Thriving Together: A Self-Care Action Plan for Allies, Builders & Collaborators

Streamed Session Leadership

Brief Abstract

Higher education professionals lead situationally or within defined roles. These leadership actions require that they become Allies, Builders, or Collaborators who plan for and care for others. This session will encourage higher education professionals to use the eight foundational principles of self-care to create an action plan that drives intentional focus and accountability.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Florence Williams, University of Central Florida

Flo Williams works as a faculty instructional designer at the University of Central Florida. In this role, she engages in pedagogical faculty support. Her work with faculty includes faculty coaching, mentoring, and designing and developing online and blended courses. Her volunteer efforts support quality and sustainable engagement practices in the Higher Education Milieu.

Extended Abstract

Why is this session important?

Higher education professionals are expected to lead situationally or within defined roles. These leadership actions require that they become Allies, Builders, or Collaborators who plan for and take care of others. This session seeks to encourage higher ed professionals to work with a team (starting with session attendees) using the eight foundational principles of self-care to create an action plan that drives intentional focus and accountability. Attendees will be encouraged to acknowledge themselves as a starting point for identifying triggers, coping mechanisms, and support systems that will proactively support well-being in the job and by extension in their lives. The engagement aims to help attendees to identify options for stress management, taking on the mantra of putting on their mask first as directed by in-flight safety briefings. Spending time to care for others depeltes the energies of those in leadership and support positions and can lead to burnout. It is important in higher education to create a space to normalize the discussion while identifying opportunities to thrive by creating success pathways together and holding each other accountable in the process.

Audience Engagement 

Attendees will gain increased self-awareness through shared ideation on Jamboard or Padlet. They will answer questions related to their work and situational triggers, list coping strategies, identify support systems and resources, identify a schedule of self-care activities and a timeline for implementation with a selected accountability strategy and cadence of revision for the plan/s. The Jamboard or padlet will use anonymous responses to encourage open sharing. The session will use the engagement approach of turn-and-talk “shoulder partners” to get attendees to select ideas and strategies from the board to discuss and share with the wider audience.

Take-Away

A self-care action plan identifies the process - what, practice - how, promotion-why and persistence-when of a frame of reference that is applicable for well-being. 

Attendees will have a self-care action plan template they will fill out during the session and continue to add new resources as they get back into regular work cycles. Attendees will also be encouraged to choose an accountability partner within the room and one at their local site (work or home) who will help them to implement the self-care action plan and hold each other accountable while remaining non-judgmental. The overall goal is to connect around the idea of wellness and well-being and to support each other as part of a growing community of professionals who care about ourselves to care about and for others.

Well-being Network 

Attendees will be encouraged to connect in 30 days to provide feedback using a SOAR analysis of their implementation and changes if any in their self-care practice.