University of Washington Human Resources

Make a better tomorrow! Plan now for skill-building, targeted learning and career development in 2021 with live online and self-paced workshops designed for UW staff and leaders. NEW: Human-Centered Design for Innovation and Creative Problem Solving examines involving people’s perspective, prototyping solutions and adapting during times of change. Other winter leadership offerings include Core Strengths — Results Through Relationships, Managing Employee Performance and Interviewing Job Candidates

In this 3-minute video, POD consultants Catherine Bachy and Josina Garnham talk about their new class, The Coach Approach, being offered half-days, Nov. 2 & 16, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register now.  

By Josina Garnham, Training & Organizational Development Consultant How can you contribute to employee engagement? As a manager within the UW community, you are uniquely positioned to create conditions in which people feel fully engaged. In fact, recent research from Gallup (2018) found that “the quality of the manager is the single most significant factor in your organization’s long-term success. It’s you, as the manager, and the relationships you cultivate with your employees that create an inclusive and productive workplace, and Professional & Organizational Development has created tools to support you in this area. Why now? This year has brought a unique and powerful set of challenges that have impacted workforces across the globe. At a time when tension and anxiety are running high and employees may be balancing a host of responsibilities, many of us are not experiencing in-person interactions that foster positive working relationships. Now more than ever, we need increased connection and communication. Managers need to create space for open conversations where employees can share their needs and aspirations authentically. We need to let each person we work ...

Our live online classes provide many of the same benefits as our in-person offerings: experienced facilitators and subject-matter experts, skilled to lead in a virtual environment, the opportunity to meet and learn with colleagues from across the UW, content tailored to our university environment, and chances to interact and dialogue with others through group discussions and activities. Our facilitators utilize multiple interactive functions in Zoom to create a dynamic learning environment, including breakout rooms, chat, and real-time polling. Supplemental material is provided online or via email. See our summer line-up.

Check out our online offerings!

As of April 28, space is available in the following free one-hour Leadership Fast Track sessions: Managing Change in a Turbulent World (V0310), 5/6, 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. Working Remotely (V0320), 5/13, 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. Building Resilience and Personal Synergy (V0330), 5/20, 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. Progressive Leadership: The Dynamics of Paradigm Shifting (V0350), 5/27, 10 a.m. or 3 p.m.

Drop in to this weekly Zoom session hosted by one or more of POD’s experienced consultants to ask questions, discuss organizational challenges, and get help with managing the difficulties and disruptions leaders are facing in this current environment. Please RSVP for POD Office Hours to receive a confirmation email with a link to the Zoom session. You only have to register once, and then you can drop in as often as you’d like. Don’t forget to add these Tuesdays at 2 to your calendar! • Tuesday, April 28, 2‒3 p.m. • Tuesday, May 5, 2‒3 p.m. • Tuesday, May 12, 2‒3 p.m. • Tuesday, May 19, 2‒3 p.m. • Tuesday, May 26, 2‒3 p.m.

In this challenging time, POD is offering a series of free one-hour Zoom sessions to provide leaders with just-in-time tools, tips and strategies. Register to join us: Managing Change in a Turbulent World on March 18, Working Remotely on March 25, and Building Resilience and Personal Synergy on April 1. UPDATE: These workshops are also being offered in spring quarter, on April 8, April 15, and April 22, respectively.

In accordance with University guidelines and precautionary health measures, POD classes may be presented in an alternate format or rescheduled. We encourage you to go ahead and register now for spring to save your spot in the classes of your choice.

Registration is open for winter classes! New for 2020: Check out Leadership for a Global Perspective, taught by POD’s own Jeff Leinaweaver, Ph.D. Explore new options for The Learning Lab, including a Leadership Development Program subscription. And, if you haven’t yet had a chance to take this SLP Level 2 offering, mark your calendar for the next Core Strengths — Results Through Relationships workshop on March 31 and April 1, 2020.

POD team member and organizational excellence partner Catherine Bachy is presenting at the Compassionate Leadership Summit being held at the UW on Nov. 8 & 9. The summit focuses on how we might bring compassion and mindfulness more effectively into organizations and communities. Catherine’s one-hour breakout session, Embody Presence for Compassionate Leadership, integrates learning from the disciplines of mindfulness and the martial art of aikido to offer practical wisdom for compassionate leadership. Her session serves as an introduction to the Mindfulness and Leadership class that she teaches through POD in autumn and spring quarters. View a short local news clip about the summit.

Join Keya Burks, organizational excellence partner with POD’s newly formed Partnership for Organizational Excellence (POE), for a 90-minute workshop on succession planning that utilizes the Succession Planning Toolkit developed by UW Human Resources. Register now for the September 10 workshop, or mark your calendar for the October 24 workshop (autumn quarter registration opens August 19).

On a space-available basis, organizational excellence partners are available to support academic leaders and units with strategic goals, leadership and team development, and organizational needs. This service is supported by the University with the goals of maximizing efficiencies and fostering organizational excellence in academic units. Learn more.

Offerings include Core Strengths — Results Through Relationships, which is part of our SLP Level 2 suite of offerings, and Systems Wisdom, a new one-day workshop. Check out all our summer offerings.

Limited spaces are available in the following late May and early June classes: Negotiating Effectively, Labor Relations Skills, and Peer Coaching and Communities of Practice. Check out upcoming classes by date in POD’s online catalog.

Announcing the Partnership for Organizational Excellence, a new University-supported program designed to assist academic leaders and units with strategic goals, leadership and team development, and organizational needs. Learn more about at POE’s services and staff.

Space is still available in these upcoming offerings designed to help you increase your knowledge of policy and facility with essential leadership tasks: Employment Law and UW Policies, Labor Relation Skills, Managing Employee Performance, Driving Organizational Change, and Negotiating Effectively. Access our online catalog.

On Tuesday, April 23, we’re celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the Support Professionals Spring Retreat! This year’s presenters include the UW’s own Dr. Tabitha Kirkland, Dr. Anu Taranath, and Danny Arguetty, along with POD and UWHR subject-matter experts. Through interactive sessions, participants will be encouraged to establish new habits, create positive change, cultivate empathy and inclusion, and reinvigorate their approach to their work, their colleagues, and their career. According to Assistant Vice President Ujima Donalson, “One of the best ways to recognize and reward staff is by investing in their development. In doing so, we are showing that we value them and care about their success. We’re also sending a message that we see a future for them here at the University of Washington, which is fitting given that many who attend this event are tomorrow’s administrators, managers, and leaders.” Consider encouraging one of your team members to attend this event!

After successfully offering Leadership Advantage for two years, we have now upgraded to Skillsoft’s newest platform, Percipio, to bring you The Learning Lab, a 24/7 online platform with a customized set of 86 channels for UW leaders and staff. Each channel offers subtopics with assets in a variety of formats, including short video courses, ebooks, and audiobooks, and users can customize their online learning experience by selecting areas of interest and creating a list of favorites.

Winter classes are well under way, and along with the launch of The Learning Lab, POD is offering multiple learning and development opportunities for leaders. As of this date, space is still available in SLP Level 2: Core Strengths Accountability and the popular Accomplishing More With Less for Managers webinar.