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Missed a past edition? Visit the Learning Bites Archives 2025 and 2026 to explore previous topics, revisit professional development insights, and continue building your skills throughout the year.
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September Edition: Demonstrating Kindness and Empathy Under Pressure
As a new academic year begins, many of us experience increased demands, tighter timelines, and competing priorities. During busy seasons, it can be tempting to focus solely on getting tasks completed. However, one of the most valuable professional skills we can demonstrate under pressure is empathy. Empathy helps us understand and acknowledge another person’s perspective, while kindness puts that understanding into action. Together, these skills strengthen relationships, build trust, and contribute to a workplace culture where people feel respected and supported, regardless of their role.
Core Behaviors to Practice
- Pause before responding. Take a moment to consider what challenges another person may be experiencing before reacting
- Assume positive intent. Most people are doing their best with the information, resources, and time they have.
- Listen to understand. Focus on hearing the full message before offering solutions or sharing your own perspective.
- Acknowledge effort. A sincere thank-you or word of recognition can have a meaningful impact during busy periods.
- Extend grace. Mistakes and misunderstandings happen, especially when workloads are high. Responding with patience helps maintain trust and collaboration.
Quick Tips to Demonstrating Care During Especially Busy Times:
- Begin meetings with a brief personal check-in.
- Send a quick note of appreciation to a colleague.
- Ask, “How can I support you?” when someone seems overwhelmed.
- Take a breath before responding to a stressful email.
- Remember that everyone may be carrying pressures you cannot see.
Call to Action:
This week, commit to one intentional act of kindness or empathy each day. Whether it’s expressing appreciation, offering assistance, or extending patience during a challenging moment, small actions have a powerful impact. Let’s help create an environment where every member of the UA community feels valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work.
Check out these LinkedIn Learning courses about empathy in the workplace:
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September Edition: Change Management
Inspired by David Bowie’s “Changes”Change is a constant in the workplace. New technology, processes, priorities, responsibilities, and ways of working can create exciting opportunities, but they can also bring uncertainty, frustration, and even resistance. After all, leaving behind what we know for something unfamiliar isn’t always easy.
Change Management is about successfully navigating the transition from where we are today to where we need to be. Organizations can provide communication, resources, training, and support, but each of us also plays an important role in how we experience and respond to change.
David Bowie’s Changes offers a fitting reminder that sometimes we have to “turn and face the strange.” We may not have every answer or feel completely comfortable with what lies ahead, but we can choose to stay curious, seek understanding, and take an active role in moving forward.
Think About These Lyrics
“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…”
→ Change is a natural part of growth. Recognizing that things will evolve can help us approach new situations with greater flexibility.
“Turn and face the strange…”
→ The unfamiliar can be uncomfortable. Rather than avoiding or resisting it, we can ask questions, seek information, and begin understanding what the change means for us.
“Time may change me…”
→ Change isn’t only about new systems, processes, or structures. Successfully navigating change may require us to develop new skills, adjust our behaviors, challenge old assumptions, and find new ways of working.
Questions to Ask Yourself This Month
- What is my first reaction when faced with change—curiosity, concern, resistance, excitement, or something else?
- What information or support would help me better understand a change I’m experiencing?
- What habits help me stay focused and positive?
- Am I holding onto a familiar way of doing something because it works best—or simply because it’s comfortable?
- What opportunity for learning, growth, or improvement might this change create?
Call to Action
This month, challenge yourself to turn and face the change:
- Seek to understand the why behind a change and how it connects to the bigger picture.
- Ask questions rather than filling information gaps with assumptions.Focus your energy on what you can influence and control.
- Give yourself—and others—time and grace to adjust to new ways of working.
- Share concerns and feedback constructively while remaining open to different perspectives.Look for opportunities to learn, adapt, and help others successfully navigate the transition..
Change doesn’t happen simply because a new process, system, or direction is announced. It happens when people begin to understand it, engage with it, and find their way forward.
Where fundamentals meet real‑world impact. Show up and skill up!
September Edition: Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, skills, and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, feedback, and persistence. In a higher education environment, this mindset encourages employees to view challenges as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles to avoid. Whether learning a new technology, adapting to changing workplace needs, or taking on unfamiliar responsibilities, a growth mindset helps us remain flexible, resilient, and committed to continuous improvement.
By contrast, a fixed mindset can limit both individual and team success. Employees who believe their abilities are “set in stone” may avoid challenges, resist feedback, or hesitate to try new approaches for fear of failure. Over time, this can reduce innovation, collaboration, and professional development opportunities. Teams can also be affected when members become less willing to share ideas, learn from mistakes, or support one another’s growth.
As educators, staff, and administrators, we have an additional opportunity to influence those around us. When we model growth mindset behaviors, such as embracing learning, seeking feedback, and viewing setbacks as part of the learning process, we demonstrate valuable habits for students. Our example can help reinforce the message that growth is possible through effort and perseverance.
Call to Action: This month, identify one challenge, skill, or goal that stretches you beyond your comfort zone. Approach it with curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the confidence that growth happens one step at a time.
Or, if you’d like to explore the concept of growth mindset in more depth, consider enrolling in the upcoming Growth Mindset workshop offered by HR Learning and Development on Wednesday, October 14 from 8:30-10:00am in the Employee Resource Center.