It’s here Reader, It’s Election Day. As a leader, you’re often called to manage stress on multiple fronts, especially if you hold one or more historically marginalized identities. I wanted to share some resources and practices to support you through the unique pressures that often accompany elections, whether federal or local. Here are a few grounding practices to help manage the moments ahead: 1.Moderate Your News Intake: In a recent session, I reminded clients that they have the power to...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, We set managers up to fail. Or, at the very least, to struggle because we haven’t given them the proper tools to be successful at a very complex job—the job of: managing the professional development of their people, ensuring the emotional well-being of their teams, and manifesting the ideal organizational culture espoused on the company’s marketing materials. When I received my first promotion at my last job, it was because the CEO recognized my individual performance, my strategy,...
6 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Here's something that might be missing from your team’s toolbox— Written Team Agreements. These are the often-overlooked, yet incredibly powerful tools that can significantly transform your work culture. What Are Team Agreements? Simply put, Team Agreements are the shared expectations that define how your team interacts, communicates, and works together. They’re more than just a set of rules; they’re a collective understanding that helps create a cohesive, respectful, and...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I shared a message on my personal Facebook page yesterday because it was my first official day back to work. I made the last-minute to cancel the email that I had originally planned to share with you today. And instead, I’m going to share that Facebook post. But first, some context: As an organizational culture change and DEI consultant, I can tell you that organizations hire me to help them solve a variety of challenges. Though each client's challenge may be slightly different,...
8 months ago • 4 min read
It's a lot Reader, When Simone Biles chose her mental and physical health, and decided to stop competing in the Tokyo Olympics after winning a silver and bronze medal, critics and social media keyboard warriors alike said she abandoned her team and the United States. It seemed, they would have preferred she risk her mental and physical health in death-defying tumbles and flips, to prove some sort of American Invincibility. Only, she wasn’t invincible. She was human. And she was sick. Upon...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Dearest Gentle Reader, For years, one of the biggest issues impacting organizational culture has been how to foster positive working relationships among colleagues. To achieve positive relationships at work, my professional experience and what the research shows is that we need to cultivate the right mix of trust and respect. Most importantly, organizational leaders must create space, time, and budget to foster connections. Since COVID sparked the shift to remote and hybrid work, studies have...
10 months ago • 2 min read
Well hello Reader! I recently had the opportunity to dive deep into the topic of navigating difficult conversations, both in 2 client trainings this month, and then today inside of our Culture Change membership community. As someone who has been training and coaching on this subject for years, I’ve noticed that most people who want training or coaching on having “difficult conversations” think the work begins in the dialogue between two people. However, some of the most important work to...
10 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, You've probably seen that a US Federal Court of Appeals panel has suspended the Fearless Fund’s Striver Program for Black women entrepreneurs. This program awards $20k grants to Black business owners in an attempt to correct historical injustices and disinvestment in black owned businesses. The goal: foster more Black women business owners. One study I saw showed that less than 0.05% (that's less than one-half of one percent) of Venture Capital investment goes to businesses founded...
10 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, When I was a little girl, I often heard the elders in my family say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we know this wisdom, why do we often wait for things to get bad before taking action? Just on face when it comes to heath, after years working with public health agencies and healthcare organizations, I’ve seen the stats firsthand: investments in prevention and early detection are overwhelmingly better approaches than waiting until symptoms appear or an illness...
10 months ago • 4 min read