Autumn issue | March 2013
Focus on your career CENTRE FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT
In this issue Centre News & Development Training venue update 2
New Pulse modules
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Add some PEP to your life
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Emerging Leaders Program
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All staff event
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Leadership strategy
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Feature
NECTAR update
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Mindfulness Corner Deepening the mindfulness experience 5 Benefits of doing less!
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Feedback If you have any suggestions on career-related articles or topics you would like covered, or have other feedback regarding the newsletter, please send these to the Centre for Career Development at: careerdev@anu.edu.au
P L A C E S AVA I L A B L E ANU Orientation Program 10 Apr | 1 May This half-day session is available to all new ANU staff. It provides a formal welcome to the University by the Vice-Chancellor and an opportunity to network with staff from key areas across the University. A morning tea is also provided followed by a bus tour of the campus.
Coaching essentials 23 May | 24 May This half-day practical workshop combines the key principles and tools of coaching in an engaging and interactive format. It is designed specifically for ANU managers and supervisors interested in enhancing their capacity to develop others through effective coaching conversations.
Manager Essentials
Mentoring workshops 16 April | 16 May
Managing performance & motivation
11 April This workshop focuses on the links between motivation and performance, and includes opportunities to practice your career conversation skills.
This guided lab workshop will help you get started in the ANU mentoring system. Mentoring is an important way to develop your career. The mentoring system helps connect individuals across the institution based on their specific and distinctive requriements.
W: hr.anu.edu.au/career T: 6125 6600 E: careerdev@anu.edu.au Next issue: Winter | June 2013
Find more info or register for our programs at: hr.anu.edu.au/career/calendar
Centre news and development opportunities
Program venue update The Centre for Career Development have recently acquired access to new training facilities at ANU Commons located within Lena Karmel Lodge. A number of Career Development programs will now be conducted in the ANU Commons Room 2.
When registering for any of our programs, where the venues states ANU Commons, a link to the Commons website will be included displaying a map of where the training facilities are located. ANU Commons website: http://commons.anu.edu.au/contact/
Add some PEP to your life! Gerry An from ANU Library - Menzies Branch, is our first recipient of the Personal Effectiveness Program (PEP) Completion Certificate, which can be obtained by completing at least 10 components from a selection of online and face-to-face modules listed in the PEP suite. Already a registered user in Pulse, Gerry was motivated by the range of profesional and personal development modules included under PEP and has confirmed that he has already put the learning to good use in his current work situation, including ways to better communicate with colleagues and clients as well as improving negotiation skills to general IT skill development. Participating in online learning proved to be an enjoyable experience for Gerry, and being less formal gave him the opportunity to complete the desired learning at his own pace and to fit it in around other priorities and workload. Because of Pulse's easy accessibility, Gerry was also able to access and complete a number of modules from home.
View of ANU Commons building, Rimmer Street, Kingsley precinct (opposite Drill Hall Gallery).
Pulse learning
Other online module updates
A selection of new online ANU modules have recently been published and are now available on Pulse.
Comcare have also released a new Workplace Health and Safety Module designed specifically for Managers.
New ANU modules include:
Money 101 financial wellbeing modules are no longer available through Pulse, but now accessible on the OHS Staff Wellbeing Money Smart website at: hr.anu.edu.au/staff-health-andwellbeing/wellbeing/money-smart
>> Career and Performance Development Process >> The process >> Career conversations >> Effective Email Communication Career Essentials and Stepping up to Supervision are due for release soon. Login to Pulse to access these and many other online learning modules. hr.anu.edu.au/career/online-learning
2  Centre for Career Development, Human Resources
For more information about PEP and and how to access the modules in this suite visit the PEP website at: hr.anu.edu.au/career/calendar/ personal-effectiveness
Gerry An, ANU Library receiving his PEP Certificate from Carole Brown, Manager, Centre for Career Development.
Centre news and development opportunities
Emerging Leaders and Managers: a new development collaboration in Canberra Five professional staff from ANU are participating in a development program in Canberra which has been established as a collaboration between University of Canberra, UNSW, CIT and ANU. Nick Walsh (CAP), Scott Yates (Research Services), Samitha Ramanayake (Fenner Hall), Claire Shrewsbury (CAP) and Jana Wedlock (CAP) are part of the Canberra cohort of ‘e-LAMP’ – the Emerging Leaders and Managers Program.
The major Canberra tertiary institutions have come together to provide this program to staff from each of our organisations as part of a ‘Canberra cohort’ with the added benefits of cross-institutional learning and knowledge sharing. The program was developed in response to the need for accessible and relevant professional development for aspiring and current tertiary education managers, at a time when the tertiary education sector is facing increasing external pressures for change.
The resulting program is reflective of the knowledge and skills necessary for effective institutional management and leadership in challenging times. Interested in the program? Visit the LH Martin Institue's Emerging Leaders and Managers Program: www.lhmartininstitute.edu.au/executiveeducation-programs/leadershipprograms/85-emerging-leaders-andmanagers-program
Commencing in March, the program is the result of a partnership between the LH Martin Institute and Association for Tertiary Education Management (ATEM) and offers participants blended learning (online and face to face workshops) throughout the year, resulting in advanced standing into an LH Martin award program such as the Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education Management or Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance.
All Staff Event Career Consultant, Gray Poehnell is visiting our shores again and will give an all staff lunchtime seminar here at ANU on: Wednesday, 22 May 2013 'The Unsung Potential of Weakness'
Gray is an experienced career consultant with over 23 years experience approaching career with holistic approaches that cultivate hope, practical spirituality, creativity, imagination, and career integrity. Further details about the talk and how to register will be available on the Career Development calendar: hr.anu.edu.au/career/calendar For enquiries, contact the Centre for Career Development on x56600 or careerdev@anu.edu.au
Leading ANU The University’s Leadership Development Strategy – 'Leading ANU' - is now available. Developed in consultation with academic and professional staff across all levels of the University, the strategy describes core leadership capabilities for staff across all levels.
'Leading ANU' is available for download on the Career Development Publications webiste under Leadership development at: hr.anu.edu.au/career/publications
'Leading ANU' includes a range of personal, interpersonal and functional capabilities grouped into three core areas:
>> Leading self >> Leading others >> Leading ANU The strategy is supported by practical tools to assist staff to identify appropriate development options. (Click above image to download 'Leading ANU' booklet)
FOCUS ON YOUR CAREER NEWSLETTER | AUTUMN ISSUE - MARCH 2013
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Feature
NECTAR 2013 – Early career academics shape the future of ANU NECTAR is an independent space created by, and for, Early Career Academics (ECA) at ANU. It is a direct channel of communication between ECA and the University Executive, effecting changes that ensure ANU continues to be an attractive workplace for early career academics. NECTAR provides space and resources with which to develop ideas, build confidence in leadership, develop cross-college networks, and acquire skills and knowledge required to lead each other and ANU towards a successful teaching and research future.
NECTAR team.
The Annual NECTAR Retreat in June 2012 raised a number of issues of importance to the continuing success of ECA. Each project was discussed with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young, who took members’ ideas back to the Executive for further consideration and action.
Throughout 2012, NECTAR members were invited to engage with the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) in their Australian Government funded research project on ECA Careers. The report was recently published at: www.acola.org.au/ ACOLA/index.php/projects/rws
Direct outcomes from discussions with the Vice-Chancellor include early career academic representation on key committees across ANU. NECTAR now has a seat on the University Research Committee, and regularly attend University Education Committee meeting. Attendance at these meetings ensures that the views and concerns of early career academics are being represented at all levels of University governance.
The ABC Radio National program ABC Big Ideas will be discussing this report, and the issues facing early career researchers, in a live panel discussion with Q&A session on 18 March 2013 at the CSIRO Discovery Centre, Black Mountain at 5.30-7.30pm. NECTAR has been invited to participate in this program, with several of our members sitting on the discussion panel. This is a public event to which everyone is invited.
Early career academics at ANU are enthusiastic and keen to contribute constructively to the University culture and strategic direction, and to help shape its future. How this could be achieved effectively universitywide has not always been clear. NECTAR is a grassroots answer to the challenge.
In February, 2013, NECTAR hosted a project planning day. Members discussed project progress, and highlighted new and ongoing issues and concerns for early career academics across campus. Projects arising from the Planning Day will continue to be addressed at our monthly Working Group sessions. Please get in touch if you would like to know more.
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Do you feel strongly about an issue concerning early career academics at ANU? NECTAR can provide the resources and support you need to make a difference for you, your colleagues and all early career academics across ANU. Come to our next Working Group session, Monday 18th March, 12-2pm in Coombs ext 1.04. Learn more about NECTAR, and add your voice to the changes happening right across ANU: >> Grant application success >> Retreat planning for June 2013 >> Education performance indicators focus group >> Website redesign or >> Raise an issue that’s important to you To get involved, speak to your local College contact, register at http://nectar.anu.edu.au or contact Dr Julie Preston, NECTAR Coordinator, on x57165 or julie.preston@anu.edu.au
Mindfulness corner
Deepening the mindfulness experience As part of an initiative to grow the ANU Mindfulness Community of Practice, a group of around 20 ANU mindfulness practitioners attended a 2-day ‘retreat’ near Bowral in early February. The great majority were graduates of the ANU Working and Wellbeing Program. For participants, it was a very quiet weekend in beautiful and serene surrounds, and a great opportunity to deepen their own practise and understanding of the importance of formal and informal meditation. Although the personal experiences of extended periods of silence and meditation were varied within the group, feedback indicates that the retreat had a significant impact on participants. In 2013, the Centre for Career Development aims to integrate mindfulness into all our development programs, in order to enhance the wellbeing and engagement of ANU academic and professional staff.
The benefits of doing less! Many of us work in an endless stream of tasks, browser tasks, social media, emails, meetings, rushing from one thing to another, never pausing and never ending. Then the day is over, and we are exhausted, and we often have very little to show for it.
So, what if we did less instead? >> You accomplish more. If you do less and focus on the important stuff, you actually achieve better results, more meaningful accomplishments. >> You have less anxiety. When you let go of the distractions and the non-essential, you free yourself from the fear that you need to do these things.
As part of this initiative, and in order to respond to the growing interest in mindfulness across campus, we are sponsoring a training course for Mindfulness facilitators. There are many opportunities for you to learn more about mindfulness: >> Introduction to Mindfulness (half-day workshop) >> Mindfulness for Living & Working Well (8-week course) >> Weekly Community of Practice Visit our Mindfulness website to find out more about our program and how to register: hr.anu.edu.au/career/calendar/ mindfulness For more information, please contact the Centre for Career Development on x56600 or careerdev@anu.edu.au
>> You enjoy life more. Taking time to really focus on an important task, or enjoy the little things, rather than rushing through them, is much more enjoyable. >> You create time. When you do less, all of a sudden you have free time! What can you do with all that time? How about spend some time with loved ones, read, write, make music, exercise, cook healthy meals, start your own business, meditate, do yoga? Can you do less today? How would you do it? Some suggestions are: >> Take a breath. Take a moment to pause in your busy day, and breathe.
>> Now consider your day. What have you done already today? What is on the horizon for the rest of the day? Is there anything you can let go of? >> Learn to know the essential. It takes time to figure out what tasks give you the most impact on your life, your career, your ability to help others and change the world. >> Reduce distractions. Consider going on a digital cleanse — take a day or a week off from social media, news, entertainment/gossip sites, the places you usually spend on distractions. Excerpt extracted from Zen Habits, Leo Babuta, http://zenhabits.net/less
FOCUS ON YOUR CAREER NEWSLETTER | AUTUMN ISSUE - MARCH 2013
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