My hope is in approaching myself and others with compassion, saying “no” when I need to, and being open to hearing “no” from others can be a starting point for seeking ways to adjust our culture. My hope is that we come to value each other too much to ever want anyone to harm themselves to give us a yes answer. As leaders, it’s up to us to make room for ourselves and each other to be human.
Why is change so difficult? Whenever we ask our clients to tell us how they react to change, their answers typically include more anxiety and concern than excitement and hope. Even a “good” change, like getting a promotion or moving to a lovely new home, can cause stress and anxiety, partly because when we make any kind of change, we cannot be fully sure of how our circumstances will be impacted. As great change leaders, a big part of our job is to help allay the fears of those we are asking to change. At Integrated Work, we call this the 4D Model of Change Leadership: Design, Develop, Delegate and Do.
It has been a year full of hardships and change, sprinkled with the occasional silver lining but the struggle is real. The long-term effects of these challenging events will not be fully known for some time, but we DO know that in times of significant stress, cultivating mindfulness allows us to stay in the present and increases both our effectiveness and personal well-being. A simple mantra to remember when the stress begins to overwhelm is to “Begin with BREATH.”
As we set our goals and create plans for this year, it is important to look back at how our lives have been changed significantly in the past months. From working at home to homeschooling kids, increased daily distractions became part of all these changes. Here are some of the things I want to highlight from Eyal’s book that resonated with me, and I hope you will find them useful, too…
Are you a boomer with a “love and hate” relationship with Zoom? Here’s our take on the boomer-turned-Zoomer dilemma. Also, don’t miss how we used Zoom during our team’s staff retreat.
The diversity and inclusion concept of cultural humility is an instrument employed by institutions and organizations that seek to achieve cultural transformation. In her TEDx talk on Cultural Humility, Juliana Mosley challenges us to practice cultural humility so we may observe our own personal biases and collectively learn to embrace, appreciate, and live communally with those who are different from us.
In his seven-and-a-half-minute video, “Staying Sane and Effective When the World is Upside Down,” Ed Batista, Harvard Business School lecturer, offers some new perspectives and helpful tips for navigating the stressful times in life. Check it out!
How can leaders at all levels of an organization help their teams to shift and pivot in times of great uncertainty? The answer seems to lie in being exceedingly human and in taking care of the people you work with.
Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you don’t need to take time to stretch! Actually, you might need a stretch break even more. Here’s a short list of quick and simple stretches to get you started.
