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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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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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Overcome Office Dysfunction
Here’s the truth: There ARE more effective ways to deal with frustration in the workplace – some simple tips can show you how and when to implement the tools necessary to transform negative workplace dynamics and office politics. Even though you can’t control people or situations, you can take charge of the way you respond. Reclaim YOUR power today… Ready to Change Your Response… and Change Your Results? Well… I’m showing you how it’s done and sharing examples in this recent TAI Talk video! Click PLAY to watch it NOW! Are you tired of responding to triggering situations and workplace conflict in ways you later regret? Are you frustrated by…
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Change your response, transform your results
I don’t know about you, but stories have always helped me take a concept and really experience it… digest it… learn from it. That said, I’d like to share a story with you about a client of mine who had to deal with a difficult workplace situation that I know you’ll be able to relate to. I shared the whole story and a lot more on workplace triggers and emotions when I gave a TAI talk recently, and you can watch the entire video here. Julie Before: In an Emotionally Triggering Situation Julie told me that she’d been really anxious and had been carefully preparing to attend a presentation in…
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Less Conflict at Work: Is it Really Possible?
I’ve been hearing from so many people about the difficult situations they’re encountering at work – tangled conflicts, mismanaged situations, ego-driven politics, and escalating tensions – to name just a few. And the results of workplace conflict are catastrophic to any business! In the 30 years I’ve been doing training and organizational change work, my own perspective has changed a lot. I used to believe that all people needed was to attend one of my workshops and they would quickly and easily change their behaviors. Just like that, they’d walk out of my workshop and immediately start creating greater productivity and inclusion in the workplace. Easy, right? Are you laughing…
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ANNOUNCING: The Center for Transformation and Change
It was a great day! Recently, one of the people in my year-long Certification Program observed me facilitating a day-long workshop on creating inclusive organizations. I believed she learned a lot and I appreciated her observations and feedback as we debriefed over dinner. Each passing day since the election, I am ever more deeply committed to work with a small group of bad-ass change agents in this Certification Program! Can you relate to being on this roller-coaster of extreme emotions since November? Feeling rage, grief, fear, disbelief, and now also a deep sense of urgency and resolve that we each must move fully into our power, consistently speak our truth,…
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Transforming Lives and Changing the World
As I move moment by moment with the deep grief and rage I feel, I am so clear we each must move into our power, speak our truth, and mobilize others to heal the world. People see me as a powerful mobilizer who creates change and stimulates growth. People tell me that I can take people from denial and complacency to inspiration and action. I have a reputation of being someone who can move people who have been written off as unreachable or unchangeable. A lot of people think this came naturally to me; that it’s just a gift I have and other people don’t. But I’m going to let…
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The New Normal
In response to an interview question this morning about the needs of students of color on campuses, I said they need white administrators, faculty and staff who consistently demonstrate the competence to create inclusive campus environments for all students and to dismantle any racist policies, practices and programs that exist. And I am now remembering something I said during a panel at the ACPA 2013 Convention: “There is a new normal ~ It is no longer acceptable for student affairs staff to not demonstrate a moderate, continuously developing, level of awareness and skill around issues of equity, inclusion, and social justice.” We can no longer afford to have lower expectations…
