Lessons from Female Leaders

There is a growing call for a more equal future with better representation of women as leaders.

We rally around the need to eliminate or reduce obstacles in the way of women on their paths to leadership. Yet, in a recent article in Harvard Business Review and a compelling Ted Talk, psychologist and author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic accounts for the inequity in another way – an overabundance of incompetent men as leaders.

In fact, he advocates for more obstacles in the way of men who lack the characteristics and abilities that data has demonstrated makes for more effective leaders, which in his assessment overwhelmingly favor women.

Here are his “sexist” lessons male leaders can learn from women:

Don’t lean in when you’ve got nothing to lean in about.

Stop falling for people who lean in without the talent to back it up. Use science-based assessments to more accurately gauge attributes.

Know your own limitations. 

We live in a culture that celebrates self-belief. Although studies show women are generally less overconfident than men, their more balanced self-view means they are better able to prepare, aiding competence and performance.

Motivate through transformation. 

Women are more likely to lead with purpose than men, who tend to rely on incentive. Purpose is tied with higher levels of team engagement, performance and productivity.

Put your people ahead of yourself. 

It’s very hard to turn a group of people into a high-performing team when your main focus is yourself. Because men are generally more-self-focused than women, they are more likely to lead in a narcissistic and selfish way.

Don’t command. Empathize.

Throughout history, women have been told they are too kind and caring to be leaders, but the notion that someone who is not kind and caring is at odds with reality. In today’s workplaces, it is an imperative for leaders to establish an emotional connection with their followers.

Focus on elevating others.

Female leaders have been proven to be more likely to coach, mentor and develop their direct reports than male leaders, thus enabling them to unlock other people’s potential and promote effective cooperation on their teams.

Don’t say you’re “humbled.” Be humble.

There are well-established gender differences in humility, and they also favor women. Humility is also a trait essential to great leadership. Without humility it will be very hard for anyone in charge to acknowledge their mistakes, learn from experience, take into account other people’s perspectives, and be willing to change and be better.

Dr. Tomas calls for a larger focus on equality of talent and potential as the best gender equality intervention. The ROI of male leaders should be scrutinized as strenuously as the ROI of female leaders.

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The Institute for Women’s Leadership seeks to fulfill critical needs in the region and contribute to a more robust, broadly engaged and representative professional workforce and leadership with programs like “Women Rising” Stories from Experience” and “Rising Together: Caffeinated Conversations,” along with “Sharing Knowledge” workshops from qualified business members. For more information visit the website www.uwgb.edu/womens-leadership

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RESOURCES:
Harvard Business Review. “7 Leadership Lessons Men Can Learn from Women,” April 1, 2020.
TedXCambridge. “Why We Should be More Sexist.”
Ideas.Ted.Com. “6 Things we can learn from how women leaders have handled the pandemic,” September 24, 2020.

Depression is Not a Normal Part of Getting Older

The mental health of older Americans has been identified as a priority by key national organizations. Mental health is essential to overall health and well-being and has increasingly become part of the public health mission.

It is estimated that 20% of people aged 55 years or older experience some type of mental health concern. The most common conditions include anxiety, severe cognitive impairment, and mood disorders (such as depression or bipolar disorder).

Depression is the most prevalent mental health problem among older adults. It is associated with distress and suffering. It also can lead to impairments in physical, mental, and social functioning and can affect the course of treatment of other chronic diseases.

Older adults with depression visit the doctor and emergency room more often, use more medication, incur higher outpatient charges, and stay longer in the hospital.

Although the rate of older adults with depressive symptoms tends to increase with age, depression is not a normal part of growing older. Rather, in 80% of cases it is a treatable condition. Unfortunately, depressive disorders are a widely under-recognized condition and often are untreated or undertreated among older adults.

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a screening test used to identify symptoms of depression in older adults. The GDS is frequently used in acute, long-term and community settings. Depression should not be diagnosed based on the GDS, but it is often part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment because of its established reliability and validity.

The GDS is available in a long-form that consists of 30 questions, and a more commonly used short-form that has 15 questions. There is also a five-item GDS that often provides similar results to the 15 questions.

The GDS consists of yes/no questions that assess a person’s level of enjoyment, interest, social interactions and more, with a focus on questions that distinguish older adults from younger populations.

A point is given for each answer that indicates depression. On the 15-question form, a score of over five points indicates a need for follow-up evaluation, while a score of over 10 almost always indicates depression.

The development of the GDS was funded by the Federal government and is free to use. According to multiple research studies, both the long and the short form GDS are quite accurate at identifying depression in older people.

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15-Question GDS

Choose the best answer for how you have felt over the past week:

1. Are you basically satisfied with your life? YES / NO

2. Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? YES / NO

3. Do you feel that your life is empty? YES / NO

4. Do you often get bored? YES / NO

5. Are you in good spirits most of the time? YES / NO

6. Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you? YES / NO

7. Do you feel happy most of the time? YES / NO

8. Do you often feel helpless? YES / NO

9. Do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things? YES / NO

10. Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most? YES / NO

11. Do you think it is wonderful to be alive now? YES / NO

12. Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now? YES / NO

13. Do you feel full of energy? YES / NO

14. Do you feel that your situation is hopeless? YES / NO

15. Do you think that most people are better off than you are? YES / NO

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Committed to Healthy Aging

We are approaching a milestone in the aging population. By 2034 for the first time in U.S. history adults 65+ are projected to outnumber children under 18. This milestone will affect healthcare in a dramatic way, creating a demand for a new approach to healthy aging and specialized knowledge of the complex needs of older adults.

Wisconsin Caregiver Academy has created a noncredit Certificate Program in Geriatric Healthcare in order to meet this demand. The certificate comprises four core courses and two electives, including “Mental Health” and “Generations and Diversity in an Aging Society.”

The certificate is relevant to nurses, social workers or case managers. Learn how you can play a larger role in patient-centered care for older adults.

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SOURCE
Center for Disease Control. “The State of Mental Health and Aging in America.”
Verywell Mind. “Overview of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS.” Esther Heerema, MSW, January 28, 2020.

The Multiplier Effect

Woman harvesting lettuce

Women in Leadership

In our last blog post we reviewed where women stand in the quest for gender equity based on a Declaration and Platform for Action developed by the UN in 1995.

Although the global community has a long way to go, there are bright spots, where innovative women “solutionaries” are pivoting not only to cope but to “build forward better.” These women are architecting transformative futures not only in government, but also in public service, business, in the climate movement and in entrepreneurship.

  • Lina Khalifeh from Jordan took her business online training women to deal with domestic violence
  • Leah Lizarondo from the US doubled the number of volunteers helping to provide much needed free food to those in need
  • Young water engineer Christelle Kwizera from Rwanda used her WE Empower grant money to ensure local schools had running water for access to hand washing
  • Bessie Schwarz from the US is working in 20 countries with Big Data to inform grassroots women’s groups about flood prevention

Recognizing women modeling sustainable business practices and gender equity ignites awareness about their positive multiplier effect, a term developed by economists but with great relevance to cultural gender change.

Repeated exposure of women leading, thriving and change-making improves perceptions of female possibility. Stories about female role models help adolescent girls and other women aspire to leadership positions.

Essentially the success of one woman is amplified by other women and so on, precipitating cumulative change.

The fact is, countries, employers, communities and households benefit when women have greater opportunity and agency.

Our blog post “Revisiting Gender Equality” shared news from New Zealand, Germany, Finland and Taiwan, countries led by female leaders, who are part of a new movement of leaders, caring more for group welfare than individual showmanship.

Yet how can we continue to encourage the multiplier effect when the current path to leadership is often won by risk-taking, competition and negotiation, behaviors women are less likely to pursue, according to research?

Here are some ideas:

Modeling Female Leadership — Mentorship, confidence building, media training and political education are all effective tools to increase adolescent girls’ and women’s aspirations and abilities.

Negotiating Strategies for Women — Women are strong negotiators. In fact, when women negotiate on behalf of others, they exceed men’s negotiated outcomes. However, when women negotiate for themselves they often experience backlash and hesitate to negotiate as strongly. Women can learn strategies to avoid this outcome.

Reducing Ambiguity in Career Paths — Vagueness heightens the potential for gender to play a role in price and salary negotiations. Reduce ambiguity by having transparent information about what career opportunities, resources or rewards are negotiable and what the standards are for attaining them.

It is only by rising together can women, their allies and executive leadership reduce the barriers to women attaining positions of leadership.

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The Institute for Women’s Leadership seeks to fulfill critical needs in the region and contribute to a robust, more broadly engaged and representative professional workforce and leadership with programs like “Women Rising” Stories from Experience” and “Rising Together: Caffeinated Conversations,” along with “Sharing Knowledge” workshops from qualified business members. On May 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Intitute is hosting a Virtual Women’s Retreat, inspiring, an inspiring day of conversation, advice and shared experiences. For more information visit the website www.uwgb.edu/womens-leadership

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RESOURCES:
International Leadership Association. “’Building Forward Better’ – Why Women’s Leadership Matters.” Amanda Ellis, 12 August 2020.
Harvard. “Women and Public Policy.”

Billion Dollar Outdoors

Wisconsin’s diverse outdoor recreation activities bring in billions of dollars year-round.

That is the finding of a recent report by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Office of Outdoor Recreation.

The report reiterates recent U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data showing Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation industry’s strong foundation contributes $7.8 billion to the state’s gross domestic product. Over 93,000 jobs across diverse sectors – from tourism to manufacturing to retail and the arts – are supported by outdoor recreation and contribute $3.9 million in compensation to Wisconsinites. The pace of the industry’s growth was faster than Wisconsin’s overall economy prior to the COVID-19 pandemic: between 2012 and 2017, GDP from outdoor recreation grew by 12% while overall state GDP grew by 7%.

More Than Just a Bike Ride

The largest contribution to state GDP is from nature-based activities, led by motorcycling and ATVing, boating/fishing, RV-ing, and bicycling. Beyond nature-based outdoor recreation activities, other outdoor recreation activities that contribute to state GDP include field sports, game areas (includes golf and tennis), guided outfitting and tours, and festivals and sporting events.

Wisconsin is a National Powerhouse in Outdoor Recreation Manufacturing

Wisconsin ranks fifth among US states for share of jobs in outdoor recreation manufacturing and is home to headquarters and manufacturing facilities of dozens of well-known outdoor brands including Bending Branches, Burger Boat Company, Harley-Davidson, Johnson Outdoors, Mercury Marine, Mathews Archery, MirroCraft Boats, Pacific-Cycle, Planet Bike, Saris, St. Croix Rods, Trek Bicycles, Vortex Optics, Wigwam, Yamaha and more.

Outdoors and COVID

Getting outside has never been more important. Wisconsin’s outdoors provide wide-open spaces where people can responsibly distance while enhancing physical, mental, and social well-being. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are seeking outdoor experiences in unprecedented numbers. Even though Wisconsin’s economy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s outdoor recreation industry is seeing the economic impact of this amplified interest. Business who were able to respond to changing recommendations reported increased demand for products, gear and services.

Amplified Interest by Spring 2020:

  • 371% increases for hikes and trailers on TravelWisconsin.com
  • 24% increase in sales of Wisconsin ATV trail passes
  • 100% increase in first-time buyers of Wisconsin fishing licenses
  • 18% more weekend visitations to Wisconsin state parks
  • 70% increase in national boat sales
  • 121% increase in national sales of leisure bikes
  • 10.8% increase in national RV sales

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TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS AMPLIFIED INTEREST

Attend the upcoming virtual a virtual Tourism Summit on Thursday, April 22, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., hosted by UW-Green Bay with collaboration of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and Northeast Wisconsin destinations.

Outdoors enthusiasts spend money! The Tourism Summit is tailored for any business or frontline worker associated with tourism in Wisconsin, including restaurants, hotels, sporting goods retailers, ATV, boat or RV Dealers, other recreation and attractions, communities and more. The Tourism Summit is hosted by UW-Green Bay’s Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement.

Learn more about the Tourism Summit by visiting www.uwgb.edu/tourism-summit or by contacting Judy Price, Outreach Specialist at pricej@uwgb.edu and 920-366-8328.

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RESOURCES:
Travel Wisconsin. “Report Shows Outdoor Recreation a Key Driver of Wisconsin Economy.” October 28, 2020.

Women’s Leadership – Where Do We Stand?

September 2020 marked the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. There, 189 countries committed to equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls.

In 1995, UN Women created a “Declaration and Platform for Action,” recognizing that the odds were systematically stacked against women and organized to address them.

In 25 years, how have these declarations translated to action?

It is sobering to note that not a single country has achieved full gender equality in practice in 2020. This is based on a framework of:

  • Economic participation and opportunity
  • Educational attainment
  • Health and survival
  • Political empowerment

Basic criteria. Life-defining criteria.

The top 10 countries are:

  1. Iceland
  2. Norway
  3. Finland
  4. Sweden
  5. Nicaragua
  6. New Zealand
  7. Ireland
  8. Spain
  9. Rwanda
  10. Germany

The United States is 53rd.

The goal for the 25th Anniversary was to take stock and reflect on progress. The hope was to point to groundbreaking change for gender equality. Instead, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even the limited gains made in the past decades are at risk of being rolled back.

From the UN Secretary-General’s Brief:

The pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems, which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic.

Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.

Yet in the face of these negative impacts, as we’ve pointed out in a previous blogpost, “Revisiting Gender Equity,” a new women’s leadership movement seems to be taking shape with a global call for “Generation Equality.”

The mantra of this movement is succinctly put by Melinda Gates, one of the most powerful women in philanthropy and praised by the UN-Secretary General as “visionary.”

This is how we emerge from the pandemic in all of its dimensions: by recognizing that women are not just victims of a broken world; the can be architects of a better one.

In our next blog posts, we will explore the ways this is being done around the world.

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The Institute for Women’s Leadership was established in 2021. Located at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Institute provides participants the opportunity to expand transformational leadership skills, building a leadership a pipeline for Northeast Wisconsin. The Institute both embraces the Wisconsin Idea and serves the core and select missions of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in its commitment to inclusion, civic engagement, educational opportunity at all levels, and community-based partnerships. The Institute seeks to fulfill critical needs in the region and contribute to a robust, more broadly engaged and representative professional workforce and leadership. For more information visit the website www.uwgb.edu/womens-leadership 

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RESOURCES:
International Leadership Association. “’Building Forward Better’ – Why Women’s Leadership Matters.” Amanda Ellis, 12 August 2020.
UN Women. Annual Report 2019-2020.
World Economic Forum. “Global Gender Gap Report 2020.” Insight Report.

Growing Optimism Around Vaccine

If you’ve been wondering about the impact of the coronavirus vaccine and the incidence of cases at nursing homes, you’ll be glad to know the latest news is positive.

According to a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the first nursing home inoculations in Wisconsin took place December 28, and in that week, Wisconsin homes reported 254 residents had contracted COVID-19. That was down from a high of 854 new cases the week of November 9.

But since the first week of vaccinations, nursing home cases have dropped 97%, their lowest level since May.

An analysis by the research arm of the American Health Care Association found that new cases dropped at a faster rate in nursing homes that had received vaccine than in ones that hadn’t. The analysis compared 797 homes that had vaccinated residents and staff in late December with more than 1,700 homes in the same counties that had not vaccinated.

Along with nurses, doctors and other health workers, residents and staff of nursing homes were the first Wisconsinites to get vaccinated. Most nursing home residents have now received both doses of the vaccine.

These dramatically improved numbers increase optimism about the promise of the vaccine.

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WISCONSIN COVID-19 VACCINE STATS

Total doses administered: 1,568,329

Wisconsin residents with at least one dose: 986,387 (16.9% of the population)

Residents with both doses: 548,343 (9.4% of the population)

Residents 65 and older with at least one dose: 592,772 (58.3% of 65+ population)

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For people wanting help with vaccine-related questions, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has launched a toll-free telephone hotline: 844-684-1064.

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Dedicated to Quality Care

The Wisconsin Caregiver Academy is dedicated to ensuring quality care at community-based residential facilities and continues to train trainers and caregiving staff.

New train-the-trainer sessions have been scheduled through June 2021. When taking a train-the-trainer course, employees can become state-approved trainers for assisted living providers. This eliminates the cost and burden of having to bring in outside trainers into your facility to train staff. You, an employee or a consultant can become a state-approved trainer!

See All Dates by Topic:

Medication Administration
Standard Precautions
Fire Safety
First Aid and Choking

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COURSE
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Wisconsin nursing homes see a 97% drop in COVID-19 cases since the first week of vaccinations.” Sarah Volpenhein and Alison Dirr. March 4, 2021.

Respect Goes a Long Way

In the hospitality industry, customer experience is king. What does it take as a professional to lead in an ever-changing and messy environment? Let’s hear what hospitality leaders, past and present, have had to say.

Gray Shealy, AVP of Architectural Design and Innovation, Royal Caribbean Cruises

“Respect for others will go a long way, as will humility. Don’t forget you’re in the hospitality industry. Open doors. Listen. Look into someone’s eyes when having a conversation. Allow others to go first. Toast a guest at a meal. Wait until everyone is served. Emily Post may be a good mentor, come to think of it…”

Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International

“Particularly in American society today, but maybe business society generally, you’ve got a glorification of folks who say, ‘Oh, I only sleep three to four hours a night,’ which is dead wrong. We don’t want to be preachy to our guests when they get into our hotels. They’re going to lead the lives they want to lead, but I think there are some things we can do to be in a dialogue with our customers about the strengths of sleep. Those of us who do sleep should be proud of saying we sleep.”

Leeny Oberg, EVP & CFO, Marriott International

“Know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Get feedback, and work hard to get that feedback. It is not an easy thing to have people give you feedback, and it’s not easy for people to give feedback, particularly when it’s constructive. It is so critical, as you find your career path, that you know where your strengths and weaknesses are.”

Horst Schulze, Co-founder, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Group

“Leadership is creating an environment in which people want to be part of the organization and not just work for the organization. Leadership creates an environment that makes people want to, rather than have to, do.”

Larry Steelman, VP of New Business Ventures, Cox Business

“Providing actionable information that isolates service-impacting issues and enables fast resolution is key to guest satisfaction.”

Krissy Gathright, EVP and COO, Apple Hospitality REIT

“Create your impact. There will be people along the way who will help support you, but it’s ultimately up to you. You control your own destiny. Do not wait for someone else to create a path for you.”

Isadore Sharp, Founder, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

“Keep your egos in check, and let the people who work for you shine. Because they’re the people who know our customers best—the people we depend on to lead the way. It’s no longer, ‘Do as I say.’ It’s, ‘Do as I do.’”

Jagruti Panwala, Chairwoman, AAHOA

“Build relationships. Attend conferences. Network not just with women, but men as well. I also just believe that you can’t achieve success on your own. Make sure you’re working with successful people, positive people.”

Joy Rothschild, Chief Human Resources Officer, Omni Hotels

“I find that this is one industry where hard work, spirit, and energy trump degrees or where you sit on the pecking order. If you are willing to put in the time—which is easier said than done—you should have no obstacles. You do need to be willing to go where the opportunities are. The more flexible you are, the better.”

James Tubo, COO, Blueprint RF

 “My key takeaways in serving the hospitality sector are: 1. Always try to put yourself in the shoes of the front desk agents serving our guests. 2. With more than 55 thousand hotels, the industry is surprisingly small. Everybody seems to be connected. 3. Don’t lose sight of what you set out to do. Our goal was to ensure that guests connect to the internet—that simple.”

J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, Inc.

“The four most important words in the English language are, ‘What do you think?’ Listen to your people and learn.”

Kit Kemp, Co-founder, Firmdale Hotels

“The challenge I give myself—which, I’m sorry, would never occur to a man—is to craft common spaces with residential tone and texture where people want to idle.”

Barry Sternlicht, Founder, Starwood Hotels and Resorts

“You can learn everything that there is to know about the industry or the player from the company that is performing better or worse.”

Kemmons Wilson, Founder, Holiday Inn

“Remember: A person who wins success may have been counted out many times before. He wins because he refuses to give up.”

Avi Brosh, CEO, Paligroup

“The future of boutique hotels is not about size or design or asset class. It’s about going back to the beginning, back to what Morgans did. That’s delivering on this promise to create an authentic, ad hoc community of like-minded people that, for an evening or a few nights, transcend nationality or who they believe they are. It’s a promise that a guest be whoever they want to be for that night.”

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LEARN MORE ABOUT WISCONSIN TOURISM

UW-Green Bay and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism are collaborating to revitalize travel in Northeast Wisconsin by hosting a virtual Tourism Summit on Thursday, April 22, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tourism is an integral part of the Wisconsin economy. The pandemic created challenges and disruption for the many businesses and workers that make up this multibillion-dollar industry.

The Tourism Summit is tailored for any business or frontline worker associated with tourism in Wisconsin, including restaurants, hotels, golf courses, other recreation and attractions, communities and more. The Tourism Summit is hosted by UW-Green Bay’s Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement.

Learn more about the Tourism Summit by visiting www.uwgb.edu/tourism-summit or by contacting Melissa Betke, Program Specialist and 920-663-7337.

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RESOURCES:
BlueprintRF. “15 Hospitality Leaders Share their Best Business Advice.”

Shaping the Future

With Teambuilding Adventures

McKinsey & Company recently released a report “The new normal arrives: Trends that will define 2021—and beyond.”

In it, they predict “2021 will be the year of transition. Barring any unexpected catastrophes, individuals, businesses, and society can start to look forward to shaping their futures rather than just grinding through the present.

The report also points the way to a transformation of office life with remote work continuing for a significant segment of workers.

That will make teambuilding even more important. If employees aren’t encountering each other in their offices, hallways and face to face meetings, how can a manager or supervisor ensure teams coalesce into collaborative and performing units.

Teambuilding adventures, that’s how.

A teambuilding adventure is a great way to network, socialize and get to know each other better. An adventure can also be a celebration of achievement or a boost to an upcoming initiative. Depending on the adventure, it can also help foster an environment of creativity and innovation.

And Wisconsin – with its four seasons of inspiration – is the perfect place in which to play and connect with co-workers.

The communities around Lake Michigan in particular offer a number of exhilarating or uplifting options for your next employee outing!

Sheboygan 

Blackhawk Shooting – a modern indoor shooting range; open year round
Harbor Point Mini Golf – beautifully landscaped, fun-filled outdoor nautical themed 18 hole mini golf course; seasonal
Road America – the 640-acre, park-like grounds offer amazing viewing opportunities, fantastic concessions and high-speed excitement to thousands of spectators each year; seasonal
Longhouse Axe Bar – Sheboygan’s Viking handcrafted axe throwing experience;  open year round

Manitowoc/Two Rivers

Strand Adventure – an indoor activity complex where a variety of adventures await all ages; open year round
Tapped on the Lakeshore – over 20 beers on tap, axe throwing, corn hole and more games; open year round
What the Lock – a physical adventure game where participants are placed into a room and have to use teamwork along with elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit; open year round
Glaze & Paint 
– ceramic painting studio; open year round

Green Bay 

Green Bay Axe – axe-throwing experience with adjoining escape room; open year round
Board & Brush – DIY wood sign workshop; open year round
Green Bay Ghost Tours – must-experience tours for ghost story enthusiasts and history buffs; seasonal
National Railroad Museum – relive years of railroad history and take a fun, educational train ride during your visit

Door County 

Hands On Art Studio – a do-it-yourself Door County Destination, offering a free-wheeling art experience; seasonal
DC Adventure Center – offering professional programming designed to facilitate adventure, enhance teams, develop leadership, and create lasting memories; seasonal
Door County Trolley Tours – experience VIP treatment aboard one of 16 uniquely themed trolley tours – best charter in Door County; seasonal
Door County Kayak Tours – experience the natural beauty of Lake Michigan and the Door Peninsula with a memorable tour or rental on the water; seasonal
Scenic Cruises & Charters – Door County’s original and oldest sightseeing cruises; seasonal

Marinette 

River Rafting  – providing some of the most thrilling and challenging rafting in the entire Midwest; seasonal
Sno-Haven Pottery – celebrate creativity in pottery, jewelry, drawing and painting; open year round
Laughter Yoga Yooper – combineing laughter exercises with yoga breathing; open year round

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LEARN MORE ABOUT WISCONSIN TOURISM

UW-Green Bay and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism are collaborating to revitalize travel in Northeast Wisconsin by hosting a virtual Tourism Summit on Thursday, April 22, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Tourism is an integral part of the Wisconsin economy. The pandemic created challenges and disruption for the many businesses and workers that make up this multibillion-dollar industry.

The Tourism Summit is tailored for any business or frontline worker associated with tourism in Wisconsin, including restaurants, hotels, golf courses, other recreation and attractions, communities and more. The Tourism Summit is hosted by UW-Green Bay’s Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement.

Learn more about the Tourism Summit by visiting www.uwgb.edu/tourism-summit or by contacting Melissa Betke, Program Specialist at mailto:betkem@uwgb.edu and 920-663-7337.

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RESOURCES:
McKinsey & Company. “The new normal arrives: Trends that will define 2021—and beyond.”

Lessons from Caregiving

According to recent research by AARP, one in six of our co-workers is likely caring for a loved one in addition to work and family. This is a daunting prospect for most of us, but life is made up of moments, and there are some lessons to be learned from caregiving, which might in fact add value to the rest of your life.

Here are six lessons provided by Guideposts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring the world to believe that anything is possible with hope, faith and prayer.

  1. Self-care first.

This will mean different things for different people, encompassing any/all of the following: consistent sleep, adequate exercise, recreation, good nutrition, stress-reduction techniques and a sense of humor.

  1. Mistakes are fixable.

Perfectionism can handicap the efforts of caregivers, making every task a drudgery. Instead swap the perfectionism for self-compassion, because according to psychotherapist and author Anne Wilson Schaef, Ph.D., “Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order.”

  1. It’s okay to not be okay.

Experts and experienced caregivers agree it’s not healthy for caregivers to wear a “I’m fine” mask and suffer alone. It’s not a sign of weakness to admit this. It’s a sign of bravery. Ask for help.

  1. Compassion helps.

Caregiving teaches and nurtures compassion, the mother of all virtues. If we all used a little more compassion in our lives, the world – and caregiving – would be in a much better place.

  1. Practice mindful communication.

Old family dynamics can often add stress to caregiving situations, making clear and open communication essential. Listen. Speak. Observe nonverbal cues.

  1. Make room for hope.

The point of caregiving is holding hope between you and your loved one, despite the minutia of tasks — doctor’s visits, medications, meals. Or maybe because of. Hope is the reward for patience and kindness, and hope “never asks a crumb” of you.

Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” is an apt metaphor for caregiving and can provide a meaningful daily meditation.

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New Dates Available for Train-the-Trainer
The Wisconsin Caregiver Academy has scheduled new train-the-trainer sessions through July 2021. When taking a train-the-trainer course, employees can become state-approved trainers for assisted living providers. This eliminates the cost and burden of having to bring in outside trainers into your facility to train staff. You, an employee or a consultant can become a state-approved trainer!

See All Dates by Topic:

Medication Administration
Standard Precautions
Fire Safety
First Aid and Choking

Sustainability’s Many Inter-Relationships

Peace & Prosperity for People & the Planet

In 2015, all Member States of the United Nations collaborated on a call to action to forward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for all countries in a global partnership.

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN and acknowledge the need to address challenges synergistically and unilaterally in order to have meaningful impact.

Each goal is important and significant, and collectively the 17 Sustainable Development Goals represent an ambitious framework of change.

Many of the SDGs have been impacted by COVID-19, demonstrating the inextricable link between human and planetary health

The latest Global Development Sustainable Report (GSDR) concludes:

The COVID-19 pandemic may give us an unexpected opportunity to make deep structural changes in our energy system, our food system, and our economy that may have seemed too expensive or too disruptive before. We have the chance to build back better and greener. By working with nature and using nature-based solutions, we can not only protect the environment but also benefit from nature’s capacity to help us enhance our resilience and address a whole range of development challenges. For the sake of our planet and our human family, we cannot let this chance slip away.

To underline the importance of the moment, we share below the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

  1. NO POVERTY – End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
  2. ZERO HUNGER – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
  3. GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
  4. QUALITY EDUCATION – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
  5. GENDER EQUALITY – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
  6. CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
  7. AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
  8. DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
  9. INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
  10. REDUCED INEQUALITIES – Reduce inequality within and among countries.
  11. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
  12. RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
  13. CLIMATE ACTION – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
  14. LIFE BELOW WATER – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
  15. LIFE ON LAND – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
  16. PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
  17. PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOAL – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

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At UW-Green Bay, we have created a noncredit Sustainability Certificate Program that encompasses the multi-facets of sustainability — environmental, business practices and public policy. The program not only adopts a proven and successful model, but it is affordableaccessible, and flexible.

The program is 100% online with three core courses six weeks in duration and a final capstone course requiring participants to put sustainability theory into practice within their organizations. Full program details are available online.

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RESOURCES:
GSDR 2019. United Nations. “Global Sustainable Development Report 2019. The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development.”
The 17 Goals. United Nations.