Myname: Laurel Barnes
Mycompany: University of Michigan Health System
Mytitle: Senior Manager, Learning Management
Mylocation: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Bestbusiness advice I ever received: To build andmaintain effective relationships. This fundamental habit has helped my careerimmensely. The sixth habit in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is synergy. He discusseshow we can achieve so much more when we engage in effective relationships withothers than if we acted alone. I wholeheartedly agree with this advice.
Mostdaring personal career move: My most daring careermove happened last year. For more than 17 years, I managed a group ofinstructional designers, technical writers, and multimedia experts thatsupported the University of Michigan’s enterprise IT systems with training anddocumentation. I loved my job and the people I worked with.
In February 2016, I took a new positionacross town with the University of Michigan Health System. My new role in thisjob focuses on managing the technology, hardware, and software that supportsthe learning of over 26,000 medical faculty, staff, and students. It was a harddecision to move out of my comfort zone, but I am so glad that I did it! I havegrown so much in the past year, and I am continually challenged. I am excitedfor what 2018 will bring.
WhatI’m most proud of: I am most proud of theopportunities I have had to positively impact others: challenging, mentoring,and inspiring people to excel and grow, and experiencing success wherever theirdeveloping talents take them. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing thestaff I supervise and the peers I support move on to bigger and betteropportunities, and watching them influence their newly adopted environments inpositive and dynamic ways.
Currentworkplace challenge: Changeis hard. Like most organizations, the University of Michigan and the Universityof Michigan Health System have undergone many organizational changes. Change inmy work environment is constant. This can be stressful and uncertain forpeople.
One way I mitigate ongoing change is tolearn all I can about the change, and to maintain open and clear lines of communication.Each reorganization means changes in how people are managed and how work isdone. With effective communication, the negative effects of change can beminimized.
Somethingpeople don’t know about me: I love weaving! I enjoytaking yarn and turning it into fabric for an article of clothing, a tablecloth,or a wall ornament. It can take hours to complete, but it makes me happy andkeeps me sane.
As a result of my recreational passion, Iam now a published author! I recently had an article published in Handwoven, a national journal forweavers. The article has special significance because I was writing about atable runner I had made for my niece’s wedding reception.
