Staff Development Program Offers Stress Relief,
Leadership, and a Japanese Garden
By Dennis Lyday

UCLA’s Staff Development Advisory Group has turned up the volume on program offerings in recent months. Our major all-staff meetings have remained the centerpieces of the program, and special lunch hour events like visits to the UCLA Japanese Garden and the Botanical Garden and tours at the Fowler Museum are as popular as ever.

But with the help of colleagues in Campus Human Resources, the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center, and within Student Affairs, the Advisory Group has resumed the planning and presentation of workshops on an array of professional and personal development topics.

“How Do You Spell Relief?” was the question Nan Levine and Wendy Walsdorf of the SFCC asked at one workshop. Attendees worked on identifying their own stressors, deciding which they have control over and how to address them, approaches to relieving stress over situations they can’t totally eliminate, and relaxation techniques including breathing exercises and mediation.

Linda Newcombe of CHR spent a lively two hours with us on the topic of “Making Your Life Easier: Tips On Effective Customer Service.” This workshop looked at both personal facets of good customer service – empathy, patience, ability to deal with anger, to name a few – and strengths in the procedural area, such as resourcefulness, attention to detail, and a focus on helping a “customer” solve his or her problem. The group also spent some time problem-solving with participants who had especially challenging “customer service” scenarios to discuss.

Jorge Cherbosque of the SFCC talked with us about “Leadership As A State of Mind.” The basic idea behind this workshop is that, “Leadership is an attitude; it is not about position.” Discussion included the “VIP” model of leadership (Vision, Involvement of others, and Persistence); myths about leadership (“Leaders are born, not made” – NOT); and looked at the conductor of a major orchestra who gets the best from his musicians by helping them to reclaim the joy they find in music.

Plans for the next few months include another workshop with Jorge Cherbosque on “Emotional Intelligence in a Diverse Workplace”; a workshop specifically on conflict resolution skills; a visit to the Getty Center for interested staff; our 6th annual trip to the Revlon Run/Walk for Women; and an all-staff event in June.

The Staff Development Advisory Committee would be gratified to hear from you about topics or events you would like to see included in the program. We can’t promise that every proposal will become reality, but it can’t hurt to ask. Committee members include George Auletta (Office for Students with Disabilities), Hugo Garcia (Residential Life), Cynthia Hall (Career Center), Dennis Lyday (Student & Campus Life), Angela Michael (Wooden Center), Brenda Moore (Registrar’s Office), Alan Nagamoto (Student Psychological Services), and Lisa Nunez (Student Affairs Administration).