VIDEO OF THE MONTH: "The Happy Secret to Better Work" A TED Talk with Shawn Achor
We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: "7 New Rules of Teamwork" by Selena Rezvani from Be Leaderly
Have you ever been on a team project where you didn't make much of a mark?
Maybe you held back because you were new to the subject matter. Perhaps the group was overrun by domineering types. Maybe you found yourself in "observation mode" more than "participation mode."
Whatever the case, if you think you're immune to being judged by meeting performance, think again. One study showed that 84 percent of U.S. employees are "matrixed" to some extent today—that is, they work on multiple teams every day.
As smaller, quickly forming and disbanding teams are becoming more the norm, research shows teams are spending increasing hours together, not apart. In this article we'll tackle how to size up a brand new team and make a memorable impression.
"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek -Book Reviewed by TLP Cohort #6 Member
I would highly recommend this book, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. I liked how the author didn't just set aside our existing culture, but broke it down into pieces—explaining the basis for how it was developed, what are still the biggest obstacles to creating a “leaders eat last” culture, and how we are our biggest enemies.
This book gave me a much better understanding of how to read the people we work with, have empathy for their actions and reactions, and be able to communicate with them. Creating loyalty in a self-serving world is a seemingly impossible task, but the author breaks it down into the fundamental requirements.
I also liked that this was theory-based, and that he didn't really get into any "how-to" step-by-step procedures like some "leadership" books do. Simon Sinek recognizes that every person isn't a leader, that every person has a different style of communication and will take a different route to create culture within their organization or unit or realm of influence, however small.
"5 Key Things Highly Confident People Don't Do" by Matt Valentine from Goalcast
Sometimes, people describe someone as "exuding confidence." However, this is more often than not a charisma born from a variety of factors many of which have nothing to do with confidence.
In fact, that person which appears to carry themselves confidently might actually not be all that confident.
The real sign of confidence are all those intangible qualities that lie hidden beneath the surface, only detectable through long periods of observation and the fruits of labor.
In some ways, this is more about what these confident people don't do more than it is about what they do. That's because true confidence allows for a shedding away of many of the mental "crutches" so many of us use to make us feel better about ourselves.
On October 31st, the T2 Center hosted the new Transportation Leadership Program Cohort Six with a Kick-Off Day with DiSC.
The day was full of activities and learning. We used DiSCto help the Cohort learn more about their individual personality and leadership style and how this impacts how their team behaves.
In the afternoon, we focused on the Leadership Program, including expectations, requirements and structure as well as an opportunity to get to know each other and begin to network as a Cohort. It was a great day and we look forward to helping this Cohort grow as a new group of leaders in our industry.
We would like to welcome and congratulate the following individuals for being nominated and accepted into this great program:
Dominick Brescia, CT Dept. of Transportation
Glen M. Curtis, CT Dept. of Transportation
Amy Hare, CT Dept. of Transportation
John C. Hayman, CT Dept. of Transportation
Derrick Holloway, CT Dept. of Transportation
Craig Kasparian, City of Bristol
Jason Kaufman, Town of Greenwich
Jason Maggi, CT Dept. of Transportation
Bill Mayers, City of Torrington
Carol Noble, City of Bristol
Don Nolte, Town of Cheshire
David Oakes, City of Bristol
Justin Porter, Town of East Lyme
John T. Riddick III, CT Dept. of Transportation
Lindsey Rivers, City of Bristol
Jeff Schambach, Town of Vernon
John C. Slavin Jr., CT Dept. of Transportation
Vincent Stetson, Town of South Windsor
Jefferson Tatro, CT Dept. of Transportation
Jeffrey Thomas, Town of Newtown
David M. Wasik, CT Dept. of Transportation
Looking forward to seeing all of you in the upcoming year. Congratulations!
"The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example."
- John Wooden
2018 Training Opportunities
Workshop Calendar
We will continue to update the schedule with dates and locations, so check in with us regularly.
