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Roaring 2020s Leadership, Wellness and DEI

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New Year’s Resolutions check-in time!  Our Roaring 2020s discussion continues in 2022 with a focus on leadership, wellness and DEI (Diversity—Equity—Inclusion). Speaking of wellness, I have a personal goal of living happily and healthfully to one hundred.  To that end, I do a 3-week cleanse 3-times a year. This year, I took advantage of the Omicron wave to avoid going out (another resolution is to avoid CoVid, if at all possible) while I did a restricted, elimination-diet cleanse. It’s giving me a fantastic feeling to start the new year!  How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions?

My Roaring 2020s partners:

Kimberly Layne: https://www.kimberly-layne.com/

Twiana Armstrong: https://linkedin.com/in/twianaarmstrong

#Roaring2020s #Leadership #Wellness #DEI #DiversityEquityInclusion

[Transcript]

[Twiana Armstrong]

As we forge into 2022, 3 key and critical life impacts command attention – leadership, mental health/wellness and DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion. Leadership – whether leading a team or leading self, in order to realize results, cement accomplishments, or even fulfill personal achievements, a strategic plan is required. Mental health – pandemics on multiple fronts continue to plague our sensibilities. Self-care is a priority, assuring we are taking care of ourselves so that we can take care of those in our ecosystem. Thirdly, DEI – We must sustain our efforts to ensure that every person is seen and heard. Strategic plans must include goals and objectives for saturating belongingness into our lives. Join us every month in 2022 as we explore leadership, mental health and DEI, as we share how we as leaders can and should make positive impacts in each arena.  We encourage you to engage in the conversation, share your point of view and perspectives – utilize the platform to educate and to learn.  Steven Maraboli tells us “We were placed on this earth to achieve our greatest self, to live out our purpose and to do it courageously!” Leaders, as you define normal in 2022, make space to build clarity around leadership mental health and DEI.

[Matt Schlegel]

Thanks, Twiana And Happy New Year to you both! I am delighted that we’re starting the year on the topic of wellness. I have a overarching goal of living happily and healthfully to a hundred. So wellness is a big part of that. Typically I do a 3 week cleanse three times a year. It’s hard to find 3 weeks in a row when there aren’t fun things going on that make it hard to stay on the cleanse. Well this year I’m taking advantage of the Omicron wave while I am hunkering down to do my cleanse. Now Clearly getting Covid would not make me happy nor healthy nor help me live to a hundred, so I want to avoid it if at all possible. And Because I am not going out, I’m happy to report that I have been able to stick with the cleanse perhaps the best ever. And, I’m loving how I’m feeling now. The first week was a little rough, mostly from coffee withdrawal. Now in the second week, my energy’s back and I have all the energy that I used to have but used to relied on coffee for. It’s great to see my body snap back and respond so well. So that’s how I am starting off my Roaring 2022. How about you, Kimberly.

[Kimberly Layne]

Forty percent of our working population experienced mental illness such as sever depression and anxiety in 2021. Yes, that number is scary but what is the even bigger concern is that this forty percent is double the figure from the previous year.

We are on an increasing trend of mental illness, depression, feelings of isolation, anxiety, in the workplace. I speak often about the isolation epidemic where 50% of Americans feel isolated, (before the pandemic) and with the onset of covid went up as high at 80%.

Working from home, family illness, the increased ambiguity, uncertainty, and lack of social and physical contact in our working environment, has led to these increasing numbers. We as organization, and leaders must ensure we put a lens on the overall wellbeing of our people, not just physically but mentally. We must make a conscious plan and effort to allow for our people to feel safe to express their own challenges in their emotional wellbeing.

In my role as Principal at Performance Leadership Intl. I am passionate about engaging leaders to be more conscious of how they lead, manage, and communicate When I coach and consult with leaders and teams I do so with the intent to create more connection, by defining  better ways to engage, motivate, and affirm our employees and teams.. When we do this as leaders, we help the workplace become the new thriving community place where everyone feels heard, valued, supported, and most importantly belong.

 

Join us as we discuss these important topics of Dei, mental health and emotional wellness in the workplace in our 2022 series.

What are you doing at your organization and as a leader to ensure D@A, wellness, and mental health stereotypes are eliminated and your people feel safe to express who they are, how they feel, and what emotional and wellbeing challenges they may be facing that inhibit them from being and doing their best?

 

 

Celebrating Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan for Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

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For Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, I am celebrating the amazing lives of Helen Keller and her teacher and lifelong companion Anne Sullivan.

[Transcript]

When I was in grade school, Helen Keller fascinated me.  I can’t tell you how many times I read my Scholastic book of her story.  Reflecting back on that fascination, I am sure it has to do with my being an Enneagram Type 6.  I could imagine and empathize with how it must have been for her to navigate the world in complete darkness… in complete silence… with the two senses I most rely on being completely inaccessible. These thoughts truly terrified my young self….  And yet, her story is so inspiring… even obligating.  Everything that she was able to overcome, everything that she was able to accomplish.  If young Helen Keller could do all that, then certainly my privileged, able self is obligated to put in the effort to be my best.  Helen Keller gave me courage to be my best self.

March is Developmental Disability Awareness month.

And here I would like to acknowledge another important person in Helen Keller’s journey, Anne Sullivan, her teacher and life-long companion. Sullivan patiently nurtured Keller to become a prolific author and activist touring the world to help those with disabilities.  Both Sullivan and Keller recognized the potential of all humans to fully contribute given right support.

The movie Crip Camp was released last year telling the story of the fight for the American’s with Disabilities Act. I  strongly recommend you watch this inspirational story.  I hope that you, like I, come away feeling a sense of pride for how that law has extended civil rights to those with disabilities. And I close with the words of one of Helen Keller’s inspirational figures, Mahatma Gandhi who said, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

Thanks for listening.

Crip Camp Documentary:

https://www.netflix.com/title/81001496

Helen Keller essay on Mahatma Gandhi:

https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK02-B224-F05-008

 

 

Celebrating Frederick Douglass for Black History Month

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For Black History Month, I am celebrating the amazing life of Frederick Douglass.

Here is a link to the rendition of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”  speech that inspired me to study Douglass more:

https://youtu.be/O0baE_CtU08

Here is the transcript of my video:

I am an avid podcast listener which is how I came to hear James Earl Jones’ rendition of Frederick Douglass’ speech entitled, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”

While the title alone is provocative, the speech itself is stunning and eye opening.

For instance: “Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?”

Douglass presented a new perspective for me, one that is certainly as important as any other perspective or meaning attributable to that day.

Frederick Douglass was Born a slave in Maryland in 1818.

He started to learn to read at age 12 despite the wishes of his master

He escaped NY 1838, at age 20yo, but lived in fear of being captured.

He left for Great Britain in 1845 (27 y.o.) where he saw and experienced a society with no segregation by race – it’s possible!

Resolved to create such a society in America, he returned in 1847 to fight for abolition.

He started the first abolitionist newspaper, the North Star, and continued writing.

During the civil war, he conferred with Lincoln on the participation of African Americans in the army.

After the war, he conferred with Andrew Johnson on Suffrage.

The 10 years after the war, the Reconstruction era, was a period of great progress for African Americans.

Douglass continued the fight for voting rights, while using his newspaper to document this era of progress.

Notably, in 1872, at age 54, Douglass was the first African American nominated for Vice President of the US —  our current VP follows in his footsteps.

Regrettably, during Reconstruction there arose the backlash in the south that led to the passing of Jim Crow laws.

He died in 1895, the year before the supreme court ruled on Plessy vs. Ferguson, the “separate but equal law.”

Born as a slave in Antebellum South, Escaping Slavery, Fighting for Abolition, living through the  Civil War, Reconstruction, and then the Southern backlash leading to Jim Crow—we  have Frederick Douglass’ powerful words to memorialize this monumental period in American history from the perspective of the African American experience.

Please join me in celebrating black history month and Frederick Douglass’ prolific contributions.

Listen to his moving speech and explore Douglass’ history and writings.

In closing, I will leave you with Frederick Douglass’ own words. I found this quote particularly poignant now amidst recent calls for “unity.”

“I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.”

Need Inspiration? Ask Ben!

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When are you at your creative best? For some it comes when you’re under stress. For others, when you’re calm and relaxed. Does inspiration come to you out of the blue or while you’re actively thinking? What are your personal creative thinking techniques?

Ask Ben Franklin

When I have a challenging problem and no ready solution, I’ve learned a technique that gives me an answer. It goes like this—before drifting off to sleep, imagine presenting your problem to someone you trust and admire. When you awake in the morning, you have the answer. It’s amazing how well this technique works for me.   The person I ask is Ben Franklin. I imagine walking down steps from the street to his basement workshop where he’s working on a project.  He looks up at me, and I explain what I need. Then I go to sleep. Just like a newspaper, Ben delivers in the morning.

Daydream Believer

How do you access your creative ideas? Do they come consciously or subconsciously?  While Ben helps me access my subconscious, intuitive creativity, mainly my inspiration comes while I’m conscious. I’m very prone to daydreaming, especially when I’m trying to read!  Ever had to reread a page multiple times because you get to the bottom and realize you don’t remember a thing?  Some of my best ideas come as I daydream while “reading.”  Daydreaming is one of my favorite creative thinking techniques.

Head, Heart or Gut?

The Enneagram model describes three centers—head (thinking), heart (feelings) and gut (intuition).  Creativity and inspiration can come from any of these three.  My daydream inspiration definitely comes from my head.  I suspect that Ben is delivering intuitive inspiration from my gut. But what about feelings from the heart?  How can I access creativity through feelings?

Chillin’ with the Remote

The most common way I engage with my feelings is by listening to music and watching TV.  There’s something in the way it moves me that invokes feelings. For me, this is much more about relaxation and recreation than inspiration. However, for musicians and filmmakers, those feelings may be fertile ground for inspiration.  The creative process is different for different people.  As is the ability to be creative under pressure.

Performing Under Pressure

How are you at thinking on your feet? Those that have ready access to their intuitive inspiration (without having to go to sleep) tend to have easier access to creative ideas while under pressure.  I believe this is also true for those that are accessing inspiration from their feelings. For those of us in our heads, it can be another story. Personally, when the pressure’s on, my anxiety levels rise and mask my ability to think on the spot. I am much more creative when I am relaxed.

Diversity of Creative Skills

Problem solving and creative thinking in the workplace go hand in hand. Creative problem solving involves ideation and inspiration. Given that each of us has a distinct source of inspiration—head, heart, or gut—with easier or harder access based on stress levels, having a diverse team with different creative techniques ensures your team has a creative source under any circumstance. The Enneagram serves as a framework for each of these creative problem solving approaches. I explain this framework in detail in chapter 6 of Teamwork 9.0. Each of the nine Enneagram types provides a distinct creative skill. A team with diverse Enneagram types can deliver diverse approaches to creative problem solving.

What creative problem-solving techniques do you use? From where do you source your inspiration? Under what circumstances are you most creative?  Do you think better under pressure or when relaxed? Knowing your creative style guides you to being your creative best!

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