Develop Your Staff’s (or Your) Leadership Skills

Do you have a stellar staff member? Someone who merits a significant investment in their development?   Or would you like to increase your current effectiveness and learn how to prepare yourself for a more complex or senior position in the future? Read more…

Business Writing Tips

You’re preparing to write a [report/email/article/other]. You want people to read it, understand it, and act on it. How can you make that happen? Read more…

LeadingSuccess™ and Supervisory Skills Certificate Graduations

The new LeadingSuccess™ program at the School of Medicine (SOM) produced its first crop of graduates in 2009. The ongoing Supervisory Skills Certificate (SSC) program produced two graduating cohorts in 2009 as well. Read more…

New Resources for Hiring and On-boarding New Staff

 If you are recruiting, hiring or on-boarding new staff, the Office of Organization Effectiveness has created two new resources to help. Read more…

Knowledge Link Help Desk

I completed an online learning module in Knowledge Link, but my record shows that it is incomplete. Why is that? Read more…

UPCOMING SEMINARS

Coaching Skills for Supervisors
Date: Tuesday, October 6th
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Biomedical Research Building (BRB II/III), Room 252

Tuition Benefits Q&A
Date: Wednesday, October 21st
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Place: Class of ‘62 Auditorium - John Morgan Building

Legal Issues for Supervisors
Date: Wednesday, October 28th
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Ben Franklin Room - Houston Hall

Conflict Mangagement for Supervisors
Date: Tuesday, November 17th
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Biomedical Research Building (BRB II/III), Room 252

Managing Your Career
Date: Wednesday, November 18th
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Place: Class of ‘62 Auditorium - John Morgan Building

Business Writing
Date: Tuesday, November 24th
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Biomedical Research Building (BRB II/III), Room 252

Listening Skills
Date: Tuesday, December 1st
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Biomedical Research Building (BRB II/III), Room 252

Retirement Investing Basics
Date: Wednesday, December 2nd
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Place: Class of ‘62 Auditorium - John Morgan Building

Assertive Communication
Date: Tuesday, December 15th
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Place: Biomedical Research Building (BRB II/III), Room 252

Resume & Cover Letter Clinic
Date: Wednesday, March 16th
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Place: Reunion Auditorium - John Morgan Building

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Click Here for the October 2009 Issue

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Do you have a stellar staff member? Someone who merits a significant investment in their development?   Or would you like to increase your current effectiveness and learn how to prepare yourself for a more complex or senior position in the future?

The SOM’s Office of Organization Effectiveness (OE) is currently taking nominations through October 9th for LeadingSuccess™, a first-level program for leadership skills development. 

Here’s what past attendees had to say:

The LeadingSuccess™ program has helped us to transform our team into an effective, productive, happy, hard working group….I would highly recommend this program. It was a transforming experience.
Nancy Wintering
Clinical Social Worker

As a self-reflective person, the LeadingSuccess™ program gave me unparalleled opportunities to examine my strengths and weaknesses.  I really valued the resources that were available for self-improvement. 
Ben Adams
IT Project Leader

We are asking managers to identify outstanding individuals on their staff who have strong potential. These staff members must currently supervise or be in a full-time project manager role that involves others (e.g., running a project team).  

If you would like to participate yourself, talk to your manager about nominating you.

Nominating managers must be committed to supporting the staff member’s attendance at the program over a period of nine months. The Program will include participant assessment, classroom sessions and coaching.

The content of LeadingSuccess™ differs from the Supervisory Certificate Series (SCS) in that it dives more deeply into skill development than the SCS. There is not significant overlap between the two programs. The SCS is not a prerequisite for LeadingSuccess™, and graduates of the SCS are eligible.

For more detailed information about the LeadingSuccess program, go to: http://www.med.upenn.edu/oe/leadership.shtml.
You can download the nomination form at: http://www.med.upenn.edu/oe/word/LeadingSuccess_Nomination_Form.doc

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Also in the October 2009 issue

Business Writing Tips
LeadingSuccess™ and Supervisory Skills Certificate Graduations
New Resources for Hiring and On-boarding New Staff
Knowledge Link Help Desk

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Click Here for the October 2009 Issue

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You’re preparing to write a [report/email/article/other]. You want people to read it, understand it, and act on it. How can you make that happen?

There are a number of tips that can change your writing from confusing to clear, from mundane to motivating. This is the first of several columns telling you how to accomplish that.

Tip # 1 – Use simple words and sentences
Some writers seek to impress people by using long, complex or obscure words. This makes their writing sound…as if they’re trying to impress people. Keep it simple. If a short word will be as clear as a long word, use the short word.  It will be easier for the readers to understand.

C.S. Lewis, professor at Oxford and Cambridge and best-selling author once said, “I have come to the conclusion that if you cannot translate your own thoughts into uneducated language, then your thoughts are confused. Power to translate is the test of having really understood your own meaning.” Lofty language is sometimes a smokescreen for fuzzy thinking. Distilling your ideas into simple language is a good way to test them for soundness.

In the same way, avoid overly-long sentences.  A good rule: if you get to the end of a sentence and have to re-read it because you can’t understand it, it’s too long. Trim excess words; bloated sentences are tedious. If it’s still too long, see if you can divide it. Don’t chop up everything, however, or it will read like Dr. Seuss. A mixture of short and long sentences will create a varied, engaging rhythm.

Tip # 2 – Use Jargon Appropriately
Jargon is a special language used by a specific group, often for the purpose of streamlining communication. Terms such as “pharma,” “BRB,” “HIPAA,” and “Anat-Chem” are examples of jargon which you may use here at the SOM.  In fact, to write out the words in full would seem almost awkward unless it is for a formal communication.

We cause confusion, however, when we use jargon with people who don’t “know the language.”  In that situation, one alternative is to avoid jargon altogether. Another is to state the entire word or phrase with the abbreviation or definition in parenthesis beside it the first time you use it in a communication, then use just the jargon for the rest of the communication. For example, if writing for an audience outside of Penn, you might write “I work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (SOM). The SOM was the country’s first medical school.” This defines “SOM” for those unfamiliar with this acronym, and allows you to use just the acronym for the rest of the communication.

Tip # 3 -Use Active Voice (except in limited situations)

What is the difference between active and passive voice? See if you can guess from these examples:

Passive:      “The boat was sailed across Lake Winnipesaukee.”  Who sailed it?

Passive:      “The boat was sailed across Lake Winnipesaukee by Bob.” Bob sailed it, but in this sentence the boat receives the emphasis.

Active:       “Bob sailed the boat across Lake Winnipesaukee.” Bob sailed it, and Bob receives the  emphasis.

Passive voice exists when we emphasize the receiver of an action and de-emphasize or ignore the doer of the action.

Why is using active voice important? For one thing, passive voice is vague.  In the first example, we have no mental picture of the sailor(s), since we don’t know their identity. In the second example, although we know the sailor’s identity, the sentence is now unnecessarily longer by two words. Fuzzy imagery and bloated sentences bore readers and cause them to disengage. On the contrary, active voice can make sentences vivid, direct and specific, engaging the reader. 

So use active voice as a rule. Use passive voice only in instances where the doer of the action is negligible, unknown or obvious.  If you are writing a history of the boat mentioned above and you do not know who sailed it across the lake, or if the sailor’s identity would be an unnecessary detail that would bog down the flow of the narrative, you may choose to use passive voice.

Note:  Scientific writing often uses passive voice, although there are some journals which prefer active voice.

Using active voice, simple words and sentences, and using jargon in an appropriate manner will collectively make your writing more readable, understandable and compelling. The next issue of SOM@Work will explain how word pictures can help readers connect intellectually and emotionally with your information.

How well do you know SOM jargon? Test your knowledge:

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Also in the October 2009 issue

Develop Your Staff’s (or Your) Leadership Skills
LeadingSuccess™ and Supervisory Skills Certificate Graduations
New Resources for Hiring and On-boarding New Staff
Knowledge Link Help Desk

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Click Here for the October 2009 Issue

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The new LeadingSuccess™ program at the School of Medicine (SOM) produced its first crop of graduates in 2009. The ongoing Supervisory Skills Certificate (SSC) program produced two graduating cohorts in 2009 as well.

January 2009 Graduation

The first SSC graduation ceremony, in January 2009, celebrated the course completion for the Fall 2008 SSC cohort. The Office of Organization Effectiveness (OE) hosted a breakfast to honor this group.

Executive Director of SOM Administration Robert Dugan addressed the graduates, offering his congratulations. OE Director Chuck Haughton handed out diplomas to both groups and took a moment to thank the many speakers and supervisors who make both programs possible.

Supervisory Certificate Series, Fall 2008 Cohort.  (Front Row) Tia Dreher, Mary Hammond, Michelle Steuber, Susan Leight (Back Row) Brent Buford, William Jester, Chambrel Jones, James Kaylor, Edgar Weiss.


Bob Dugan speaks to the Fall 2008 SSC Cohort at their January, 2009 Graduation.

Edgar Weiss receives his diploma from Chuck Haughton and Bob Dugan.

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June 2009 Graduation

This next commencement honored the first graduates of the LeadingSuccess™ program, as well as the newest graduates of the Supervisory Skills Certificate Series (SSC).
Program facilitators, along with several managers of program participants, came to support the graduates.

Executive Director of SOM Administration Robert Dugan addressed the LeadingSuccess™ and SSC graduates , explaining the origins of both programs and offering his congratulations. OE Director Chuck Haughton handed out diplomas to both groups and thanked the speakers and supervisors who make both programs possible.

Some SSC graduates will go on to participate in the LeadingSuccess™ program.  Nancy Wintering, a graduate of both programs, reflected on her experience:

When I started the program I was doing a very good job, but I learned there is always room for improvement. The Office of OE staff provided excellent leadership; they facilitated growth on an individual and a group level. My competence as a leader and a manager has developed significantly. Now instead of hurrying and carrying on more than I can handle, I am able to manage my team and our responsibilities more effectively. We are accomplishing more work, more efficiently and with a greater level of satisfaction and enjoyment.

First LeadingSuccess™ Graduates, 2008-2009 Cohort. (Left to Right) Ben Adams, Linda Crosette, Josh Romond, Darren Johnson, Kristi Varillo, Andrea Shuster.

Supervisory Certificate Series, Spring 2009 Cohort.  (Front Row) Roslyn Mason, Elle Choe, Hewett Ashbridge, John Lewis, Carmen Rodriguez, Illona Feldman (Back Row) Rikki Godshall, Waverly Coleman, Kevin Flanigan, John Huang.

Bob Dugan addresses the attendees at the June 2009 Graduation.

Kevin Flanigan shows off his certificate. Whenever class instructors ran into technical difficulty, Flanigan and classmate Ray Rollins, both of Media Technology & Production, came to the rescue.

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Also in the October 2009 issue

Develop Your Staff’s (or Your) Leadership Skills
Business Writing Tips
New Resources for Hiring and On-boarding New Staff
Knowledge Link Help Desk

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Click Here for the October 2009 Issue

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If you are recruiting, hiring or on-boarding new staff, the Office of Organization Effectiveness has created two new resources to help:

Recruiting & Hiring Staff for Stimulus-funded Positions  http://www.med.upenn.edu/hr/stimulus.html

If you need to hire – and want to do it quickly and successfully – this site can help. Created in conjunction with Oforie Murray of Penn’s Human Resources Satellite Office at the SOM, this site gives you tips and direct contact information of people who can help you in the process.

SOM Central  http://www.med.upenn.edu/oe/somcentral

“I wish I had known some of this sooner!”  This is a common longing new staff members express at the SOM’s New Staff Orientation program, regarding some of the information they learn there.

By sending your incoming staff members a link to the new SOM Central site, you can make sure they have the urgent information they need to quickly become acclimated to the SOM.  It gives them a heads-up on:

• Transportation
• Parking
• Campus Maps
• Security
• Location of ATMS
• How to sign up for New Staff Orientation
• …and More!

Send the link to new staff before they come or as soon as they arrive.  In addition, you yourself can use SOM Central:

• To download and customize the Departmental Orientation Templates (in the “New Staff” sidebar to the right) as a handy guide for orienting new staff to your department.

• As a reference tool for your own use. (It’s not just for new staff!)

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Also in the  October 2009 issue

Develop Your Staff’s (or Your) Leadership Skills
Business Writing
LeadingSuccess™ and Supervisory Skills Certificate Graduations
Knowledge Link Help Desk

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Click Here for the October 2009 Issue

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Q: I completed an online learning module in Knowledge Link, but my record shows that it is incomplete. Why is that?

A: It could be that you are using an unsupported browser.  Browsers that are not on the University’s list of supported browsers sometimes do not interact properly with Knowledge Link, which can cause this issue to occur. Even if you are able to see the course in an unsupported browser, it does not mean your completion or test scores will be translated back to Knowledge Link. As of September 2009 the browsers the University supports are:

Firefox 3.x
Safari 4.0.x
Internet Explorer 7.0 & 8.0

Make sure you are using a supported browser when using Knowledge Link.

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Also in the October 2009 issue

Develop Your Staff’s (or Your) Leadership Skills
Business Writing
LeadingSuccess™ and Supervisory Skills Certificate Graduations
New Resources for Hiring and On-boarding New Staff
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