"How to Make Stress Your Friend" with Kelly McGonigal
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: "Good Leaders Are the Least Interesting People in the Room" by Vala Afshar
Leadership depends on how well you unleash the potential of other people. That's the radical redefinition of leadership from Harvard Business School Professor Frances Frei and co-author Anne Morriss' new book, Unleashed.
Frances Frei is a professor at Harvard Business School. Frei recently served as Uber's first SVP of leadership and strategy. Her TED talk about building trust has logged over four million views. She was described in a recent Los Angeles Times article as "the go-to woman for companies like Uber and WeWork looking to improve their image." Frei is also the co-author of a new book, Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader's Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You.
Setting Clear Expectations for Your Employees and for Yourself as a Supervisor
Setting employee expectations can eliminate or reduce confusion and increases the chances of employees being successful in achieving the goals set for them. Employees who achieve their goals enhance the success of the entire agency.
Do you take the time to set expectations for your employees? Do you understand the expectations your employees have for you as a supervisor?
Over the years, I have been very fortunate to work with the Public Works Academy participants, as a part of the first module on Professionalism and Communication Skills. Part of our work discusses expectations; here is a summary of what we have heard over the years. I think you will be pleased to find that their expectations might just align with yours. Why not take a few minutes in the course of your day to make sure your employees feel confident in knowing the goals you have for them and work on the skills needed to help meet their expectations of you as a leader. Don’t hesitate to touch base with us at any time if we can help.
Summary of Public Works Academy Responses:
What should your supervisor expect from you as an employee?
100%
Honesty
Loyalty
Working Safely
Good Communication Respect
Consistently Meeting Expectations
Dependable
Work Well With Others
What should you expect from your Supervisor?
Lead by Example
Knowledgeable
Good Communication
Fairness
Protect Employees – Safety and Good Planning Skills
Clear Instructions
Proper Equipment
Ability to Teach/Mentor
Sincerely,
Donna Shea, Executive Director
CT Training & Technical Assistance Center
2020 Training Opportunities
NOW AVAILABLE
We will continue to update the schedule with dates and locations, so check in with us regularly.
