Past Discussions
August 2023 - About Meetings
Team gatherings, sometimes referred to as team retreats, extend beyond the day-to-day work tasks and team check-ins often utilized by supervisors. The July issue of Leadership Insights, Leading Purposeful Team Gatherings, includes practices and recommendations to help put together an impactful and meaningful team gathering that leverages your leadership vision with current work realities.
June 2023 - Supervising Undergraduate Students
Students are a core part of our mission at the University of Minnesota. In addition to working toward a degree and building friendships, for many, the University is their first employer. If you supervise undergraduate students, balancing the need to support and develop students while ensuring that essential tasks are completed can be difficult. This conversation on Supervising Undergraduate Students included a panel interview and was recorded.
May 2023 - Bias in Performance Management
When discussing bias in performance management, it’s common to talk about bias as it relates to performance evaluations – what ratings people are receiving and feedback objectivity. Yet there are practices we can apply to mitigate bias at every stage of effective performance management. To learn more about strategies for mitigate bias across all of the steps of performance management check out the June issue of Leadership Insights.
February 2023 - Work Interruptions
We can't entirely eliminate work interruptions, but we can choose how to respond to them and how we bounce back. We discussed the five types of interruptions, strategies for them and the importance of taking breaks -not just for ourselves but for our team members. To learn more about strategies for work interruptions check out the February issue of Leadership Insights.
December 2022 - The Future of Work in 2023
The workplace is dynamic, and supervisors discussed strategies for adapting alongside it. We can’t just step on the gas and go. Supervisors need to constantly monitor their environment because different situations might demand different skills. Ask questions and be ready to switch strategies based on what is going on around you. The Center for Creative Leadership highlights 5 tips for being a more flexible leader.
September 2022 - Employee engagement
This session was all about employee engagement looks like in practice. Supervisors discussed skepticism some might face toward the survey results and alternative ways to gather input for those who have less than 5 direct reports. To learn more about employee engagement a the U, check out the "The Best Way to Improve Employee Engagement: Address Feedback" issue of Leadership Insights.
June 2022 - Career Conversations
We discussed the value of Career Conversations. Coaching taken to the next level. Supervisors can combat turnover by connecting with their employees about their career aspirations and identifying how they can support their career development. To learn more about how Career Conversations can influence employee engagement, read the "Beating Turnover" issue of Leadership Insights.
March 2022 - Leading Virtually
We all learned to be more flexible during the past couple of years, so what's changed? We discussed how flexible work looks in 2022, it’s clear that virtual and hybrid environments are here to stay. Supervisors discussed challenges they experience when leading hybrid and fully remote teams. To learn more about success with Flexible work read the "Planning for Success with Flexible Work Arrangements" issue of Leadership Insights.
Post-Session Resources
Sessions are not recorded. Slides and resources are sent to registrants within a week of concluding.
Have suggestions for a future conversation? We'd love to hear from you!