Planners’ Picks — August 4, 2026 (Anniversary Edition)
Celebrating 11 YEARS of CSN today!
On August 4, 2015, CSN had our first in-person meeting to discuss some of the challenges managers were facing in their roles. From there, we started on a path of leadership development and sessions to help leaders grow and learn together. We’ve been involved in over 145 events since that time, including 19 book clubs and many other interactions.
What’s been your favorite part of CSN? We’d love to hear about it!
“Teach in order to learn.” – Baba Hari Dass
:: Image of the Week
:: LinkedIn Learning
Train Your Brain to Develop Better Habits
In this course, Dr. Judson Brewer—an addiction psychiatrist, neuroscientist, New York Times bestselling author, and professor—explores the science behind habit formation and provides evidence-based strategies to help you develop and transform your habits. Learn why and how we form habits, as well as the role of triggers and external factors in this process. Build awareness of your own habit loops and develop practical methods to change them. Plus, explore ways to recognize the negative impact of certain habits, implement strategies to unwind them, and leverage reward-based learning to foster new habits.
Learning objectives
- Describe the psychology of habit formation and why we form habits.
- Identify and analyze the triggers and external factors that influence your habits.
- Recognize and map out your personal habit loops to gain better awareness.
- Implement evidence-based strategies to unwind unwanted habits and replace them with positive ones.
- Develop a comprehensive action plan to nurture and maintain new habits.
:: Curiosity
How Well Do You Really Know the Human Behind the Role?
How well do you really know the people on your team?
When I ask leaders this question, most answer confidently. But when I dig deeper and ask about their team members’ passions, gifts, talents and motivations, the answers often become much less clear.
Most leaders can easily describe their team members’ roles, responsibilities, expertise, and goals. Those are critical for getting the job done. But there is so much more to your team than the role they play and the work they produce.
When we come to work, we bring all of ourselves, not just the part that performs the job. Yet why do we as leaders continue to focus solely on the work itself?
It’s often because we’re driven by pressures like margins, profits, deadlines, and goals.
These are all important. But when we focus only on profits, deadlines, and goals and not on the human being behind them, we miss one of the most basic human needs: to feel genuinely heard, seen, and valued.
Read Jean Marie DiGiovanna’s full article on curiosity here:
“In the sky, there is no distinction between east and west; people create distinctions in their own minds and then believe them to be true.” – Gautama Siddhartha
:: Managing Up
Is Your Boss Really a Micromanager—or Is Something Else Going On?
Practical ways to know whether your boss is a micromanager or dealing with frustrations of their own.
“You don’t trust me.”
That’s what employees are often thinking when a manager checks in for the third time before lunch, asks to be copied on every email, or insists on reviewing work that’s already been reviewed.
Meanwhile, the manager is thinking something completely different:
“If I don’t stay on top of this, something important is going to get missed.”
One of the most common questions we hear in our leadership development programs is: “How do I deal with my micromanager boss?” It’s consistently among our top “Asking for a Friend” topics.
But here’s what’s fascinating: we hear an almost identical level of frustration from the managers being called micromanagers.
Read on and watch a short video from Karin Hurt on this topic here:
https://letsgrowleaders.com/2026/06/05/boss-is-a-micromanager/
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Set Boundaries, Find Peace
End the struggle, speak up for what you need, and experience the freedom of being truly yourself.
Set Boundaries: We all know we should have them—in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relationships with partners, friends, and family. But what do “healthy boundaries” really mean—and how can we successfully express our needs, say “no,” and be assertive without offending others?
Find Peace: Rooted in the latest research and best practices used in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), these techniques help us identify and express our needs clearly and without apology—and unravel a root problem behind codependency, power struggles, anxiety, depression, burnout, and more.
Life comes at us fast, with new challenges to navigate at every turn. Millions of fans have embraced the fresh insights of bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab, a popular therapist who brings both expertise and a fresh perspective to the everyday struggles we all navigate in our relationships and within ourselves.
https://www.nedratawwab.com/books/set-boundaries-find-peace
:: Mental Health and Self-Care
Supporting Mental Health at Work Without Saying the Wrong Thing
From Cindy Rowe:
People are talking more openly about stress, burnout, overwhelm, and mental health than they used to. And honestly, I think that matters. For a long time, so many people felt like they had to quietly push through everything while still performing at a high level (I’m speaking from experience).
But now leaders are trying to navigate something that doesn’t come with a playbook.
They want to support their people. They want to create healthy workplaces. They want to say and do the right thing.
At the same time, many are wondering: “How do I show up for someone without overstepping? What’s supportive versus unhelpful? What’s actually my role here?”
I think that’s an important conversation. Leadership was never meant to mean carrying everyone’s pain or having all the answers. But it does mean creating environments where people feel safe enough to be human.
And, the smallest moments, the tone of our words, the way we respond, the space we create, make a bigger impact than we realize.
Thanks for being part of this community and for the care you bring into the lives of the people around you.
Listen to her most recent podcast on this topic: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/cindy-dimke/episodes/Kind-Talk-How-Words-Can-Support-Mental-Health-and-Emotional-Well-Being-e3isl7n/a-ackpc8m
:: Creativity
We are all broken crayons
We are all broken crayons. But don’t be tricked into believing that the only crayons that can be useful are perfect ones.
See this clever post from artist Jason Kotecki on how our flaws and imperfections are what make us unique.
“I hate to say it, but you and I, we’re somewhere in the box of castoffs. We are flawed. Lacking. Imperfect. Less than ideal. We are all broken crayons. But…when you look at a crayon drawing — whether from the hand of a child or a great master — can you tell if it was created with brand new crayons or broken ones?
Nope.
The adage is true: Broken crayons still color. Odds are that you often feel broken, rejected, cast off, past your prime, all used up. You might feel too big, too small, too dull, too exposed. That’s ok. You still have an important contribution to make.”
See his quick video blog here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5ajKz0eG2U
“It’s always a mistake to equate productivity and creativity. They are not the same. In fact, they’re frequently at odds with each other: You’re often most creative when you’re the least productive.” – Austin Kleon
How to rediscover the joy of drawing
As a child, you knew the thrill of conjuring with a pencil. Reclaim that pleasure with these activities (no talent needed)
Picture a young child with a crayon or piece of chalk in hand and a blank surface in front of them: paper, a sidewalk or (perhaps unfortunately) a wall. Think of their pure joy at making their mark on the world. There is something inherently thrilling about tracing your gestures on a blank page and watching it become something. A curved line suggests a hillside, a human profile or a bird in flight. A smudge turns a flat mark into a three-dimensional form. Most of us felt this as children: the simple pleasure of drawing, the sense that the hand could conjure. The good news is that this pleasure is still available to you, and you don’t need to be a trained artist, or even ‘talented’, to reclaim it.
Andrea Kantrowitz is an artist, researcher, and educator. This article walks you through some exercises to spark creativity through art.
https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-rediscover-the-joy-of-drawing
:: Productivity and Innovation
Stop Talking Yourself Out of Opportunities You’ve Earned
What really drives your executive presence, career decisions, and ability to influence the people around you? No, it’s not talent, effort, or strategy. It’s your beliefs. In this episode, Melody Wilding talks with Nir Eyal, a globally recognized authority on behavior change and human potential, about his new book, Beyond Belief.
You’ll Discover:
- The critical difference between a fact, a belief, and faith
- Beware: positive thinking and manifestation can make you less likely to achieve your goals – here’s why
- Engineer your own luck and draw promotions, plum projects, and more TO you
- One question Nir asks himself that stops a limiting belief in its tracks
“You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you.” – Warren Buffett
:: Self-Leadership Development
Blindspotting – Martin Dubin – HBR Webinar
Rewatch this webinar from author Martin Dubin on his book Blindspotting.
Every leader leads through their own personality. But here’s the catch: most of us don’t see ourselves as clearly as we think. And that’s what leads to blindspots. A challenge shows up. The tools that worked before stop working. We default to instinct—and miss what’s really going on. Blindspotting helps you see yourself clearly. It tells you:
- Where to look — The Blindspotting book introduces 6 blindspot areas and how they impact leadership, growth, and clarity.
- What to look for — The Blindspotting Assessment identifies 60+ blindspots and pinpoints the exact blindspots getting in your way—and what you can do about them.
- How to take action — Blindspotting Coaching turns your awareness into a personalized action plan so you can lead with greater clarity, confidence, and impact.
Learn more about:
- The hidden patterns shaping your decisions and leadership style
- How your strengths may be overused
- Where your leadership impact may be unintentionally limited
- Clear, actionable tools to address your blindspots
https://vimeo.com/1172080060/270f903fa8?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
More on his book at https://www.blindspotting.com/
How to Care Deeply Without Burning Out
This week, one of our Academy members surfaced the distinction between our circle of concern and our circle of influence. Stephen Covey popularized this concept in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
That’s why a 90-second video from my friend Kwame Christian just caught my eye. Kwame reminds us that compassion fatigue is real and nails it with this line: “Caring about everything actually diminishes your power to care about anything.”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6wU4oi03xug
“I discovered I always have choices, and sometimes it’s only a choice of attitude.” – Judith M. Knowlton
Smart Leaders Show Up Stupid
Show up “smart” to prove your value. Show up “stupid” to lift the value of others. Make conversations about others, not you.
Some leaders need to know everything. Wise leaders need to learn everything.
See Leadership Freak’s latest wisdom at https://leadershipfreak.blog/2026/06/12/smart-leaders-show-up-stupid/
:: Change Management
Change Leadership: How to Lead the Human Side of Change
The change plan looks solid. You’ve mapped the milestones, identified the stakeholders, scheduled the communications, and assigned the workstreams.
Then the questions start.
“What does this mean for my role?”
“Are we still committed to the initiative we launched last quarter?”
“What should I tell my team when I don’t have all the answers?”
“Does anyone actually want to hear my concerns?”
“Where are we supposed to find the time to do this?”
These aren’t side issues to manage after you finalize the change strategy. They ARE the change strategy.
Because organizations don’t change through timelines and project plans alone. Change happens when people understand what matters, trust the people leading it, contribute what they know, and follow through on new behaviors.
That’s the work of human-centered change leadership.
:: Upcoming Events
Introducing UW–Madison’s Change Management Framework
Join the Office of Strategic Consulting and the Project Manager Community of Practice for an introduction to these new campus resources.
Designed specifically for UW–Madison, the framework and toolkit offer practical guidance, worksheets, and tools that can be adapted to a variety of projects and initiatives. Participants will get an early look at the resources, explore ways to apply them in their work, and share feedback to help shape future enhancements.
During This Session, You Will:
Explore a practical approach for managing the people side of change.
Preview tools that can support a wide range of projects and initiatives.
Share feedback to help refine and strengthen these campus resources.
Connect with colleagues interested in leading change across UW–Madison.
The session will be facilitated by Jen Erickson, Capacity Building Lead in the Office of Strategic Consulting. Learn more on the Office of Strategic Consulting event page.
Join us online via Microsoft Teams on August 18 from 10–11 a.m. during the regularly scheduled PM Community of Practice meeting.
(No registration needed)