May News from Learning and Organizational Development
Future Ready: Building Resilience, Flexibility & Agility in the Workplace
The nature of work is changing—fast. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, skills like resilience, flexibility, and agility are no longer just “nice to have”—they’re essential for success in today’s dynamic professional landscape.
Why These Skills Matter
Whether you’re navigating shifting priorities, adjusting to new technologies, or responding to organizational change, these capabilities help you stay grounded, focused, and forward-moving:
- Resilience helps you bounce back from setbacks and maintain performance under pressure.
- Flexibility enables you to adapt your approach and remain open to new ways of thinking and working.
- Agility allows you to respond quickly and effectively to change, challenges, or unexpected demands.
Together, they form a powerful foundation for navigating uncertainty with confidence.
Building Your Adaptability Toolkit 🔨
Fortunately, these are skills that can be strengthened over time. Here are a few strategies to get started:
- Invest in wellness: Mental and emotional resilience are supported by physical well-being—prioritize sleep, movement, and mindfulness.
- Practice perspective-taking: During times of stress or uncertainty, step back and look at the bigger picture.
- Embrace change: View change as a chance to grow, rather than a disruption to avoid.
- Stay curious: Ask questions, seek feedback, and remain open to learning from different sources.
Learn More and Grow 🪴
If you’re looking to develop these skills, your Learning & Organizational Development team has curated resources to support WSU employees in building these and other future-focused skills.
Explore more about how to become more resilient, flexible, and agile—and position yourself for long-term success in a rapidly evolving workplace.
Adaptability Skill Benchmark
Change is constant in today’s workplace, and the ability to adapt is essential for staying competitive. This benchmark helps you assess your readiness to lead and thrive through change by identifying strengths and areas for growth. You’ll receive personalized course recommendations to build resilience, embrace transformation, and turn challenges into opportunities.
Topics include:
- Building perseverance and resilience
- Navigating organizational change
- Learning from failure and success
- Thriving under pressure
Stronger: Develop the Resilience You Need to Succeed
Available in both Audio and Digital book formats, Stronger explores why some people thrive under pressure while others falter—and how anyone can build resilience.
Drawing on insights from Navy SEALs, entrepreneurs, and stress experts, the book identifies five key traits of resilient individuals: active optimism, decisive action, a strong moral compass, relentless tenacity, and interpersonal support. Through real-life stories and scientific research, Stronger offers practical strategies to unlock inner strength and overcome adversity in any field.
Strength Under Pressure: Building Perseverance and Resilience
In a world that’s constantly evolving, success isn’t just about talent or tools—it’s about staying the course when things get tough. This course empowers you to build the resilience and perseverance needed to overcome obstacles, adapt to change, and maintain focus under pressure.
You’ll learn how to develop an adaptive mindset, cultivate habits that support long-term perseverance, and apply practical strategies to bounce back from setbacks. Whether you’re navigating workplace challenges or personal goals, this course provides the tools to help you stay motivated, resilient, and forward-moving—no matter what comes your way.
Leading Through Change: Guiding Teams with Confidence and Clarity
In today’s evolving workplace, one of the most critical leadership skills is the ability to guide others through change. Whether it’s a shift in strategy, a new system rollout, organizational restructuring, or navigating external pressures, change can cause uncertainty and disruption. How leaders respond during these times can significantly impact team morale, engagement, and productivity.
The Human Side of Change
Change isn’t just about processes and plans—it’s about people. When faced with the unknown, employees may experience a range of emotions: anxiety, skepticism, confusion, or even resistance. Effective leaders recognize these reactions as natural and approach them with empathy.
Key qualities of leaders who navigate change well include:
- Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and addressing the emotional impact of change.
- Clear communication: Sharing information transparently and often.
- Empathy: Listening to concerns and creating space for dialogue.
- Stability: Providing consistency where possible to build trust.
Strategies for Leading Through Change
Communicate Early and Often: Keep your team informed at every stage. Even if you don’t have all the answers, regular communication builds trust and reduces speculation
Model a Positive Mindset: While it’s important to acknowledge challenges, staying solution-focused and optimistic sets the tone for your team.
Create Opportunities for Input: Invite feedback and questions. When people feel heard, they are more likely to feel engaged and committed
Support Resilience and Well-Being: Encourage self-care, offer flexibility where possible, and connect your team with resources to manage stress and change effectively.
Developing Your Change Leadership Skills
Leading through change is a skill that can be developed with intention and practice. Seek out professional development opportunities that focus on communication, coaching, and resilience.
Change is inevitable—but with the right approach, it can also be a powerful driver of growth and innovation. By leading with empathy, transparency, and purpose, you can help your team not only survive change, but thrive through it.
Access these hand-picked resources to begin developing your change leadership skills today:
Navigating Change with Confidence: Conversations
Practice leading through change using the CAISY AI-simulator in a safe, customizable space. In this scenario, you’ll meet with a senior leader to discuss an upcoming team transition, ask open-ended questions, and explore strategies to support your team before, during, and after change.
Elevating Cougs 2023 Session Replay: Leading Change
“Leading the Human Side of Change: Successfully navigating change” is one of the most significant challenges that organizations face. Change management research shows that change initiatives fail more often than they succeed. Why is this? While we can have the best change implementation plan in place, we will not be successful if we don’t understand and support employees through the human side of change.
Percipio Channel: Leading Through Change
Leading others through change is a vital leadership skill. The Leading Through Change channel on Percipio offers a curated collection of videos, audiobooks, courses, and interactive Leader Labs to help you build the mindset and capabilities needed for effective change leadership. Explore practical strategies, hear from experts, and practice real-world scenarios to guide your team with confidence and drive successful transitions.
Learning Opportunity Spotlight
Take a look at this month’s featured courses, and explore the full calendar of upcoming offerings here.
Supervising Support Roundtable Discussion, 6/5
This two-hour, HRS-led roundtable offers supervisors a space to discuss questions and challenges related to recruitment, performance management, and correction.
Open to those who have completed the core WSU Training for Supervisors.
Form I-9 Processing, 6/12
Led by HRS staff, this essential course covers Form I-9 requirements, processor responsibilities, and federal compliance guidelines. Participants will learn how to complete all sections of the form, understand re-verification vs. rehire procedures, and identify acceptable documents. This session will also include an opportunity for Q&A to address specific concerns.
WSU requires all I-9 processors to attend this in-person training and complete Percipio training annually.
Foundations of Academic Advising, Pt. 1, 6/18
In this course, participants explore the foundation of advising, basic tools, and knowledge needed to assist students through their academic advising experience. It provides hands-on opportunities, including in-depth information about the tools and resources available to advisors at WSU.
Managing Difficult Situations Involving Bias and Harassment, 6/25
This interactive workshop explores your role in handling complaints, navigating the personal and external pressures involved, practicing difficult conversations, and strengthening collaboration with key offices during challenging situations.
Content Credit: Carey Musburger, Learning and Organizational Development Sr. Assistant