Past Events-2021-22
Moving Forward
See 2021-22’s events below, or click on a button below to find other events.
CSN Bite-Size Book Club — CliftonStrengths® Assessment
Held November 17, 2022, online
Strengths-based development starts with understanding what strengths contribute to performance. Every team is the sum of its parts, and different challenges call for specific abilities. Some teams need conflict resolution and some need help staying on task, while others need help aligning their work with the organization’s purpose.
The CliftonStrengths® assessment identifies a person’s natural talents and capacities to perform at excellence. It’s a development tool – the more you use your strengths, the stronger they get – and a means of tailoring talent to task and improving performance.
Certified Gallup CliftonStrengths® coaches Mandy Stib, DoIT Training & Organizational Development Manager, and Shelly Vils Havel, Manager of Team Engagement & Development Office of Admissions & Recruitment, along with CSN Planners participated in a Strengths-based workshop. In this workshop, we uncovered our top 5 strengths and learned strategies to use them daily to achieve our greatest potential for success. As supervisors we can also identify how leveraging our teams’ strengths can lead to greater engagement and productivity.
Did you miss this event? You can read the book and take the assessment yourself, and then check out our resources for more details on your personal strengths.
Atomic Habits at Work
Held October 13, 2022, online
Presented by Rich Gassen, print production manager, Digital Publishing & Printing Services; and Jennifer Erickson, capacity building lead, Office of Strategic Consulting. This event was co-hosted by the Campus Supervisors Network.
This discussion-based session focused on building better habits into your work life, using the #1 New York Times bestseller, “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear as a guide. Clear writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement. His book has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages.
“Atomic Habits” describes several proven techniques for building new habits (or ending bad ones), which will be covered in the session. Topics of this session included identity-based habits, changing the cues to direct you to better decisions, habit stacking (building upon habits you already have), and environmental design improvements. The presenters also shared some stories, as well as additional resources for you to explore the topic further on your own.
Employee Resource Fair
Held October 3, 2022, at Union South
Carol and Rich from the CSN planning committee were at the UW-Madison Employee Resource Fair. We were able to meet many nice people, added dozens to our mailing list, and shared some of the benefits of our network. We were also able to unload some of the notepads and other printed items we have!! If you stopped by, thanks for visiting. For more info on our planning committee, reach out to Rich Gassen today!
CSN Bite-Size Book Club —
Brag, Worry, Wonder, Bet: A Manager’s Guide to Giving Feedback
Held August 24, 2022, online
Giving someone feedback can be a daunting task for a manager-especially when an employee is underperforming. To soften the blow, we sometimes refer to difficult feedback as “developmental” or “constructive” but these phrases rarely prompt the type of productive conversations managers need to have with team members. Steve King, a longtime executive who has held leadership roles with a variety of organizations including UW-Madison, cuts to the chase with a simple and tested framework on providing feedback.
Think of how great it would be to break through the typical awkwardness of giving feedback and start having serious conversations about performance, development, and careers. Regardless of your role, if you want to give feedback to others on a regular basis, you need a proven approach to improve the quality of your conversations. It starts with four simple words-Brag, Worry, Wonder, Bet.
Rich Gassen and Nancy Kujak-Ford led a one-session discussion around the topic of having a conversation about delivering feedback effectively.
Coaching Those In Your Care
Held August 18, 2022, online
In CSN’s recent presentations on Building Employee Trust, we discussed four growth areas for building trust in teams: Emotional Intelligence, Change Management, Empathy, & Coaching. We end this series with a conversation around Coaching.
CSN members Rich Gassen and Shelly Vils Havel held a small group discussion on this topic, with definitions, examples, and resources for coaching those in your care.
CSN is proud to promote the Connect, Learn, and Grow: Virtual Learning Series
Successful Outcomes Through Servant-Leadership
Held July 21, 2022, online
Presenter: Joe Goss, Senior Business Analyst, Project Manager, and Team Facilitator, Department of Information Technology
The positive impact on customers, staff, and business outcomes prompted countless “big name” U.S. companies to adopt and practice Servant-Leadership. Pockets of UW-Madison practice this leadership style, as well. Learn the core principles of Servant-Leadership and how to practice it within your organization, which can lead to significant improvements in staff outlook, customer satisfaction, and organizational success.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand Servant-Leadership as a transformational leadership style by building mutual trust and staff empowerment
- Flip top-down, autocratic management into one of service to staff, and staff to customers
- Learn the 10 characteristics of a servant leader, enabling you to implement Servant-Leadership in your organization or context
Setting the Stage for the Future You
Held July 28, 2022, online
Presenter: Carol Hulland (a CSN Planning Committee Member!) and Cliff Robb, Co-Chairs, UW Retirement Issues Committee
This interactive session was a presentation on consumer finance and saving for retirement.
Learning Outcomes:
- Build confidence in preparing for retirement as a normal part of one’s work life
- Preparing for a healthy retirement is possible for every UW employee – we can all make this a more natural conversation for and between employees at all career levels and employment types
- Shift the perspective and take away the shame of feeling unprepared – recognize that there can be a lot of reasons it’s hard to prepare for, and transition to, being retired.
2nd Annual Student Employment Summer Summit
Held July 20, 2022, online
The team at Student Employment in the Office of Student Financial Aid hosted the 2nd Annual Student Employment Summit on July 20. This event brought together supervisors, hiring managers, and others who support student employment at UW-Madison to connect while sharing knowledge, best practices, and engaging in different perspectives on a variety of Student Employment topics.
Navigating Change Management within Teams
Held July 7, 2022, online
In CSN’s recent presentations on Building Employee Trust, we discussed four growth areas for building trust in teams: Emotional Intelligence, Change Management, Empathy, & Coaching. Next up is Change Management.
CSN members Rich Gassen and Carol Hulland held a small group discussion on this topic, with definitions, examples, and resources for navigating change management as a leader.
Practicing Empathy when Leading
Held June 7, 2022, online
In CSN’s recent presentations on Building Employee Trust, we discussed four growth areas for building trust in teams: Emotional Intelligence, Change Management, Empathy, & Coaching. Next up is Empathy.
CSN members Rich Gassen and Carol Hulland held a small group discussion on this topic, with definitions, examples, and resources for practicing empathy as a leader.
Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
Held May 25, 2022, online
In CSN’s recent presentations on Building Employee Trust, speakers Theresa Kim and Steven Catania discussed four growth areas for building trust in teams: Emotional Intelligence, Change Management, Empathy, & Coaching. We will spend some more time on each of these topics, starting with Emotional Intelligence.
CSN members Rich Gassen and Nancy Kujak-Ford led a small group discussion on this topic, with definitions, examples, and resources for developing your EI as a leader.
Leadership @ UW Spring Open House
Held April 27, 2022, at Memorial Union
CSN members Rich Gassen and Nancy Kujak-Ford greeted visitors at the Leadership @ UW Spring Open House at the Memorial Union’s Great Hall. At this wonderful event, we heard about how the Leadership Framework was used on campus for positive change, and groups like the Campus Supervisors Network were on hand to talk with visitors about how they promote leadership on the UW campus. Nancy and Rich were able to discuss some upcoming CSN events, and network with some of their peers in this relaxed atmosphere.
Building Employee Trust During Times of Crisis
Held March 9, 2022, online
On this side of the COVID crisis, only 44% of employees trust their leaders and managers to navigate a crisis well! (Gartner’s survey of the Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2022). How confident are you that your employees would say they trusted you during this recent crisis? How confident are you that they will when the next crisis comes along?
In this session, participants leveraged reflections and lessons learned during COVID to help focus on what we can do to gain our employees’ trust. Using these lessons, attendees will be able to create an action plan to build employees’ trust before the next crisis occurs. Facilitated by Learning and Talent Development.
CSN was at Showcase!
Held March 8, 2022 at Union South
We hope you were able to stop by the Showcase poster show to talk with some of the CSN planning committee members. For more information on the event and to view all of the posters displayed, as well as the breakout sessions and other content, visit the link.
Introduction to GROW—Guided Reflection on Work
Held February 15 & 17, 2022, online
The folks from the Office of Student Financial Aid shared about the power of mentorship in the workplace and how to facilitate student employee reflection to make connections between one’s academics and career after graduation. This was an introduction to the WiGROW program on campus.
Building Employee Trust During Times of Crisis
Held January 11, 2022, online
On this side of the COVID crisis, only 44% of employees trust their leaders and managers to navigate a crisis well! (Gartner’s survey of the Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2022). How confident are you that your employees would say they trusted you during this recent crisis? How confident are you that they will when the next crisis comes along?
In this session, participants leveraged reflections and lessons learned during COVID to help focus on what we can do to gain our employees’ trust. Using these lessons, attendees will be able to create an action plan to build employees’ trust before the next crisis occurs. Facilitated by Learning and Talent Development.
Scaffolding Leadership Development Learning
Held December 21, 2021, online
As student supervisors, we are poised to help students learn crucial skills that will allow them to thrive later in the workplace. However, have you ever struggled with how to build these skills into your existing supervisory practice? This session introduced a framework focused on how to scaffold or build existing Leadership and Career Readiness framework into your student employment experiences. For more information, contact Devin Deegan – Student Employment and Engagement Specialist, at ddeegan@wisc.edu.
Help Build Your Team’s Resilience
Held December 8, 2021, online
In Heather Younger’s book The Art of Caring Leadership, she talks about building team resilience as one of the nine tenets of caring leaders. What does this look like in practice?
Inside and outside the workplace, obstacles and challenges are all around. We’ve also been working through the past 20 months of a pandemic. Caring Leaders focus on building resilience within those they lead the help them respond to inevitable adversity and bounce back to become stronger. This involves helping them reframe their current circumstances, learn from what is happening around them, and see the challenges as opportunities to grow and progress in their role in your unit.
Showing our Gratitude at the CSN Holiday Gathering
Held December 1, 2021, at The Sett Pub
It was high time to show our gratitude for your hard work and dedication as a supervisor during this challenging year. Several CSN members joined the planning committee at the CSN Holiday Gathering – a chance to catch up and socialize with some of your peers. There was no agenda; just fun networking and mingling with other supervisors from campus.
We met on the upper balcony of The Sett Pub @ Union South and shared stories along with plenty of appetizers. We were involved in networking and collaboration with people from all over campus in this intimate event setting.
Supervising Students Mini-Conference
Held November 9, 2021, online
The Office of Student Financial Assistance hosted the Supervising Students Mini-Conference (presented by WiGROW). Supervisors of student-employees from across campus and our community had an opportunity to exchange ideas while engaging in a variety of topics on best practices related to supervising student-employees. The mini-conference consisted of 4 sessions on Zoom:
Leveraging Campus Resources to Support Your Students
Being a Student Mentor
A Roundtable Discussion: Student Wellbeing at Work
What Working on Campus Means for Me
More information including descriptions of each session can be found here: https://studentjobs.wisc.edu/ssmc/.
Look for the Greatness in Those We Lead and Involve Them
Held November 4, 2021, online
In Heather Younger’s book The Art of Caring Leadership, she talks about looking for the greatness in those you lead and also involving them in processes and initiatives (chapters 3 & 4). What does this look like in practice?
This book was featured in CSN’s Summer Book Club series earlier this year. In this session, we dove deeper into some of the topics in these chapters. Rich Gassen, Nancy Kujak-Ford, and Chris Hodges from the Campus Supervisors Network led a small group discussion.
We shared stories from our work environments to show how looking for the greatness in your team members and involving them can result in better performance, higher job satisfaction, more employee retention, and other benefits.
Student Employment Diversity Forum
The Student Employee Diversity Forum Series took place virtually the week of October 18th. This series featured multiple sessions on a variety of topics and guest facilitators throughout the week.
Below is a list of the topics covered at this forum:
- Self Care Awareness
- Equity in the Workplace
- LGBTQ+ Student Worker Bill of Rights
- UW-Madison Dreamers Organization
- International Student Panel
- Privilege and White Identity
- Being an Advocate for Change
More information on these sessions can be found here: https://studentjobs.wisc.edu/se-diversity-forum/.
How Do You Lead The Whole Person at Work?
Held October 19, 2021, online
In Heather Younger’s book The Art of Caring Leadership, she talks about leading the whole person as one of the nine tenets of caring leaders. What does this look like in practice?
This book was featured in CSN’s Summer Book Club series earlier this year. This small group dove deeper into some of the topics of this chapter. Rich Gassen led stories from our work environments to show how leading the whole person can result in better performance, higher job satisfaction, more employee retention, and other benefits. Participants brought up situations and challenges they face today in doing this, especially in leading remote and hybrid work units.
2021 Employee Resource Fair
Held October 4, 2021, at Union South
People came to the annual resource fair to:
- Learn about Annual Benefits Enrollment
- Discover Resources for UW employees
- Review health and safety protocols
Campus Supervisors Network planning members were on hand to answer questions and passed out note pads and other swag from CSN. More information on the resource fair is found at this link: https://hr.wisc.edu/benefits/employee-resource-fair/
Student Employment Forum Series:
The office of Student Financial Aid hosted several events for supervisors of student workers in September. Contact Devin Deegan for more information on any of these programs: 608.890.0409 or ddeegan@wisc.edu.
Introduction to Engaged Leaders Through Employment (ELE)
Held September 13 & 16, 2021, online
The Center for Leadership and Involvement has partnered with Student Employment to provide employers with resources to support leadership development for their student employees through the Engaged Leaders through Employment (ELE) program. ELE is modeled on the UW-Madison Leadership Framework.
Student Employment Supervisor Series: Lead, Develop, and Grow
The first Student Employment Podcast of the 2021-2022 School Year!
Held September 21, 2021, online
The Student Employment Podcast Series is intended to discuss equity, inclusivity, and diversity as it relates to our work as supervisors of student employees. This month’s topic will be on self-care and how supervisors can support their students using this lens.
Introduction to GROW: Guided Reflection on Work
Held September 28-30, 2021, online
Join us to understand the power of mentorship in the workplace and how to facilitate student employee reflection to make connections between one’s academics and career after graduation. This is an introduction to the WiGROW program on campus.
CSN Book Club: The Art of Caring Leadership
Held July 20, 27, and Aug 3, 2021, online
Discover Your Personal Leadership Style and the Actions You Can Take to Uplift and Engage Those You Lead.
If your people know you care about them, they will move mountains. In The Art of Caring Leadership: How Leading With Heart Uplifts Teams and Organizations, employee engagement and loyalty expert Heather R. Younger outlines nine key ways that leaders can ensure all their employees feel included and cared for. Based on Younger’s interviews with over 80 leaders for her podcast, she shares how all of us have the ability to manifest the radical power of caring support at work, no matter what the context or circumstances.
Younger takes an often nebulous, subjective concept and makes it concrete and actionable—emphasizing that leaders have the power to change the lives of those they lead. They shouldn’t just “want” to care, they should see caring as imperative for the success of their employees and their organization. Though Younger stresses that this is not a cookie-cutter approach: just as Monet and Picasso expressed themselves very differently, each leader should express caring in their own unique, personal way.
Whether you’re looking for increased productivity, customer satisfaction, or employee engagement, Younger stresses that you need to care for your employees first. Join us to learn more about caring leadership.
About the author:
Heather R. Younger is an experienced keynote speaker, two-time author, and the CEO and Founder of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement, leadership development, and DEI consulting firm, where she is on a mission to help leaders understand the power they possess to ensure people feel valued at work.
Heather harnesses humor, warmth, and an instant relatability to engage and uplift audiences and inspire them into action.
Managing Through the Muck:
Handling Change and Transition
Held June 2, 2021, online
“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” Deepak Chopra
This quote sums up the last 14 months well for most of us! During this workshop, you will learn best practices on how to manage and cope with “muck” such as change, transition, stress, burnout, and how to help those around you, including the teams with whom you interact.
Change and transition could be something that excites people who love opportunities for growth, learning about new things, or who like to shift the status quo. However, in the last year, we have had to adapt, grow and learn in an ever-changing environment without much certainty or choice.
In this session, Campus Supervisors Network facilitators reflected on the challenges and lessons learned from the changes of 2020 and focus on upcoming change such as returning to the office or workplace/space for some of us, and how to best navigate through it.
During this session we offered breakouts on two different aspects of change:
- Return to work on campus
- Handling the stress of change outside of your control
Student Employment Forum Series: Supervising Student Employees Virtually
Held April 27, 2021, online
This session featured guest speaker, Nicole Kaforski, who provided tips and first-hand experiences for student supervisors preparing to train and supervise student employees virtually. She covered what has worked and has not worked for the Office of Admissions and Recruitment transitioning their student employees to a virtual work setting, including training tools, and staying connected with your team.
CSN What Matters at Work Book Club
Held April 15 & 22, 2021, online
The Workplace is a critical, high-stakes environment. We are expected to be available at all hours, across modes and platforms, all in service to some vague priorities of customer service. We spend much of our lives in the world of work, and rarely give one another permission, encouragement, and support to develop more intentional, well-considered ways of approaching such time with a deeper sense of purpose.
Fortunately, there is a quiet, powerful revolution occurring within the 21st-century organization, and we can notice these forces, harvest their practices, and build upon their insights to focus on What Matters. That’s where this guide comes in: To reflect on What Matters at Work is to consider what has been learned and apply it to the pragmatic realities of work life.
What Matters At Work is organized as a series of thirty-three “Lessons,” each offering a lens into a practice that can help us clarify our focus and discern those things we truly value that should guide our efforts. Practice Scenarios and Worksheets are provided to allow all who are participating important resources to the practice and implementation of these ideas.
What Matters at Work contains:
• Dozens of Lessons, Exercises, and Challenges that teach the skills and processes you need to provide leadership at work;
• Scenarios that offer practice situations for those facilitating these efforts;
• Worksheets that provide templates to copy in service to your ongoing learning and growth;
• Comprehensive listings of these materials and additional resources to help you access what you need quickly and easily.
Align your own Values and work practices with What Matters. Lead your department or unit to fulfill the full scope of its promise and possibility by engaging all of its staff, partners, and customers in What Matters. That’s What Matters at Work.
***
Harry Webne-Behrman is a veteran educator, mediator, facilitator, and consultant who has worked with hundreds of businesses, public agencies, community groups, and educational institutions to navigate complex issues and address entrenched challenges. Through his experience, he has developed and adapted a variety of tools and strategies that can help us all focus on What Matters in collaborative, effective processes that are readily applied to diverse workplace situations.
Student Employment Podcast Series: Trauma-Informed Care
Held April 22, 2021, online
Featuring Guest Facilitator:
Cori Splain-Director for Strategic Initiatives & Engagement for the Division of Enrollment Management
The Podcast Series seeks to support our supervisory and leadership skills with student employees by focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. No matter whether you supervise students or not, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in discussions.
This event has passed, but you can still listen to the featured podcast episode (16 min).
Student Employment Podcast Series: Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
Held March 30, 2021, online
Featuring Guest Facilitators:
- Katherine Charek Briggs – Assistant Director of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center
- Tiffany Lee – Crossroads Coordinator of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center
The Podcast Series seeks to support our supervisory and leadership skills with student employees by focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. No matter whether you supervise students or not, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in discussions.
This event has passed, but you can still listen to the featured podcast episode (30 min).
CSN Elevate Book Club
Held March 9, 16, & 23, 2021, online
If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that we can’t stay stagnant. We always have to be improving and elevating ourselves. The world around us is changing at a breakneck pace, and we have to be continually improving to be the best versions of ourselves and keep up with it. This is especially true for leaders and supervisors, who need to be in their best shape to lead in this rapidly changing world. You can’t stay the same and expect to be able to lead teams in the future.
Robert Glazer, CEO of Acceleration Partners, wrote a book about this topic. He has led a fully remote team for years and has seen in the last year how people have had to adapt and improve themselves to work in and lead remote teams. He knows the importance of continual improvement and says it comes down to your daily habits and actions. You have to know where you want to go to put in the work to get there.
In his book, Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others, Robert lays out four ways to elevate yourself for continual improvement:
- Spiritual. This isn’t necessarily religious, but it’s about knowing who you are and what you stand for. This includes the personal standards you live by each day. In order to improve yourself, you have to know where you are going and what you want most.
- Intellectual. Spiritual elevation helps you realize where you want to go, intellectual elevation helps you get there. This includes establishing routines and healthy habits and setting long-term and short-term goals.
- Physical. You have to take care of yourself physically to have the strength and energy to reach your goals. Elevate yourself with improved eating and exercise habits to take care of your body.
- Emotional. Your emotional levels affect your relationships and how you react to challenging situations. Everyone faces stress and trials, but when you elevate yourself emotionally, you are better prepared to handle the ups and downs.
We discussed these capacities in detail in our three sessions, and were joined by the author during the last session for some in-person Q&A!
Student Employment Forum Series: Facilitating an Equitable Student Hiring Process
Held March 16, 2021, online
This presentation provided hiring managers and supervisors with information to best facilitate an equitable student hiring process. They covered best practices in key areas of student review, interviews, and inclusive language in job postings.
Peer Learning Collective:
Looking at The Three Lenses of Leadership
Held February 9, 2021, online
At this small group we discussed The Three Lenses of Leadership: “In moving quickly, we can easily become entrenched in our own perspective, oblivious to other forces that may affect our business success. One technique for calibrating what we see involves viewing an initiative through three types of lenses: political, strategic, and cultural.”
Ponder and Explore The Three Lenses’ Key Concepts:
Strategic: goal-directed, tasks, roles, information flows, interdependence
Political: power, influence, networks, autonomy, interests, dominant coalition
Cultural: artifacts, symbols, myths, values, assumptions, identities, subcultures
Building Momentum: Creating Short-Term Wins
Held January 29, 2021, online
Building and sustaining momentum in the workplace is vital to motivation, forward movement, and ultimately, to success. Whether large or small, wins motivate us all! Yet in our day to day routines, we seldom celebrate them. This is now more important than ever given our current environment. During this interactive workshop, presenter Shelly Vils Havel identified ways to effectively recognize wins in the workplace, learned how to reinforce successes and identified resources for creating and sustaining momentum.
Student Employment Podcast Series: Our Identities in the Workplace
Held January 28, 2021, online
The Podcast Series seeks to support our supervisory and leadership skills with student employees by focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. No matter whether you supervise students or not, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in discussions.
Featuring Guest Facilitators:
- Nicole Schumacher- Scholarship Aid Manager, Office of Student Financial Aid
- Lo Klink- Associate Director of Special Awards and Student Engagement, Office of Student Financial Aid
Student Employment Forum Series: Giving Feedback to Drive Student Success
Held January 12, 2021, online
Feedback is key to our own personal growth and development as well as the students we supervise. Attendees learned about the Office of Student Financial Aid’s Success Services, as well as considering how we receive and give feedback. they discussed the value of feedback, distinguish constructive criticism from other forms of critique, and explored how to effectively provide, receive, and even reject feedback.