How many aspects of your identity are visible to those around you? How many are invisible, or at least not intuitive? If you’re like a lot of people, your identity is – as we’ve mentioned before – like an iceberg, with the vast majority (90% in the case of icebergs) being under the surface, andContinue reading “What are Unique Diversity and Diverse Unity?”
Category Archives: Perspectives
“Slavery Isn’t Part of My Country’s History…” – Uh, Really??
Recently I have been part of a few groups with a daunting yet powerful assignment: tracing and sharing your “racial autobiography.” The prompts include personal reflections on your earliest awareness of race, your country/culture of origin, experiences of othering, your family lineage and how it has connected with systemically racist policies, and a lot more.Continue reading ““Slavery Isn’t Part of My Country’s History…” – Uh, Really??”
What are Your Unspoken Agreements?
Screenwriter John August recently asked a thought-provoking question on his podcast Scriptnotes (co-hosted by The Last of Us writer/showrunner Craig Mazin): When someone mentions the 1960s, what comes to mind for you? If you’re in the Western world, your answers probably include JFK, Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, The Beatles, flower power,Continue reading “What are Your Unspoken Agreements?”
“There is No Such Thing as a Safe Space”
This week, two horrific videos were released to the public: the first, bodycam footage showing the violent hammer attack on Paul Pelosi – husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi – in his home; the second, the violent beating by police of 29 year-old Tyre Nichols during a routine traffic stop, resulting in his deathContinue reading ““There is No Such Thing as a Safe Space””
Completing 2022 and Moving On to 2023
As we move towards the end of another year full of challenges and growth, successes and failures, many of us are looking for ways to bring closure to the year and recharge for the new year. Depending on your role, a clean break from work may not be possible (if this it true for you,Continue reading “Completing 2022 and Moving On to 2023”
Using the “Whoa Test” in Everyday Conversations
Are you familiar with deepfakes? These are manipulated videos using AI technology to make a person appear to do or say something they did not, and they are more than just convincingly believable – it takes active disbelief in what your eyes are seeing to know that some deepfakes are in fact, fake. And deepfakeContinue reading “Using the “Whoa Test” in Everyday Conversations”
Banquet, Potluck, and Thanksgiving Models of Leadership
While the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US has a controversial history and our cultural retelling of it is inaccurate, the traditional Thanksgiving meal can help us reflect on how we lead others. This week seems an appropriate time to revisit the ideas of Banquet Leadership, Potluck Leadership, and the hybrid model we call Thanksgiving Leadership. If you’veContinue reading “Banquet, Potluck, and Thanksgiving Models of Leadership”
Wakanda Forever: Acknowledging Grief and Loss at Work
Writer/director Ryan Coogler faced a nearly impossible task in creating Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The sequel to the 2018 Black Panther movie needed to acknowledge and honor the shocking death of the franchise’s lead actor Chadwick Boseman while also finding ways to move on, for the story’s characters, for the hundreds of actors and behind-the-cameraContinue reading “Wakanda Forever: Acknowledging Grief and Loss at Work”
Keeping Faith in Authenticity
Formal, structured conversations have a particular feeling unlike any other. Think of job interviews. How many have you been a part of – either as the interviewee or one of the interviewers? Remember the tension in the air? The desire to impress? The fear of screwing up? In the executive coaching work I do, role-playsContinue reading “Keeping Faith in Authenticity”
Keeping Questions Casual
Here in the US, it’s the spookiest time of year. No, not Halloween… Election season! I wonder if you too have been receiving emails (or texts) with calls for immediate action, and questions like “Why haven’t you [donated/called/supported]?!” The uptick in demands – from both sides of the political spectrum – is always alarming duringContinue reading “Keeping Questions Casual”
Building Bridges Leadership 