RESPECT
Respect. It means different things to different people and
it's a challenge to find out what respect looks like to others.
Here are some guidelines to help give you direction.
In a great workplace:
- Each individual, whatever his
or her job, is treated with respect
- By every other member of the workplace
- In every interaction
In addition, a great workplace:
How to build respect
Respectful interaction
Whether you are an accountant, a librarian, a heavy equipment
operator, or a full professor, start here:
- Remember that each co-worker is a professional adult,
and treat him or her that way.
- We are interdependent in making teaching and research
happen — let me know what you need from me courteously,
and with consideration for my time.
- Listen to each other actively — find out what your
co-worker is really saying.
- Remind yourself: every person on campus knows things
I don't know, and has skills I don't have.
Cultivate a resilient, conflict-savvy team:
- Discuss work group norms about:
- Conflict management
- What respect means to each of you
- Respect the confidentiality of each coworker.
- Schedule a mini-course on "The Conflict-Savvy Team"
for your work group (see the UM
Mediation Services website).
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Support
for your career
The U puts a lot of emphasis on career
development:
And that's just the beginning.
The University of Michigan cares about my
career success because:
- When I know my department is rooting for me:
- I work harder
- I care more
- The more I learn, the more I can contribute
- It is only when individuals are successful that the organization
as a whole can be successful
The most effective career development is the
mentoring we receive from colleagues
in our own fields.
Are you a department head, a manager? If so:
- Make mentoring part of your workday.
- Make mentoring part of everyone's development.
- If you aren't the right mentor for an employee's needs,
help find someone who is.
If you are new in your organization or field:
- Ask your department head or supervisor to recommend someone
you can learn from.
- Observe others in your field who are more knowledgable
than you. Is there a potential mentor among them? It's okay
to ask.
The following books on mentoring may be of help:
- Geof Alred, Bob Garvey, Richard Smith, The Mentoring
Pocketbook (Management Pocket Book Series). Stylus
Publishing, 2000.
- Larry Ambrose, A Mentor's Companion. Perrone-Ambrose
Associates, 1998.
- Sheila Wellington, Betty Spence, Catalyst Inc., Be
Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets
of Success. Random House, 2001.
- Gordon F. Shea, Making the Most of Being Mentored:
How to Grow from a Mentoring Partnership (Fifty-Minute
Series). Crisp Publications, 1999.
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Other resources for career development
For faculty:
The Office of the Provost sponsors a faculty
mentoring program and provides links to other resources
for faculty development.
The Center
for Research on Learning & Teaching provides a broad
spectrum of services for faculty and for graduate student
instructors.
The Center for the Education of Women sponsors two programs
for faculty women, aimed at supporting their success:
Junior Women
Faculty Network
Women of
Color in the Academy Project
For staff:
Human Resource Development
offers career workshops for individuals and customized training
for supervisors and managers in supporting career development.
Health Systems Human Resources Office provides a range of
information and service for all employees of the Hospitals
and Health Systems gathered on the "Employee
Resources" page of their website.
The Center for the Education of Women provides both workshops
and individual
counseling in career planning, for both men and women.
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Support
for your life, work, family
A great place to work should have supportive, family-friendly
policies, resources for child care, and flexible scheduling.
Guess what? U-M has it all. Take a look at the Work/Life
Resource Center for more information.
Need someone to talk to?
If your stress is too high or issues at home or work are
weighing heavily upon you, the University offers an outlet:
the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. FASAP, as it is
called, has trained counselors available and confidentiality
is paramount. The FASAP staff also can present brown bag topics
to your unit over the lunch hour. See all FASAP
has to offer on their website.
UMHS employees can receive similar services from MWorks EAP.
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Inclusion
"Make everyone an insider" — David Ulrich,
professor, U-M Business School
Questions for everyone:
- Do you reach out to newcomers, show them the ropes?
- Do you keep colleagues informed about projects you're
involved in?
Questions for supervisors/managers:
- Does everyone have a part in knowing and achieving the
unit's goals?
- Does everyone have a chance to comment on plans and decisions?
- Does everyone have the chance to see, celebrate and be
credited for success?
- Is everyone included in the way the team operates?
Traps to avoid:
- Closed-door caucuses. Outside your door, others are thinking,
"I just know they are talking about me"
- Assumptions — "Everyone likes what I like"
Strategies for inclusion:
- Self-directed teams and shared management
- For successful examples, check with U-M Housing Facilities
and Plant Building Services:
- For information and advice:
- Staff advisory committees
- To have input into management decisions
- To be responsible for monitoring workplace climate
- To recommend programs needed by staff
- Inclusive mission-and-planning retreat
Some thought-provoking reading:
- George SanFacon is the Director of UM's Housing Facilities.
You'll find his compelling thoughts on people and organizations
here:
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Recognition
of differences
Recognizing and honoring each other's differences is the
very heart of respect.
- How would you rate your workplace: Is everyone accepted
for himself or herself?
- Given UM's multicultural faculty, student body, and patients,
how culturally competent are you?
For fresh ideas, resources, and support, check these out:
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Recognition
of individuals
Recognition is critical but simple. Easy but under-utilized.
Cost-free, but worth a fortune.
What matters most is what happens every day:
- Between you and a colleague
- Between you and your staff members
- Between you and your administration
The research is unequivocal — I work both harder and
better when you:
- Know my name
- Notice that I'm here
- Speak to me
- Know what I do
- Acknowledge my contribution and accomplishments
It's all about relationships (book Powerful Conversations
by Warren Bennis). You can tell groups where
leaders have well-developed Emotional Intelligence
(books by Daniel Goleman). The group is invigorated,
creative, accepting of challenges, alive, always learning
(see the Society for Organizational Learning
website at www.solonline.org/
and their Reflections journal).
For more on recognition...
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