Learning and Development opportunities

Return to Archive Oct. 2015 to present

WebANR Café Thursday

Join us on June 21 at noon for our next WebANR Café Thursday: “How Your Work Builds ANR's Public Value” (or, how we impact California).

Learn about the public value movement and how it is being embraced by Extension and research, become familiar with the UC ANR public-value statement development process, and explore practical uses for public value statements.

Speakers include

Nancy Franz, Professor Emeritus, Iowa State
Wendy Powers, Associate Vice President ANR
Mark Bell, Vice Provost Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs
Katherine Webb-Martinez, Associate Director Program Planning & Evaluation

For more background on ANR public values, see ANR Public Value Statements.

Join us at:

https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/963167636
(646) 558-8656 or + (669) 900-6833
Webinar ID: 963 167 636
WebANRs will be recorded and archived at WebANR Café Thursday.

Take 18 minutes to get a better feedback session

It's employee appraisal feedback season. What if an 18-minute learning module could steer you into successful feedback sessions and help you navigate through negative reactions?

Is it worth your time?

CEB Now Garter has an excellent module called Dealing with Negative Reactions to Performance Feedback. It provides two scenarios, one to avoid and one to employ. If you have not taken advantage of CEB Now Gartner, you can register for free. ANR pays for an annual subscription for all ANR employees.

This module will help managers:

Understand the types of reactions to feedback they may encounter
Recognize that avoiding conflict is not the solution
Prepare themselves to handle possible negative reactions effectively

For more information on registering, just go to the Welcome page and start using this great resource!

MSAP mobilizes ANR people managers into professional development and helps MSAP assessors catch trout

From left, Christine Davidson, Shirley Salado and Emma Sandoval participated in the 2018 MSAP.

For four days, ANR supervisors Christine Davidson, EFNEP program supervisor in Riverside and San Bernardino counties; Shirley Salado, EFNEP community education supervisor in San Diego County; and Emma Sandoval, UC CalFresh program supervisor in Riverside County; shared an amazing experience at a systemwide program for UC people managers at the gorgeous retreat grounds of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center. The goal of the Management Assessment Skills Program (MSAP) is to address skill gaps and grow competencies that will prepare employees for future leadership roles in their workplaces and within the UC system.

shared an amazing experience at a systemwide program for UC people managers at the gorgeous retreat grounds of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center. The goal of the Management Assessment Skills Program (MSAP) is to address skill gaps and grow competencies that will prepare employees for future leadership roles in their workplaces and within the UC system.

During the April 2018 training, Salado, Sandoval and Davidson participated in simulated UC management scenarios, received behavioral feedback from trained assessors, attended career development workshop and connected with colleagues from throughout the UC system. Before arriving at Lake Arrowhead, they participated in pre-assessment components and will be involved post-program activities to continue their professional development.

“Being a people manager is not easy and that is why it is important for supervisors to participate in evaluation,” Shirley remarked of her experience. “MSAP provided me with that evaluation. It assessed my people manager skills, highlighting my strengths and identifying areas in which I could grow. Working through the MSAP process, I found I could stretch myself because I care about my work, staff and the entire UC system. The way I will do that is by setting goals through my continued professional development as a people manager.”

Emma emphasized the value of objective feedback: “My experience at MSAP was great; it helped me be aware of the way I supervise my team. I recommend the training because it supplied me with objective feedback about my performance from a professional, which was spot on. Since I am a new supervisor, my goal is to work on leadership with my employees. This assessment program has helped me be more self-aware and given me the tools to identify areas for improvement, so I can reach my goals.”

Christine echoed the others, saying, “MSAP was a great experience. The program gave me an opportunity to really focus on my personal development as a supervisor. It was very encouraging to highlight my strengths and be given tools and small goals to improve weaknesses.”

Tunyalee Martin caught a trout at Lake Arrowhead after the April MSAP.

MSAP cannot take place without assessors

A big THANK YOU is in order to Tunyalee Martin, associate director for UC IPM Communications, for serving as an assessor at the April MSAP.

“My second experience as a MSAP assessor was even better than my first wonderful experience,” Martin said. “The assessees I worked with are amazingly talented and truly dedicated to their teams. They were there to learn about themselves and practice their communication and team-building skills in a safe environment. My assessees were kind enough to open up to me so that we were able to have in-depth discussions about the action plan they'd implement when they returned to their jobs. I commend my assessor partner, the assessees, and the MSAP trainers and coordinators for a job well done.”

The next MSAP will be held Oct. 8-11. Contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu if you have any questions about being an assessee or assessor.

Skills for all ANR employees can be learned on Lynda.com

Each week presents a new opportunity for you and your team to learn the skills necessary to take on your next big ANR challenge. Lynda.com provides the help to make that happen.

Each week, Lynda adds to a 12,000+ course library. Below are new courses covering everything from IT networking to Microsoft Excel to how to make a career change.

These new courses are now available on LinkedIn Learning:

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Time Management

Time Management Tips, Weekly

Managing Your Calendar for Peak Productivity

Business Software

Excel: Statistical Process Control with Curt Frye

Microsoft Teams Essential Training with Nick Brazzi

Microsoft Teams Tips and Tricks with Nick Brazzi

Career Development

Making a Career Change with Stacey Gordon