Presenter: Monique Matlock-Dees
Session Description:
Stepping into a leadership role often brings visible changes in responsibility, scope, and expectations. Less visible, but equally impactful, is the internal shift that accompanies this change, especially for first-time supervisors and managers across campus.
This session invites UC staff to explore an often under-discussed dimension of leadership development: the internal experience of moving from an individual contributor role into a first-time leadership position. The session is informed by recent workforce research from Deloitte and Gallup, as well as insights drawn from UC staff survey data, to highlight how leadership presence, self-awareness, and relational dynamics shape staff experience.
Presented through the lens of a UC Berkeley Executive Assistant who works closely with leadership while remaining deeply connected to staff across departments, this session centers the everyday realities of leadership transitions as they show up in meetings, relationships, communication, and decision-making.
Participants will engage in guided reflection and interactive discussion prompts that invite consideration of what makes leadership experiences supportive, challenging, or impactful. The session emphasizes human-centered leadership qualities such as compassion, relational trust, and self-awareness, which remain essential as organizations increasingly rely on systems and automation to support technical work.
This workshop supports the conference theme Explore Your Potential, Empower Our Future by inviting staff to reflect on the internal foundations of leadership that enable sustainable growth, strong relationships, and a healthier future of work across the UC system.
Learning Outcomes:
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Describe the often-under-discussed internal experience of transitioning from an individual contributor role into a first-time leadership position.
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Identify human-centered leadership qualities that remain essential in evolving organizational environments.
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Reflect on how internal awareness supports compassion, resilience, and relational trust in leadership roles.
Materials: