A Message from Ujima Donalson
Assistant Vice President, Total Talent Management
As we often say in the world of organizational development, change is the only constant. That has certainly been true for POD thus far in 2019. We have launched two outstanding online programs while welcoming a new training and onboarding specialist, preparing for a few departures, and gearing up for spring quarter offerings, including our signature annual event for staff, the Support Professionals Spring Retreat.
The two new programs I mentioned answer the call we’ve heard many times over for more online content. In January, POD introduced The Learning Lab, an innovative learning platform featuring a complete leadership development program as well as topics covering business operations, professional skills, and Office 365. Just last month, we also launched the Leadership Café, an engaging website with thoughtfully curated planning tools, microlearning modules, leadership stories, and more. This project has been near and dear to my heart as I believe in centralizing resources for busy leaders as well as sparking opportunities for introspection and growth. My hope is that you will bookmark this site and visit regularly, when you have a few spare moments, need some inspiration for planning or development, or would like a taste of something new.
Although The Leadership Café is provided as a free resource for UW leaders, The Learning Lab is a fee-based program featuring a custom catalog purchased from Skillsoft and powered by the new Percipio platform. I’m excited about the catalog of content we’re able to offer through this platform, as well as being able to increase opportunities for self-directed learning. The fee for individual subscriptions is equivalent to what you might pay for one to two days of in-person training and yet The Learning Lab offers 24/7 access to a myriad of content through the end of the year.
We are also offering The Learning Lab Interactive through SLP co-facilitator and Certified Professional Coach Lee Davis. As you will learn from his article in this issue of The Leading Edge, Lee is passionate about employee development, motivation, and engagement. Through The Learning Lab Interactive, you can pair your subscription with coaching sessions with Lee, who will help assess your learning needs and objectives and recommend specific assets in The Learning Lab to facilitate your development.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it was still tough hearing that both Linda Callecod and Lynne Lazaroff are retiring this spring. Linda will be with POD through May and Lynne through April. I am grateful for the substantial notice, and we are fortunate for every minute we have with them! Linda has been with POD for 6 years and Lynne for 4, but both have longer histories with the UW and are well-known fixtures in our training rooms and in many coaching and consulting clients’ offices. This month we're also saying farewell to Trina Burke, who has for the past 10 years provided support in our training rooms and coordinated with instructors on everything from class scheduling to development of their course materials. Trina has accepted an opportunity outside of the UW, and we wish her well in her new venture.
In February we were thrilled to welcome our new onboarding and training specialist, Témo X. Madigral-Sanchez, to the POD team. Témo is charged with leading the Welcome Day program and its facilitation, as well as SLP Supervisor Orientation and other training and onboarding activities. Even in just a short time, it’s clear Témo is a real asset to the team, and you can read more about him and his interests in the issue.
February’s intense string of snowstorms and suspended operations kept us on our toes, but somehow my team managed to operate with their feet planted firmly on the ground. Along with keeping pace with the many changes I mentioned above, they exhibited stellar customer service during suspended operations that impacted many of our classes and still managed to keep planning for spring and future quarters with an eye towards continually improving our offerings for the UW community. The times keep changing, but through it all, I couldn’t feel prouder or be more impressed with my team!
