Hitting the Reset Button: Why Backing Up and Punting is an Impactful “New Normal” Leadership Move

Hitting the Reset Button: Why Backing Up and Punting is an Impactful “New Normal” Leadership Move

December 5, 2022ColleenLeadershipLeave a comment

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
– Anne Lamotte

I love Anne Lamotte! She makes me laugh every time 😊. A professional writer known for her witty – and raw – takes on what it means to be human in this messy, painful, and complicated world, yes. And she’s also a human being who, like many of us, is on her own journey of learning to be her Best Self.

When it comes to unplugging for a bit, boy can I relate! For a long time, running around like a chicken with busy-ness was my primary drug of choice: I loved it. It kept me from not having to feel or work through things I really needed to feel and work through.

Extreme Busy-ness Worked For Me – Until it Didn’t.

I distinctly remember one Saturday evening sitting down among friends in Paris fed up with my own unhealthy pattern of pushing myself way past my limits – to the degree that I had mistakenly filled up my diesel car with gasoline instead and arrived abashedly late to our gathering!  My plan to rush ahead and save time had backfired, to say the least…(lol)

While meditation, yoga and regular trips to the beach do a good job of slowing me down often enough now, so that I can role model “Go Slow to Go Fast” – a leadership tenet I often speak of – I can still find myself with a way-too-full-plate and a never-ending agenda. That’s when I need to unplug in a different way.

The end of the calendar year is perfect for resetting for many of us. Whether we celebrate one of the holidays, take off to warmer climates (as I love to do 😊), or just plain take stock of the previous year, re-setting away from our normal schedules is not only good for our physical and mental health, but it also helps us to understand what’s working well in the normal course of our lives – and what needs shifting.

And this is especially necessary with the “new normal” we have all found ourselves in.

Leaders Need to Respond to New Challenges

As I look around, it seems most everyone is on continual overwhelm with the constant changes that beset us each day.

In an interview, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and author of Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, says that post pandemic, the world is all over the place:

“What was yesterday isn’t today and that’s going to require some intentionality around changing people’s mindset around that.”

Time for a Reset: How Can Leaders Navigate These Unprecedented Changes?

Some simple advice:

  • Expect change. All the time. Employees today aren’t interested in decades of seniority. Today’s workers job jump. Seeing several jobs in as many years on someone’s resume isn’t a “bad” thing anymore.
  • Reconsider what is an employee. Part of pressing “reset” involves looking at everything differently – including and especially people. An employee today doesn’t fit the definition of an employee from 50 – or even 20 – years ago. And thank goodness! More and more people want to be shown that they matter and belong – as they should and do.
  • Be mindful of how you think about (and value) employees to cultivate more trust. Remember to address the needs of all of your people – not just the more visible ones. For instance, during the pandemic, media often reported “everyone” was working remotely – but what about the nearly 52% of employees who never had that opportunity?
  • Remember who you really are. The constant changes, rush-rush and sense of being out of balance most of the time has led many of us to forget who we really are – human beings. The more we can make that front and center again, the more we can help others to do the same.
  • Have empathy. There is a deficit of it in our world today. This is a subject I’ve written about often, because it’s key to connecting in an authentic way with others – a critical tool to leading anything or anyone.

“The greatest blessing of being present in times of uncertainty is that you can take a step back and really evaluate who you are and where you are going.”
– Rennie Curran

Reset, Re-imagine: Leaders Need to Rethink Their Role

We leaders can’t expect to successfully operate in this new climate of continual change without resetting ourselves: we must deep-dive to ensure that we’re able (and willing) to adapt in every aspect of our business – when the need arises.

To be sure, the old way of thinking about anything – any old expectations, for example – must be transformed by creative thinking – the kind of thinking which can only come when we slow down and take a balcony view on things.

In an HBR article titled simply “Reinventing Your Leadership Team,” the authors noted that we as leaders need to be ever agile, “…to be willing to challenge every aspect of our company: its purpose, its business model, its operating model, its people, and ourselves. And conventional ideas about managing have to be inverted.” Talk about hitting the reset button, right?!

Instead of the old way of doing business of routinely responding to needs and concerns, we (leaders) need to work as a team, refocus and reshape the future – and map a path toward it.

Drawing on research gleaned from studying companies, they formulated a 4-point plan for building a leadership team that can meet these new changes:

  1. Analyze what leadership roles will model the company for the future.
  2. Get the right people in place.
  3. Center the leadership team on steering the company towards its transformation.
  4. To build trust and a culture that fuels its goal, take ownership of the team’s behavior.

With Continual Change, Avoid Perpetual Urgency

“Take a step back. Life gets distorted when you examine things from too close up.”
– Richelle E Goodrich

To cope with the “new normal” of constant change, some businesses have taken to operating in a state of perpetual urgency.

To be sure, many issues require urgency. Yet operating in an atmosphere where a heightened state of urgency is the norm may indicate a leadership or management breakdown.

Having employees in a continual crisis mode has an impact. In a Fast Company article by Camille Preston, researcher Liz Kislik noted a company culture of urgency can lead to overreactions in employees – not to mention poor decision making and a continual state of stress which only creates vicious circles and an unhealthy work atmosphere.

So, how can we lead without urgency in times like this?

It starts with building genuine relationships with employees, visioning a future for the company and mapping a plan to get there.

Another leadership tenet I often refer to is “Relationship Precedes Results.” This is supported by both Patrick Lencioni’s Five Elements of an Effective Team and many, many experiences of being called in to rescue teams who tried – and failed miserably – to prioritize results over the relationships among people. (Wonder how much time – and budget – they may have saved by simply focusing on their true assets in the first place?!)

After focusing on relationships, Preston suggests:

  • Incorporate different types of motivation – other than fear or urgency, which cannot lead to anything optimal anyway
  • Take the time to build and maintain relationships. Again. And always.
  • Encourage and allow employees to take ownership of their work.
  • Frame a culture that focuses on the development of leaders. We can never go wrong here!

Remember…

“Great Leadership sometimes requires taking a step backward in order to take a leap forward.”
— Todd Stocker

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needs, Bolder transformation

Every leader has needs: How are yours being met?

December 6, 2021ColleenCurrent Events, LeadershipLeave a comment

With the chaos of the world and the busy-ness of our daily lives, it can be easy to dismiss the thing most essential to our wellbeing, our progress and our impact. Yet doing so can have disastrous consequences.

A look at the Iceberg Model can confirm why this is so:

Iceberg Model

 

 

In this Model, we see that our behavior is only a part of what makes us up and is driven by everything under the “waterline”, otherwise known as our mindset. Our mindset is made up our thoughts, emotions, values, priorities, beliefs – and needs.

In fact, it is the way in which we interpret our needs as being met (by ourselves or by something or someone outside us) that creates a chain reaction up the iceberg to behavior which works for us – or behavior which undermines us. We get to choose.

To be able to make the best choice here, paying attention to our needs pays as they are at the root of all of our behavior and the results that we are able to achieve.

According to the Center for Nonviolent Communication, here are some needs we all have at one time or another:

CONNECTION
acceptance
affection
appreciation
belonging
cooperation
communication
closeness
community
companionship
compassion
consideration
consistency
empathy
inclusion
intimacy
love
mutuality
nurturing
respect/self-respect		 CONNECTION continued
safety
security
stability
support
to know and be known
to see and be seen
to understand and
be understood
trust
warmthPHYSICAL WELL-BEING
air
food
movement/exercise
rest/sleep
sexual expression
safety
shelter
touch
water		 HONESTY
authenticity
integrity
presencePLAY
joy
humor

PEACE
beauty
communion
ease
equality
harmony
inspiration
order

AUTONOMY
choice
freedom
independence
space
spontaneity

 MEANING
awareness
celebration of life
challenge
clarity
competence
consciousness
contribution
creativity
discovery
efficacy
effectiveness
growth
hope
learning
mourning
participation
purpose
self-expression
stimulation
to matter
understanding

(c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication
Website: www.cnvc.org
Email: cnvc@cnvc.org
Phone: +1.505-244-4041

But it’s not just paying attention to what our needs are, it’s also paying attention to how we get them met.  If, for example, we know that self-esteem is an area that needs our attention, focusing on something or someone outside of us (a promotion or a boss) to give us that validation will only set us up for limiting results.

But when we can learn to give ourselves that affirmation – with any external kudos being the icing on the cake but not the whole cake– then we are planting some important seeds to liberating results.

It’s super simple, but it’s true:

Identifying our needs + doing our best to meet them ourselves = the best possible results.

Empathy: A Must-Have Trait for Every Leader

Once we have that practice of meeting our own needs down, we become even more inspirational leaders by helping others to identify and meet their own needs.

“Leadership must first and foremost meet the needs of others.” – Robert K. Greenleaf, Founder of the Servant Leadership Movement

Symbolically speaking, we are all, after all, made up of an iceberg:

The Iceberg in Relationships

Iceberg in Relationships

Image Credit: Mirko Kobiela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, the more we bring every person’s needs to the forefront, the more we can each feel free to be who we are, creating deeper connection among us, which leads to greater productivity and impact.

Prioritizing everyone’s needs might look like this:

  • The leader role modeling by putting his/her needs out there, even and especially when they might be exposing a vulnerability
  • Setting up Team Agreements (ways we want to be together when working) that all co-create and agree together
  • Regular team check-ins to see how we’re doing on these agreements: any changes needed?
  • Frequent team building/fun exercises and events to continue strengthening the bonds of the team

Creating a workplace where employees enjoy coming to work each day means happier employees – and higher productivity. More than this, the September 2021 McKinsey Quarterly article ‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction’? The choice is yours tells us that more than a mere wish, the current war for talent is literally driving workplaces to become full of more meaning and care.

When leaders inspire, respect, and listen to their employees, it creates a win-win situation.

John Eades, writing in Inc., sums it up:

“When you show genuine care for your employees’ needs, as opposed to an obsession with the bottom line, you will enjoy better retention rates and productivity as everyone buys into the company culture.”

The benefits of genuinely caring about others has a ripple effect. As Eades writes, encouraging employees to succeed – to be the best they can be by first getting their own needs met– creates greater opportunities for growth.  By genuinely caring about employees – and listening to their suggestions or comments on matters that need improvement – a healthy, motivating atmosphere is created.

Employees who feel that they’re valued team members tend to put forth the extra effort in everything they do, and their positivity – and their constructiveness – radiates throughout the workplace.

But Wait…We Can’t Forget to Care for Ourselves

While most leaders would agree that considering the needs of others is crucial, it’s also vital that we do not overlook our own needs. Indeed – our needs must not be swept under the rug, disregarded as unimportant or insignificant.

After all, if our own needs aren’t being met, is it sensible to suggest that we put the needs of others above ourselves? Consider the old phrase, “You can’t give from an empty cup.”

Writing in Forbes, Lindy Brewster stresses the importance that everyone needs to feel safe and secure.

“Faulting leaders for needing the same security as their employees does everyone a disservice.”

It’s easily understood that when employees don’t feel secure or worthy in their workplace, they simply leave for better opportunities. It’s no different with leaders.  If their needs aren’t being met – and no one listens to their concerns – they’ll seek out other leadership roles.

When a company faces a critical time – and the pandemic has certainly created a decisive time for all businesses – if employees or leaders don’t have a strong empathetic relationship, where they feel valued, safe, and secure, then it sets the stage for all around failure.

Brewster mentions that getting support is key to success, and if you don’t find help within your own company, seek help outside, from mentors or trusted coaches.  They’ve probably been through a similar experience and can share how they persevered.

Lose the embarrassment or sense of shame about asking for help. Reaching out during a difficult time will help us respond more effectively when we’re faced with the next challenging situation.  And we all know there will be a next one.

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands,
one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Audrey Hepburn

Balancing Boundaries with Caring About Everyone

As with everything in life, there must be balance.

And while empathy is a valued trait in leadership, boundaries have their place as well.

Without boundaries, we are lost.  Much like a sign on the road indicates “no parking,” our personal boundaries tell others what is acceptable to us – and what is not.

How do you know when boundaries aren’t firmly in place? Psych Central highlights a few examples:

  • Excessive involvement in other’s lives
  • Trying to please people
  • Attempting to give advice and control others
  • Excessive talking
  • Working too much or taking on too many commitments

Admittedly, it’s easy to slip into some of these behaviors.

Boundaries can be tough things to keep in place, especially during times of heightened stress (and since 2020, we ALL can relate to that, right?). We want to be there for everyone, we feel guilty for saying no to friends or colleagues, and it’s difficult for many of us to ask for help.

But let’s get real: a lack of boundaries breeds an atmosphere of no respect, of frustration and overwhelm. It’s not fair to ourselves- or to those we lead.

“Compassionate people ask for what they need.
They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, the mean it.
They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”
-Brene Brown

Being a great leader requires a delicate balance of empathy and boundaries. These traits can only be developed when we realize that our own basic needs of feeling valued, secure, and worthy must be recognized as well. Once those needs are fulfilled, it provides rich soil for not only personal growth, but for helping others to achieve their greatness as well.

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Risk

Risk Taking for Leaders: Smart Strategy or Perilous Planning?

November 2, 2021ColleenCurrent Events, LeadershipLeave a comment

“If you’re going to grow, you’re going to have to do things that put you at Risk.”
-Ginni Rometty, former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM

Taking risks implies making decisions that pose potential threats.

Not acting can be risky, too. Especially in leadership.

Yet risk taking is not something many folks are generally comfortable with.

As Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winning psychologist stated, “For most people, the fear of losing $100 is more intense than the hope of gaining $150.”

Understood.

High achieving, impactful business leaders are willing to take risks – and often, their careers boast of big wins. If there were losses at times, those “failures” often provide a framework for valuable learning lessons.

So how do we successfully approach risk as leaders?

Begin With More Conscious Leadership

Knowing our personal “why” is key to our own personal – and professional – development. It’s surprising that many people go through the motions of each day (focusing on the “what” – and usually the “what” of other people, as they perceive it) without truly having an understanding of their own “why” behind what they’re doing.

When we know our unique ‘why,’ we’re better able to lead. Our teams will follow not just because we’re “the boss”, but because they want to out of sense of shared values and beliefs.

When you and your team are grounded in your ‘why’ and you’re working on the same page, challenges turn into opportunities, and gradually an attitude of courage develops in a leader – and risk taking becomes part of the agenda.

Bill George, writing in Forbes, explains leaders with courage take risks that often go against the norm of their organization. In other words, they’re not afraid to make bold moves in the name of their purpose and values. He says courage is “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear.”

Some leaders lack courage, George notes, because they’re too focused on numbers or reaching a particular mark or milestone. Leaders with courage forge ahead boldly – despite the risks. They are conscious of and grounded in their abilities, skills, and values.

Risk Taking: Is it For Every Leader?

Don Kurz, DEO of Omelet, a successful ad agency, says risk is a business strategy that ultimately is served by asking one question: will it enhance the brand and the value of the company?

Risk taking isn’t for everyone, he explains. While it can be a source of innovation, it can be a difficult step for startup companies. Without performing risk assessments, the unknown holds many back from stepping outside their comfort (or financial) zone.

A Harvard Business Review article notes that risk assessments are generally not conducted; a project is simply presented to managers with projections. The authors suggest a handful of assessments be done to fully understand the risks involved.

Risk Assessment Plays a Role

Srini Pillay in HBR offers a counterpoint, suggesting that risk assessment is based on other issues besides just financial ones, such as:

  • Understanding how our brains handle risk, whether unconscious or conscious. Studies reveal that impulsive, social, or aggressive people may be more likely to take risks.
  • Realizing risks can be a good and very fruitful experience. Contrary to what some people think, taking risks doesn’t carry negative or “scary” connotations.
  • What about failures, shortcomings, disappointments? Valuable lessons can be learned from them that often serve as a springboard to greater fulfillment later on.

How we bounce back from failure depends on our resiliency. Pillay uses specific tools to measure burnout and how it may affect resiliency.

His points are well taken: As much as each of us longs for a pre-pandemic world and hope for a return to a so-called normal, it cannot be. Just as people learned to live outside the box, so too, businesses need to look for more innovative and progressive business methods.

Risk assessments can provide the data needed and skills to be honed to overcome aversion to risk taking. Ultimately, it is up to each leader to calculate the risks … and make choices accordingly.

Authentic Leaders Navigate Stormy Seas

All the strategic characteristics of a great leader provide a firm base when it comes to taking risks:

  • Courage. Letting our authenticity shine, being willing to show vulnerability, takes courage. To take the road less traveled – even amidst self-doubt and nay-sayers – takes courage.
  • Vision. Focusing on our intentions, keeping true to ourselves, our inner values, who we are at our core. It’s all about being present now. Lead your team with intention, with acceptance, not with authority, know the impact of your words. Ensure you and your employees are co-creating the same “why,” the same purpose
  • Focus on the “we.” Not the “me.” Conscious leadership can be a foundation in cultivating conscious organizations.
  • Encourage feedback and LISTEN. This helps us see the “bigger picture” rather than just our own (often narrow) visions.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to risk taking.

For grounded leaders with vision, who share the same goals with their teams and are valued by their teams, risk taking can be a successful leadership strategy.

“Make the choices that make you nervous.
If you make the choice that’s the easy way out, that wasn’t the big vision or big choice to make.”
-Eileen Burbidge; Partner, Passion Capital

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self-reflection

Slowing Down for Self-Reflection Can Accelerate Leadership Impact

October 1, 2021ColleenCurrent Events, LeadershipLeave a comment

In the rapidly evolving world we’re living in, it can feel like we’re constantly being pulled in dozens of different directions.

That “new normal” everyone is trying to adapt to? Maybe it’s better said that continual change – sometimes abrupt – is our new normal.

How can we, as leaders, flex flawlessly when we’re bombarded all the time with fires to put out, challenges to respond to, and a host of other daily responsibilities tugging at us?

The answer may be simpler than we think…

Self-reflection.

“Reflection… Looking back so the view looking forward is clearer.” – Unknown

Why Slowing Down for Self-Reflection Can Actually Accelerate Growth

A KelloggInsight article featured in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University shared some fantastic insights from Harry Kraemer, a clinical professor and former CEO of healthcare giant Baxter International.

“Instead of constant acceleration, Kraemer says, leadership demands periods of restraint and consideration, even—perhaps especially—during a crisis. Leaders must regularly turn off the noise and ask themselves what they stand for and what kind of an example they want to set.”

For many of us, it’s almost second nature to react immediately (and sometimes, undesirably) when we’re faced with a situation that grabs our attention. Yet, something powerful happens when we come from a place rooted in self-reflection:

We’re empowered to lead – and live – from a far more stable foundation that actually enhances our performance and widens our impact.

Self-Reflection Increases Workplace Engagement

An HBR article aptly titled “How Self-Reflection Can Help Leaders Stay Motivated” points to a pre-pandemic, 2017 statistic from Gallup that found just 38% of managers and executives are engaged at work. This decreased even more – to 29% – for mid-level managers. Imagine what those numbers look like after the COVID impact…

“Given these disconcerting numbers, we were interested in developing an intervention that enhances leaders’ engagement at work,” write authors Klodiana Lanaj, Trevor A. Foulk, and Amir Erez.

The solution was quite straightforward: Each morning, leaders spent a few minutes contemplating and writing about three aspects they liked about themselves and that they felt made them a “good leaders.” This exercise resembles the one I give regularly to clients who want to expand their presence, productivity and joy.

Two studies went on to examine whether this simple intervention was useful. Not surprisingly, on the days the leaders did this exercise, they experienced lower levels of depletion and felt more engaged. What’s more, they also felt they had a positive impact on their followers.

Here’s another interesting finding: The positive effects of this easy morning exercise extended to the evening, which led researchers to believe the leaders also experienced greater levels of positivity at home, too.

So, What Are Some Easy Ways to Self-Reflect?

The best part is that self reflection is completely approachable for anyone – and it doesn’t involve staring at an object in space or focusing on the tip of your nose.

Robert L. Rosen, film producer, explains it in this memorable way:

“Self-reflection entails asking yourself questions about your values, assessing your strengths and failures, thinking about your perceptions and interactions with others, and imagining where you want to take your life in the future.”

The goal of self-reflection in leadership is to:

  • Achieve greater levels of self-awareness
  • Get to the core of who we really are so our True Self can shine
  • Use our insights to continually improve our work, life and the relationships within these

All that’s needed to start a few quiet moments at a time of day (or night) that is most aligned with your schedule.

From there, here are a few pointers you might reflect upon:

1. Examine those priorities. Self-reflection can be an excellent tool to help us identify what our most important priorities really are. We may discover that things we thought were important aren’t – while other areas need greater focus.

2. Explore hot buttons & triggers. Consider what triggers your behaviors, what drives your reactions, and why? What about personal or professional blind spots? This area of self-reflection can help us achieve more productive interactions with our teams & with those around us.

3. Get to know…your “shadow side.” This is my favorite, because, while most often the most uncomfortable, it can also be the most impactful move we can make. It is said that “Unless you learn to face your own shadows, you will continue to see them in others, because the world outside you is only a reflection of the world inside you.” (Unknown), meaning that if we can spot it, we got it 😉 Yet, it’s the one thing few of us are willing to look at, let alone talk about. It’s that shadowy part of the human personality that lurks beneath our everyday awareness. And it can manifest when we least expect, knocking us off the rails & creating unintended and disastrous results…

With all of this in mind, it’s easy to see the value of self-reflection…

…especially when it comes to identifying areas of ourselves that can seriously impact our performance and quality of life.

Even as we peek at our “shadow side” – resist the urge to make judgements. Simply observe. The “shadow side” – those aspects of personality that we aren’t always consciously aware of – does not necessarily imply “bad” or “negative.” Most of the time, these parts of ourselves originate from circumstances way beyond our control. It’s not our fault, but it is our responsibility. And we can learn to channel once-hidden areas to our advantage.

Truly, self reflection can lift the curtain on areas of our lives that might otherwise go overlooked…or ignored.

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin

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Finding Our New Normal – In Leadership & In Life

July 22, 2020ColleenCurrent Events, LeadershipLeave a comment

“My new normal is to continually get used to new normals.” 

–SupportforSpecialNeeds.com

The “new normal.”

Everyone is talking about it.

But does any sense of “normal” even exist anymore?

Perhaps the deeper, more important question might be:

How do we begin to accelerate in life and work – while staying intentional about what we focus on and why?

Leaders Are Facing Historic, Unprecedented Times

2020 has been described as unprecedented in our recent history, filled with tumultuous events and widespread uncertainty. Understandably, many of us are wondering exactly how we can move forward in the face of what seems to be continued instability.

“The future is not what we thought it would be only a few short months ago,” asserts a recent McKinsey & Company article.

With our visions of the future changing so much – and so fast – many of us are asking how to start moving forward again while remaining aligned with key values and true to our authentic cores.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer – and we may even find that personally (and professionally) the elusive answer shifts as rapidly as these extraordinary times.

Some suggestions gleaned from reading McKinsey authors Kevin Sneader and Shubham Singhal:

  • Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking (or hoping) that things will magically return to normal. We can never go back to the “old” normal.
  • Emphasize best practices encompassing collaboration, flexibility, inclusion, and accountability – all particularly crucial in today’s times.
  • Focus on leadership and strong alliances with strategic partners to start architecting a stronger future today.

Easy Does It, One Step at a Time

In our own lives, perhaps the best advice I can share is to simply keep going forward, one gentle step at a time, at a pace that feels comfortable for you and yet also slightly uncomfortable (so that you are also in the learning zone).

Many of us have been finding these last few months have been an ideal time to get grounded and to reflect on what in our lives is working well…and what is not.

For me, this process has not always been easy – in fact, it’s been downright painful at times. We can all probably relate on some level.

It’s often said that change never feels great during the process – only once it’s done. Yet change is an essential part of growth in our lives – as leaders and as human beings.

3 Practical Tips to Keep Moving Forward in Leadership (& Life)

  1. Re-evaluate your values. Now is a great time to think about what matters most. We might consider how our values have changed in response to everything that’s been happening on a global, collective level. Contemplate how your own values have shifted from what they were a year ago, or even as recent as six months prior.
  2. Stay agile to flex with the times. Given the rapidly evolving, very tumultuous times we all find ourselves living in, it’s easy to feel stuck when it comes to moving forward with our goals. Try organizing your vision – and when you do, look out for these common goal-setting mistakes. Just because the outlook for the future has changed doesn’t mean we can’t still pursue our ambitions.
  3. Be inspired by others. Scroll through social media or any major news network, and it can quickly become a challenge to find any good news. Yet, we have a powerful choice to make. Choose to seek out (and be motivated) by the good that is present all around us. So many people are overcoming seemingly insurmountable adversities every single day in innovative, creative ways.

Together, we can move forward & rise above – one BOLD baby step at a time. Because in the words of the infamous quote:

If not now, when? If not me, then who?

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