The GDFP series in 2022-23 is based on the NSF-funded UCSF-CCSF Inclusive Research Mentor/Manager training (DUE #1801186, 1800998, 2055735, 2055309), committed to building more inclusive lab environments. This series focuses on teaching scientists evidence-based frameworks, language and strategies to lead productive teams, including:

1. People manager skills: Learn the 7 core supervisory/people manager skills including approaches to manage the role conflict inherent in navigating the overlapping mentoring, teaching/training and supervisory responsibilities. 
    
2. Operationalizing inclusivity in day-to-day responsibilities: Identify and apply the 5 concrete strategies that are the basis of inclusivity when managing performance. Also develop strategies to navigate power differentials on productive teams. 
    
3. Utilizing change management principles: Determine and manage which inclusive practices will work for your specific situation/population. 

REGISTER HERE:   https://bit.ly/GFDP6-REGISTER2023

Module 6 - When someone isn't meeting your expectations: Strategies and resources to manage performance equitably

When someone repeatedly fails to meet performance or conduct expectations, many research mentors/managers are unsure how to respond. Moreover, many commonly mistakenly attempt to handle the situation alone (and are unaware of how to skillfully access institutional support). This session uses a case study and presents participants with an approach to identify and strategize potential skillful responses to performance issues.

In this module, participants will learn:

1. A strategy to assess and articulate ongoing or unresolved performance or conduct issues
2. Tactics to determine how your institution expects you to manage performance or conduct issues
3. Approaches to access organizational resources to help navigate challenging performance situations and avoid common mistakes

Module 1 - Faculty: inclusivity is a design question. Which inclusive practices will you use?

Many faculty/research mentors have people manager/supervisory responsibilities (including setting expectations and giving feedback to improve performance), and could therefore benefit from inclusive management practices which have been shown to increase productivity, morale and wellbeing.

If you are wondering which inclusive strategies and tools will work with your team, this is the session for you! We will examine frameworks, practice language, and determine which inclusive approaches would work with your approach/situation.

In this highly-interactive, kickoff session, participants will:

1. Learn a framework benchmarking inclusivity for mentors/managers to assess which decisions, behaviors and actions meet our definition of an "inclusive mentor and manager."
2. Practice applying these principles to their own work responsibilities, by intentionally designing inclusivity into a common mentoring/managing task (holding a 1:1/group/lab meeting). We will use this example to extrapolate how research mentors can intentionally infuse inclusive best practices into any mentoring/managing task. 
3. Test out engaging in an "inclusivity check," by identifying a professional situation or process of their choice (giving feedback, part of an interviewing/recruiting process, etc.)  and considering strategies to both identify and increase the level of inclusivity for participants.
4. Discuss change management basics, including best practices when introducing a new process/procedure on your team. 
   
    

Module 2 - Faculty with People Manager Responsibilities: Strategies to manage productivity

Many faculty/research mentors have "people manager/supervisory" responsibilities, from setting expectations to giving feedback to improve performance. Learn and discuss how which best practices you can apply to work with your diverse team of mentees/staff:

In this session, participants:

• Self-evaluate their strengths and growth areas in executing the 7 fundamental people manager responsibilities, including setting expectations; the three types of feedback; rewarding achievement; and managing the inevitable conflict and change inherent in even the most functional teams.

• Dissect the specific strategies, resources and support faculty can use to equitable balance decisions and actions in fulfilling their differing roles as a research mentor, educator/trainer and people manager.

By the end of this session, participants will have a definition of what it means to 'manage effectively' as a faculty member! 

Module 3 - Effectively Supervising People Who Aren't You: Mentoring and managing different work style preferences

In this workshop, we'll discuss how understanding your lab members' different professional values and approaches to work can impact your group's productivity, morale and well-being.  We'll also cover approaches that PIs can use to engage workstyle and value differences skillfully, including when and how to make space for differences and/or set boundaries. 

• First, we consider which facets shape an individual's "operating system" when we engage in work, including factors such as how we prefer to communicate/engage others, make decisions, feel organized, and define "behaving professionally.
• Second, participants will assess and articulate their own work style preferences, as well as develop vocabulary to consider and discuss others’ preferences without unnecessarily pathologizing others approach to work.
• Finally, we'll discuss inclusive tactics that team leaders use to manage values and work style differences and create a positive team dynamic that reaps the benefits of working in diverse teams.
   

Module 4 - How to transparently set (performance and conduct) expectations and train your diverse team

Have you ever been surprised or frustrated that someone in your lab isn’t meeting performance or conduct expectations? Are you wondering about the organizational management benchmarks, strategies and best practices to transparently set expectations? Then this is the session for you!

• In this workshop, we’ll discuss challenges and tactics to share the wide range of expectations that need to be set - from promptness to productivity and problem solving. Participants will also learn organizational management best practices to articulate, refine, reinforce and/or update those expectations. Next, we'll cover how skillful leaders avoid common pitfalls (e.g. articulating only the "what" but not the "how" of expectations, failing to include tacit expectations, setting boundaries around key expectations such as problems, etc.) Finally, we’ll point out links and materials to institutional resources for further support.
   
• Participants will have small group discussions to share strategies, consider what new strategies they might adopt (and which ones wouldn’t work for them), and brainstorm next steps.
   

Module 5 - Communicating inclusively: Developing your own feedback strategy and style

Do you feel most comfortable offering positive (or kudos) feedback? Do you tend to avoid or sugarcoat corrective feedback because you are concerned that your words will demotivate the listener? Not sure what "evaluative" feedback is? Then this is the session for you.

In this module, we begin by dissecting the three types of feedback that everyone (including you) needs to be productive: kudos, corrective and evaluative feedback. Participants will:

1. Practice giving feedback using an evidence-based protocol that works for both kudos and corrective feedback.
2. Discuss how to modify the protocol as they consider their style (including their personal values, approach and language) and the receiver.
3. Describe strategies to both gain buy-in/determine how the receiver can best hear and act on that feedback, and how to engage when the recipient has a strong reaction to feedback.