Planners’ Picks — August 11, 2026
Picks Six!! This week we celebrate SIX years of the Planners’ Picks newsletter; what began in August of 2020 to stay connected with our members during COVID has grown into an audience of over 1750 weekly viewers and is shared with many more people in resends. We hope you continue to find value in the content and learn from some of the contributors! Enjoy issue 313 of PP!
:: Image of the Week
:: Mental Health and Self Care
The HALT Method: Protect your Energy and Emotional Capacity
Did you know that a nearly empty fuel tank is more likely to catch fire than a full one? Vapours can ignite under specific conditions.
We too might “combust” if we allow ourselves to become depleted. See the HALT method of getting back on track, brought to us by Grace Ohla.
https://uwmadison.box.com/s/8w0ob515xohw5lj77he80azhjtqeeecf
“It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad.” – Jimmy Buffett
:: CSN’s Book of the Week Recommendation
Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work
Are you a high-potential employee charting your course within your current organization, a leader trying to jumpstart innovative thinking in your company? Or are you ready to do something new?
Consider this simple yet powerful idea: disruptive companies and ideas upend markets by doing something truly different – they see a need, a space waiting to be filled, and they dare to create something for which a market may not yet exist. An expert in driving innovation via personal disruption, Whitney Johnson, will help you understand how the frameworks of disruptive innovation can apply to you: if you want to be successful in unexpected ways, follow your own disruptive path. Dare to innovate. Dream big dreams. Do something astonishing. Disrupt yourself. In this book, you will learn how to apply these frameworks to building a business, career – and you.
We are living in an era of accelerating disruption – those who can manage the S-curve waves of learning and maxing out will have a competitive advantage. But this is a skill set that needs to be learned. Disrupt Yourself will help people cope with the unpredictability of disruption and use it to their competitive advantage.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24693697-disrupt-yourself
:: Change Management
Video Summary of the book Switch by Dan and Chip Heath
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?
The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.
In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:
- The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients.
- The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping.
- The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service
Watch this short video summary of their key topics from this book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_cp8nebs_A
This book was featured as the CSN 2024 Winter Book Club. Resources from our discussions can be accessed for self-study here: https://uwmadison.box.com/s/zczsvk4yb056gq9axg3q75hi8ixgl8tz
:: Servant Leadership
Why Focusing on Servant Purpose Matters More Than Ever
In this episode of Mastering Workplace Culture, co‑hosts Chris Edmonds and Mark Babbitt tackle a question many leaders are quietly wrestling with: What’s really behind today’s leadership crisis—and, during these deeply divisive times, what responsibility do leaders carry to keep our workplaces focused on what matters most?
Drawing on decades of experience, recent global events, and themes surfaced by past guests, Chris and Mark reflect on how leadership has drifted away from servant purpose, accountability, and courage. They explore how self‑interest, performative behavior, and the absence of meaningful checks and balances have weakened trust—in politics, yes, but also in organizations at every scale.
Rather than “worshiping the problem,” the conversation stays focused on the fix. The episode revisits proven principles such as servant purpose, respect, clarity, and courage, and connects them to real workplace behavior: How leaders make decisions, how they hold themselves accountable, and how team members are invited to use their voice when something doesn’t feel right.
This is an honest, unscripted discussion about responsibility, integrity, and choosing to be part of the solution—starting exactly where you lead today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXYKkxf2b9I
“All I need is your pinky toe of discomfort.” – Trevor McCray, PhD
:: Self-Leadership Development
How to lead when you don’t have the title
Gloria St. Martin-Lowry writes:
Early in my career, I worked with two exceptional leaders in HR and organizational development. I was the only one of the three without a formal leadership title, yet we operated as a leadership team across the departments we supported.
Each of us had specific functions, but we constantly shared updates. Not because someone required it, but because transparency helped us stay aligned. If one of us was out, the others could step in immediately and keep work moving.
Something surprising happened as a result. Decisions were made closer to the work rather than waiting for approval from the chain of command. Our service levels improved, our reputation across the organization grew, and the team moved faster with far less friction.
That experience taught me a lesson I’ve seen repeated many times since: Authority isn’t really about a title; it’s about clarity. When people understand who decides what, how decisions get made, and what they’re accountable for, leadership naturally spreads across the team.
That shift came down to four habits that anyone can develop, regardless of their title. Read on for the list!
https://www.smartbrief.com/original/how-to-lead-when-you-dont-have-the-title?
Closing The Leadership Expectation Gap
Why do so many talented managers struggle when they step into leadership roles?
It’s a challenge that affects businesses of every size. High performers are often promoted because they’re brilliant at what they do, yet they’re rarely given the skills, tools, or support needed to lead people effectively.
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent speaks with Megan Robinson, Founder of eLeader Experience, about what she calls the “Leadership Expectation Gap” and why it is costing organizations far more than they realize.
Megan shares how businesses can move leaders from being stuck in the weeds to becoming influential people developers who create stronger teams, better performance, and higher retention.
In this episode:
- Why leadership and management are not the same thing
- The hidden cost of promoting technical experts into leadership roles without support
- Why poor leadership can account for significant revenue loss
- How a coaching-first approach develops leaders rather than simply training them
- The importance of moving from giving answers to asking better questions
- Why influence is the true measure of leadership
- The practical habit that can instantly improve your leadership effectiveness
- Lessons from scaling a coaching business beyond founder capacity
- Why pricing for future growth matters from day one
:: Work Culture & Team Development
How to motivate your team when the ladder stops moving
If your company’s career ladder is no longer moving people up, Michael Koopman offers strategies to keep your best talent.
High-growth organizations often promise quick advancement: Deliver results, and you’ll move up. But ladders don’t extend forever. The higher you go, the fewer openings there are, with more people vying for them. At the higher levels, promotions depend on more than individual performance and include many softer skills related to influence and strategy. As companies mature, leaders in executive roles also stabilize, while ambitious employees’ expectations may stay high. This mismatch requires managers to help employees adjust and refocus.
Managers can’t prevent slowdowns, but they can reframe the conversation. Instead of measuring ambition solely in titles, they can ask: If promotions slowed tomorrow, what would keep my team engaged? What keeps each person feeling motivated and valued day to day? By recognizing ambition as more than vertical movement, managers can open new avenues for growth and fulfillment.
“Prepare as if this is your only opportunity, and perform as if nothing can go wrong.” – Shane Parrish
The Unintentional Impact of Leadership (And Why It Matters More Than You Think)
Research shows that team behaviors mirror leadership behaviors with remarkable consistency. When leaders demonstrate being pulled and controlled by competing priorities, teams develop fragmented work patterns. When leaders prioritize reactive responses over deep work, teams learn that urgency trumps importance.
They prioritize what we reward. They do more of the work that we comment on. They feel the energy in the room, and they adapt to it — often without even realizing they’re doing it.
When a leader checks email during a time they set aside to focus on important work, the team learns that focus time isn’t really protected and being responsive is more important than getting the REAL work done.
How many moments in my leadership career haven’t landed well? Times when I was stressed, or reactive, or moving too fast — when the version of me that showed up wasn’t the version I’d want reflected back at me?
See Jena Piché’s post on this topic and a story about how her impact left a positive mark here:
Healthy Teams Resources at UW-Madison
Teams and teamwork are critical to the overall success of UW–Madison. Team development is an ongoing process. Any change — big or small — can shift the evolution of a team. The Healthy Teams website contains exercises and resources to help you and your team work through the issues you may face at every stage of team development.
https://hr.wisc.edu/professional-development/programs/healthy-teams/
:: Change Management
Do You Know How to Walk on Water Successfully
Frank Zaccari is creating change by helping companies understand that success isn’t just about strategy. It’s about resilience, trust, confidence, and most importantly, the power of connection.
Frank shared with Podcaster Terry Yoffe his passion – teaching people “How to Walk on Water,” but first you need to find where the rocks are before you can create meaningful change. Listen in for some valuable tips and great stories of successful change!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9smkLf8kIY
:: Upcoming Events
Supervision and Management Mastermind Exchange
Do you wish you could share challenges with a committed group of colleagues and brainstorm solutions? Managing and supervising are such important jobs, and it can be lonely sometimes. Here is an opportunity to build a space to discuss real situations in a structured way.
You can expect a peer-supported collaborative environment that will be highly interactive, including small group activities and discussions. Participants will share challenges and work together to problem-solve, share perspectives, brainstorm, innovate, and network. This is a committed group for a short time.
SMME is limited to participants who are people managers. Sessions are held in person starting in late August, or register for a winter online group.