VIDEO OF THE MONTH: "Some Good News with John Krasinski"
John Krasinski highlights some good news from around the world, including an interview with Steve Carell to mark the 15th anniversary of THE OFFICE, as well as John’s newest hero, Coco.
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: "4 Actions to Be a Strong Leader During COVID-19 Disruption" by Mary Mesaglio
Where executives focus during times of disruption and upheaval will define them as leaders.
COVID-19 is causing a humanitarian crisis of global proportions, with hundreds of thousands of lives disrupted. Sadly, we’re not nearing the end of the crisis.
In my day-to-day, I work with executive leaders and their teams on preparing for enterprise transformation. It’s no surprise that I’ve been musing for a while on what makes a great leader. In recent days, I’ve observed how COVID-19 is a test case for good and bad leadership. In my opinion, the leader’s primary responsibility is to keep the team safe, cohesive and productive. But what should a leader be focused on in the midst of a global disruption?
Leaders at any level can take four specific actions. These actions aren’t the only ones, but some of them might be missed in the rush to create an effective response.
No. 1: Create a central and clear list of priorities
Centrally set out a clear set of priorities, and locally implement them with a high degree of local manager autonomy. In a dynamic situation, overly centralizing decision making hobbles the organization’s ability to respond quickly and effectively. Effective leaders empower managers to make the best decisions they can, bearing in mind a clear set of enterprise priorities, such as keeping employees safe and behaving ethically toward customers. Clear thresholds should be put in place for when a local manager needs to ask for authorization from the center.
"The Little Book of Leadership Development: 50 Ways to Bring Out the Leader in Every Employee" by Scott J. Allen and Mitchell Kusy -Book Reviewed by TLP Cohort #6 Member
I felt this book was a very easy read. The book's format was broken down into 50 sections to mirror the title.
The book offered ideas that could help the mindset of a leader and be applied at the DOT or local agencies; possibly a good tool for new supervisors to utilize a different approach. It can possibly help in situations where leaders/teams seem to be "stuck in a rut."
One of the best points of the book for me is that it presents ideas to self-reflect on how you currently manage and step outside yourself and see the whole picture in a different light.
"Best Practices for Working Remotely"
Free Online Course
Join Shelley Osborne, VP of Learning at Udemy, for her best tips to set yourself up for success when working from home.
What You'll Learn:
Use frequent communication to stay connected and social with your colleagues.
Employ the right tools to make sure you stay accountable and productive from home.
Structure your workday to maximize your time.
Create a workspace conducive to distraction-free working.
Understanding the Video Conferencing Tools Available to Your Nonprofit
With the world going more remote by the minute, the importance of connecting with people across oceans and time zones continues to increase. TechSoup has a variety of offerings for nonprofits looking to invest in video-conferencing tools, and choosing the right one for your needs can be confusing. Here's an overview of the products you can get on TechSoup's marketplace to help you find the perfect tool for your organization.
