Ask a person you just met about a hobby or passion that they have. Ask open ended questions, leaving out your opinions.

Ask a colleague to proofread a communication pertaining to a change in your office.

Arrange to make presentations sharing your expertise and an initiative or project from your unit to other U-M stakeholders, other universities, and community and professional organizations.

Adjust a message that you have created for a professional or civic organization so that two different audiences can understand and derive maximum impact from it. Use stories to drive your message.

Address an obstacle as an opportunity to identify other perspectives and approaches to reach the intended goal. Brainstorm with your group and develop alternative approaches.

Address a task that challenges you (e.g., taxes), and identify ways to make it easier for yourself. After filing, reflect on the new system you used.

Address a difficult problem that others have been unable to solve.

Accept personal responsibility for issues involving your projects and take appropriate measures to resolve them.