Planners’ Picks — September 1, 2026
See you in September! The classic song invites us to a new season together after a long summer away. As classes start, footballs get thrown, and colors start to change, Let’s reinvest in ourselves and those around us. This truly is a chance to start again, stronger than before.
:: Image of the Week
:: Help LTD!
Feedback Opportunity: Career Pathways AI Prompt Guide
Please consider reviewing a new Career Pathways AI Prompt Guide for UW-Madison employees being developed by the Learning and Talent Development office. We are looking for feedback during the month of September. The guide is designed to help employees explore career paths at UW–Madison, support internal job seeking, and assist with career planning.
Manager feedback will help us strengthen the resource before it is published on the Office of Human Resources website. Thank you for your time and input. If interested, please get in touch with Christopher East directly at christopher.east@wisc.edu.
:: CSN’s Book of the Week
Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company
Growth is the goal. Helping people develop their potential—enabling them to articulate and become the self they want to be, are capable of being, and that best serves them and others in the short and long term—is what we as individuals and leaders strive toward.
But how do we grow? It turns out it happens in a predictable way, which means we can understand where we are in our growth and chart a way forward. In this compact, complete guide, Whitney Johnson dives deeper than ever into the S-curve of Learning so you can envision how growth happens and direct yourself and others in your organization to create a culture that fosters it.
The growth and learning journey comes in three phases: the Launch Point, the Sweet Spot, and Mastery. Compelling examples of successful people will show you when and why growth is slow, how to keep going, what to do when growth and learning are almost too fast to keep up with, and how to leap from one growth journey to another.
As individuals grow, so do organizations and societies. Growth is learning put into action—action that betters the world as we better ourselves and our small niches, both personal and professional, within it. Growth occurs when learning is internalized—when we try something new and invest the effort to move it from being something we do to something we are.
We featured Whitney Johnson’s other book, Disrupt Yourself, three weeks ago. Now it’s time to disrupt your team’s growth!
:: Productivity and Innovation
How To Benefit From Your Failures
Something went wrong for you. It feels awful.
But wait! Before you spiral, ask yourself this question:
“Did I just run an accidental experiment?”
The question is a surprisingly helpful reframe, because it turns your terrible feeling into a result worth studying. Suddenly, you’re back in control. Your failure becomes useful. And it might even look like a success.
Today, Jason Feifer shows you how it works. But first, here’s the moment he learned this question — after suffering his own big mistake.
https://www.jasonfeifer.com/accidental-experiment/
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.” – Wendel Berry
Everything is Figureoutable
The Figureoutable Philosophy comes down to three rules.
Rule #1: All problems, or dreams, are figureoutable. This covers everything. The logistics and the big, scary, keeps-you-up-at-night dreams too.
Rule #2: If it’s not figureoutable, it’s not really a problem. It’s a fact of life or a law of nature. Gravity. Death. The stuff no amount of effort will change. Those don’t count.
Rule #3: You may not care enough to figure this one out. That’s okay. Find a different problem, or a different dream, one that actually lights a fire in you, and start back at Rule #1.
Save this for the next time you’re stuck deciding if something’s a real problem, or just life.
Three rules. That’s the whole philosophy.
From Marie Forleo, author of Everything is Figureoutable
:: Trust, Psychological Safety & Belonging
4 Ways to Improve Your Team’s Buy-in
Getting your team to execute is one thing. Getting them to buy in genuinely is another.
The strongest leaders know that commitment can’t be mandated through titles, targets or performance reviews. It’s earned through trust, consistency and connection. When people feel understood, supported and clear about what’s expected of them, they don’t simply comply—they take ownership.
Executive coach and The Connect Effect author Kylie Paatsch argues that building that kind of commitment starts with the leader. Here are four practical shifts that can strengthen relationships, deepen trust and turn expectations into genuine buy-in.
https://csq.com/2026/08/kylie-paatsh-4-ways-to-improve-your-teams-buy-in/
:: Networking and Socializing
The Introvert’s Guide to Visibility at Work
In a recent conversation, a talented professional confided, “I thrive in the background.” This resonates with introverts – those who naturally gravitate toward inner reflection and recharge in solitude. These individuals often deprioritize their visibility at work, finding satisfaction in contributing without claiming center stage.
This approach, while admirable, presents real challenges in today’s evolving workplace, especially in remote and hybrid environments. When physical presence is limited, “out of sight” truly becomes “out of mind.” Maybe you’ve experienced this – watching a promotion go to someone else because leadership wasn’t aware of your impact, or having your thoughtful approach misread as lack of enthusiasm. These moments highlight that in today’s competitive landscape, excellence alone isn’t enough – your contributions need to be visible.
https://melodywilding.com/the-introverts-guide-to-visibility-at-work/
“Make today so awesome yesterday gets jealous.” – Anonymous
The 2 Behaviors that Make You Socially Magnetic
“A 2023 study by Michael Dufner and Sascha Krause captures what I watched play out in that queue. The pair filmed strangers meeting for the first time and had trained observers rate each person on two dimensions. The first was communal behavior: how warm, friendly, and well-intentioned someone appeared. The second was agentic behavior: how confident, assertive, and willing to take the lead they seemed. They found that communal behaviour reliably made people liked. But becoming popular within the whole group — being the person everyone gravitated toward — took a mixture of the two.”
This lines up with how modern research measures charisma. In a 2017 study, Konstantin Tskhay and colleagues built a scale for everyday charisma that split into affability (the capacity to put someone at ease) and influence (the capacity to hold their attention and pull it toward you).
Have we piqued your interest? Read the whole article on being more socially magnetic here: https://bigthink.com/mind-behavior/the-2-behaviors-that-make-you-socially-magnetic/
:: Self-Leadership Development
Authentic Leadership Comes in Many Forms
Leadership lessons come from unexpected places. Sometimes, they come wrapped in rhinestones, big hair, and an unmistakable Tennessee accent. Dr. Crystal Lawson reflects on a legend who knew how to create followers.
“The measure of a life is not what you consume, but what you contribute. Spend less time owning, consuming, taking. Spend more time giving, creating, making.” – James Clear
Do More of What Matters: The Neuroscience of Why Smart Leaders Avoid Their Best Work
Jenna Piché asks: You know what your most important work is. So why aren’t you doing more of it?
I see this contradiction with smart, capable leaders all the time. Ask them to name their top priorities and most of them can.
They know the strategy they need to think through. The decision they need to make. The project that could change something. The conversation they’ve been putting off.
And yet they can spend an entire day working hard, answering questions, sitting in meetings, responding to emails, solving problems and crossing things off their lists, only to get to the end of the day and realize: I never got to the thing that actually mattered.
:: Mental Health and Self Care
Find Microbursts of Awe
Today, you’re learning from Dr. Dacher Keltner, one of the world’s leading experts on meaning, purpose, happiness, and awe.
Dr. Keltner is a distinguished professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center, one of the most renowned research institutes in the world that studies well-being.
He has spent over 35 years researching science-backed tools that you can use right now. You will be clear, focused, calmer, more engaged in your life, even when the world feels overwhelming.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
-Specific lessons you can apply today that come from 35 years of happiness research
-The quick morning practice research shows can boost your happiness and reset your day
-The two simple questions that help you find your purpose today
-Your most powerful core strength and how to tap into it more
-The one thought you need to feel less overwhelmed, exhausted and reduce stress now
-How to live a more meaningful life by remembering 2 key things about your past
-How to feel more alive today without spending money or making a major life change
-The one-minute awe practice Dr. Keltner recommends for anyone who is stressed, anxious, lonely or exhausted
-Simple, science-backed ways to live a meaningful life today
Whether you feel lost, burned out, anxious about the future, disconnected from yourself, or unsure what you are supposed to be doing with your life, this episode will help you reconnect with purpose and make you feel more alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lg2T5F-1nc
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal
:: Work Culture & Team Development
Why Your Greatest Expertise Flows Without a Plan
Accelerating learning, developing leadership skills, and innovating within an organization are essential skills that can be developed through various learning and development models. One of the most widely used models is the Four Stages of Competence. This model, developed by Noel Burch, identifies four stages that individuals go through when learning a new skill or knowledge area. This model makes sense to me in my work as a workshop designer and facilitator. I see some activities I have facilitated hundreds of times in workshops just come naturally. They flow unconsciously and go well even if I may feel out of practice or don’t have a plan. You also may see “unconscious competence” in your greatest area of expertise. While on the other hand, we may not even be aware yet of some skills we need to develop… unconscious incompetence. These could be blindspots (like in the johari window).
The Four Stages of Competence Model consists of four stages: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. Read this article for more on these stages and the dynamic of your team.
https://innovationlearning.substack.com/p/the-four-stages-of-competence-and?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=3c3hz&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between work and play; labor and leisure; mind and body; education and recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.” – Lawrence Pearsall Jacks
The 5 Human Skill Areas for Thriving in the Future of Work
Work keeps shifting under our feet. AI, hybrid teams, faster customer expectations, organizational change, harder problems. Most of us already know the technical answer matters less than it used to. What matters more is how people respond when the path forward isn’t clear.
People have taken DISC. They’ve taken MBTI, CliftonStrengths, Big Five. They know their style. They can describe their preferences. And they still struggle to innovate, to navigate ambiguity, to have the harder conversations a changing project actually requires.
Self-awareness is a fine starting point. It isn’t the work.
The work is skill development. Specifically, the human skills that let people adapt: asking better questions, noticing opportunities, building trust across silos, testing assumptions before sinking time into the wrong thing, and reflecting honestly on what’s working.
That’s what a future skills assessment is for. Not another personality label. A practical look at the capabilities you can actually practice and improve.
Darin divecs into his five human skills to work on here: https://innovationlearning.substack.com/p/build-the-human-skills-teams-need?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=5200045&post_id=197580278&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3c3hz&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
:: Upcoming Events
CSN Presents Leadership Improv
CSN will once again host a Leadership Improv presentation for a fun exercise of practicing our “in the moment” responses to curveballs and unexpected comments during this highly interactive training.
Using techniques first exercised in improv theater training, we will correlate the similarities to leadership readiness during this fun training.
Date: September 16, 2026
Time: 2:00-3:15 pm
Location: Morgridge Hall, WARF Centennial Terrace – 7th floor (outdoors) – Weather permitting
(Alternate location will be shared closer to the date if the forecast does not favor an outdoor gathering)
Register here: https://go.wisc.edu/t4d016