Life Lessons
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COVID Pandemic: A Threat to EDI Efforts – or an Opportunity for Leaders to Innovate?
“We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” ― Kenji Miyazawa Our mission as change agents has never been tougher. The global crisis caused by the pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives. While we have heard and witnessed many acts of kindness and goodwill, the ugliness of racist slurs, longstanding prejudices and hatreds has ballooned as some look to lay blame for what has happened. Consequential to the Pandemic, Deep Inequities Become Obvious The pandemic has spotlighted the cracks and brought to the surface the inequities that are in our current system. Let us embrace this time for thoughtful analysis and to think…
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In Life, Change Is the Only Certainty
In what seemed an instant, our lives were changed. Most of us still have the look on our faces of a deer caught in the blinding glare of oncoming headlights. Our faces show it. Our insides feel it. Suddenly, the fabric of our daily lives was torn away in ways never before experienced: schools closed, businesses shuttered and working from home has become the new normal, for many. And a concept our world never contemplated – social distancing- has become almost a law. Cities in lockdown, no hand shaking, no close contact. In a world so social, we are locked down, sheltering in place. And for many, this could…
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Emotional Intelligence: Your Key to Navigating Difficult Situations
We all know what IQ is: a rating of your intelligence based on test results. But how about Emotional Intelligence? Do you know how you rate? Do you know what it is? Simply put, emotional intelligence is: Your ability to not only be aware of, understand and manage your emotions, but to effectively recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others around you. How strong your emotional intelligence is can be an extremely influential factor in your career success. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou Do…
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Bad-Ass Change Agents: Self Care Isn’t Selfish
We can be our own worst enemies. We take on tasks we don’t have time for, that aren’t even our responsibility. We work too many hours, cut back on sleep and stuff ourselves with junk food because it’s quick and easy. And if that’s not enough, we feel guilty for saying ‘no’ when anyone asks something of us. Can you relate? I know you can! We need to consciously make self-care and community care a priority in our lives – as it should be. “I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” -Audre…
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Stress Influences Our Reactions to Triggering Events
Ever pay attention that when life goes smoothly, nothing much bothers you? And you think, yeah, I’ve ‘fixed’ all my problems…you feel pretty good about yourself – and about your ability to handle difficult situations. You’ve got it covered. But gradually, daily stressors build up. Life drains us. We get worn out, preoccupied with ever-increasing demands – and as a result, react more emotionally and more deeply to triggering situations than we would have in our ‘life is good’ days. Can you relate? Recognizing The Cumulative Impact of Recent Experiences When we’re under a great deal of stress, we can perceive situations differently. For instance, a client related…
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Having to dig deep today as a change agent
As a change agent, I have committed my life to teaching and sharing the skills and strategies to navigate difficult situations and create truly inclusive, socially just organizations while maintaining the passion and energy critical to create meaningful, sustainable change. But today, I am struggling to use these tools in my own life. On a roller coaster, wondering what it is all for… This roller coaster of extreme emotions from Alabama last week to the tax scam this week… from feeling so useful this week as I coached so many brilliant, talented people to waking up today wondering what it is all for…. And yet I know we will move…
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5 Practical Strategies to Overcome Burnout When You’re a Change Agent
Social Justice Change Agents, Can You Relate? Burnout. Passion fatigue. It’s something I’m seeing a lot more of these days. And yes, bad-ass change agents, I’m seeing it in you, too. You’re on the front lines working tirelessly for social justice and greater inclusion in our organizations and our world. But… Too Many Change Agents Are Neglecting Self-Care As an advocate and activist, you’re going out there every day putting in long hours to create meaningful change as you bring awareness to social justice issues. In the midst of all this, way too many of us are neglecting self-care. Answer me this: How often do you feel depleted? Had your…
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Increase Your Effectiveness: Pointers to Help You Navigate Challenging Situations
In a recent post, I talked briefly about what to do when you encounter a challenging situation. Now, I’m going deeper into this topic with pointers to help you respond more effectively. Have you ever felt… -a wave of emotion come over you that you weren’t expecting? -knocked off your game? -like your buttons are being pushed? -angry, scared, nervous, embarrassed or excited to the point where you couldn’t think straight? These are all what I call triggering moments. In response, you may say or do something you really wished you hadn’t. Triggers aren’t always negative… You’re prepping for a party when the doorbell rings. You feel awash with…
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What To Do When Your Buttons Get Pushed: Tools To Help You Respond In Difficult Situations
Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’re at work when someone says something that rubs you the wrong way. It takes you off guard. Now you’re hooked…and before you realize it, you’ve said something you know you’re going to regret later on. Who hasn’t encountered a situation like this? I know I have, many times. Rise Above… In an interview with Liz Wolfe, a breakthrough coach for entrepreneurs, we talked about my book Turn the Tide: Rise Above Toxic, Difficult Situations in the Workplace. Really, this book goes beyond difficult situations in the workplace – I wanted to reach a broad audience because we all encounter tough situations – at…
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Lessons from a Cockroach
I have always hated cockroaches and so imagine my revulsion as I saw THE BIGGEST COCKROACH EVER as I left the gym just now. I thought to crush it, then had a moment to wonder what message its appearance might be bringing me….And as I Googled “Cockroach totem”, half thinking there could never be anything on this, to my surprise, I found numerous sites! From www.Linsdomain.com I got fabulous insights and messages that resonated, like: “Clean out the dead and useless aspects” of your life I had spent some time this past weekend clearing away old, unneeded things in the apartment…as well as making a pledge for a “no complaints”…
