The Employee Success Podcast

In today’s workplace, very few of us operate in true isolation and depend on relationships for our success. So, what do skilled relationship builders do to cultivate the connections and networks that help them reach their goals? In this episode, we learn tips from student affairs professionals Glenn Gittings and Quanta Taylor on effective networking and how we can cultivate a community of care at work that will help us be our best. Glenn Gittings and Quanta Taylor both work at the University of Louisville. Glenn works as the Chief of Staff in the School of Medicine and Quanta is the Executive Director Student Involvement.

Nubia Bennett believes that pleasure can be the compass that helps you do work you love, whether it’s in the job you have now or in the choices you make to get closer to work that aligns with who you are.  As host of the podcast “Sprinkle Sparkle” she’s spent the last few years engaged in a deep study of pleasure, and in this episode, we look at the places where work and pleasure intersect, especially for people with marginalized identities.  What if we could increase our experience of pleasure in the workplace, even by a few percentage points?  Nubia suggests the journey itself could be transformational! Additional Resources: Sprinkle Sparkle: NPR

The University of Louisville's tuition remission benefit removes a big barrier to going back to school for UofL employees, but finances aren’t the only obstacle we face when we think about earning our next degree.  This week we talk to Dr. Matt Bergman from the College of Education and Human Development about all the reasons adult learners hesitate to jump back in to classroom and get some seasoned advice and encouragement based on his own experience. If the next degree felt unattainable before, Dr. Bergman will help you find the courage and confidence for the journey ahead. Dr. Matt Bergman is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development. Resources: Tuition Remission for UofL employees

The small, daily slights and insults that employees experience at work can add up over time, and often have as damaging an impact as an overt assault.  This week we talk to Dr. Cynthia Ganote about microaggressions and the harm they can do, even when the offender doesn’t mean to be insulting.  Dr. Ganote tells us how leaders and caring colleagues address microaggressions and how the concept of microresistence gives new tools to employees who are targeted. Dr. Cynthia Ganote is an assistant professor in sociology at the University of Louisville, and her research focuses on ways to address microaggressions in higher education with microresistance; diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom; race, class, gender, and sexual inequalities; critical and feminist pedagogies; and critical approaches to community-based research. You can find Dr. Ganote on LinkedIn and Instagram (@cynthiaganote).

We sometimes think recognizing employees is an extra “nice to do” activity, but research suggests that it’s critical to engaging and retaining a great team. In this episode, we talked with Laura McDaniels from the Employee Success Center about why recognition matters and some of the ways great supervisors can send a messages appreciation that are meaningful and impactful. Laura has designed some easy-to-access tools and resources you can use to make recognition part of your regular leadership practice. Laura McDaniels is the Engagement Specialist in the Employee Success Center.  Additional resources: Send a CARDGram! 2023 Presidential Excellence Awards Book reference: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People, by Gary Chapman and Paul White  

As we explore the Cardinal Principles in our podcast, in this episode we talk with Marian Vasser about diversity and inclusion.  Marian shares some skills and concepts everyone should have in their toolbox when creating a workplace that is welcoming to a diverse campus community.  She explains how the idea of “belonging” is the next-level goal we should all strive to cultivate for those around us. Marian is the Assistant Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging and facilitates workshops for campus and community audiences.

The university’s new HR database, WorkDay, includes the first-ever opportunity for faculty and staff to indicate their pronouns and store them in their profile, giving all of us a powerful new tool for inclusion and the spirit of belonging we are aspire to create.  But what does it mean to ask for and share pronouns in the workplace, and is it really important?  This week we talk with Lisa Gunterman from the LGBT Center about how we can use this new tool in WorkDay effectively and why getting good at pronouns can make such a profound difference to our co-workers and others.  Lisa shares some tips for getting more comfortable with pronouns, advice on how to recover when we make a mistake, and a ton of resources to use and share with others. Lisa Gunterman is the Director of the LGBT Center at the University of Louisville. Additional resources: LGBT Center info commercial, The Power of Pronouns https://louisville.edu/lgbt/resources/the-power-of-pronouns-1 GLSEN Pronoun Guide https://www.glsen.org/activity/pronouns-guide-glsen

Research suggests that people who use their natural, lifelong talents at work every day are the most engaged and productive.  Meagan West, certified Gallup CliftonStrengths coach, calls them our “superpowers” because they are gifts that we can cultivate with attention and practice.  Today we are talking to Meagan about the CliftonStrengths instrument and how to use the assessment results to be your best at work every day.  Meagan and I share some of the ways we have used our own strengths to transform the way we work, challenges we had to overcome, and the benefits of incorporating a strengths approach into supervision and team building. Meagan West is the Training Specialist in the Employee Success Center. Learn more about Gallup CliftonStrengths:  https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx

In this episode, we talk to author and consultant Vivian Blade about how we navigate our way through crises at work.  Whether it’s the pandemic or the recession, Vivian suggests that resilience is the thing that makes the difference between those who flounder in a crisis and those who flourish.  And she offers practical suggestions for how to cultivate a stronger spirit of resilience that will carry us through the next difficult time we face. Vivian Blade works as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Louisville College of Business. Check out her website for her bio, book info and more at https://vivianblade.com/. You can also follow Vivian Blade on LinkedIn. Other mentions: On the spot recognition at UofL - send a CARDGram! 

The idea of quiet quitting has gone viral on social media in the days since the pandemic, and this week we unpack what it all means with Dr. Brad Shuck.  Is it a bad thing to quietly quit or an expected response to increasingly unreasonable expectations at work?  We will also consider the flip side of the coin, quiet firing, and identify ways you can tell if your boss has quietly fired you (and what to do about it). Dr. Brad Shuck is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development at the University of Louisville. You can find him on LinkedIn and Instagram at @drbshuck.

We will be exploring all eight Cardinal Principles this season on the podcast, learning what they mean and how we put can them to work for us.  This week, we chat with Dr. Cherie Dawson-Edwards about the principle of accountability.   She tells us what it looks like when we live and lead from a space of accountability and offers some tips for reaching the next level as a champion for this principle. Dr. Dawson-Edwards serves as the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs at the University of Louisville. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and directs the Social Change Program in the College of Arts & Sciences.

In our pilot episode, we talk to Dr. Brad Shuck about recent findings from his research that suggest that work can literally send you to the doctor.  While great workplaces boost our self-esteem, confidence and sense of belong, a toxic workplace take a health toll.  Dr. Brad Shuck is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development at the University of Louisville. You can find him on LinkedIn and Instagram at @drbshuck.