Contracts and Procurement
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| Presenter Amy Leneker (green sweater) presents a workshop prize to Jade Hudek, while Dana Bowen, chair of the ICSEW Health and Wellness Subcommittee, looks on. |
The bi-monthly general meetings are now organized into two distinct parts. The morning session offers training for state employees, so far focused on personal and professional development.
There’s no cost to attend and all are welcome! These trainings are open to all genders and all agencies. You can sign up through the Learning Management System (LMS) to receive state training credits.
The second part of the meetings is spent working on ICSEW business, such as planning upcoming events and working on subcommittee projects. Anyone is welcome to attend the afternoon sessions as well, but not required to stay.
Learning about strengths
At the last meeting on March 26, Amy Leneker led a workshop on “Leading with Strengths,” using the Clifton Strengths personality profile. The theory behind this personality assessment is: Strength = Talent + Knowledge + Skills
We learned that while talent refers to innate ability, knowledge and skills can be taught. So innate ability is only one piece of the puzzle in finding success.
During the training, we worked through a self-assessment of our top five strengths. We participated in a variety of hands-on, collaborative exercises to help us understand the value in each of our strengths, including how we can work with others who have seemingly contradicting strengths.
For example, what if one of my strengths is discipline and I need to work with someone with positivity as a top strength? Productive collaboration could mean enjoying ourselves while we meet our identified goal.
We also learned the concept of balance. Any strength that goes unutilized can become a weakness; any strength used too much can also be a weakness. The goal is to find the sweet spot and try to stay within it.
The training offered many useful ways to work with a variety of people and allowed each participant to spend some time reflecting on what makes us unique and valuable as individuals.
It was uplifting, inspirational, and a great resource for anyone working toward positive change.
If your team is interested in identifying top strengths and working through exercises to work together more effectively, you can check out the free High 5 Test. Contact me if you want to learn about the exercises shared in the ICSEW workshop.
Guests are always welcome at ICSEW. If you are interested in attending future training sessions and/or getting involved with the group, reach out to me (Ashley Blowers) for more information.
In summary: The Interagency Committee for Sate Employed Women (ICSEW) now invites any state employee to participate in trainings offered at the group’s bi-monthly general meeting. You can even get credit through LMS. Ashley Blowers, WSDA’s ICSEW representative, describes a recent training session on the Insider blog.
