Talk with your direct reports about what excitement on the job looks like to them and assign more challenging assignments and a greater variety of opportunities.

Talk with your supervisor about joining Voices of Staff or another U-M professional group.

Talk to your supervisor about appropriate unit committees to serve on and how to go about joining one.

Talk to your supervisor about shadowing the unit leader on site visits to groups throughout the organization to gain a better understanding of the work they do.

Talk to your supervisor about workflow processes found in your group, specifically where your responsibilities fit.

Talk to the next person you are in conflict with. Address events or behaviors, not personality and identify areas of agreement and disagreement.

Talk to one of your mentors about professional organization committees or work groups to join and how to do so.

Talk to colleagues within and outside of your department for suggestions about a particular resource that is needed for your department.

Talk about a direct report's stretch goals and plans with your supervisor. Your supervisor may be able to offer recommendations that you have not considered.

Take time to learn and identify the formal and informal structures that exist in your unit: who wields power, who controls work flow, who makes decisions and who carries them out.