Quick, bite-sized insights to build your skills and boost your career.
Spotlight Skill:
Shining a light on the skills that help you learn, develop and grow!
February: Continuous Improvement
to stay adaptable, deliver better service, and contribute to a culture where innovation and excellence thrive.
Core Behaviors to Practice:
- Review processes regularly and look for simple, effective improvements.
- Ask questions, stay curious, and challenge outdated practices.
- Welcome feedback, new ideas, and constructive criticism.
- Adapt to changing priorities and evolving work needs.
- Identify improvement opportunities, implement small changes, and measure impact.
- Encourage and support a safe environment where everyone’s ideas for improvement are valued.
Quick Tips to Elevate Continuous Improvement
- Select one recurring task and examine it for unnecessary steps.
- Ask a teammate, “What’s one improvement we could make to this process?”
- Try a micro‑change: a small adjustment you can test and measure within one week.
- Practice curiosity: question the “why” behind established routines.
- Capture improvement ideas in a shared team list or personal journal.Share one new tool, skill, or insight you’ve learned with your team.
- Encourage input during team discussions to build psychological safety.
Call to Action:
Choose one LinkedIn Learning course to complete, identify a process or workflow you can improve this month, and test one meaningful change. Measure the impact (time saved, quality improved, or steps clarified) and share what you learned with your team. Together, we can build a culture where continuous improvement fuels our collective excellence.
Check out these courses to learn more on Continuous Improvement
Psychological Safety: Clear Blocks to Innovation, Collaboration, and Risk-Taking
Your monthly playlist where professional development hits the right notes.
February Edition: Continuous Improvement
Inspired by Journey ” Don’t Stop Believin'”February is where good intentions turn into real momentum. While January is often about setting goals and resetting habits, this month is about staying committed to progress, even when improvement feels slow or invisible. Journey captured that spirit perfectly with: “Don’t stop believin’…”
At UA, Continuous Improvement means consistently looking for ways to make our work better, stronger quality, smoother processes, smarter use of time and resources, and better outcomes for the people we serve. It’s not about big overhauls every week. It’s about paying attention, making adjustments, and improving step by step.
Think About These Lyrics:
- “Don’t stop believin’” → Improvement takes time. Stay committed even when progress is gradual.
- “Hold on to that feelin’” → Keep your focus on purpose and results, not just the day-to-day grind.
- “It goes on and on and on…” → Continuous improvement is ongoing. The goal is better, not “done.
- “Strangers waiting…” → Our work impacts others (students, faculty, staff, and teams) often more than we realize.
These lyrics remind us that continuous improvement is not a one-time project. It’s a mindset of persistence: noticing what isn’t working, trying something new, and sticking with the effort long enough to see results.
This month, ask yourself:
1. What is one process, habit, or routine I can improve that will make work smoother, faster, or more effective?
2. What’s one small change I can commit to that will reduce friction for others?
Call to Action:
This month, commit to:
- Identifying one improvement opportunity in your daily work (a process, recurring issue, or workflow bottleneck).
- Making one small change that improves quality, efficiency, or communication.
- Tracking the impact—even informally—so you know what’s working.
- Sharing improvements with your team so good ideas spread.
- Staying consistent—because continuous improvement is built through follow-through.
Let February be your reminder: improvement isn’t always flashy, but it is powerful. When we “don’t stop believin’,” we don’t just keep going, we keep getting bett theme song. When we “take care of business every day,” success becomes our soundtrack for the year ahead.
Where fundamentals meet real‑world impact. Show up and skill up!
February Edition: Three Micro-Checkpoints to Regain Alignment
(No Matter What the Day Throws at You)Sometimes the day pulls you in every direction, but with a few quick mindset check‑ins, you can steer yourself right back toward what matters most. These simple micro‑checkpoints—from quick resets to end‑of‑day reflections—are designed to help you stay aligned and in control, no matter what the day throws your way. Think of them as small but powerful moments that keep you centered, focused, and moving confidently toward your goals.
1) 60-Second Reset
This simple intervention is for any time your day suddenly changes course.
Ask yourself:
- What was I trying to accomplish before this interruption?
- Does this new demand support or distract from my priorities?
- What is the smallest action I can take right now that will keep me aligned?
This tiny pause interrupts urgency-driven decision-making and keeps you in the driver’s seat.
2) Midday Mission Check
Halfway through the day, take 3 minutes to review:
- What tasks or conversations have pulled me away from my priorities?
- What do I need to recommit to for the rest of the day?
This is especially powerful for employees whose days are shaped by others’ needs. Re-grounding at midday prevents drift from becoming the norm.
3) End-of-Day Recalibration
Instead of running a mental highlight reel of everything that wasn’t finished, shift the frame:
- Where did my actions align with my values today?
- Where did I drift and why?
- What deserves my freshest energy tomorrow?
Over time, this kind of reflection builds self-awareness and helps you recognize the patterns that disrupt alignment. By mastering these small shifts in focus, you transform alignment from a fleeting goal into a core habit that sustains your momentum and preserves your purpose throughout the year.
Spotlight Skill:
Shining a light on the skills that help you learn, develop and grow!
January: Accountability and Dependability
Accountability and dependability mean achieving results on time, using resources efficiently, and owning your decisions and actions. When we hold ourselves accountable at UA, we build trust, ensure consistency, and demonstrate the professional integrity that drives our collective success.
Core Behaviors to Practice:
- Manage your performance to deliver expected results.
- Use time and resources effectively to meet deadlines.
- Take ownership of decisions and correct mistakes proactively.
- Keep supervisors informed about your progress and any obstacles.
- Adapt when priorities shift.
- Support colleagues during workload changes.
- Maintain confidentiality and a positive professional image.
Quick Tips to Elevate Service Excellence
- Schedule key tasks and set reminders aligned with deadlines.
- Communicate early about roadblocks—and propose solutions.
- Track and document progress, including decisions you make.
- Reflect regularly: What worked well—and what needs adjustment?
- Volunteer for new initiatives and follow through with quality.
Call to Action:
Choose one LinkedIn Learning course to complete, apply one new accountability strategy this month (e.g., using deadlines, daily task tracking, proactive communication), and reflect weekly on your progress. Let’s make accountability and dependability the compass guiding our excellence!
Check out these courses to learn more about Accountability and Dependability
Training Tracks with Tracy
Your monthly playlist where professional development hits the right notes. Tune in and level up!
January Edition: Accountability and Dependability
Inspired by Bachman Turner OverdriveNew Year, New You! January is the perfect time to re-commit to habits that drive success. Bachman-Turner Overdrive said it best: “Taking care of business, every day…” This lyric reminds us that accountability and dependability aren’t just resolutions; they’re habits that keep us on track all year long.
At UA, Accountability and Dependability means achieving the right results in the necessary timeframe, using resources wisely, and taking ownership of your actions and outcomes. When we consistently “take care of business,” we build trust, strengthen teams, and create a culture of excellence.
Think About These Lyrics:
- “You get up every morning from your alarm clock’s warning…” → Start strong and show up ready.
- “Taking care of business, every way…” → Adaptability and flexibility when priorities shift.
- “Taking care of business every day…” → Consistency and commitment to quality work.
- “It’s all mine…” → Ownership of your decisions and results.
These lyrics remind us that accountability isn’t just about doing the job—it’s about doing it well, on time, and with pride.
As we start the new year, ask yourself: Am I taking care of business every day in a way that my team can depend on? What one habit can I improve to strengthen my accountability?
Call to Action:
This month, commit to:
- Planning your work and managing time effectively.
- Keeping your supervisor informed of progress and challenges.
- Owning your results—acknowledge mistakes and correct them quickly.
- Showing flexibility when priorities shift.
Start the year strong by making accountability and dependability your theme song. When we “take care of business every day,” success becomes our soundtrack for the year ahead.
Core Concepts with Corrie
Where fundamentals meet real‑world impact. Show up and skill up!
January Edition: Introduction and Reflective Time Management
Professional growth doesn’t just happen—it’s something we build together, one intentional step at a time. That’s what Core Concepts with Corrie is all about: creating a space where we can pause, learn, and share ideas that make a real difference in how we work and lead.
Each month, we’ll dive into a topic that matters—whether it’s time management, communication strategies, leadership practices, or career resilience. These aren’t just big-picture concepts; they’re practical tools and insights you can use every day to stay focused, collaborate better, and navigate change with confidence.
Reflective Time Management
Setting the Tone for Intentional Performance and Leadership
As we step into a new year, a focus on time management feels especially relevant. In higher education, speed often masquerades as success. This month’s Core Concept invites you to rethink that pace. Rather than doing more, it’s about creating moments to pause, reflect, and realign with what matters most.
The Power of a Thoughtful Pace
In a sector that prizes productivity, what happens when you slow down just enough to work with intention?
- You open your calendar, and before the day begins, it’s already full. Fires to put out. Meetings to attend. Decisions to make. And still, there’s that sense of falling behind.
- Quick responses and endless multitasking can feel like proof that you’re being effective. But when every moment is reactive, it’s harder to see what matters or what’s driving the challenges in front of you.
- Slowing down can feel counterintuitive or risky. Yet a thoughtful pace is not about doing less—it’s about working and leading from clarity rather than urgency.
- When you pause and think, you start to see patterns instead of isolated problems. You recognize what’s worth your energy—and what isn’t. You gain the steadiness to respond with purpose, not pressure.
Making Space for Reflection
As you move through January, consider:
- Where might urgency be steering your approach to work?
- What tasks or decisions deserve more space to breathe?
- What rhythms or boundaries could help you to function with greater clarity?
Even brief pauses—a walk between meetings, a moment before responding, a day set aside for deeper planning—can ramp up your effectiveness. Reflection is not a break from the work; it is part of the work.
–adapted from Academic Impressions e-newsletter, 12/12/2025
Feel it to your core yet? Turn this concept into action this month and let me know how you reap the rewards!
-Corrie