This year the Employee Success Center added a new team member and a new functionality to our offerings, a focus on career navigation for faculty and staff, that will support faculty and staff in 2024 and beyond. Mallory Newby will be leading the effort and, in this episode, she shares some of the ways that employees can start thinking about their next steps at UofL.  Mallory is creating new tools and resources for career success and gives listeners a sneak peek at what's coming soon.

When we say that our top priority is student success, a common refrain in higher education, what does that mean in terms of prioritizing faculty and staff success?  This week's guest, Suhail Johnson of Texas Christian University, says the two are inextricably linked and that student success doesn't happen unless we invest first in employees.  Johnson left her mark on UofL as a leader in residence life and has since shifted her focus to training and supporting faculty and staff, guided by her belief that one cannot be successful without the other.  

Gallup’s research on employee engagement includes a data point you might find surprising:  Having a best friend at work is highly correlated with productivity, job satisfaction, and a sense of purpose.  While many of us learned that we should keep our relationships strictly professional in the office, Gallup’s findings suggest that we are happier and more successful when we have someone who is personally there for us as a sounding board, reflective mirror, and supporter.   Zach Greenwell and Olivia Biven, both from UofL Athletics, are best friends at work and in this episode they share what their friendship has meant to them in term of job success.

To motivate employees and keep them engaged, it's crucial to acknowledge their efforts in a way that resonates with them. However, appreciation is subjective, and each person has their own preferences for how they give and receive it. Despite your best intentions, your employees may not feel valued if you're not speaking their language. Tune in to our latest episode, where we speak with Meagan West, one of our facilitators of the Workplace Appreciation Languages assessment in the Employee Success Center, to learn more about how to show appreciation in a meaningful way.

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We are starting Season 3 of the Employee Success Podcast with a look at the Cardinal Principle of Noble Purpose and offering some tips for making 2024 your best year of work yet.  Guest Errol Wint shares his journey toward discovering his “why” and how defying conventional wisdom was a secret to unlocking his true purpose. Finding your “why” can make life more exciting, whether your purpose happens at work or if your job provides the resources for you to pursue it in other ways.

All children are inherently creative, but somewhere along the way in adulthood we all start to lose a little of the courage and joy that once fueled our creativity. By the time we are in the midst of a professional career, we are often too risk-adverse to take the chances that come with creative expression. But Dr. Jabani Bennett says living a creative life is possible for all of us, and in fact often necessary for success at work. As a self-identified creative, she has taught others to rediscover their joy by looking at life through a creative lens. As a bonus to our chat in this episode, Jabani also shares how her stepfather, Dean Blaine Hudson, expressed his creativity and what his legacy as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at UofL means to all of us today.

Maybe the most often cited of the eight Cardinal Principles is “community of care,” but what does it really mean? Dr. Douglas Craddock has been exploring that question in his role as Vice President for Community Engagement and as a busy faculty member. He says it starts with caring for self and realizing that the more we practice self care, the better able we are to be there for others. And once you’ve done that, Doug advocates for finding a need you are passion about, and jumping in to make a difference. Thankfully he and his team are there with some resources and suggestions for getting started.

This week’s guest is Dr. Kevin McClure, whose research at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington illuminates the workplace challenges and opportunities that exist in higher education. His findings and social media presence have made him a popular and respected advocate for the folks who work at colleges and universities, and we couldn’t resist the chance to talk to him while he was visiting UofL doing research for his next book. In this episode, we talk about the origins of the ideal worker norm and how it gets perpetuated in higher education. Kevin explains how unrealistic norms affect the experiences of employees who are caregivers, disabled, chronically ill, and grieving. And also offer some solutions for leaders who want set policies and practices that work for real people.

When Shirrod Le’Det learned he had been fired from his job with no warning, he thought he had experienced the worst career tragedy possible. But every setback is also a set up, he says, depending on your mindset. In this episode, we explore what happens when you hit bottom, how to get back up, and some of the strategies for turning failure into a new opportunity for growth.

Shirrod Le'Det Introduces the Now-to-Next Blueprint - Transforming Today’s Leaders for Tomorrow’s Business - US Business News

Building the Big Picture: Shirrod Le'Det's Vision of Transitioning, Leading, and Growing - CEO Weekly

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