Tagged With "decision making"
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Asset Based Community Recovery - Add Your Voice!
The pandemic has shown us that we can’t do anything alone. However, we can use our experience and the experiences of others to learn and grow from this pandemic to be better prepared for future disasters and emergencies. That's our invitation to you. If you work with community groups, local government, families, businesses, non-profits, farmers, youth, or any other sector of communities, consider joining us for one of our upcoming Asset-based Community Recovery Workshops! Through the...
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Acquiescence or Agreement
Nobody goes into meetings thinking... Let's make some bad decisions today! Collaboration is a must to move any enterprise forward. Decisions on how & what to do are largely made in meetings. Whether deciding on innovation or the stability of continuity, the input of everyone is essential. Acquiescence is a silent or passive assent or submission. Agreement is an understanding between entities to follow a specific course of conduct. Silence from the team is acquiescence . This leads to the...
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3 Hard Things to Say
If you like sports at all you've likely seen or read something from this person. He's the simply smart & wildly witty Woody Paige ! A while back his chalkboard had this wisdom: Yep, you guessed it, we're going to unpack these a bit! I need help. When people don't feel safe enough to admit they need others to do their work, fear is dominating. When fear is present our brains are in flight/flight/freeze mode helping us make "survival" decisions. This works against us when collaborating is...
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ICYMI: An In-Depth Look at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
A couple of weeks ago, we had Stephenie Fu and Elizabeth Rahavi join us from the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion to discuss the new Dietary Guidlines for Americans for 2020-2015. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 to reflect the current body of nutrition science. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the nation’s source for nutrition guidance to promote health and...
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Workplace "Bill of Rights"?
How many "rules" do you have where you work? How many of them help your daily work? Too many can be hard to remember & overwhelming. Let's unpack "rules" a bit... Rules or Procedures or Values Rules are guidelines. They carry more weight than suggestions & sometimes are even laws. For example, driving rules increase safety & can save lives. Don't throw gum on the sidewalk is also a good one. Procedures on the other hand guide behaviors systematically. You wouldn't want the Doctor...
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Celebrating (or at least dealing with) Failure
Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Fail- Shoot - I said it so much that it lost it's meaning. And I think I'll keep it that way. Join me and Bob Bertsch for our first episode of SEASON TWO of Practicing Connection in a Complex World . In this episode, we discuss the idea of “celebrating failure.” While we know a healthy attitude towards failure can make us more innovative, failing still feels bad. How can we deal with those feelings and develop a practice helps us deal with failure? Listen...
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ICYMI: Take a Tour with the MyPlate Team: Walk Through The New Personalized Digital Tools and Resources
Yesterday, we had three guests from the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion to learn about the new MyPlate website and suite of digital tools and resources that were launched upon the release of the Dietary Guidelines, 2020-2025. In this webinar, we explored the MyPlate tools to help you reach audiences at every life stage. Here are some resources from that webinar: Recording MyPlate National Nutrition Month Playbook (Attached) Slide deck (Attached) Q&A questions answered in...
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Mistakes leaders make...
Some mistakes leaders make... Putting themself ahead of others; not being self-aware and/or self-reflective. Betraying others' trust Being certain; (Re)acting too fast Not living up to their own values; inauthentic Overly enamored with their own vision; arrogance If it seems like it's all about you, you're in the gig for the wrong reason. It shouldn't be all about the leader. Trust must be present for there to be betrayal. This is the worst & perhaps hardest for people to recover from.
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Yes or No?
Yes can lead to more. More can lead to over commitment. Over commitment can lead to accomplishing less. "Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing." -Andy Stanley No can lead to less. Less can lead to focus. Focus can lead to getting more accomplished. "Busy is a choice. In fact, it's the easy choice." -Tony Crabbe Choose wisely. What's the most important contribution you can make to the world? Commit to that!
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Old You...New You
The hardest aspect of leadership development is behavior change. Often, we lose momentum on creating new habits. Could it be because we don't think about all the great stuff we are choosing to keep? Let's unpack this in 3 parts... Old You What is it about the old you that you would like to maintain? Preserve? Protect? There's more in here than you think. Write them down. Feel good about them. Share them. Celebrate your decision. Stop Doing We spend a lot of time thinking about & deciding...
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Make Every Bite Count, Even Little Bites!
During March, National Nutrition Month(R) we recognize the new recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
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Questions or Complaints?
“Only self-confidence makes freedom & dissent possible. An organization that brainwashes employees to think alike will only breed complacency & make itself unappealing to anyone who might inject some oxygen into it.” – Ricardo Semler Think about a time when you were offended by a complaint. Perhaps it was a question someone posed. Did it feel like it was directed at you in a meeting in front of others? Do you remember your response? Was it appropriate for the situation? Was it...
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Giving Children and Adolescents a Healthy Start Through Nutrition
By LT Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, MBA, RD, LDN, FAND, Nutrition Advisor, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Establishing healthy dietary patterns early in life can provide young Americans with the foundation to continue those behaviors throughout later life stages. Unhealthy dietary patterns and inadequate physical activity in children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 contribute to overweight and obesity — as well as increasing the...
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Food Waste Reduction Challenge Begins April 12
A graduate cohort group from across the US has worked diligently this year to understand the complexities of food waste. After months of problem-solving and deliberation, they ultimately decided to launch a 7-day social media campaign centered on raising awareness around food waste prevention and reduction. Namely, the “7 Day Food Waste Reduction Challenge.” YOU can participate and make a difference! The social media campaign will consist of seven days of interventions, each day themed in...
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Your Leadership Puzzle (Part 1)
Clues to guide leadership development often prove to be more art than science. Many of these concepts live in the part of our brain that deals with feelings & not language. This fact alone can make conveying them difficult at best (I'll still try!). Here are some of the pieces we can utilize to begin the journey of putting together our leadership puzzle. PASSION We all find time to do the things that are most important to us. What do you spend 5 hours doing & it seems like 5 minutes?
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ICYMI: CONNECTING LATINO YOUTH/FAMILIES/COMMUNITIES W/EXT RESOURCES
Contrary with what many think, Latino/x population in the US is not a monolith, far from fitting the one-size-fits-all formula, the 60 million Americans of Latino/Hispanic origin represent over 20 Latin American countries, and a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, education levels, geographic locations, histories, political affiliations. Visit this virtual chat archive to learn what extension professionals across the country have been doing to be successful in reaching the Latino/x...
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Human Behavior & the Spread of Livestock Diseases
By Scott Merrill and Eric Clark, University of Vermont The Social Ecological Gaming and Simulation (SEGS) Lab is a multidisciplinary research lab designed to examine pressing problems in the interacting domains of natural ecology and human society. We work on problems ranging from water quality and energy, to looking at how Covid-19 related social distancing behavior changes in different environments – from the grocery store to the park. We also are engaged in trying to understand the...
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Your Leadership Puzzle (Part 2)
Every day we encounter a myriad of issues that can make leadership puzzling. One of these is the pace of change. The world is changing at a speed faster than humans have ever experienced before due largely to technological advances. This fact alone makes our leadership foothold paramount to balancing the needs of the people & enterprise we serve. Some of the same themes keep appearing. The human skills we often don’t realize we’re utilizing. Awareness is the key for those who’ve decided...
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Expertise
What we know compared to Google isn't much. None of us knows everything. Here are some thoughts on leveraging your expertise. Have a clear mission & focus! Peter Drucker , the great teacher, said you should be able to fit your mission statement on a t-shirt! Reach out & meet the greatest people in the world in your topic area & ask them to be your mentors. Learn from them. Get clarity & make your t-shirt. Parallel Allies! Who are the experts who can help you with your...
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2 things to make your team better...today!
As fun as it might be to live in the magical world of Harry Potter, sadly we don't. And there's no "silver bullet" to fix issues. If you're someone who knows your team can be better and wants it to be better, here are a two that will help quickly! Make RECOGNITION a resource This goes way beyond just saying "thanks" to a team member. Developing the ability to both give & receive gratitude authentically is a must. These human skills are a great way to increase psychological safety on your...
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Accelerating Success: Q&A with Dr. Fred Schlutt
Dr. Fred Schlutt is a forty-year Extension professional. He worked in Texas, Wyoming, Maine, and Alaska. Dr. Schlutt served for 10 years as the Director of Alaska Cooperative Extension. He was the 2017-2018 chair of ECOP ( Extension Committee on Organization and Policy ). He holds three degrees from Texas A&M. Dr. Schlutt currently shares his expertise as an Extension Foundation Catalyst. Catalysts are Extension experts who support New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) projects chosen...
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Get better at anything!
Had the good fortune of carving out some time to finish a book that has made a quick impact on my life; " Triggers " by Marshall Goldsmith. The most powerful aspect of this book for me was self questioning . Heard about this technique from one of his social media posts & had been half-heartedly going through the motions of this technique. I needed some coaching on it for sure. He states that active questions make the most difference because of how they frame the responsibility. They...
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Navigating the Grocery Store Aisle and Creating a Food Marketing Game: An Extension Project Update
Navigating the grocery store aisle is challenging for many consumers—especially those who want to buy the most nutritious food. Food manufacturers and distributors cover their boxes, cans, and bottles of processed foods with labels like “organic,” “all natural,” and “no sugar added” to suggest that their food has certain health benefits. But these labels are intended to improve product sales, not necessarily help consumers make healthy food choices. And when food marketing labels seem to...
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CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER MAKES AN IMPACT ON STUDENTS AND THE WORLD
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Central State University Land-Grant is proud to highlight the work of Dr. Pratibha Gupta. Central State University’s STEM department is comprised of professors from all around the world. One of those professors is Pratibha Gupta Ph.D. Research Associate Professor, Food Nutrition and Health A.R.D.P Extension State Specialist, Family and Consumer Science Nutritional Biochemistry College of Engineering, Science, Technology and...
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Re: Farm Journal Request for High-Res Images for Soil Health Improvement Workbook
Thank you for sharing such a useful information about soil testing and also that how it can help in make your soil healthy always
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What drives you?
Why do we do the things we do? If we're honest with ourselves, we know our actions are driven by two things: motivation & ability. Ability to do anything is influenced by external help and/or environmental structure. Motivation is connected to our internal belief system, our values. Intrinsic The things we value most in life are our internal motivators. They are our core values. The things we sacrifice for, stand up for and are prepared to die for if it came to that. They're super...
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USDA to Host Educational Webinar Series on Livestock Mandatory Reporting in June 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will host a series of three live educational webinars about USDA’s Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) Program from Tuesday, June 8, through Thursday, June 10, 2021.
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Re: Procrastinate now...don't put it off!
There is a term used in engineering called OBE. Overcome By Events. It refers to a decision or task that you were slated to make but before you were able to, something changed and the decision or task is no longer required. OBEs can be bad i.e. I had the winning lottery numbers but never got around to buying a ticket. They can also be good when some difficult decision or task is no longer required. When I run across a task or decision that I must do, I often evaluate the OBE index and act...
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"Extension’s Role in Disaster Response and Mental Health" Virtual Chat
On Wednesday, May 19 th , over a dozen Cooperative Extension professionals across the nation gathered in a Connect Extension chat to discuss disaster response and mental wellness in our work. The main themes interrogated throughout the hour were: mental wellness, disasters*, disaster recovery, and community interaction within those sectors. In this discussion, we wanted to learn how branches of Extension approach mental wellness in their communities and if they find themselves in disaster...
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Farm Journal & NRCS Water Quality Stewardship Guide
@Nate Birt with Farm Journal has shared some resources from a public-private partnership with NRCS for Cooperative Extension professionals to utilize and share with farmers/ranchers in their local communiities. From Nate: " By downloading a personal copy of the guide, Extension leaders can encourage farmers and ranchers to type their own answers into the workbook pages, and better prepare themselves to get help from Extension experts in their communities, NRCS agents, etc." More information:...
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Keep Your Patients Healthy Throughout Adulthood by Improving Nutrition
Authors : Dana DeSilva, PhD, RD, ORISE Health Policy Fellow, and LT Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, MBA, RD, LDN, FAND, Nutrition Advisor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Adults’ dietary patterns often reflect habits that they established during childhood and adolescence. Sometimes, this means carrying unhealthy habits into adulthood — but it’s never too late to make changes. Health professionals can use the Dietary Guidelines for...
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Looking for Wisdom
The human race has gone through an age of revolution, an industrial revolution, the information age & the age of knowledge. Truly amazing! Before we pat ourselves on the back we need to ask a couple questions: Are we any closer to the age of wisdom ? How do we set up our lives and in turn, our organizations, for more wisdom? My absolute favorite in this area is from Brazil. Here are his top 10 rules for success in life. Free yourself Giving yourself permission to start something new is a...
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Meet or Work
There you are, attending another meeting struggling to stay engaged. Why? We want to be there (but our mind is wandering), we're interested in the reason it's taking place (but the slides are so boring) & most importantly we're ready to participate (if we ever get asked). This all too familiar scene seems to plague us even with so many great ideas floating around to make it better. Transparency of information & the speed at which it flows can make all the difference in focusing on...
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Using Good Judgement
An iceberg is a great analogy for many individual, team & organization efforts. Perhaps the most familiar model is from Ed Schein in which he uses the visible & invisible to illustrate how a company makes decisions. How it takes action. Above the water (visible) of the iceberg indicates strategic intent. Below the water (invisible) of the iceberg indicates core principles & values. Below the water! Hard Work Failure Doubts Set-Backs Persistence Long Days Sacrifice Courage Action...
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Re: CRISES OF LEGITIMACY OF SCIENCE-WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Excellent blog post (although I am not sure that using French helps with the perceived arrogance of science and the academy😊). Anyway, here’s an editorial that was in the local Madison newspaper a couple of weeks ago that speaks to the challenge of communicating science (around COVID 19) that lays out some self-ownership that the science community needs in connecting with the public. Paul Fanlund | The Capital Times Even before vaccines became widely available, one could have predicted that...
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Now Available: The National Registry of Cooperative Extension Programs and Assets
This tool is now available to Cooperative Extension. Join 50+ other Extension programs that have already registered! Responding to specific requests in regional meetings and through various projects including EXCITE , the Extension Foundation has developed a National Registry of Cooperative Extension Programs and Assets (NRCEPA) . This tool will enable Cooperative Extension professionals to register their projects, programs, or curriculum for nationwide collaboration among Cooperative...
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Healthy Questioning
My Great Uncle gave me a small plaque when I was in Junior High with a powerful quote. It hung in every place I lived until passing it along years later. "The important thing is not to stop questioning!" -Albert Einstein What my Great Uncle encouraged was a healthy curiosity. His wisdom has been & remains valuable to me to this day. In this spirit, let's discover how one question has led to just the right "thing" when it was needed most! "What would have happened if we didn't do what we...
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Collaboration & Competition
I’m just Karl... I'm from Branson, Missouri... I’m human... I’m going to make mistakes. Every decision I make will be what’s best for the team. It may not be what’s best for me (or you) but if it’s good for the team then it’s the best choice. At work, at home & in our communities we find ourselves on a "team" of some sort. The experience we have comes in how we approach them. Competition It's a myth that you have to work hard to beat the competition. Competition is the opposite of...
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Wits Wellness research is looking for participants
Wits Wellness research is looking for participants A research team from the University of Illinois is looking for participants for the WITS Wellness Research Study . Any person 50 years and older who has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is eligible. Participants can receive up to $60 for their participation in the study. The study will include 12 weekly health and wellness sessions at various locations across the state. The sessions will be fun, with interactive...
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Non-Versation
Had a few ineffective meetings in preparation for this post as I'm sure you have as well. One of the most memorable was one that lasted over an hour and at best, left most of us confused. We branded it the "lipstick on a pig" meeting. Instead of galvanizing our team efforts it eroded faith in our leadership. It was a huge missed opportunity which we rarely had. There were many other ineffective words/phrases used as well. Every word spoken might as well have been in a different language.
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Extension Foundation 2021 Mid-Year Update
We are excited to provide you with a mid-year update about the Extension Foundation and our progress towards helping Cooperative Extension (CES) make a greater impact on local issues. Funding to the Cooperative Extension System (2020-2021) $22.4M in 2020-2021 85% to LGU’s Total of $19M to LGU’s across Extension program areas Funding Sources (2020-2021): $2M EPA Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program (PSEFMP) 85% to LGUs $4.9M USDA-NIFA New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE)...
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Leadership Language
The words we choose matter. They matter a lot. What if there were things to help people remember our message? Good news! There are! Here are some rhetorical devices taken straight from a TEDx Verona talk by Simon Lancaster to help you speak like a leader! The Language of Leadership Asyndeton/Tricolon Look left, look right, look center, stop, listen... This mimics hyperventilating. President Obama used it…”a world at war, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a generation.” Three...
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Extension in the 21st Century: A Conversation with Chuck Hibberd
Dr. Chuck Hibberd. Image Credit: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Charles "Chuck" Hibberd is an emeritus professor of the University of Nebraska, where he held several academic positions, including Dean of Cooperative Extension. His email tagline reads "Chuck Hibberd, retired Extensi on Director (but not done yet)." He directed the University's Panhandle Research and Extension Center for 13 years. Chuck also served as Extension director, associate dean of agriculture, and assistant vice...
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Extension Foundation & National Extension Climate Initiative Request Entry of Climate & Extreme Weather Programs to National Registry
In 2020, select members of the National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI) steering committee served in a fellowship through the Extension Foundation to identify existing work across Cooperative Extension in the area of climate and extreme weather. Their research resulted in the 2020 report on Extension Climate/Extreme Weather Programming . In a continued partnership, NECI worked with the Extension Foundation on the development of Climate & Extreme Weather program questions for...
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Searching for L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P.
Have you ever Googled "leadership"? The other day I got 2.5 Billion search results in under half a second. That might indicate I've got to get a whole lot better at searching for content on the internet. It also means the real messages of leadership can get buried in all that great information. Here are a few qualities (as verbs) that might resonate with you. L – Listening E – Empathizing A – Acting with awareness D – Dedicating time for others E – Encouraging R – Removing doubts S – Serving...
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Unpeeled: The Case Files of Maya McCluen Game is Available for Extension Programs
Navigating the grocery store aisle is challenging for many consumers—especially those who want to buy the most nutritious food and stay within their budget. The University of Connecticut (UConn) Extension New Technologies in Agricultural Extension (NTAE) team developed an interactive learning activity (or game), Unpeeled: The Case Studies of Maya McCluen . Our team sought to clarify food marketing labels and empower consumers to make science-based decisions while shopping. We hosted a...
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Engaged Communities Make Strides in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic with the SEED Method
The opioid epidemic is a national issue impacting communities across the country. It was declared a public health emergency in October 2017. Communities have mobilized at the national, state, and local level to address the problem, and Cooperative Extension has partnered with them in their efforts. The drivers and impacts of the opioid crisis in communities are complex and require a multi-level response. We employed a stakeholder engagement methodology, the SEED Method , to create...
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New for Extension Foundation Members: Video Resource Library in Connect Extension
The Extension Foundation has created a database available for Cooperative Extension professionals from Extension Foundation Member Institutions . This member resource was designed to provide Extension Professionals with concise and succinct tutorials, tips, and introductions on various subjects applicable to Cooperative Extension Professionals. It can be found on the main navigation of Connect Extension and is visible to Foundation members. To get your free Connect Extension account,...
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Announcement of Extension Foundation Pesticide Safety Education Funds Management Program (PSEFMP) Funding Opportunity
The Extension Foundation (EF) is pleased to announce a funding opportunity for Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP) for 2022. This opportunity is made available through a cooperative agreement (X8-83698001) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and administer a national sub-award program in support of pesticide applicator education, and training for certified applicators of restricted use pesticides.
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Storytelling
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." -Maya Angelou Did You Know: The U.S. is the only country that has dual identity in its mythological heroes. Superman & Clark Kent; Batman & Bruce Wayne; Wonder Woman & Diana Prince; Spiderman & Peter Parker... These powerful stories (and yours) turn "tacit" information into "explicit" information making it accessible for others. Stories pass down knowledge, inspire us to act & connect with the essence of...