Check out the past programs offered through the Center for Leadership!

"Introduction to the Enneagram"

  • Thursdays @ 9:00-10:00 a.m. (8 classes from Nov.-Feb.): 11/21, 12/12, 12/19, 1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 2/27

  • For staff and faculty colleagues

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

Curious about the Enneagram? Join this learning group that is designed to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our students. 

The Enneagram is a unique personal and professional growth tool that illuminates our core motivations and behavioral patterns, fostering profound self-awareness and empathy.

Many Sewanee students are already leveraging the Enneagram as a tool for self-awareness and interpersonal connections. By exploring this insightful personal growth framework, we can enhance our ability to relate to students and our colleagues, fostering a more inclusive and empathetic community. 

Participants will receive these resources at no cost, including:

  1. A copy of The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up: Find Your Path, Face Your Shadow, Discover Your True Self by Beatrice Chestnut, PhD, and Uranio Paes, MM. ($13 value)

  2. A code to take the CPS Enneagram Compass online assessment. ($45 value)

This course will be facilitated by colleagues Robin Hille Michaels and Bess Turner. We encourage you to participate in this opportunity that has received enthusiastic feedback from past attendees!

Please sign up here by Friday, November 15. Limited to 12 participants.


Join us for a Dinner & Dialogue, as we create community, spark reconnection, enjoy a tasty dinner, and engage in meaningful conversation about “Navigating Difficult Conversations at the Thanksgiving Table”


Event date and time: Nov 12,  05:15-07:00 p.m.

Event Location: Convocation Hall

RSVP here ( login using your Banner credentials) 

To broaden participation, we ask that "whoever comes brings someone who is not like them." Participants are invited to RSVP in pairs. Attending with "someone not like you" is intentionally left open and broad. Bring a roommate, a faculty member, a new acquaintance, a work study, or a friend, as we all have distinct experiences and perspectives to share. And, you'll get to sit together.

All participants will receive a coffee mug with the University's values, courtesy of the VC's Office, as a parting gift.

RSVP by Monday, Nov 11, 2024.

Co-sponsors: All Saints' Chapel; Center for Leadership; Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Student Life

For questions regarding access or accommodations for this event, please contact: ce@sewanee.edu.


"Hands-On Conflict Skills: Navigating Difficult Conversations"

Conflict is an unavoidable part of our professional lives, but it offers opportunities for growth and stronger relationships when managed effectively. In this workshop, you'll get to practice having difficult conversations. Through short videos and scenario-based practicing, we will explore ways to navigate conflict constructively.

Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development, this workshop is offered in collaboration with Human Resources and the Center for Leadership.


"Communicate with Care: Understanding Self & Others to Build Trust"

  • Tuesday, November 5, 2024 (note: this date has changed)

  • 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

  • Open to all colleagues (staff and faculty)

  • Sign up here by Friday, November 1

The LIFO assessment (free to participants) provides practical techniques to help you adjust your communication style, build trust, and improve collaboration, ensuring positive results in your work and relationships. It uniquely focuses on understanding and adapting natural behavioral preferences without rigid labels, making it flexible and practical. It offers actionable insights to improve communication and collaboration, helping individuals and teams work more effectively.

Whether you're leading a department or team, working on projects, or connecting with students, this workshop provides practical insights so you can adapt your communication style, making your interactions clearer and smoother. It’s about embracing what makes you unique to create positive outcomes in your work and relationships.

Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business.


"Bouncing Back: Resilience Skills for When Things Get Hard"

  • Wednesday, October 23 from 3:00-4:30

  • For all colleagues (faculty and staff)

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

  • Sign up here by October 21

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from hardship. We need resilience during times of crisis, but also to help us deal with the stressors of everyday life. This 90-minute workshop will explore how strengths like grit, gratitude, and compassion can help you develop resilience. It will incorporate neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology with concrete suggestions and experiential practices. We will explore how to overcome the brain’s negativity bias and replace painful thoughts and feelings with self-compassion and inner peace. This 90-minute workshop is based on the book,  Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness, by Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson.

Resilience is essential to strong leadership. It helps us as leaders adapt to change, stay calm under pressure, and persevere through challenges, inspiring others to do the same. (Note: we are ALL leaders, defined not by titles but by the influence, decisions, and actions we take in everyday life.)

Co-facilitated by our colleagues Leigh Collins (Executive Director of Wellness Commons and the Director of CAPS- Counseling and Psychological Services) and Elise Tarhan (Associate Director of CAPS).




"Radical Candor" Book Group

How can we say what we mean without being mean? "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott offers a straightforward approach to improving communication and relationships in both professional and personal settings. The book teaches us how to lead better by balancing two essential elements: Caring Personally and Challenging Directly.

For our faculty and staff colleagues, this approach is crucial in moving beyond our current "nice culture," where important feedback might be softened or avoided altogether. "Radical Candor" helps us address issues directly while still showing care and respect for one another.

Applying Radical Candor with our students and colleagues creates a space where everyone knows where they stand and feels respected. By embracing these principles, we can strengthen our community, enhance our relationships, and support each other’s growth in a meaningful way.

Facilitated by colleagues Jessica Welch (HR) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership).

October 17, 2024

Chapter 1: Build Radically Candid Relationships: Bringing your whole self to work - p.3

Chapter 2: Get, Give, and Encourage Guidance: Creating a culture of open communication - p.19

October 24, 2024

Chapter 3: Understand What Motivates Each Person on your Team: Helping people take a step in the direction of their dreams - p.43

Chapter 4: Drive Results Collaboratively: Telling people what to do doesn't work - p.75

October 31, 2024

Chapter 5: Relationships: An approach to establishing trust with your direct reports - p.113

Chapter 6: Guidance: Ideas for getting/giving/encouraging praise & criticism - p.129

November 7, 2024

Chapter 7: Team: Techniques for avoiding boredom and burnout - p.173

Chapter 8: Results: Things you can do to get stuff done together—faster - p.199

November 14, 2024

Application: Putting it into practice in our work and lives


Dinner & Dialogue: "Who Do We Want To Be This Election Season?"

Join Dinner & Dialogue for an evening of community, reconnection, and meaningful conversation around embodying EQB. This event brings together college students, staff, faculty, and seminarians for a shared meal and student-led dialogue in a fun, informal setting aimed at fostering mutual understanding and healthy communication at Sewanee.

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in pairs with someone "not like them" to promote diverse perspectives. Please arrive at 5:15 pm and plan to stay for the full event to allow for in-depth discussion. If your plans change, notify us to minimize food waste and accommodate others. A first-come, first-served reservation system is in place, with a waitlist if needed. All attendees will receive a coffee mug featuring the University's values.



“Understanding & Adapting Your Response to Conflict”

  • Thursday, Sept. 26 @ 9:00-10:30 a.m.

  • Open to all colleagues (staff and faculty)

  • McClurg ABC classroom (upstairs)
  • Sign up here by Sept. 24 (or email here to RSVP)

Everyone responds to conflict differently. Leaders (and we are ALL leaders) must understand how we respond to conflict so we can adapt our responses to it more effectively.

Using the Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP), you will uncover insights into your own conflict behaviors and identify the triggers that can escalate disagreements. 

As colleagues, we play a crucial role in demonstrating constructive conflict resolution. In this workshop, you will:

  • Identify your conflict behaviors and understand the responses of others.

  • Learn how to respond to conflict in ways that lead to positive and constructive outcomes.

  • Discover communication techniques to ensure that everyone feels understood and valued.

By practicing these strategies, you can contribute to a more collaborative and effective workplace, while also setting a positive leadership example for our students, who learn from our actions every day.

Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development.


Sewanee Scavenger Hunt for Colleagues: Get to Know Each Other & Our Campus

  • THURSDAY, Sept. 19 @ 4:45 p.m.

  • Open to all colleagues (staff and faculty)

  • Challenge starts at Fulford Hall and ends at The Village (downtown Sewanee)

  • Sign up here by Sept. 18

Join us for a fun-filled Scavenger Hunt adventure to explore the University and connect with the people who make this community special. Whether you’re a long-time colleague or newly joined, this is a great opportunity to get to know each other and our beautiful campus.

The hunt kicks off at Fulford Hall (the large white building across from the Quad on University Avenue). Partner up and race across campus, ending with a gathering in The Village around 6:00 p.m. Comfortable walking clothes and shoes are encouraged. If you’re unable to participate in the hunt, feel free to meet us at Shenanigans around 6 p.m. for a casual get-together.

Organized by Katherine Jefferson (Admission Counselor) and Laura Beth Merrell (Associate Director of Campus Visits; LL7 cohort), this event is designed to bring colleagues together and foster community in a fun, interactive way. We look forward to seeing you there!

This event is sponsored by the Center for Leadership and is an outcome of the Idea Incubator, a place for colleagues to get institutional support for innovative ideas for positive change on campus.



 

“Inclusive Leadership: Your Role in Creating a Culture of Trust, Safety, and Belonging”

  • June 18, 2024

  • 9:00-11:30 am

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

  • Open to all colleagues (staff and faculty)

What makes people feel valued, safe, or a sense of belonging within an organization?  Several factors may come to mind, but research indicates that leaders play a pivotal role in employees' experience of inclusion and belonging. In an increasingly diverse world, workplace, and educational environment, effective leaders must consider how to foster a healthy organizational culture that promotes high team performance while ensuring equity, fairness, and respect for all individuals.

This interactive session will explore: 

  • The Six Signature Traits of Inclusive Leadership: Commitment, Courage, Cognizance, Curiosity, Cultural Intelligence, and Collaboration

  • Common challenges (i.e., leading with fear or inflexibility, lack of psychological safety) that may hinder leaders’ ability to foster inclusive teams or organizational culture

  • Best practices and leadership strategies to foster a culture of trust, safety, belonging, fairness, and respect 

If you wish to attend, please email Elizabeth Wilson to say you will coming to this workshop, then you will receive a Google calendar invitation. 

Dr. Sibby Anderson-Thompkins serves as Sewanee's Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As part of her role, Sibby oversees the Posse Program, Office of Inclusive Excellence Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX, ADA Compliance, and the Sewanee Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center which includes the Roberson Project and Indigenous Engagement Initiative.



 

"Embracing Constructive Discontent: Tools for Getting Unstuck" with Peggy Farmer

  • Date: Friday, May 17, 2024
  • Time: 9:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
  • Location: TBD

Led by Peggy Farmer, this workshop will delve into the mindset of constructive discontent to understand how your feelings of dissatisfaction and discontent can be a catalyst for positive change. 

If you are hitting roadblocks in your personal or professional life and are seeking strategies to address the challenges of inertia and stagnation, join this workshop to support you in overcoming obstacles (both internal and external) so you can move forward.=

Discover practical techniques to use the energy from your discontent to revive your enthusiasm and motivation, whether you are grappling with tackling a complex project, writer's block, burnout, systemic hurdles, or seeking to reconnect purpose in your work.

Connect with fellow participants to exchange ideas, share successes, and receive encouragement in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Please reserve your spot by May 15 here. Questions? Email elwilson@sewanee.edu.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15 academic year.

Comments by Sewanee colleagues about past workshops led by Peggy Farmer:

“Peggy Farmer was wonderful, she made everyone feel included. Her tips were very useful. It was interesting to hear from the attendees how many outside-of-work-life stressors were in play. I also like the way these events introduce you to faculty and staff colleagues. I might not have met these wonderful folks if not for these events.”

“I always love and appreciate everything that Peggy brings to the space she inhabits. She is so good at making people feel comfortable even in uncomfortable times.”

“Peggy is amazing. Love her energy, expertise, willingness to meet people where they are, and her intention to bring healing.”

“I went away from the session with a better attitude and carried what I learned home with me. I was surprised at how such a short time with Peggy could be so useful.”


 

"The Power of Presence: Building Bridges with Deep Reflective Listening"

  • Friday, May 10, 2024
  • 10:00-11:30 a.m.
  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)
  • Open to all colleagues (staff and faculty)

Learn new skills for deep listening to foster stronger connections and a more harmonious campus community. Reflective listening helps to ensure that every member of our university community feels truly heard, seen, and valued. Participants will engage in different forms of reflective listening and will practice listening in four different ways:

  • Mindful listening- focusing on deep presence through non-verbal engagement
  • Mirror listening- reflecting back the speaker's words
  • Motivated listening- orienting to different dimensions of content including information, emotions, and underlying values
  • Inquisitive listening- composing follow-up questions and looping back to check for understanding
Through this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to both center themselves in practices of listening, while also centering the others' perspective as a listener.

Secure your spot by signing up here before May 10.

 Dr. Lydia Reinig serves as Sewanee's Director of Dialogue Across Difference Programs in the Office of Civic Engagement. Her work focuses on facilitating spaces for individuals to build capacity to engage across differences.


 

StrengthsLunches (for Colleagues)

  • Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
  • McClurg 206C Room (upstairs classroom)

StrengthsLunches are for any colleagues who want to learn more about the CliftonStrength that is featured in the Center for Leadership e-newsletter that week. We will meet upstairs in the McClurg 206C room. Either bring your lunch or let the University treat you to lunch with you for this informal, lightly-facilitated conversation with other colleaguesIt is a chance to meet new colleagues and to learn more about CliftonStrengths. Below is the list for future lunches so you can mark your calendar- no need to RSVP; just show up!  CliftonStrengths®  is a personal growth tool that identifies your top five natural areas of talent.  Request a free code here.


 


"How to Lead Simple Coaching Conversations: Bringing Out the Best in Others" with Dr. Julie Bell, Sports Psychologist

  • April 15, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
  • Center for TEACHING, duPont Library (2nd floor, overlooking back parking lot)

Coaching others is a valuable skill for everyone, whether we are teachers, leaders, supervisors, or just want to help others access their own wisdom. Coaching focuses on facilitating self-discovery through questioning and feedback, while advising provides expert guidance and information to help individuals make informed decisions.

Join Dr. Julie Bell, a sport psychologist and Sewanee parent, as she shares insights on the art of guiding meaningful coaching conversations. Drawing from her experience working with top athletes, coaches, and business executives, Dr. Bell will illuminate the power of a coaching conversation that fosters growth and reveals potential. Through practical strategies, participants will discover how to create an environment conducive to open dialogue, active listening, and targeted feedback.

Dr. Julie Bell leads Chartwell Partners' suite of Leadership Advisory services, including Success Planning, Executive Assessments, Board Advisory, Executive Coaching, and Keynote Speaking. She specializes in Relationship-Based Coaching and Technology-Assisted Coaching. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Oklahoma State University and a Doctorate of Sport Psychology from the University of Virginia. She has served as adjunct faculty at Oklahoma State University and Southern Methodist University. Her book, Performance Intelligence at Work, was published in 2009 by McGraw-Hill.

We are fortunate to have Dr. Bell as a Sewanee parent (to first-year student Myers Bell). We appreciate her generosity in offering this workshop to colleagues while her daughter is in class!


 

Courage Circles for Colleagues

  • Every other Friday, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (4/5, 4/19)

  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

Tending to one's inner life is critical to leading well. Courage Circles are for colleagues who want to build in reflection, silence, and connection to the workweek in a structured and welcoming space. Courage Circles utilize a central element, like a poem, story, object, music, or art piece, to provide a neutral ground for individuals to reflect without the influence of specific beliefs or traditions. Participants engage with this central element to draw out insights from their own inner wisdom or guidance. 

No prep required, no forced sharing- come as you are to focus on things that matter in your work and life. 


 


 


 

Book Group: "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters" by Priya Parker

  • Wednesdays, January 24, & 31, February 7
  • 2:30-3:30 p.m.
  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

Reimagine your meetings and gatherings to make them exceptional with the insights in this thought-provoking book. Thoughtful gathering design can ignite a sense of purpose, collaboration, and innovation among colleagues and students. We'll learn to transform routine meetings, workshops, and events into memorable and impactful experiences.

Sign up here by January 19 for a free copy of the book. Facilitated by Elizabeth Swallow (Integrated Advising and Career Readiness) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership). Being named "Elizabeth" is not a requirement to be a part of this book group :).


Colleague Book Group: "Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It"

  • Your choice: Tuesdays at 1:30-2:30 (1/23, 1/30, & 2/6)  OR  Fridays at 2:00-3:00 (1/26,  2/2, & 2/9)
  • Center for Teaching (duPont Library, 2nd floor)
  • For staff and faculty colleagues   

The Center for Teaching and the Center for Leadership are organizing a book group for faculty and staff colleagues to read, "Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It", by James Lang. A fairly short text (250 pages), three meetings in the first weeks of the semester, and new ideas to discuss with colleagues. Intrigued? Click here to read an Inside Higher Ed interview with James Lang about his book. 

Sign up here by this Friday, Jan. 20 for either the Tuesday or Friday group so that we can get a free copy of the book to you.   

"This book will change how you think about education. "Distracted" takes us on a phenomenal ride into a much misunderstood aspect of human learning and finally into the refreshing light that science, literature, philosophy, and history bring. Anyone who cares about learning—their own or anyone else's—should take this journey." -Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do



CliftonStrengths Coaching Course

  • January 18, 2024-March 7, 2024 (8 classes)
  • Thursdays from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • McClurg ABC room (upstairs)

Expand your understanding of strengths-based development and learn coaching skills to assist others in discovering, developing, and using their strengths for greater productivity and well-being. This course is a deep dive into the CliftonStrengths assessment and will prepare participants to introduce a strengths-based perspective to others. It is offered annually; last year, over 25 colleagues participated- there was much learning, connection across departments, and fun! All participants receive a free code for the CliftonStrengths 34 assessment to unlock their full CliftonStrengths profile.

Co-led by emily britt (Associate Dean of Students) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership director); both are Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coaches. Learn more and sign up here by January 11.


 

Courage Circles for Colleagues

  • Fridays, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

One of the challenges for colleagues at Sewanee is to feel that they are in a safe place to grow in authentic ways. Parker Palmer, an author, educator, and activist, created a method called the Circle of Trust Approach/Courage Circles to create a safe space to learn and grow together.

In an excerpt from one of his books, Palmer wrote about creating a safe space for faculty and staff colleagues: "In this (university) culture, we know how to create spaces that invite the intellect to show up, to argue its case, to make its point. We know how to create spaces that invite the emotions to show up, to express anger or joy. We know how to create spaces that invite the will to show up, to consolidate effort and energy around a common task. And we surely know how to create spaces that invite the ego to show up, preening itself and claiming its turf! But we seem to know very little about creating spaces that invite the soul to show up, this core of ourselves, our selfhood."

In Courage Circles, we are invited to slow down, listen, and reflect in a quiet and focused space. At the same time, we engage in dialogue with others in the circle—a dialogue about things that matter. This enables us to clarify our truth in the presence of others, and that truth is more likely to overflow into our work and lives. Guided conversations focused on a poem, a piece of music, or a work of art invite us to reflect on the “big questions” of our lives, allowing each person to intersect and explore them in their own way. There is no forced sharing- you are welcome to come, listen, and be. Facilitation of these events will be led by various colleagues.

 Questions? Contact lydia.reinig@sewanee.edu or elizabeth.wilson@sewanee.edu.

"I didn’t realize how much I needed Courage Circles. It gave me permission to shut out the noise of the world for a moment each week. In the quiet, I discovered that I have a wise “inner teacher” to whom I should pay more attention. The experience helped me to steady myself in a difficult time. "           - Abby Colbert, Office of Global Citizenship

"Every week, I was grateful for moments of resonance and connection. We created a warm environment that welcomed both deep questions and deep listening. The conversations that resulted were held in empathy, trust, and community."           - Cari Reynolds, LITS


 

“Rising Strong” New Year Retreat for Colleagues  

  • January 9-11, 2024, 9:00 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. (3 days)
  • Centennial House (across from the football field)
  • For any/all faculty and staff colleagues 
  • Free (including lunch and snacks)
  • RSVP here 

Start the new year with a gift to yourself: the time to reflect and plan for 2024 to support your own flourishing. 

You may have heard about Brené Brown, read her bestselling books, and listened to her podcasts and TED talks– but the most impactful way to encounter her wisdom and research is through participating in hands-on community learning experiences like the one we will host in January!

As Brown shares in her book, Rising Strong: “When we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall.” The Rising Strong™ process is about what it takes to get back up. Struggle can be our greatest call to courage and the clearest path to a wholehearted life. The Rising Strong™ process can transform how you tell your stories of struggle and, most importantly, the stories you tell yourself.  

The Rising Strong retreat will be a three-day intensive experience in self-reflection, learning, and brave conversations about vulnerability, courage, and wholehearted life. The Rev. Giulianna Cappelletti Gray, MSW, MDiv, will lead this retreat; she is a certified Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ facilitator. 

Participants can expect a supportive community atmosphere and engagement in material around: 

  1. Connecting with your values and aspirations 
  2. Discovering the dynamics of vulnerability and the shields that hold you back 
  3. Practice strategies for reckoning with emotion and anxiety 
  4. Learn how to trust and set healthy boundaries 
  5. Writing your new chapter for 2024

Rising Strong™ Three-Day Intensive Schedule  

Day 1:

  • Session 1: Introduction
  • Session 2: Clarity of Values
  • Session 3: Act I: The Reckoning
  • Session 4: Offloading Hurt Session
  • 5: Strategies for Reckoning with Emotion
  • Session 6: Act II: The Rumble
  • Session 7: Common Rumbling Themes
  • Session 8: Rumbling with Vulnerability  

Day 2: 

  • Session 9: Rumbling with Shame
  • Session 10: Rumbling with Living BIG
  • Session 11: Rumbling with Trust and BRAVING
  • Session 12: Rumbling with Grief and Forgiveness  

Day 3: 

  • Session 13: Rumbling with Anxiety
  • Session 14: Rumbling with Criticism
  • Session 15: The Delta
  • Session 16: Act III: The Revolution
  • Session 17: Integrating and Creativity

 

"Learn to Create a Compelling Vision: SOAR Analysis Workshop" (with Donald Abels)

The SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results) Analysis is a simple strategic planning tool that blends a group's current status with the aspirations of its members to craft a shared and inspiring vision for the future. In this workshop, participants will conduct their own SOAR analysis, led by Donald Abels (Director of Greek Life in Student Life). 

You've likely encountered SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis before, and you'll notice some similarities with SOAR Analysis. However, instead of putting our time and energy into identifying what's not working, we will explore the power of Appreciative Inquiry, a change management tool grounded in positive psychology, neuroscience, action research, and organizational development research. In addition, SOAR engages all levels of an organization, while SWOT is typically a top-down approach.

Donald Abels has contributed to higher education in the areas of prevention education, harm reduction, and organizational development and change. In response to an increased need for successful change management within higher education, Donald became an Appreciative Inquiry practitioner in 2019. 


 

Courage Circle for Women Colleagues

  • A series of four Tuesdays (Sept. 26, Oct. 5, 12, 19)
  • 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)
  • For all faculty and staff women colleagues

Leading others– whether it is in the classroom or office– requires courage, a trait that can be cultivated and fortified over time. A way to achieve this growth is through engaging in Courage Circles. These Circles provide a space for colleagues to come together, fostering reflection and connections as they develop greater courage and wisdom in their leadership journey. The foundation of this approach lies in the Circles of Trust methodology.

The primary aim of these gatherings is to create a confidential, warm, and safe environment where fellow women colleagues can develop greater courage to lead with authenticity, generosity, and integrity. Through these supportive sessions, they will build the tenacity and resilience to tackle challenges head-on and instigate positive transformations in both their lives and the lives of those around them.

There is no preparation or homework in a Courage Circle- simply come as you are to the Center for Leadership classroom (duPont 217). These gatherings are co-sponsored by the Center for Leadership and the Dialogue Across Difference program, and facilitated by Elizabeth Wilson and Lydia Reinig. The Courage Circles will be for one hour on four consecutive Tuesdays. If this timing doesn't work for you this round, don't worry! There will be another Circle after this one, so indicate in the sign-up form below if you want to be on the list for the next round. It will be a joy to gather for some time of quiet and reflection so that we can listen to our inner teachers together. Please sign up here by September 22 to participate in this Courage Circle. 

 ADD TO CALENDAR


 

The Enneagram: Understanding and Application to Your Work & Life

  • Wednesdays for 8 weeks through the semester (9/13, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15, 11/29, 12/6)
  • 9:00-10:00 a.m.
  • For staff and faculty colleagues
  • Center for Leadership (duPont 217)

If you've heard about the Enneagram and want to learn more, join this experiential learning group. Since many Sewanee students use the Enneagram to understand themselves and others, learning about this personal growth assessment can help us connect with them. It can also create a common language that can deepen appreciation and understanding of ourselves and the people in our lives.

All participants will receive at no cost to them: 1) A copy of The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up: Find Your Path, Face Your Shadow, Discover Your True Self by Beatrice Chestnut, PhD, and Uranio Paes, MM; 2) A code to take the CPS Enneagram Compass online assessment; 3) The option to receive personal coaching sessions to help you to identify your primary Enneagram type, clarify your subtype, and apply Enneagram theory to your life.

Enneagram-trained facilitators and colleagues Giulianna Cappelletti Gray and Robin Hille Michaels will lead this fall semester (8 meetings) group. This lively class has been enthusiastically received so we are offering it again for the third time! Please sign up here by August 31. Limit of 10.

ADD TO CALENDAR

 

Bites of Knowledge: Conference Takeaways

Conference“TICUA Advancing Leaders”, Nashville, TN (July 2022 & 2023); Participants/reportersKristen Cecala (Biology), Andrea Del Balso (Global Citizenship), Deon Miles (Chemistry), and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership)

  • Thursday, August 24 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
  • McClurg ABC Room (upstairs)
  • For all staff and faculty colleagues

Each year, the VC nominates colleagues (one staff, one faculty) to attend a TICUA (Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association) conference called, "TICUA Advancing Leaders". This two-day intensive summer workshop helps campus leaders to evaluate their own skills, gifts, and calling against the primary leadership skills needs in today’s private higher education environment.

The participants are equipped with data about the landscape of higher education on global, national, and state levels, including an overview of issues about demographics, enrollment, leadership turnover, cost + affordability, shared governance, student success, ransomware attacks, global exhaustion, student engagement, student competencies, curriculum relevancy, mental health issues, college debt, and much more.

Join Kristen, Andrea, Deon, and Elizabeth for an informal lunch conversation about what lessons they learned that could be used to elevate our own campus. Bring your lunch and join the conversation- this is a great way to meet new colleagues and learn from each other!

ADD TO CALENDAR
 
 

 


“Moving from Powerless to Powerful: Changing Your/Our Mindset to Lead Real Change at Sewanee” with Will Harper, C'O8

  • Wednesday, August 16 from 9:00-11:00 a.m.
  • For all staff and faculty colleagues

Join Sewanee alum Will Harper, C’08, a strategy advisor and leadership coach, for an engaging session tailored for Sewanee colleagues (faculty/staff/administrators) to equip us with essential tools to navigate transformative phases (like the one we are in!) effectively.   

As Sewanee embarks on a new chapter with the arrival of our new Vice Chancellor, it is evident that systemic issues still require attention. Yet, many of us may feel powerless to address these concerns, leading to frustration and disappointment.   

What's a solution? Implementing the "Responsible Mindset" – a potent shift that guides us from assigning blame to embracing personal leadership. By identifying our unique contributions, we can foster purpose, clarity, and connection. Will will lead this interactive workshop with a blend of mindset psychology theory and hands-on pair exercises. Inspired by practices used with CEOs and senior leadership teams, this session empowers you (and us collectively) to navigate pivotal moments effectively.   

Join us to gain insights, connect with colleagues, and lay the groundwork for transformation of our community. Sign up here by Monday, August 14.

Will Harper, a Benedict Scholar while at Sewanee, works with The Trium Group in San Francisco and specializes in guiding leaders through transitions. In addition to being an alum, he is the son of Sewanee alumni/community members Bill and Knowles Harper. He and his family are in town this month and Will is freely and generously offering his expertise through this workshop to Sewanee colleagues as a way of giving back. We are so lucky to have former students return to lead and teach us!


 

 

“DARE TO LEAD” Study Group for SUPERVISORS   

  • August 15 - September 26 (7 weeks)
  • 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
  • For colleagues who are supervisors   

Human Resources and the Center for Leadership are co-sponsoring a 7-session study group for supervisors who want to lead with greater courage and competence. Led by HR’s Jessica Welch, the group will read Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” book together (books are provided free to all participants), then meet for 1.5-hour sessions for discussion and group exercises.   

Daring leadership is a collection of four skillsets that are teachable, observable, and measurable: 1) Rumbling with Vulnerability, 2) Living into our Values, 3) Braving Trust, and 4) Learning to Rise.  

As supervisors, this is a space to learn new courage-building leadership language, skills, and tools, and then put them into practice, including giving and receiving feedback; establishing boundaries; leading with integrity and generosity; and expressing our positional power with empathy and vulnerability. 

For a sneak peak of your strengths and your opportunities for growth as a daring leader, please consider taking the assessment found here.

Please sign up here by August 1. To allow space for interactive discussions, the group size will be limited to 12 participants.

“I enjoyed getting to know and listening to other supervisors within the University that are outside my normal day-to-day sphere. The Dare to Lead book gave us a way to do that. It helped to solidify that everything will just take time to make the changes we want to make in the University, and that slowly but surely as we bring more people together, we will continue to see progress.”     

“We had some amazing and constructive conversations about leadership within Sewanee, leading as supervisors, and learning to care for ourselves and others. Jessica did a good job by guiding us through several exercises, and also gave us plenty of time to go where the conversation took us.”   

                                                                    - 2021 "Dare To Lead" colleague participants


 

"Using CliftonStrengths To Solve for Overwhelm"

  • Wednesday, July 26, 2023
  • 11:00-noon CST
  • Online

Join Lisa Cummings of Lead Through Strengths for this free online workshop to explore how your CliftonStrengths can help you figure out how to set boundaries, and work the mindset and math of this challenge.  You'll take a practical look at your Top 5 talents to:

  1. Get congruent with your desired commitments and your actual calendar.
  2. Use a tool for saying no and setting boundaries.
  3. Work out your mindset and math pitfalls that keep you in chronic overwhelm. 

Sign up here!

Note : If you don't know your top 5 CliftonStrengths, email elwilson@sewanee.edu for a free code to take this assessment (for Sewanee colleagues- faculty and staff- only, please) 


 

Building Negotiation Skills Workshop

  • August 2 & 3, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. each day
  • For staff and faculty colleagues   

In today's complex and interconnected world, the ability to negotiate effectively is a valuable asset in academia and beyond. This workshop aims to empower you with the knowledge and techniques to navigate diverse situations, foster collaboration, and build robust relationships.

Led by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business from Sewanee, this workshop will provide you with a solid theoretical foundation and practical tools in negotiations. With a focus on evidence-based practices, you'll explore negotiation models, principles, and strategies that have proven successful across various contexts. You'll gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in interpersonal and professional interactions, equipping you with the tools to navigate conflicts, resolve disputes, and foster mutually beneficial agreements.

Through engaging discussions, interactive exercises, and realistic case studies, you'll have the opportunity to apply your newfound knowledge in a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment. Collaborating with fellow participants, you'll engage in intricate negotiation scenarios, expanding your skills and broadening your perspective on effective negotiation practices.

Invest in your professional development: reserve your spot in this workshop by July 29 here.  


 

"True Colors" Workshop (with Chris Silver)

  • Friday, July 14, 2023
  • 11:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. (lunch included)
  • For faculty and staff colleagues

The True Colors assessment is a communication tool. It can be used as a fun, effective, and quick way to help groups develop an appreciation and understanding of each person's tendencies.

The True Colors assessment was originally designed to simplify personality measurement into four dimensions related to potential personality styles. True Colors has its theoretical foundations within the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator and Keirsey's work in temperament. It divides personalities into four domains, each represented by a color.

Since its inception, True Colors has been used in both education and corporate training to build teamwork and improve open communication. By better understanding how we are perceived, we can adapt our communication styles to be more effective in communicating and collaborating with others. By understanding how others communicate, process information, and make decisions, we can collectively work more efficiently while respectfully promoting others' voices with different personality styles.

Participants complete the assessment during the workshop, and they are placed into groups for team building and cognitive reflection. While most people identify with a single color, multiple color combinations are possible, indicating contextual cognitive adaptability. Based on their questionnaire results, each group works together to identify, reflect, and collaboratively address how to facilitate leadership and communication among colleagues more efficiently.     

The facilitator, Chris Silver Ed.D., Ph.D., teaches in our Psychology department. He has conducted True Colors workshops in higher education and corporate settings for over ten years. Please sign up for this workshop here by Wednesday, July 12.


 

LIFO (Life Orientation) Workshop: Align Yourself With What You Do Best

  • July 18 & 19 (2 days), 9:00 a.m.-noon
  • For staff and faculty colleagues

The LIFO (Life Orientation) workshop is designed to bring your behavioral style preferences – under favorable and unfavorable conditions – to your awareness, so you interact and communicate more effectively, and others can hear you better and trust you more. During the workshop, participants will also learn to understand, anticipate, and influence the behavior of others. This encourages appreciating and working with others whose strengths are different and enhances effective collaboration and team development. Some outcomes of this workshop are:

  1. Identify your and other peoples’ strengths and behavioral style preferences (including students and colleagues)
  2. Adapt your style to the different preferences of the people you work with
  3. Learn strategies for improving communication with people from diverse backgrounds and strengths
  4. Create an effective learning environment by aligning your approaches

Understanding your behavioral style preferences and anticipating those of others will help you reach your goals with less friction and effort. This workshop is led by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee, who is a certified LIFO facilitator. Please sign up by July 13 here. 


 

“Developing the Art of Powerful Questions”

  • Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
  • McClurg ABC room (upstairs)

Whether in the classroom or the workplace, artfully composed, engaging questions have the power to open conversation, build connections, generate creative and thoughtful responses, signal careful listening, explore divergent perspectives, and hold space for diverse experiences and deepening reflection among conversants. And yet, without forethought, questions can also foreclose the possibilities for meaningful conversation.

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about the ‘linguistic architecture’ of powerful questions, and have an opportunity to reflect and practice designing questions that move toward more generative conversations. Workshop participants will leave with a heightened knowledge of how powerful questions can lead them to more meaningful dialogue with students and colleagues.

Please sign up for this workshop here.

Lydia Reinig, Ph.D., serves as Director of Dialogue Across Difference Programs in the Office of Civic Engagement. Before moving to Sewanee, Lydia was a Postdoctoral Research & Teaching Associate at the University of New Hampshire’s Civil Discourse Lab. There she developed an undergraduate curriculum in civil discourse, public dialogue and deliberation and conducted research on ways of sustaining dialogue in the face of polarization. As a ‘pracademic’, she has collaborated with municipalities and museum spaces, among other diverse civic contexts, to cultivate meaningful conversations about difficult topics and work towards more democratic processes. At Sewanee, her work focuses on facilitating spaces for individuals to build capacity to engage across differences.


 

"The Power of Mindset: Shifting from Negative to Positive Thinking" with Peggy Farmer

  • Friday, May 12, 2023 from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
  • McClurg ABC room (upstairs)

Join this workshop led by Peggy Farmer to discover how your mindset affects your productivity, job satisfaction, and overall flourishing. Learn how to take control of your work environment by addressing your own mindset, as well as identifying what needs to change externally/systemically. Sign up HERE by May 11 at noon to gain practical strategies to cultivate a more positive mindset to reduce destructive stress.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15  academic year.


Strengths Lunches (for Colleagues)

  • Tuesday, Apr. 25- "COMMAND"
  • McClurg ABC Room

StrengthsLunches are for any colleagues who want to learn more about the CliftonStrength that is featured in the Center for Leadership e-newsletter that week. We will meet upstairs in the McClurg ABC room, so bring your lunch with you for this informal, lightly-facilitated conversation with other colleagues who share your StrengthIt is a chance to meet new colleagues and to learn more about CliftonStrengths. Here is the list for future lunches so you can mark your calendar- no need to RSVP; just show up!  CliftonStrengths®  is a personal growth tool that identifies your top five natural areas of talent.  Request a free code here.


 

Dinner & Dialogue: Courage

  • Monday, April 24, 2023
  • 5:15-7 p.m.
  • Convocation Hall

 Join us for our last Dinner & Dialogue, as we create community, spark reconnection, enjoy a tasty dinner, and engage in meaningful conversation about Sewanee's value of Courage.

COURAGE- We strive for justice, equity, and sustainability in Sewanee and in the broader society.

How do we live out this University value that we hold? How can we further activate this powerful value so that it becomes embedded in our interactions, meetings, speech, policies, procedures, and decisions? Bring your ideas, your voice, and your presence to shape our next steps with this University value.

Join this lively but informal dinner to have meaningful connections and conversations with colleagues and students!

You're invited to RSVP with 'someone who is not like yourself.' Everyone who attends will receive a Sewanee coffee mug with our university values!

Background: Dinner & Dialogue events were started in 2013 by students who wanted to recreate the "porchlight" culture that existed in Sewanee's past. Dinner & Dialogue creates an environment that is warm and welcoming so that it encourages deep conversations and connections. Dinner & Dialogue was reintroduced in 2022 as an opportunity to build a more robust culture of dialogue across differences at Sewanee.

Hosted by: Dialogue Across Difference Programs, Office of Civic Engagement

Co-sponsors: All Saints Chapel; Center for Leadership; Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Offices of Campus Activities and the Dean of Students 


 

Dinner & Dialogue: Flourishing

  • Wednesday, April 12, 2023
  • 5:15-7 p.m.
  • Convocation Hall

Join us for our next Dinner & Dialogue, as we create community, spark reconnection, enjoy a tasty dinner, and engage in meaningful conversation about Sewanee's value of flourishing.

FLOURISHING- We share responsibility for the well-being of one another and the Domain.

How do we live out this University value that we hold? How can we further activate this powerful value so that it becomes embedded in our interactions, meetings, speech, policies, procedures, and decisions? Bring your ideas, your voice, and your presence to shape our next steps with this University value.

You're invited to RSVP with 'someone who is not like yourself.' Everyone who attends will receive a Sewanee coffee mug with our university values!

Background: Dinner & Dialogue events were started in 2013 by students who wanted to recreate the "porchlight" culture that existed in Sewanee's past. Dinner & Dialogue creates an environment that is warm and welcoming so that it encourages deep conversations and connections. Dinner & Dialogue was reintroduced in 2022 as an opportunity to build a more robust culture of dialogue across differences at Sewanee.

Hosted by: Dialogue Across Difference Programs, Office of Civic Engagement; Co-sponsors: All Saints Chapel; Center for Leadership; Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Offices of Campus Activities and the Dean of Students 


 

 

Language Diversity at Sewanee

  • Monday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m.
  • Naylor Auditorium in Gailor 

In partnership with the E.L. Kellermann Language Resource Center, the Office of Global Citizenship, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the Center for Leadership, and Student Life, we  invite you to participate in the Language Diversity at Sewanee Survey. So far, we've been able to document 50 languages spoken on our campus. Every language that we speak provides a different framework and worldview. Knowing another language allows us to bring that perspective to others, which enriches us all.

Please take two minutes to answer the Language Diversity at Sewanee Survey and help us gain a snapshot of the many languages spoken by members of our community. Then, come to Gailor on Monday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. where the results of the survey will be shared and hear from linguistics professor, Dr. Mark Preslar on how multiple languages contribute to our understanding and worldview, and what a gift it is to be multilingual. 


 

The Advantage of Moral Leadership

  • Thursday, March 2, 2023
  • 4 p.m. at Convocation Hall

Does Sewanee produce leaders who make a difference? Cathy Carlisi, C'89/BCGBrighthouse Managing Director, thinks so...

Cathy Carlisi, C'89 and an art major, was a pioneer in the corporate "Purpose" movement that began over 25 years ago. She is the Managing Director at BCGBrightHouse, a consulting firm that specializes in using diverse thinking and radical creativity to unlock the power of purpose.

One thing she has noticed over the decades of working at BCGBrightHouse with Sewanee students and alumni is that they all tend to be strong moral leaders. Why? What do we do (and not do) that contributes to this? 

Cathy returns to her Sewanee roots next week to share with us what she has learned about purpose and leadership...and Sewanee. She will lead a discussion about what actions and experiences Sewanee provides (or needs to provide!) that shape us and our students into moral, purposeful leaders.

Your voice and presence next Thursday at 4:00 are warmly welcomed. We ALL lead from wherever we are, and Sewanee will flourish even more when we learn to lead from and with purpose. Please join us for this event to learn more and to be inspired!

For over 20 years, Cathy Carlisi has been invited by Fortune 100 CEOs and other senior leaders to share her guidance and insights on Purpose. On Thursday, March 2 at 4 p.m., YOU can hear from her in Sewanee at Convocation Hall. She will discuss "The Advantage of Moral Leadership," co-sponsored by The Center for Leadership and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Cathy Carlisi joined BrightHouse (a BCG company) shortly after its founding, and she has invested 20 years in growing its processes, products, frameworks, and staff into the premier Purpose consultancy. She currently serves as managing director after serving as president and chief creative officer from 2014 to 2018 and then as president of the Americas from 2018 through early 2023. Cathy has led seminal work across geographies and has industry experience in energy, financial and banking, consumer packaged goods, retail, airline, automotive, industrial goods, food and beverage, and telecommunications, with functional experience in marketing, communications, and cultural transformation. Cathy began her career in advertising, winning awards at top-tier agencies including Carmichael Lynch and Fallon.

Cathy graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Sewanee in 1989 with majors in Art and English. She has served Sewanee as an Alumni Trustee and was a first recipient of Sewanee's EQB Award. After Sewanee, Cathy attended The Portfolio Center for writing and art direction and spent two years studying poetry with Leon Stokesbury at Georgia State. Cathy is a nationally published poet and a painter and has exhibited her paintings in individual and group shows. Her poetry has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Mid-American Review, Southern Review, The Greensboro Review, and The Atlanta Review among other journals and anthologies. 


 

Conflict: Know Your Constructive/Destructive Responses and Hot Buttons" Workshop

  • Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
  • For all Sewanee colleagues (staff + faculty)

The Conflict Dynamics Profile is an assessment to measure conflict behaviors and can increase self-awareness and improve conflict management skills. Knowing your automatic constructive and destructive responses and your hot buttons/triggers can help you deal more effectively with conflict. Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee. Email elwilson@sewanee to sign up by February 19.


"Conflict Skill-Building: Practicing Hard Conversations" Workshop

  • February 21, 2023, 10:30-12:00 p.m.
  • For all Sewanee colleagues (faculty + staff)

The goal of successful conflict management is not its elimination, but to reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones. Learn techniques and tools to address conflict, then practice your new skills with other colleagues in role-playing various conflict scenarios. Practicing will enable you to be prepared to address conflict in a healthy way when it arises! Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of Human Resources Development. Email elwilson@sewanee to sign up by February 19.



 

CliftonStrengths Coaching Course

  • January 19-March 2, 2023, Thursdays from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; PLUS a final off-campus retreat on Sunday, March 5 from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. 
  • McClurg ABC rooms (upstairs)

Expand your understanding of strengths-based development and learn coaching skills to assist others in discovering, developing, and using their strengths for greater productivity and well-being. This course is a deep dive into the CliftonStrengths assessment and will prepare participants to introduce a strengths-based perspective to others. Co-led by Emily Britt (Associate Dean of Students) and Elizabeth Wilson (Center for Leadership director); both are Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coaches. Learn more and sign up here by January 12.


 

 

"For Women Colleagues: From Self-Doubt to Courage and Confidence”

  • Friday, January 27 from 9:00-11:00 a.m.

  • For all Sewanee women colleagues (staff + faculty) 

In this interactive workshop for women colleagues only, learners will acquire techniques and strategies to understand, address, and reduce self-doubt that can keep us quieter and smaller than we are or want to be. All leaders have some self-doubt so learning how to manage it can infuse us with greater courage and confidence. And because it will be led by Peggy Farmer, there will be a lot of joy and laughter as we learn together! To sign up, email elwilson@sewanee.edu by Thursday, January 26 at noon.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15  academic year.


 

Practicing Conflict Skills Workshop: "Responding to Colleagues Who Dominate During Meetings"

  • Tuesday, November 29 from 2:00-3:00 p.m.
  • Torian Room, second floor of duPont Library

This issue-based workshop will focus on how to respond effectively and compassionately to colleagues who dominate meetings by not holding space for other participants. Activities will include strategies for addressing this issue as well as practicing having these difficult conversations.  Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form.


 


Your Triggers and Response to Conflict: Conflict Dynamics Profile

  • Tuesday, November 1 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.
  • Note: This workshop is identical to the one offered earlier in October. It is being offered again due to high interest.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP), an assessment instrument measuring conflict behaviors, is an excellent resource to increase self-awareness and improve conflict management skills. The CDP is unlike any other assessment tool in that it focuses specifically on conflict behaviors, rather than styles. It helps individuals and teams understand how they respond to conflict, what triggers can escalate conflict, and how to manage conflict more effectively. This online assessment emphasizes an action-oriented approach which leads to real improvement. It provides a simple way of helping you understand more about how you respond to conflict both behaviorally and emotionally. The Center for Leadership covers the expense of this assessment for all colleagues.

Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form by Monday, October 31 , 2022

 


Proactive Conflict Resolution: How to Set Yourself Up for Success

  • Tuesday, November 1 from 3:00-4:30 p.m.
  • Note: This workshop is identical to the one offered earlier in October. It is being offered again due to high interest.

Conflict is inevitable; it cannot, nor should it, be completely avoided. The goal of successful conflict management is not its elimination, but to reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones. Learn practical tools to prepare for and address conflict, using small groups and practicing scenarios together. These will be general scenarios; if confidentiality is needed, private HR coaching is available after the workshop by contacting Jessica Welch in HR. Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form by Monday, October 31 , 2022

This workshop is co-sponsored by Human Resources and the Center for Leadership

 


Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Workshop

  • Wednesday, October 5, 2022 10:30-11:30 a.m.
  • Torian Room (second floor of DuPont Library)

Assess and expand your ability to relate to people across cultural differences

This Intercultural Development Inventory workshop will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses in our intercultural competence, which is the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities.

This workshop will be led by Marcus Murphy, Coordinator of Global Initiatives in the Office of Global Citizenship. A qualified administrator of the IDI, he first took the assessment when exploring ways to better incorporate the teaching of culture into the Chinese language classroom. He especially appreciates the Intercultural Development Plan that each person receives and that is tailored to each individual/organization's needs for future development of their intercultural competencies. He strongly believes it can help organizations and individuals create more inclusive communities.

Intercultural competence is a critical capability for those navigating cultural differences both abroad and at home. The IDI can help us live more deeply into our Sewanee values by using inquiry to understand how we interact with cultural differences and commonalities with those in our midst. At Sewanee, we currently use the IDI to assess the development of intercultural competencies for our students that participate in study-away programs.

From Dartmouth's Tuck Business School to Berea's Office of DEI , and also groups that range from police officers to Fortune 500 companies , we look forward to joining the many institutions across the globe that recognize the helpfulness of fostering inclusivity through the IDI.

The Center for Leadership will cover the cost for each participant to take the 50-item online questionnaire that can be completed in 15-20 minutes.

Please register here and you will receive more information on how to complete the assessment prior to the workshop. 

Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching , Office of Civic Engagement/Dialogue Across Difference , and the Center for Leadership 


 

Your Triggers and Response to Conflict: Conflict Dynamics Profile

  • Thursday, October 6 from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
  • Torian Room (second floor of duPont Library)

Note: The format of this conflict workshop has been redesigned to reduce the time duration in order to allow for greater participation.

The Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP), an assessment instrument measuring conflict behaviors, is an excellent resource to increase self-awareness and improve conflict management skills. The CDP is unlike any other assessment tool in that it focuses specifically on conflict behaviors, rather than styles. It helps individuals and teams understand how they respond to conflict, what triggers can escalate conflict, and how to manage conflict more effectively. This online assessment emphasizes an action-oriented approach which leads to real improvement. It provides a simple way of helping you understand more about how you respond to conflict both behaviorally and emotionally. The Center for Leadership covers the expense of this assessment for all colleagues.

Facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business at Sewanee. To sign up for one or both workshops, please fill out this form by Wednesday, October 5 , 2022. (If you have previously signed up for the earlier workshop, you do not need to sign up again).

 


Proactive Conflict Resolution: How to Set Yourself Up for Success

  • Thursday, October 6 from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
  • Torian Room (second floor of duPont Library)

Note: The format of this conflict workshop has been redesigned to reduce the time duration in order to allow for greater participation.

Conflict is inevitable; it cannot, nor should it, be completely avoided. The goal of successful conflict management is not its elimination, but to reduce its harmful effects and maximize its useful ones. Learn practical tools to prepare for and address conflict, using small groups and practicing scenarios together. These will be general scenarios; if confidentiality is needed, private HR coaching is available after the workshop by contacting Jessica Welch in HR. 

Co-facilitated by Anke Arnaud, Visiting Professor of Business, and Jessica Welch, Director of HR Development. To sign up for this workshop, please fill out this form by Monday, October 5, 2022.

This workshop is co-sponsored by Human Resources and the Center for Leadership.


 

 Liberating Structures (Micro-Facilitation Techniques) Immersion Workshop

  • Friday, Sep 30, 2022
  • 9:00-12:00 p.m. AND/OR 1:00-4:00 p.m. (attend one...or both!)
  • Social Lodge
  • Open to all colleagues

In both morning and afternoon workshop sessions, we will dive deep into the Liberating Structures repertoire and dig into some novel strategies for working with groups in a way that is both serious AND playful, organized-yet-freeing, and stable-but-varied.

These easy-to-learn, inclusive micro-facilitation techniques unflatten learning and engage every person. They can be used in the classroom, in meetings, and in group settings of any size.

If you've never participated in a Liberating Structures workshop, prepare yourself to gain valuable tools to deepen learning, engage in meaningful conversations, create deeper connections with colleagues, and experience joy. We welcome you to this opportunity to invest in your own growth while meeting colleagues from all over the campus.

We will learn these structures by practicing them together during the workshop. Each workshop will feature several structures that are designed to:

  • Support a group in generating and then prioritizing different ideas anonymously before quickly moving into action
  • Focus attention on what each person has the freedom & authority to do right away without needing additional resources or permission
  • Express the complementary tensions and paradoxes that give vitality to our work
  • Uncover the tiny-and-easy-to-overlook behaviors that contribute to success
  • Slow things down so that each person can get themselves organized and start to make sense of complex situations or topics
  • Help us confront the plurality of futures that might all plausibly unfold and develop strategies for adapting and responding to all of them

You are welcome to attend the morning session, the afternoon session...or both- whatever fits best with your schedule! Each session will feature unique Liberating Structures to learn.

The workshop facilitators are Anna Jackson and Fisher Qua. If you joined in any of the virtual All-Colleagues meetings that were held during the first year of the pandemic, you will recognize these two gifted people. You can read more here about them and their company, Lucky Hunch.

Click here to sign up by September 29, 2022

Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching , Office of Civic Engagement/Dialogue Across Difference , and the Center for Leadership 

 


Developing Mental Toughness & Your Adversity Quotient (AQ)

Increase your ability to bounce back from challenges

  • Thursday, September 1, 2022, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
  • Location: McClurg ABC rooms (upstairs)
  • For: All Sewanee colleagues (staff + faculty) 

The adversity quotient (AQ) is a person's ability to face situations, problems, and obstacles in life. A person with a strong AQ is able to effectively face obstacles and take advantage of opportunities. Having a high AQ is important for mental and emotional well-being, and improving your AQ can result in better productivity, capacity, performance, innovation, and morale.   

In this interactive workshop for colleagues, learners will acquire techniques and strategies that are essential to being adversity intelligent leaders (and we are all leaders). And because it will be led by Peggy Farmer, there will be a lot of joy and laughter as we learn together! To sign up, email elwilson@sewanee.edu by August 31.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is the founder and director of Self Mastery International and is a therapist, consciousness coach, wellness consultant, speaker, and facilitator. She is the author of “Exploratory Surgery of the Soul, A Journey to Self Mastery” and served as the Wellness Consultant for the University of the South during the 2014-15  academic year. 


"Leadership & Horses" Workshop

Interacting with horses can teach us how we influence others in our work and life. This workshop has provided important insights for colleagues into ourselves and our organizational culture. You will be observing and interacting with the horses (to your comfort level; there will be no riding. Sign up to take some time for learning and reflection! This workshop is free for any and all faculty and staff colleagues. Led by Karine Gordy, Director of Sewanee's Equestrian program. If you would like to request a workshop for your department/group, please submit this form.


Enneagram Learning Group

Many Sewanee students use the Enneagram to understand themselves and others, so learning about it can help us connect with them. This personal growth tool also creates a common language that can deepen appreciation and understanding of ourselves and people in our lives. Enneagram-trained facilitator Robin Hille Michaels will lead this fall-semester group; the one last semester was so lively that we are offering it again! All participants receive a free book and a code to take the Enneagram Institute's online assessment. 

"Handling Conflict with Colleagues" Workshop

  • Thursday, May 12
  • 1:00 - 4:00

Conflict is hard, but we can manage it more effectively if we are prepared and equipped with the tools to respond in constructive ways. Anke Arnaud, a visiting professor of management for our business minor at Sewanee, will facilitate this session for Sewanee colleagues on how to navigate the stages of conflict to arrive at agreement/ cooperation. We will learn 1) our own conflict approaches, 2) how to manage successful conflict conversations, and 3) role-playing managing conflict. The following issues and more will be discussed:

  • How do we talk to colleagues who are underperforming, particularly if they are senior colleagues and/ or older that we are? 
  • How do we all to colleagues when the department/ team is suffering as a result of their actions?
  • When we find ourselves in a position of leadership (supervisor/ chair/ director), how do we handle situations where teammates undermine us, disregard us, or say something offensive (in public or private)?

This workshop is open to all colleagues. It may be especially helpful for people who lead as department chairs and managers/ supervisors, but all are most welcome to attend. Please sign up here no later than Friday, May 6 so that we can send you a code to take the Conflict Dynamics Profile online assessment. 

Anke Arnaud served as Professor of Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, O'Maley College of Business (OCOB) in Daytona Beach, FL. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in behavior, business ethics, and sustainability. She also facilitates workshops on leadership, conflict management, and negotiation skills. Anke earned an MBA (1994) and PhD (2006) in Organizational Behavior from the University of Central Florida. When not in the classroom, she studies the effect of organizational cultures and climates on ethical behavior and decision-making. Her research has been published in journals such as Organizational Science, Journal of Business Ethics, and Organizational Dynamics.

Anke enjoys training individuals and groups on how to apply organizational behavior tools and techniques in organizational settings to promote effective collaboration as well as group and individual decision-making. She is a Certified Workplace Mediator, Trainer in Workplace Conflict Resolution, and LIFO Trainer.

Sponsored by the Center for Leadership. Contact Elizabeth Wilson for more information.


The Heart of Higher Education 2022 Virtual Conference: The Beauty That Sustains Us

  • June 15 – 17, 2022 (3 days from 10:00am-2:00pm CST) 
  •  For any colleagues that want to attend this virtual conference, the Center for Leadership will cover your $150 registration cost. Email elwilson@sewanee.edu by April 15
Join the 4th annual Heart of Higher Education conference, a three-day online event including time with  Parker J. Palmer  and  Dr. Sherry Watt. Demoralized, burned out, tired, anxious, stressed… Are these words familiar? If they are, you’re not alone. These are difficult times.  With our busy, complex lives, it is easy to lose touch with that which is most important to us, that which keeps us alive. Please join this online gathering of educators as we seek, explore, and sustain the beauty in our work in higher education. We will be invited to become more alive, more aware of how our inner lives and outer work are connected; how we can connect with and be reinspired by the beauty in our work; and how to fully engage in the purposes of higher education while pondering the gap between what is and what could be. With this rekindled sense of aliveness, we will rediscover ways to sustain ourselves and enhance the common good– connecting with those purposes that originally called us to this vibrant vocation. While the event is designed for all who work in higher education, we also welcome anyone who considers themselves an educator. 
 

 Learn practical tools to gain confidence in resolving conflicts in the earliest stages.

  • This is a pre-recorded Academic Impressions webinar; please email Pat Dover for a free Academic Impressions license to access all AI resources.

  • Cost: Free

 In this workshop, you will learn strategies to help you manage and resolve various conflicts within your department and institution. You will be introduced to practical tools that address conflict in its earliest stages before it becomes a formal dispute. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to resolving conflicts. That’s why our expert instructor will present numerous scenarios and discuss the use of framing, facilitation, and other dispute-resolution tools to help you:

  1. Improve and sustain a healthy working environment
  2. Build rapport among colleagues
  3. Increase faculty and staff morale

Part 1: Building Your Conflict Strategy Map- We’ll begin by learning how to build a Conflict Strategy Map. Our speaker will walk you through how to identify and better understand the details around: What the conflict is about? Who is engaged in the conflict? The context, others’ perspectives, and special circumstances You will then identify a conflict in your work life and apply the conflict strategy map.

Part 2: Building Your Action Plan- After mapping out your conflict, we’ll discuss conflict management strategies, and then you will create an action plan to address your conflict. This plan will help you strategize the details around action, timing, and communication. 


 "Virtual Liberating Structures: An Introduction" Workshops

  • Fri, April 1- 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Central
If you lead classes, meetings, or workshops, knowing how to facilitate discussions, make decisions, and come up with new ideas is key. Using these easy-to-use-and-learn and effective (and fun!) facilitation techniques will open up the way you lead. These free virtual workshops are facilitated by the Lucky Hunch team, Anna Jackson and Fisher Qua.  Click here to sign up.
 
What are "Liberating Structures"?
  • Familiar facilitation approaches that have been specified and ordered in a particular way
  • Leadership tools that remove common obstacles to engaging more robustly in learning
  • Tiny methods that make it possible to productively engage and benefit from complexity instead of flattening, ignoring, and pushing it away
  • Simple social technologies that aim to distribute participation more widely while drawing out greater difference and variation within groups

"Building Confidence as a New Leader: Overcoming Internal Barriers" Training

  • March 29, 2022, 1pm to 2:30 pm EST 
  • This is an Academic Impressions webinar: email Pat Dover for free Academic Impressions license to access all AI resources
  • Cost: Free
Join us for a highly interactive, 90-minue virtual training workshop to develop your confidence and leadership ability by overcoming self doubt. Learn valuable skills such as identifying negative self-talk, getting to the root of the issue, changing negative habits and building confidence in yourself! 

"Leadership & Horses" Workshop

  • Monday, March 21 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. - Equestrian Center 
Due to demand, another workshop has been added! Led by Karine Gordy, director of Sewanee's equestrian program, this workshop provides the opportunity for horses to teach us about ourselves in new and powerful ways. Here is a comment from a colleague who participated in a recent workshop: "It was a beautiful experience to work with the horses and Karine. I truly enjoyed witnessing leadership in a whole new way. Having a truly hands-on approach to the work was eye, mind, and heart-opening. I encourage others to give it a try! - Jessica Welch".  Please sign up here by March 18.

"Deepening Understanding of Your MBTI Type" Workshop

  • Friday, March 4 at 1:30-2:30 

This workshop is for those who want a deeper dive into how to use knowledge of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator to lead and manage better. Good leading requires us to know ourselves: our own tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. One powerful way to learn about yourself is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This personal growth tool can shine a light on how you 1) get energy, 2) process information, 3) make decisions, and 4) structure your life. Sylvia Gray is certified to lead MBTI coaching and is committed to using this assessment to help us elevate ourselves and our colleagues. Sign up here by March 2, 2022. 


"Introduction to CliftonStrengths" Workshop

  • Tuesday, February 15, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
  • Led by Elizabeth Wilson, Center for Leadership Director
Do you know your top five Strengths? Over 25% of Sewanee colleagues have taken Gallup's CliftonStrengths assessment to help identify their natural areas of excellence. If you have not taken this assessment before (or if you have but you want to learn more), join in this informal workshop via Zoom or in-person: your choice. An assessment code will be provided to you before the workshop. Almost 4000 codes have been purchased and distributed to colleagues and students since 2007. Please RSVP here by February 14. 
 

"Radical Hope" Book Study Groups

  • Thursdays at 11:00 (Feb 3, 10, 17 and 24)-  in-person in the Center for Teaching with Emily Puckette and Elizabeth Wilson
  • Fridays at 1:00 (Feb 4, 11, 18, and 25)- online or outside with Linnea Minich and Mark Hopwood

The Center for Teaching and the Center for Leadership are collaborating to offer faculty and staff a communal reading of Kevin Gannon’s Radical Hope. While Gannon writes from his perspective in the classroom, his compelling book is for anyone mentoring students in a collegiate setting. It is an important book for not just faculty, but staff colleagues as well. The text is fairly short (150 pages) but rich with observations. Nineteen colleagues have signed up so far! Please sign up here by February 1.

 
 

MBTI/ Myers Briggs Type Indicator Workshop

Good leading requires us to know ourselves: our own tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. One powerful way to learn about yourself is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This personal growth tool can shine light on how you 1) get energy 2) process information 3) make decisions and 4) structure your life. Sylvia Gray is certified to lead MBTI coaching and is committed to using this assessment's results to help us elevate ourselves and our colleagues. Sign up here by February 15 for one or both workshops.

  • Friday, Feb. 18 @ 1:30 - 2:30pm- MBTI Introduction (for those who are new to the MBTI or want a refresher; you will learn your type and what it means)
  • Friday, March 4 @ 1:30 - 2:30pm- Deepening Understanding of Your Type (for those who want a deeper dive in how to use this knowledge to lead and manage better)
 

"Leadership & Horses" Workshops

Horses are prey animals, and thus require high emotional intelligence to survive. Reacting to their environment may be a question of life or death. They are highly sensitive to energy, body language, and verbal cues. Horses can give us the most honest feedback we will ever receive, if we learn to observe and listen for it. Horses meet us right where we are and can teach us about ourselves in new ways. If you observe the horse herd, you will see two types of leadership. The stallion leads from a place of position: he will call the alarm to protect the others. Deep in the herd, however, is the alpha mare. She leads from a place of influence. It is her reaction to the call of the stallion that the herd responds to. By observing the dynamics of the herd, we can reflect on our own roles and how we lead in them. Do we lead from a place of position or a place of influence? Who in the herd do we influence? Do we respond or react? Are there discrepancies in the way we communicate? Winston Churchill once said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man." I believe that to be true, and I invite you to discover if that is true for you too. This is a ground-based experience: no riding involved, no horse experience needed.    -Karine Gordy 

  •  Monday, March 21 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Please sign up here by March 18.
  • Led by Karine Gordy, Director of Sewanee's Equestrian program
  • Howell Equestrian Center, Equestrian Dr, Sewanee, TN 37375

Radical Hope Book Study Groups

The Center for Teaching and the Center for Leadership are collaborating to offer faculty and staff a communal reading of Kevin Gannon's Radical Hope this winter. While Gannon writes from his perspective in the classroom, his compelling book is for anyone mentoring students in a collegiate setting. It is an important book for not just faculty, but staff colleagues as well. The text is fairly short (150 pages) but rich with observations. We plan to set up reading groups that meet once a week for four weeks (from Jan. 24 to Feb. 18,) but we suspect Radical Hope will keep you thinking for much longer. Interested? Sign-up here by Friday, January 21. All colleagues (faculty and staff) are warmly invited to participate.


"Foundations of Flourishing" for Colleagues

According to the Flourishing survey, only 33% of us reported as flourishing. Take action now to learn ways to help ourselves flourish,

  • Series of four weekly, one-hour workshops to learn and develop evidence-based skills, practices, and habits rooted in the science of positive and clinical psychology, and develop cognitive, behavioral, and somatic strategies for managing stress, cultivating resilience, and regulating emotion. 
  • Led by Nicole Noffsinger-Frazier (Associate Dean for Flourishing and Wellness) and John Coffey (Associate Professor, Psychology)
  • Classes are 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, and 2/16 from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
  • Click here to learn more and/or sign up by 12/17 (limited to 16 participants)

   Enneagram Conversations

Drop in to learn more about the Enneagram, a personal growth tool that is widely used by our students, in these informal, conversation-based gatherings for staff and faculty colleagues. The next meeting is Thursday, Dec. 16 at the Center for Teaching. The focus of this class will be a deep dive into learning about the behaviors and motivations of the Type Two. No need to sign up! For questions, contact Robin Hille Michaels.

  • Thursday, December 16 from 9:30-10:30
  • Led by Enneagram-trained facilitator Robin Hills Michaels
  • Meets every other Thursday from 9:30-10:30 a.m (December dates are December 2 & 16)
  • All attendees will receive a free code to take the Enneagram Institute's online assessment
  • Sign up here by December 1st. Location: Center for Teaching


 Actualize Your Purpose: Workshop on Improving Your Well-Being

Learn how to connect your everyday work with your life's greater purpose.

  • Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 12:00-3:00 p.m. Central
  • This is an Academic Impressions webinar: email Pat Dover for a free Academic Impressions license to access all AI resources

  • Cost: Free

The pandemic has required all of us to pivot in new ways. We've taken on additional responsibilities that may not align with our strengths and interests. Now is the time to reconnect with the priorities that bring you joy and improve your well-being. Join online for an interactive workshop that will help you refocus your time, energy, and future work in ways that help you realize your purpose and legacy. This training is designed for all academic and non-academic staff and administrators exploring ways to connect their everyday work with their life's purpose to find greater well-being.


 

"Dare to Lead" Study Group for Supervisors

  • Tuesdays at 12:30-1:30 p.m, starting November 2 (Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & Dec. 7, 14, *Friday 17)
  • Sign up here by Friday, October 27
  • Location: TBD (depending on size of group)

Human Resources and the Center for Leadership are co-sponsoring an 8-session study group on brave leadership for colleagues who are supervisors. Led by Jessica Welch, (Human Resources/ Leadership Lab grad), the one-hour, conversation-based sessions are based on Brene Brown's "Dare to Lead" book. Books are provided free to all participants.

As a supervisor, this course provides new, courage-building leadership language, skills, and tools so you can put them into practice to support your people. Some examples of things you will learn include:

  • Feedback, both giving and receiving
  • Living BIG with boundaries, integrity, and generosity
  • The terms of power
  • Learning with empathy and vulnerability

"Reframing Your Thoughts to Reduce Stress" with Peggy Farmer

  • Friday, Sept. 10, 2021
  • 9:30-11:30 a.m.
  • Hearth Room (in Bishop's Common)
  • For colleagues (faculty and staff)

Reframing your thoughts helps free you from the limiting beliefs that block your energy, gratitude, and productivity. This workshop gives participants a better understanding of their brain and how to transform limited, negative thinking to positive, unlimited thinking with the aid of cognitive reprogramming. Reframing negatives to positives is not about denial or suppression- it is about having a choice of focus. Come to learn how to identify your limiting thoughts and to replace them with positive ones.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is an internationally-known speaker, wellness consultant, author, therapist, and consciousness coach. Combining her expertise in psychology, health, and wellness, her workshops are interactive and thought-provoking. Peggy served as the Wellness Consultant for Sewanee during the 2014-15 academic year.


 

"The Art of Navigating Difficult Conversations" led by Peggy Farmer

  • Friday, Sept. 10, 2021
  • 1:00-3:00 p.m.
  • Hearth Room (in Bishop's Common)
  • For colleagues (faculty and staff)

Learn compassionate and assertive communication skills to address conflict with greater confidence. This workshop includes dialogue, neuroscience research on communication, and skill-building exercises to increase your healthy communication skills and help turn your difficult conversations into courageous ones.

Peggy Farmer, Ph.D., is an internationally-known speaker, wellness consultant, author, therapist, and consciousness coach. Combining her expertise in psychology, health, and wellness, her workshops are interactive and thought-provoking. Peggy served as the Wellness Consultant for Sewanee during the 2014-15 academic year.


 

“Designing Your Life” Workshop (for Colleagues)

Faculty & staff colleagues, spend some time leading yourself this summer: design the most important project of all – your life.

Led by Rachel Fredericks, this intensive is two half-days of learning and practicing ideas and tools from Stanford's Life Design Lab outlined in the NYT bestselling Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. You will leave with clarity regarding where you are right now, new designs for balance and energy, new ways to frame problems you’ve been trying to solve for a while, insights on how to hone your decision making, and three possible future paths – Odyssey Plans – for your life.

You will do all this in a fast-paced, collaborative community of colleagues, helping one another design a unique journey toward a well-lived, joyful life.


"Understanding Tension: Conflict Management Strategies"

  • May 18-19, 2021 |
  • Cost: Free (email Elizabeth Wilson @ elwilson@sewanee.edu to sign up)
  • This is an Academic Impressions webinar

The past year has brought about changes in the way we work, connect, and measure success. These changes can often bring conflict or exacerbate underlying tensions that existed before. One of the first steps to resolving conflict is taking measure of how you internalize the tension. Join us for this two-day virtual conference where we will:

  1. Help you to analyze current tension and conflict 
  2. Understand how perceptions and miscommunication are often at the heart of issue.
  3. Teach multiple ways of resolving or mitigating tension in a mutually beneficial way.
  4. Apply strategies no matter where the tension lies – with a supervisor, peer, or direct report.

"Anti-Racism in Higher Education: Ensuring It’s a Movement, Not Just a Moment"

  • May 26-27, 2021 
  • Cost: Free (email Elizabeth Wilson @ elwilson@sewanee.edu to sign up)
  • This is an Academic Impressions webinar

In response to the killing of George Floyd last summer, hundreds of institutions around the country declared themselves publicly to be anti-racist, anti-oppressive organizations. This kind of announcement necessitates a strong subsequent commitment to action: diversity and inclusion officers, in partnership with other campus leaders, have since been hard at work putting initiatives in place to address what are often deeply-rooted racist policies, procedures, and practices on their campuses.  

This virtual conference has been specifically designed to help those leading anti-racist initiatives in higher education ensure that they have substance and longevity. This event is a must if you work at an institution that is newly committed to anti-oppressive or anti-racism work and want to ensure these efforts are sustainable over time.


"Virtual Liberating Structures: An Introduction to Online Facilitation Techniques"

  • Monday, June 7, 2021
  • Choose one: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Central OR 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Central 
  • Register here

For those at Sewanee who joined in any of this year's virtual All-Colleague Gatherings, Anna Jackson and Fisher Qua were the excellent facilitators for those events. If you want learn some excellent conversation-deepening facilitations techniques that can be used either in-person or virtually, join in either of these FREE 2-hour virtual practice sessions.

BURNOUT: How to Identify and Address It

Symptoms of burnout include low energy, a loss of interest in your work, and irritability with colleagues or students. As such, it can cause low productivity, high absenteeism, low creativity, and even health problems. If you are feeling any of these, you are not alone.

Join Sewanee's Counseling and Psychological Service (CAPS) director, Ashley Liston-Avnaim, and our Associate Dean of Health & Wellness, Nicole Noffsinger-Frazier, to learn more about the clinical symptoms of burnout for the first half of this session, then break into groups with colleagues to discuss ways to address it.

Co-sponsored by CAPS, the Center for Teaching, and the Center for Leadership.


VIRTUAL COFFEE BREAKS

Join colleagues on Zoom for informal conversation every Wednesday at 3:00-3:30 p.m. 


CLIFTONSTRENGTHS COACHING CRASH COURSE
  • 3 sessions: Friday, July 24; Monday, July 27; Wednesday, July 29
  • 10:00 a.m.- noon
  • Virtual/Zoom

Expand your understanding of strengths-based development and learn coaching skills to assist others in discovering, developing, and using their strengths for greater productivity and wellbeing. This crash course is ideal for any supervisors and/or student-facing colleagues who have taken the CliftonStrengths assessment before and are ready to introduce a strengths-based perspective to others. Participants will be provided with a code to discover all 34 of their Strengths in order, not only the top 5 (a $50 value.)

Rachel Champagne, Director of Community Standards in our Student Life division, is a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coach and will lead this 6-hour (3 x 2-hour sessions) course via Zoom.

Limited to 12 participants; more information and to apply here by July 22, click here.
Attendance is required at all three sessions. Future courses will be offered as needed.


 ”MANAGING UNCERTAINTY LAB”
  •  Wednesdays: July 15, 22, 29
  • 3:00-4:30 p.m. (Central)
  • Sign up here by July 14

As Sewanee is dealing with a myriad of challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, our faculty and staff are leading in new and critical ways. Sewanee needs people who are prepared to deal with change- this lab can help you be ready to be more resilient and adaptive so that you can lead yourself and others through the uncertain times that we face. This three-session series offers support to department leaders/supervisors so you can lead with greater courage and competence. Participants are challenged to discover deep insights about themselves, others, and the greater community as a means to lead change. This workshop is offered by the Center for Leadership, which exists to invite staff and faculty to elevate the leader within. The facilitator will be Karen Proctor, Special Assistant to the Provost.

Objectives

  1. Enrich knowledge 
    • Learn exemplary leadership practices in the context of leading teams and resilience in crisis 
    • Examine the political dynamics of both higher education institutions generally—and Sewanee’s campus specifically—and the critical role of strategic planning
    • Recognize the differences between leadership and management
  2. Increase confidence in personal leadership
    • Strengthen abilities to help team members navigate through crisis and uncertainty
    • Heighten capacity to understand, support, and empower others
    • Learn to support team problem identification and solving 

Texts & Materials (Partial List)

The lab features a mix of articles, a book chapter, video, and simple assessments that will add to participants’ personal resources to aid with managing their responsibilities. All materials will be provided for free to participants.

  • Cases in Leadership (3rd edition) edited by W. Glenn Rowe, Laura Guerrero, Chapter 12
  • CliftonStrengths assessment, Values Profile, Conflict Styles Assessment 
  • "Are You Leading Through the Crisis … or Managing the Response?" by Eric J. McNulty and Leonard Marcus, HBR March 2020

Lab Sessions

Sessions are 90-minutes long. Each virtual session requires about 60-90 minutes of participant prep work.

  • Session 1- Wednesday, July 15- “It starts with you: Your values, strengths and how you lead and work with others”
  • Session 2- Wednesday, July 22- “It’s about teams: Teamwork, managing and meeting the challenges”
  • Session 3- Wednesday, July 29- “Managing in crisis and ambiguity”

WALKING MEDITATION WORKSHOP...WITH SID BROWN

Calm, grounded, moving. We'd all like a bit more of all that, right? Compassionate and effective leaders spend time doing their inner work. This one-hour online workshop for Sewanee colleagues will focus on several forms of walking meditation, allowing participants to learn a bit about meditation in general and then try out forms of walking meditation before joining back for a brief discussion. 

Sid Brown, professor of Religious Studies at Sewanee, says this about why she practices meditation: "I've been meditating since 1982 because it helps me be more honest (with myself and others), more in touch with my deeper values, more stable (equanimous), and more responsive to the concerns of the world."


 “REFLECTING ON SEWANEE CULTURE, TOGETHER”
  • Tuesday, June 2 @ 10–11:30 a.m. CST
  • For the University community/all employees: staff, faculty, administrators
  • Please RSVP here  (the Zoom link is in it)

 In light of what is unfolding in our nation right now, this is now a two-part gathering: the first one will be Tuesday as scheduled from 10:00-11:30 a.m, and the second one will be scheduled within the next 1-2 weeks. In the first of these two gatherings, you are invited to join colleagues to explore Sewanee culture, specifically identifying what makes us successful as we navigate complex moments like these. In the second gathering, we will shift our attention to moving Sewanee culture into virtual/online settings.

We warmly welcome ALL University employees- staff, faculty, administrators- to join us tomorrow. The purpose of this gathering is to:

  • Identify the unique attributes of Sewanee's culture and consider how these attributes may help us navigate the complexities of the current moment
  • Find new ways to work positively and productively with present uncertainties, including meetings and classes
  • Connect as a community so we can be strong and responsive together 

PURPOSE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP: Cathy Carlisi, C'89
  • April 22, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
  • Convocation Hall
  • For staff, faculty, and students

Cathy Carlisi serves BrightHouse (a BCG Company) as President, The Americas. She will share her experience and what she thinks is most critical for leaders today and in the future. She'll also guide us through an exploration of purpose. Cathy has gone piranha fishing in the Amazon, survived a 150km two-day bike race with a night camping at the Jack Daniels distillery, and got married in Rome with a Papal Blessing. But she considers helping to pioneer the Purpose movement her most thrilling challenge.

Shortly after BrightHouse was founded, Cathy joined and has invested twenty years convincing skeptics that meaning matters. In the process, she helped grow BrightHouse’s processes, products, frameworks and staff into the premier Purpose consultancy. She has led seminal work that’s driven deep positive societal impact across geographies and industries.

Cathy began her career in advertising, winning awards at top tier agencies including Carmichael Lynch and Fallon. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Sewanee with majors in English and Art, and she was a member of the Society of Wilkins’ Scholars and Omicron Delta Kappa. After Sewanee, she attended the Portfolio Center for writing and art direction and spent two years studying poetry. Cathy is a nationally published poet, painter, and shares her love for family and friends through abundant Italian cooking.

Co-sponsored by Alumni and Parent Programs; Art, Art History, and Visual Studies; Babson Center for Global Commerce; Bairnwick Women's Center; Center for Leadership; English Department; Omicron Delta Kappa; Sewanee Career Readiness; and the Wellness Center.


"The Heart of Higher Education 2020: Riding the Currents of Change"
  • Monday, June 8, 2020 - Wednesday, June 10, 2020
  • Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
  • For Sewanee faculty and staff

Sewanee faculty and staff are warmly invited to participate in a local opportunity for professional and personal development coming this summer in Nashville. This conference/retreat is for those higher education professionals who are eager to foster ways to sustain and renew personal identity and professional integrity in the midst of the profound changes that impact our lives. Together we will explore how to locate ourselves when we feel adrift, identify others who can serve as important allies, and self-sustain in the rapids, all while still fully engaging in the important purposes of higher education. With this rekindled sense of vitality, we will rediscover strengths to use for the common good – connecting with those purposes for which we originally sought this vibrant work.

Drawing on the work of Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal, facilitators will offer a unique experience with elements of reflection, engagement, and retreat. Individually, in community circles, and in large sessions with all participants, we will consider what it is to honor the variations and complexities of the human experience within higher education while staying nimble enough to weather changes and challenges. Embracing the very heart of our work will translate these reflections into positive action in our own settings. One evening will include a discussion with Parker Palmer, with music by Carrie Newcomer.

COST
$775 - includes lodging, meals, materials, and facilitation
$675 Commuter rate- includes meals, materials, facilitation (no lodging)


The Art and Practice of Giving and Receiving Feedback (Webinar)
  • Tuesday, March 17, 2020
  • 12:00-1:15 p.m.
  • Center for Leadership (2nd floor, duPont Library)
  • For staff and faculty

Giving feedback to someone in a way that is both direct and respectful is a challenging thing to do, even for the most seasoned managers. Most of us figure it out the hard way by fumbling, softening what we meant to say, or confusing the message. The challenge for managers is to convey your message clearly with backbone as well as heart. In this hour-long webinar offered by Academic Impressions, certified executive coach and leadership development expert Mary McGuinness will provide simple but proven techniques, along with sample language, to help you become more confident and skilled at providing feedback directly. Including time for practice and reflection, this webinar is designed to provide you with a practical road map for engaging in effective conversations, whether you’re communicating up, down, or across your institution. Discussion will follow the webinar.

Who Should Attend: If you are looking to better communicate when it comes to setting expectations, asking for feedback, or giving feedback (as it relates to job performance or career development) then this online training is for you.

Agenda: Using real scenarios drawn from higher education, this webcast will:

  • Identify the different types of feedback needed in the workplace
  • Explain a simple process for giving and receiving feedback in the moment
  • Help you connect feedback back to performance expectations
  • Model how to use effective communication steps and techniques

Instructor: Mary McGuinness, President, MMCG Inc., creates environments for innovation, taps multiple intelligences, and provokes new ways of thinking and doing. She helps her clients maximize their potential to create and execute ambitious plans for themselves and for the organizations and teams they lead. Mary is a leadership development specialist and ICF-certified executive coach who partners with her clients to create collaborative cultures, improve employee engagement, and better navigate through the change, transitions, and challenges that arise in organizational life. Mary is past director of workplace learning and performance at DePaul University, where she designed and implemented initiatives to improve performance management, leadership, and employee relations. Prior to that, she directed the Hay Leadership Project, where she co-developed an intensive values-based leadership certificate program that strengthened leadership from “the inside-out,” and served as an organization development consultant to mission-driven organizations. Mary possesses a B.A. in Theatre and French from the University of Wisconsin and an M.Ed. in Curriculum Theorizing from DePaul University. Mary has studied adaptive leadership with Martin Linsky and Ronald Heifetz at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Service, coaching and adult development at Fielding Graduate University, and leadership at the University of Chicago. 

Please RSVP here. Feel free to bring your lunch or stop by the Cup & Gown on your way up!


Ignite Retreat for Faculty and Staff: The Sullivan Summit in Raleigh, NC
  • Friday, March 27-Sunday, March 29, 2020
  • Fully-funded professional development opportunity for Sewanee staff and/or faculty (all expenses covered by the Office of Civic Engagement)
  • Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 10
  • For staff and faculty

The Sullivan Summit is designed to provide faculty and staff leaders from across the Sullivan Network and beyond with an exceptional professional development opportunity that promotes deeper understanding of social innovation and deepens peer relationships and connections. You can expect to walk away from the Summit with: 1) Fresh thinking and useful tools that can be directly applied to participants’ campuses and classrooms; 2) Shared best practices that can strengthen each participants’ leadership and teaching on his or her respective campus; 3) Foster and strengthen a peer learning community that can be cultivated beyond the retreat; and 4) A forum to get feedback/actionable recommendations to help accelerate impact back home.

Please complete this brief application (use your Banner login). There will be no cost and Sewanee needs faculty and staff to help lead the trip. Questions on the application? Contact Jo Gressly in the Office of Civic Engagement (jkgressl@sewanee.edu).


“Reflecting & Recharging Through Nature” with Bran Potter
  • Thursday, March 26, 2020
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m.
  • Meeting spot: Trail entrance on University Avenue between Rebel's Rest and the ATO House
  • For staff and faculty

If you are feeling overwhelmed at the pace of this semester and your sense of well-being is low, join your colleagues in Abbo's Alley for some peace and refreshment. Bran Potter will guide us in connecting to the natural world through silence and reading in the open air as we learn to slow down and appreciate the natural world and recharge together.

This EQB experience is organized through the Center for Leadership’s Leadership Lab program. The purpose is to create opportunities for Sewanee staff and faculty to get to know each other better in joyful, small-group learning contexts in order to build community and trust among us.

Please RSVP here (so that we can notify you of any changes due to inclement weather). You are welcome to bring your lunch; trail snacks will be provided. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes for full enjoyment!


 
Explore the Flora of Abbo's Alley with Mary Priestley
  • Wednesday, April 1, 2020
  • 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. 
  • Meet at the ATO entrance to Abbo's Alley on University Avenue
  • For faculty and staff

Connect with your colleagues while learning about the beauty of the place where we work. Mary Priestley will lead this walk through the Alley, focusing on spring flora. Mary is a graduate of the University of the South, the curator of the Sewanee Herbarium, a prolific author and artist, an active Sewanee community member, and a devoted mother and grandmother. Her most recent book, "Sewanee Wildflowers in Watercolor" was published in July 2018. In her book, she "reflects on the passage of seasons on the Domain of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, by portraying the lives of about 50 representative wildflowers through drawings and short natural history vignettes." Please join us for a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Sewanee's spring-flowering plants. 


Ignite Retreat for Faculty and Staff: The Sullivan Summit in Raleigh, NC
  • Friday, March 27-Sunday, March 29, 2020
  • Fully-funded professional development opportunity for Sewanee staff and/or faculty (all expenses covered by the Office of Civic Engagement)
  • Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 10
  • For staff and faculty

The Sullivan Summit is designed to provide faculty and staff leaders from across the Sullivan Network and beyond with an exceptional professional development opportunity that promotes deeper understanding of social innovation and deepens peer relationships and connections. You can expect to walk away from the Summit with: 1) Fresh thinking and useful tools that can be directly applied to participants’ campuses and classrooms; 2) Shared best practices that can strengthen each participants’ leadership and teaching on his or her respective campus; 3) Foster and strengthen a peer learning community that can be cultivated beyond the retreat; and 4) A forum to get feedback/actionable recommendations to help accelerate impact back home.

Please complete this brief application (use your Banner login). There will be no cost and Sewanee needs faculty and staff to help lead the trip. Questions on the application? Contact Jo Gressly in the Office of Civic Engagement (jkgressl@sewanee.edu).


"Facilitating Culturally Inclusive Meetings": Webinar & Discussion
  • Wednesday, February 26
  • 12:00-1:15 p.m.
  • Center for Leadership (duPont Library 217)
  • For staff and faculty

If you lead meetings, this webcast will help you re-energize and learn how to facilitate in an unbiased, culturally inclusive way. Join us for this online training to engage in self-reflection and to begin practicing communication skills that will positively impact group dynamics. You will hone your skills around listening, modeling, and question-asking. You’ll also receive guidance on how to choose an accountability partner who will help you preserve a culturally inclusive meeting environment. This webinar is provided by Academic Impressions and will be led by Dr. Bridget Turner Kelly, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland. After the webinar, Betsy Sandlin, Sewanee's Associate Dean for Inclusion and Faculty Development, will lead a 15-minute post-webinar discussion about how we can each practically apply this information to our work and future meetings at Sewanee and beyond.


“Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” with Eric Keen and Amy Turner
  • Thursday, February 27
  • 12:30-1:30
  • Center for Leadership (duPont Library 217)
  • For faculty and staff

“Deep Work” by Cal Newport argues the best way to get more meaningful work done is by working deeply – working in a state of high concentration without distractions on a single task. The book explains why deep work maximizes productivity and why few people practice it, then shows us how to actually do it and make deep work a regular practice in our lives.

Both Eric Keen (Biology professor) and Amy Turner (OESS director) have incorporated deep work practices into their lives. They will share their personal practices and lead a discussion about how we can all incorporate deep work practices into our work and personal lives as well.


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THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN: “Exploring the History of Abbo's Alley and Rebel’s Rest” with Sarah Sherwood
  • Thursday, February 13
  • 12:30-1:30 p.m.
  • Meeting spot: Trail entrance on University Avenue between Rebel's Rest and the ATO House
  • For staff and faculty

This lunchtime stroll through Abbo's Alley, led by Sarah Sherwood, will weave together information gathered from the features on the landscape, archaeology, historic documents, and oral history to tell the multi-layered history of this intriguing place.

This EQB experience is organized by Cohort 1 of the Center for Leadership’s Leadership Lab program. The purpose is to create opportunities for Sewanee staff and faculty to get to know one another in a joyful learning context in order to build community and trust among us.

Please RSVP here by February 12 (so that we can notify you of any changes due to inclement weather). You are welcome to bring your lunch; trail snacks will be provided. Wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes for full enjoyment!


Enneagram & Tea Monthly Series:
"Enneagram & Activism: Using Your Unique Voice to Make a Difference”
  • Tuesday, February 18
  • 12:30-1:30
  • NEW LOCATION: Torian Room, duPont Library (2nd floor)
  • For staff, faculty, and students

Join this informal monthly discussion group to learn more about the Enneagram and the profound forms of power each type embodies–sources of inner strength we can all tap into. This can inform how we can use our voices and direct our energy to lead toward positive social change more effectively.

Type One represents the power of conviction. When we see a wrong in the world, it’s the part of us with the strength to take a stand and work for positive change.
Type Two represents the power of altruism. This part of us hones in on what others and ourselves need and offers it generously.
Type Three represents the power of excellence. It’s the part of us that works to cultivate our gifts and live a life of great value and integrity.
Type Four represents the power of self-renewal. It’s the part of us that listens to and expresses our own voice, honoring our personal truth.
Type Five represents the power of clarity. It’s the part of us driven to discover new truths, that refuses to back down in the face of uncertainty.
Type Six represents the power of support. It’s the part of us that stands with others as an equal, committed to seeing things through.
Type Seven represents the power of hope. When things get difficult, this facet of us can find the joy and wonder that still exist in the world.
Type Eight represents the power of strength. It’s the part of us that won’t back down, initiating action and championing justice.
Type Nine represents the power of harmony. It’s the part of us that sees an underlying unity and brings peace to the world around us.
(Content: http://inspireenvisioning.com/2014/09/02/how-the-enneagram-can-empower-you/)

Join this informal monthly discussion group to learn more about the Enneagram. The enneagram is valuable because it answers the question, “Why?” Why would someone do that? What would motivate that behavior? And why does that lead to them thinking and behaving so differently from me? Leaders find profound value in being able to work with someone with the insight of what drives them.

Knowing your personality type gives you awareness, and awareness gives you choice. The Enneagram provides a growth path, not a diagnosis. Knowing your type is a shortcut to enhancing your self-awareness and bringing out the best in yourself.

While the language of the Enneagram can fall into the same personality-naming conventions that plague most personality systems, “You are a 2,” the Enneagram is aware that at your best, you have access to the best qualities of all the types. Knowing your primary personality type shows you the common roadblocks (both thinking and behavior patterns) so you have a path to spend more and more of your time being your full, best self. (Content: KaleyKlemp)

If you don’t know your type yet, you can either read about the 9 types here (free) and select the one that fits you best, or you can take an online assessment here ($12).

No RSVP necessary. Delicious teas provided- please bring your own mug.