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The 10-Minute Check-In

By in Communication, JHU No Comments Tags:

Check_In_Meeting

Managers are responsible for giving timely performance feedback to employees. These feedback conversations should occur, at the very least, during the annual performance review and even as frequently as on a monthly basis. However, there are multiple reasons managers feel there’s not enough time to fit these conversations into their busy schedules. One way to overcome the time deficit is to have 10-minute check-ins. In this podcast, Senior Organization Effectiveness Consultant Anne Moore discusses the benefits of the having 10-minute check-ins.

http://lms14.learnshare.com/l.aspx?CID=89&A=1&T=584828

 

Defining Goals… With Chickens!

By in JHU, Leadership No Comments Tags: , ,

We define our goals to evaluate our progress each year. But getting too specific with our objectives may cause us to be too focused on completing a checklist, rather than adapting to each assignment’s needs. We should focus on producing our best possible work without fitting our process into a formula. This video will show this approach, and chickens.

https://gathercontent.com/advent-calendar#day16

 

 

How Do I Handle a Retroactive Salary Increase When Sponsored Funds Are Involved?

By in Finance and Accounting, JHU No Comments Tags: , , ,

HappyOfficeWorker

Let’s pretend it’s March 1, 2015, and you have two JHU faculty members who both received retroactive raises in letters from the promotion committee dated March 1, 2015. Dr. Einstein’s raise is effective November 1, 2014 (more than 90 days ago) and Dr. Watson’s raise is effective January 1, 2015 (less than 90 days ago). Both faculty are paid from sponsored and non-sponsored funds. Here’s how you (in the departments) deal with each situation.

Retroactive by more than 90 days — Dr. Einstein (Raise Date: November 1, 2014)

  1. By the next available payroll cutoff date, submit a Salary Change ISR.
    • The begin date is the date the raise becomes effective.
    • Enter the new actual and semi-monthly pay rates.
    • Leave the cost distribution section “as is.”
    • Add to comments section: Dept. will do E-form to correct retroactive cost distribution amounts and accounts.
  2. At least one business-day AFTER receiving the email from HRSS that the Salary Change ISR is complete and approved:
    • Submit an E-form to correct retroactively and prospectively appropriate cost distributions (as your budgets allow) to match the new semi-monthly amounts.

Retroactive by less than 90 days — Dr. Watson (Raise Date: January 1, 2015)

  1. By the next available payroll cutoff date, submit a Salary Change ISR.
    • The begin date is the date the raise becomes effective.
    • Enter the new actual and semi-monthly pay rates.
    • In the Cost Distribution section of the Salary Change ISR, enter the cost distributions retroactively and prospectively (as your budgets allow) so that they total to the new semi-monthly amount. HRSS will enter these changes (sponsored AND non-sponsored) into the record.
  2. In most cases, an E-form will need to be submitted in addition to the Salary Change ISR, especially if the cost distribution is complex (for instance, if it changes amounts and accounts every month or pay period). You should submit an E-form at least one business-day AFTER receiving the email from HRSS that the Salary Change ISR is complete and approved.

NOTE: The Cost Distribution section of a Salary Change ISR differs from the Cost Distribution section of an E-form. In the Cost Distribution section of a Salary Change ISR, the total of all the cost-distribution lines must equal the semi-monthly amount. In an E-form Cost Distribution section, you may enter multiple periods at different rates for the same account.

In both cases above, HRSS will have the salary difference allocated to the control salary account if the new cost distribution does not match the new semi-monthly amount and/or does not cover all the retro pay periods.

For more information, review the following:

Sponsored funds procedure for JHU semi-monthly faculty, staff, and students

Cut-off dates for ISRs

Cut-off dates for E-forms

 

Reflections of an Aging Admin

By in JHU, Learning, Navigating Change No Comments Tags: ,

OlderWorker

Last week, I shook hands with President Daniels to celebrate 25 years of service. I have spent the prime of my life administratively supporting hard-science research projects at JHU. I like working beside and with smart, ambitious people on prestigious projects, even if I am “only” an administrative member of the team.

You’ve heard of the “Old Boys’ Network?” I consider myself a part of the “Old Girls’ Network.” We are the generation of admins who say, “Sure, I can help with that and then stay late to finish the task.” We have our strengths, and our weaknesses, we Old Girls! Just the other day, I was commiserating with another lifetime admin about the stress of working for a younger supervisor. I too used to resent having to explain basic business procedures to someone 20 years my junior, whom I imagined was earning, at his/her hire date, more than I made after 20 years on the job! Now, ironically, I spend my days as a trainer, spoon-feeding and/or shoveling knowledge into these youthful bosses so that they can flourish at this institution and help continue the mission of discoveries for the world. Resentment has been replaced by mild anxiety about whether the next generation will be ready and able to step up as we Old Girls contemplate retirement. My bosses are still older than I am, just barely. But my co-workers are all younger, so I still have to refer to some of the tactics cited in the article by Susan Adams, “How to Deal With a Younger Boss.”

After my last class, I jokingly asked the students NOT to text me with questions because I wasn’t good with that medium. One of the young students made this very sweet and telling comment, “Wow! You know SO much about this software [that you are teaching us] and yet you have trouble texting?” And I had to admit that she was absolutely right! I should be texting more. I Need To Evolve. I have two thumbs and a slider phone. Over the past year, I have even learned to deal with punctuation problems and misspellings that used to cause me to recoil in grammatical horror. Now, if I could just not resent the texting during a face-to-face meeting…

Step Into Leadership

By in JHU, Leadership, Learning No Comments Tags: , , , ,

dreamstime_s_41633472

On May 21, 2014, I was officially installed as the President of a Toastmasters Club. I was charged to lead a board of three other officers and a club of 20 total members. Prior to this, I had never been president of anything. I had no formal leadership experience. For the first time, people were looking to me for direction and decisions as we chartered the course of building a club from the ground up. This wasn’t just any club. It was a Toastmasters club.

Toastmasters  is a club that is devoted to building the public speaking and leadership skills of its members. I entered the club expecting to improve my public speaking skills, which I have. But I had no idea how much my leadership skills would grow. The Toastmasters Competent Leadership manual provided valuable guidance on leadership skills that I would put into action doing my work for the club.

I practiced giving constructive and encouraging feedback during speech evaluations. Leading the officers’ board gave me experience in delegation, active listening, and team building. In order to keep the club members motivated to participate in meetings, I worked to plan and implement surveys and an incentive program to ensure the needs of members were being met. Further, I actively sought guidance and constructive criticism from seasoned Toastmasters leaders.

The Johns Hopkins at Eastern Toastmasters club was created to extend learning from one-day workshops to ongoing, self-paced learning and development. If you are a JHU employee looking to advance your leadership skills in a safe and welcoming environment, I encourage you to visit a meeting to learn how Toastmasters can prepare you for your step into leadership.

If you are JHU employee, visit http://jhateastern.toastmastersclubs.org/agenda.html

If you are not a JHU employee and want to find a club near you, visit http://www.toastmasters.org/

 

Managing Change

By in JHU, Navigating Change No Comments Tags: ,

Managing_Change

Once upon a time, an old Greek philosopher (Heraclitus) said, “The only thing that is constant is change.” Fast-forward to the present age and most people would not only agree with this maxim, they would probably notice that change is happening exponentially in our world.

Whether it’s moving to a new city, stepping into a new job, or buying a new house, the ability to successfully navigate through change remains one of the most important life skills anyone can possess. But before we can learn to embrace a new reality, we must traverse the change process. Only by dealing with feelings of resistance, denial, and uncertainty can we finally accept the new reality in which we find ourselves.

For more on managing change, click here to access the Johns Hopkins e-course.

 

Relationships and Teaming

By in JHU, Relationship Awareness, University Culture No Comments Tags: , , ,

Happy_Team

There are many factors involved in achieving success at work and in life, but there are two variables that can make or break any endeavor. They are the ability to build and maintain relationships, and teaming.

When people are able to build and maintain positive relationships with one another, they’re more likely to form teams that are productive. And productive teams can more effectively help an organization to achieve its mission.

If you want to learn more about relationships and teaming, click here to take the Johns Hopkins e-course.

 

Innovation and Problem Solving

By in Innovation and Problem Solving, JHU No Comments Tags: , ,

Innovation

There’s an old adage that goes, “don’t re-invent the wheel” when it comes to creating new concepts, programs, or projects. Instead, try making something better through innovation! A simple way to define innovation is to think of it as problem solving.

Contrary to what many people may think, innovation is different from invention, in that when you innovate, you’re creating something new by applying a new method to an existing invention. It requires you to use problem-solving skills to see the flaws in an existing invention, or to envision better ways of using existing inventions.

Want to learn more about innovation and problem solving? Click here to access the Johns Hopkins Innovation and Problem Solving e-course.

 

An Equitable Environment

By in JHU, University Culture No Comments Tags:

Equity

Equity is about more than just equality. It’s about ensuring that everyone has the right and the opportunity to be successful. It’s about building an environment where administrators, faculty, students, and staff are able to participate fully and thrive.

Equity must exist on three levels: within the organization, within teams, and among individuals.

Organization – Johns Hopkins University demonstrates its commitment to equity by:

  • Removing barriers and obstacles that prevent employees from attaining leadership positions
  • Making sure that all people at Hopkins are able to pursue their career goals and feel welcomed, whatever their gender, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression

Team – Every member of your team, including the managers or supervisors, should demonstrate a commitment to equity by:

  • Providing all employees with the opportunity to maximize their potential
  • Ensuring that all employees have an equal chance of promotion
  • Making sure that the work is distributed fairly among everyone on the team
  • Working hard at their jobs so that nobody ends up doing more than their share

Individual – Equity is not just about what’s given to you. It’s also about what you owe to others. You can help to promote equity by:

  • Encouraging everyone to participate and share his or her opinions
  • Helping to support others and making contributions where needed
  • Treating everyone fairly and honestly, while appreciating the qualities that make each person unique

Remember, equity is about being fair. Being fair means treating people even handedly and making a commitment to defend everyone’s right to receive just treatment.

 

The Nature of Civility

By in JHU, University Culture No Comments Tags: , , ,

Civility

Civility means showing people consideration, appreciation, generosity, and trust. It involves being aware of the people around you, and acting with courtesy and kindness.

Dr. P. M. Forni is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, the director of The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins, and the author of two highly acclaimed books on civility. In his book, “Choosing Civility,” Dr. Forni presents 25 rules of considerate conduct. We asked Dr. Forni to identify the five rules that he thought were the most important. His picks are listed below.

  • Pay attention – Take notice of your surroundings. Consider the feelings and needs of others. If you pay attention to the world and people around you, you’ll be able to react to situations more thoughtfully and effectively.
  • Be inclusive – Expose yourself to ideas that are different from your own. Dare to go beyond your “comfort zone.” Work to understand and accept other peoples’ identities, cultures, languages, histories, and ways of interacting with the world. Help new acquaintances and coworkers to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance.
  • Respect other people’s time – Value other people’s time as much as you value your own. Be punctual. If you need to cancel an appointment, cancel in advance. If you need help from someone, keep your requests brief and to the point. Keep your phone calls short. When communicating with coworkers, try to be as clear and concise as possible.
  • Respect other people’s space – Be considerate of others. Don’t invade their personal space and try to keep touching to a minimum. Also, be considerate of other people’s territory. Ask before entering another person’s office or cubicle. And if you share a space with your coworkers (like a kitchen or lunchroom), do your part to help keep it clean.
  • Don’t shift responsibility and blame – Never blame someone else for your mistakes. If you are at fault, be honest about it. Admit your mistake and apologize. Don’t focus on who caused the problem, but rather on what can be done to fix it.

Overall, being civil means thinking about the comfort and happiness of others. People who are civil think about the people around them and this helps them make the right decisions about how to behave.

Forni, P. M. (2002). Choosing civility. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

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