How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains by Richard Davidson
In this eye-opening talk, Richard Davidson of the Center for Healthy Minds discusses how mindfulness can improve well-being and outlines strategies to boost four components of a healthy mind: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose.
The Power of Deliberate Creative Teams by Amy Climer
What if teams could consistently tap into their collective creativity and lead innovation, not just sporadically? When teams have a shared purpose, strong team dynamics, and use a creative process, they can innovate when needed.
Got a meeting? Take a walk by Nilofer Merchant
Nilofer Merchant suggests a small idea that just might have a big impact on your life and health: Next time you have a one-on-one meeting, make it into a “walking meeting” — and let ideas flow while you walk and talk.
Transform Adversity into Opportunity with One Simple Technique by Heather Younger
When was the last time you struggled to move past adversity or a challenge in your life? In this personal and inspirational talk, Heather presents a very useful technique that transforms adversity into an opportunity minus the huge therapist bill.
How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership — starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?”
Millennials – why are they the worst? by Kelly Williams Brown
Author of the bestselling “Adulting: How to Become A Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps,” Kelly takes on young people and why they are how they are. Humor aside, she has some great points.
YouTube Featured Video: Millennials in the Workforce, A Generation of Weakness
In this After Skool YouTube video animation, Simon Sinek explains how the millennial generation became so entitled. A combination of failed parenting strategies, technology, impatience, and environment have created a wave of young people who can’t hack it in the real world. Watch to learn a little more about this generation of workers (and anyone using technology in social situations.)
10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation by Celeste Headlee
When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations — and that most of us don’t converse very well. The ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening.
Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are by Amy Cuddy
Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Amy Cuddy argues that “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence even when we don’t feel confident might impact your chance of success.
The Power of Vulnerabilty by Brené Brown
Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.
How to build (and rebuild) trust by Frances Frei
Trust is the foundation for everything we do. But what do we do when it’s broken? Frei gives a crash course in trust: how to build it, maintain it and rebuild it — something she worked on during a recent stint at Uber.
The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain
In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, or shameful, to be an introvert. Cain argues that introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated.
The Way We Think About Work is Broken by Barry Schwartz
What makes work satisfying? Apart from a paycheck, there are intangible values that, Barry Schwartz suggests, our current way of thinking about work simply ignores. It’s time to stop thinking of workers as cogs on a wheel.
YouTube Featured Video: Overcome Vulnerability and Fear in Your Life
Watch Brené Brown’s Top 10 Rules For Success: In this video, we’re see how to improve our lives by analyzing our take on Brown’s rules for success. From setting boundaries to embracing vulnerability, she puts it all out there in this compilation of interviews and speeches.
Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe by Simon Sinek
What makes a great leader? Sinek suggests, it’s someone who makes their employees feel secure, who draws staffers into a circle of trust. But creating trust and safety — especially in an uneven economy — means taking on big responsibility.
The puzzle of motivation by Dan Pink
Understanding motivation is crucial to leading a great team. Pink reveals that research shows that financial motivators actually hinder creativity which he covered in the book Drive, a CSN book club feature.
Want to help someone? Shut up and listen by Ernesto Sirolli
When most well-intentioned aid workers hear of a problem they think they can fix, they go to work. In this funny and impassioned talk, Sirolli proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you’re trying to help.
What It Takes to Be a Good Leader by Roselinde Torres
The world is full of leadership programs, but the best way to learn how to lead might be right under your nose. Torres observed truly great leaders at work, and shares three simple questions to ask so you can thrive in the future.
As Work Gets More Complex, 6 Rules to Simplify by Yves Morieux
Why do people feel so miserable and disengaged at work? Because today's businesses are increasingly and dizzyingly complex -- and traditional pillars of management are obsolete. Morieux offers six rules for "smart simplicity."
Listen, Learn ... Then Lead by Stanley McChrystal
McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning -- and addressing the possibility of failure.
YouTube Featured Video: SWITCH by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Watch the animated core message from Chip Heath and Dan Heath’s book. Switch asks the following question: Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle, say the Heaths, is a conflict that’s built into our brains. 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.
CSN featured this book in our 2024 Winter Book Club. You can find our supporting resources at go.wisc.edu/ac79h3 including the discussion questions, audio clips, and additional readings beyond the book.
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth
Duckworth took a job teaching math to 7th graders in a New York public school. She realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success.
The danger of a single story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Our lives and cultures are composed of many overlapping stories. Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Sleep is your superpower by Matt Walker
Sleep is your life-support system—in this deep dive into the science of slumber, Walker shares the wonderfully good things that happen when you get sleep and the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don't.
The surprising habits of original thinkers by Adam Grant
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Adam Grant studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals -- including embracing failure.
What makes us feel good about our work? by Dan Ariely
What motivates us to work? Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn't just money. But it's not exactly joy either. It seems that most of us thrive by making constant progress and feeling a sense of purpose. Ariely presents two experiments for us.
The difference between winning and succeeding by John Wooden
With profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. In this inspiring talk he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father's wisdom.
YouTube Featured Video: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
This lively RSA Animate, adapted from Dan Pink’s talk at the RSA, illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace. Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That’s a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live.
CSN presented on this topic in 2019; go to https://campussupervisorsnetwork.wisc.edu/lmd/ for other resources from Drive.
How to turn a group of strangers into a team by Amy Edmondson
Edmondson studies "teaming," where people come together quickly to solve new, urgent, or unusual problems. She shares the elements needed to turn a group of strangers into a quick-thinking team that can nimbly respond to challenges.
How to lead with radical candor by Kim Scott
“How can you say what you mean without being mean?” asks author Kim Scott. Delving into the balance between caring and challenging when leading in the workplace, she introduces radical candor as a way to give constructive criticism, compassionately.
Why being respectful to your coworkers is good for business by Christine Porath
Looking to get ahead in your career? Start by being respectful to your coworkers, says Porath. In this science-backed talk, she shares surprising insights about the costs of rudeness and shows how little acts of respect can boost your success.
Forget the pecking order at work by Margaret Heffernan
We need to redefine leadership as an activity in which conditions are created in which everyone can do their most courageous thinking together. I don’t have to know everything, I just have to work among people who are good at getting and giving help.
Why great leaders take humor seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
Delve into the surprising power of humor: why it's a secret weapon to build bonds, power, creativity and resilience -- and how we can all have more of it.
How diversity makes teams more innovative by Rocío Lorenzo
Are diverse companies really more innovative? YES! Lorenzo dives into the data and explains how your company can start producing fresher, more creative ideas by treating diversity as a competitive advantage.
YouTube Featured Video: The Art of Possibility Excerpt with Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander is a conductor and inspiring speaker. Learn about his ideas of “giving an A,” “Rule #6,” and other wonderful leadership concepts in this short video. He is the author of The Art of Possibility, a highly recommended book for leaders.
How Self-Silencing Is Sabotaging You by Rachel Druckenmiller
What if we get curious and discover what self-silencing is costing us and how it's limiting what's possible in our work? Rachel Druckenmiller helps us find the clarity we need to start living a more fulfilled, connected, courageous and unmuted life.
A simple way to inspire your team by David Burkus
Companies are on a never-ending quest to find what drives morale at work. With notable examples backed by decades of success, David Burkus presents a clear path to inspiring your team — and finding your purpose at work.
How to get better at the things you care about
Working hard but not improving? You're not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that's work, parenting or creative hobbies. See some useful techniques to continue growing.
Change your lens: celebrate what’s right in the world
In a world littered with negativity and bad news, it’s easy to focus on what’s wrong. We challenge you to focus on what’s right…by changing your perspective. Photographer Dewitt Jones shares his perspective on vision, perception, and possibility.
