Author: Fostering Healthy Solutions

In this unusual time of disconnect, it is especially important to maintain our social relationships with coworkers.  Our coworkers are an extension of our family/friend relationships by default.  We spend a lot of time with them and we grow to like/love them. So maintaining the relationships are just as important as any other connection. Four connections we can create to stay connected with coworkers are: 

• Recreate morning coffee breaks. Call each other and catch up as you normally would. 
• Create a chatroom for virtual breaks so you can still have that conversation with co-workers.  Schedule different times so others can join.
• Use instant messaging often to connect with co-workers during the day. 
• 5 O’clock trivia is a great way to stimulate your brain and unwind from a long day.  Someone start is off and the winner comes up with another question. Pass 3 or 4 questions for fun.

Are you big on after-hours events? Engage in a happy hour to unwind from a long day at the office.  Planning social activities in a virtual environment can be fun. Get creative and even recreate the activities you like most.  Transform in-person events to virtual masterpieces.  Getting creative with this can really be fun:  

• Karaoke is always fun. The level of intensity virtual Karaoke will bring to your event will be magical.
• Plan a virtual happy hour BYOB at home.  Laugh and talk and laugh and talk. 
• Host a virtual scavenger hunt. Assign teams and keep track of the winner. Even have virtual gifts for fun.
• No judgment virtual workouts will keep you active and fit during these difficult times.  

The ability to socially distance is really a privilege. Most of our society heavily depends on community resources for survival. There are many low cost, functional ways people can keep themselves safe and healthy during this time of social separation.  Consider the restraint “stay-at-home” activities.  When asked what can we do? Consider what you would do: movies, dinner with family/friends, picnics at the park, hanging out at the mall even. Eliminate – STOP – Recreate.  All of these are still possible in a creative fashion.  

• Movies – catch up on your favorite television shows; schedule movie night at home and pop popcorn; grab a blanket and watch in. Netflix, Amazon movies, YouTube, and other platforms offer thousands of movies and television shows to choose from. 
• Dinner with family/friends – Pull out the recipe book and make that favorite dish.  Set the table, get the whole family involved. Create an intimate dinner with your spouse and let the kids be host and waiters. Plan your meals and create themes that are fun and entertaining.
• Picnics at the park – This is an easy, fun way to get some fresh air at your very own private park in your backyard.  
• Hanging out at the mall – Time for a fashion show.  Go through your closet and rediscover your outfits. Mix and match tops and bottoms. Discover online shopping at your favorite store dot com. Window shop from your computer or smartphone with no pressure to buy.  Regular shopping right, put items in your virtual cart, shop around, and put it back before you check out.

July 7, 2020

“Character is a choice, integrity is a lifestyle.”

In 2005 I was voted captain of the Vanderbilt University Men’s Basketball team as a sophomore. This responsibility carried me through my senior year and remained valuable through my professional career in sport and business. Leadership skills learned through basketball apply nicely in business as transferable skills and thrive in team culture. I’d like to share the top three lessons that have helped me to thrive as a leader, supervisor, and colleague. 

The first thing I learned was accountability. This word is one that carries a negative connotation however it is most valued by leaders. As the captain of my team, it was important to always keep my word and give consistent effort. It was never about being perfect, but rather giving my teammates and coaches confidence in what they could expect from me. Whether it was going to class, keeping my grades up, arriving at practice and games on time, or my performance, it was important to be accountable. Not just to myself, but most importantly to those who were counting on me to do my part and do it well.

In the workplace and as a leader, accountability is equally, if not more essential to success. Customers require excellence from products and services or they demand a refund. Staff culture rises and falls with quality vs inconsistent leadership. And subordinates typically follow the example set before them. Accountable leadership leads by example, is consistent in their approach, and only requires from others what they are willing to do themselves. 

The second thing I learned was integrity. I can remember a senior teammate showing me the ropes during my freshman year. Til this day, he is still the most respectable person I know and continues to thrive in business as a result. He taught me that what we do when we think no one is watching often times comes to the light when we least expect it. Therefore we should treat the janitor privately the same as we treat the coaches publicly. That we should work just as hard in the gym by ourselves as we would in practice. And most importantly we should treat women privately the same as we treat our loved ones publicly. That’s integrity. 

As a leader of people, it’s important to maintain high moral and ethical standards for self. How we show up to work, how we treat people, and yes, even the way we behave at home. This is cliche, but it rings true. “If anything matters, then everything matters.” 

The third thing I learned was trust. Our coach made us do a trust drill where one player has to purposely fall backward with their back turned to the teammate. At one foot away stands a teammate ready to catch the other before they hit the ground. The most difficult part about this drill is that you can’t turn around to see which teammate is there or that someone is there at all. There’s only trust. Sound familiar? 

How often do we rely heavily on our colleague’s abilities, experience, and/or decision making? I assume a lot. What happens when a colleague repeatedly drops the ball? And what is the impact of losing trust in a colleague? Most issues can be solved by doing things that build or rebuild trust. Think about all the issues you’ve seen play out amongst colleagues. Would trust have made a difference? You bet it would. Trust increases one’s ability to focus on their assignments, thus no more micromanaging. Trust gives people the confidence to share the truth with leadership instead of feeding their supervisor’s ego. George Macdonald said it this way, “To be trusted is a better compliment than to be loved.”

Take the time to reflect on your accountability, integrity, and trust. If you’ve not surveyed your direct reports in a while, now is a great time to ask specific questions about yourself as a leader. This information could change you, your business, and most importantly the culture of your business. Don’t make assumptions about your leadership, ask. Whether you like the results or not, your staff will appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and you will have started the first step to leading with integrity.

June 23, 2020

Leaders lead and during a pandemic, leaders find even better ways to lead.  Employees need guidance and expect direction when norms are disrupted.  It is especially important to check on your staff and employees during this unusual time. 

• Set guidelines for working virtually.  Be specific with timelines.
• Set clear expectations.  Don’t take for granted employees will automatically know what is expected. 
• Hold meetings regularly to stay engaged with employees.
• Take time to call employees for one-on-one conversations to show genuine concern. 

Embracing technology benefits organizations to reach a wider audience and expand their clientele. Technology now becomes a huge marketing tool like never before.  To embrace technology as we enter a new normal and employees may continue to work from home.  Technology will improve productivity in new ways.  

• Social media platforms keep you engaged and informed about current issues.
• Use video conferencing and conference calls to maintain meetings.  
• Identify platforms that are relevant to your industry to keep business structures as normal as possible. 

Some under arching issues that have become prevalent during this crisis should not be ignored.  Not everyone can handle the pressure that comes with work independence.  We are talking about employed and unemployed at this point.  Employees working from home will need some type of structure. Those individuals now finding themselves unemployed and will need to figure out how to manage during this time.  

• Depression is on the rise due to the emotional toll this pandemic is having on so many individuals.  
• Family relationship issues are also on the rise.  Mainly due to having so much time spent together.  
• Being productive may even become an issue if there is not a designated space to work.  

Leaders should be prepared for managing from a distance as issues arise. Preparing a futuristic plan now will inform decisions as we embrace a new norm in business practices. 

Minorities and marginalized communities are adversely affected during this crisis.  As businesses are an extension of the community, we must support them and our colleagues.  Identifying support groups to assist individuals in need must be a part of the process.  As leaders, we should ensure that resources are available to employees. 

• Add COVID-19 guidelines to your website for easy retrieval. 
• Have employees take daily temperatures and offer COVID-19 testing if possible.  
• Form support groups as an outlet for employees.  There are several platforms you can use to implement this process.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  This is probably the most important.  Help is available and we are all in this together.  We will have to get through it together as well. 

June 9, 2020

Also known as Freedom Day, the Black Fourth of July, 1865 serves as the Emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans.  A celebration that continues to grow across the nation.  Recognized in 46 of the 50 United States as a state holiday or day of observance, Juneteenth commemorates freedom.  Troubling but true, slaves had already been emancipated in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, they just didn’t know it.  

Texas continued to enslave, murder by lynching, and oppress African Americans because they did not want slavery to end and viewed slaves as their property.  Texas is also the state where Juneteenth was born and one of the first states to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.  With an emphasis on education and achievement, it is a time for reflection and rejoicing, assessment, and self-improvement.  The Juneteenth flag symbolizes the sales and their descendants to be Americans echoing the American flag in red, white, and blue.  The middle star pays homage to Texas, the “new star” bursting on the horizon of the red and blue represent a “new” freedom and a “new” people. 

A new freedom and a new people, Juneteenth is the oldest known US celebration of the end of slavery.  But what does it mean to be free?  Freedom is defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”  Reflection on the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to the 1865 Emancipation Acknowledgement in Texas led me to wonder why diversity continues to plague our nation as if this freedom was not 155 years ago.  We continue to struggle for true freedom to shine through its definition.  

Freedom is not really free when African Americans are gun down while jogging.  Freedom is not really free when white police are not held accountable for black death at their hands (or knee). Freedom is not really free when young black males can wear a hoodie and get gun down because they look “threatening.” Freedom is not really free when educated black women are looked over for positions to hire under-qualified, uneducated white males instead.  Freedom is not really free when every black family must create a training course on police brutality, teach it to perfection to their black children out of fear they may be stopped because they are “driving while black” “walking while black” or “just because they are black.”  Freedom is not really free.  Diversity, equality, independence, equality, inclusion…equality…is when we will be free.