a research-backed practice in Job Crafting, where you take stock of the tasks that fill your day, how much time and energy they require, what really lights you up, and what changes you can make to better align your efforts at work with your genuine strengths and passions.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/item/how_to_make_work_more_satisfying
:: Communication
What Type of Difficult Person Are You Dealing With?
From Amy Gallo:
Here’s why I take issue with a lot of the advice out there on difficult coworkers: too much of it takes a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s based on a faulty assumption that one set of tactics will work regardless of the type of difficult behavior you’re dealing with.
My approach is a bit different: I believe that if you’re aware of the specific patterns of behavior you’re dealing with in a colleague, you’ll be better able to strategize and improve your relationship or to protect yourself from their antics (which is sometimes the better approach).
This belief led me to write my book, Getting Along, and is behind my What Type of Difficult Person Are You Dealing With? quiz. I launched this quiz a year ago on my website, and over 700 people have since taken it—some twice!
The quiz asks you to identify specific behaviors that you notice your colleague exhibiting. Across the 700+ responses, these were the most commonly cited behaviors:
- “Evades responsibility and blames others” was reported by nearly 50% of respondents.
- “Projects a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude” — 48%
- “Positions their own ideas as superior” — 48%
- “Speaks in a condescending tone” — 45%
It’s clear that many people are frustrated around issues of accountability, arrogant or controlling attitudes, and communication styles. Do these resonate?
Take the quiz yourself at https://www.amyegallo.com/quiz-what-type-of-difficult-person-are-you-dealing-with
“When you’re captivated by purpose, you won’t be distracted by drama.” -Unknown
Top of the Stack: How to Know a Person
The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
In this edition of Top of the Stack, Chester Elton reviews How to Know a Person by David Brooks — a powerful book about seeing others more deeply at work and in life.
He also briefly highlights two bonus reads:
• The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier (10-year anniversary edition)
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes — a reminder of the power of dreamers
This isn’t a traditional book club. Think of it as a reading briefing — one book to explore deeply, two more to consider adding to your own stack.
https://chesterelton.substack.com/p/top-of-the-stack-how-to-know-a-person
:: Connection
How leaders can deliver the social connection most of us crave
- A new report on social interaction suggests the need for a shift in how the connection challenge in America should be understood.
- The connection crisis is not one of motivation or awareness but a systems challenge shaped by predictable barriers, life transitions, and cultural shifts.
- Employers and leaders have a golden opportunity to shape how people build relationships.
In early 2026, a new national snapshot of social connection revealed a striking finding. 52% of U.S. adults fall into at-risk or vulnerable ranges associated with lower access to relationships, support, and shared places.
At first glance, that statistic might seem to confirm a familiar narrative about modern life. People are isolated. Communities have weakened. Technology has replaced relationships. But the data tells a more precise story.
Most Americans want connection. Many are actively looking for it. What they are running into instead are systems that make connection hard to access and harder to sustain.
That is one of the central findings of The Six Points of Connection 2026: The State of Connection in America report, released by the US Chamber of Connection. Drawing from a nationally weighted survey of 1,997 adults, the report introduces the Social Connection Index (SCI), a behavior-based index grounded in six everyday connection behaviors and the conditions that support or hinder them (see #2 below).
Rather than asking how lonely people feel, the SCI looks at what actually makes connection possible in daily life. It reveals patterns across neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities that help explain why so many people feel stuck even when they value connection and seek it out.
The findings suggest a needed shift in how the connection challenge in America should be understood. This is not a crisis of motivation or awareness. It is a systems challenge shaped by predictable barriers, life transitions, and cultural shifts. Addressing it requires clearer pathways, shared language, and better designed social infrastructure.
Below are five takeaways that help explain what is happening and what leaders across sectors can do differently.
https://bigthink.com/business/how-leaders-can-deliver-the-social-connection-most-of-us-crave
:: Work Culture & Team Development
The Cost of Conflict Avoidance: A Leader’s Guide to Productive Conflict
Too many leaders and teams avoid difficult conversations, defaulting to artificial harmony while real problems fester. This guide explores the essential role of productive conflict in leadership, showing you how to transform disagreement into a powerful tool for building trust and high-performing teams. It includes a Team Conflict Avoidance Quiz to help you assess your current culture.
https://triplecrownleadership.com/productive-conflict-leadership-guide/
“I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.” –CATHERINE THE GREAT
:: Developing Better Habits
The Scientific Secrets of Daily Scheduling
This Coaching for Leaders episode featured Daniel Pink, talking about topics from his bookWhen: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink.
Key Points
- Naps boost productivity, but they should be no more than around 20 minutes long.
- Regular nappers get more benefit from naps than occasional nappers.
- We don’t treat breaks with enough seriousness.
We do better on certain types of tasks at certain times of day.
- Peak – Do heavy analytical work in the morning.
- Trough – Do easier administrative work in the early afternoon.
- Recovery – Do work that requires insight in the late afternoon and evening.
Ways to make the most of project midpoints when motivating teams:
- Recognize midpoints.
- Use midpoints to fire up your team.
- Let you team know they are slightly behind when they hit the midpoint.
https://coachingforleaders.com/podcast/332/
If you want to cultivate a habit, do it without any reservation, till it is firmly established. Until it is so confirmed, until it becomes a part of your character, let there be no exception, no relaxation of effort. – Mahavira
:: Take Five
*Note: CSN occasionally adds “Take Five” articles to take you off the beaten path. Articles are about local or regional areas of interest, but not necessarily focused on leadership development. The intent is for you to take a break from being a leader and relax for a moment!
Self-Guided Campus Tour
Now here’s an awesome bit of technology – a virtual tour of many of the iconic places on the UW-Madison campus. Check it out and interact with your favorite haunts, like the Red Gym, Bascom, and more.
https://virtualtour.wisc.edu/wisc/self-guided-campus-tour
:: Upcoming Events
Last Chance! Leadership Improv with CSN
Through a variety of fun, engaging activities, Amanda and Jason from IT Connects will demonstrate how improvisational comedy skills can help supervisors work through difficult situations with staff and peers, as well as practice leadership skills in a light-hearted and low-risk environment.
No comedy or improv skills necessary; we just ask that you bring your willingness to be curious and open to trying new things.
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:15 pm
Location: 1210 W. Dayton St. (DoIT), Room 3139
Beyond the Timeline: The People in Projects with Nancy Kujak-Ford
Managing projects often means balancing deadlines, deliverables, and resources—but truly successful projects go beyond the basics. This session explores how human dynamics shape project outcomes and introduces T.R.U.S.T. (transparency, reliability, understanding, support, and timeliness) as a practical framework for building stronger team connections. You’ll learn how to establish trust quickly, align perspectives, and make relationship-building a daily practice. We’ll also cover what to do when trust is missing and how to rebuild it. You’ll leave with actionable strategies to make your projects more people-focused, resilient, and successful.
Presented by Nancy Kujak-Ford, a CSN Planner and director of strategy and impact @ the College of Letters and Science
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 10:00-11:00 am
Location: Online via registration link
https://strategicconsulting.wisc.edu/in-scope-managing-projects-at-uw-madison/