Solutions For Good

"Massage for Kate- paid for" popped up on my calendar last week. I felt a wave of euphoria and gratitude come over me! Then a little bit of, "Do I have time? Should we be spending the money?" It is fair to say that historically, I have stunk at self-care. My husband knows this, which is why he scheduled and paid for my massage (he goes monthly for a massage and is much better at self care all around).So I have no room to be sanctimonious but want share methods I have found to be helpful, for me or others. And maybe to kick my own butt into gear... I used to think self-care was mostly woo-woo stuff-- just an excuse not to work hard. But now, finally, in my mid-life, I get it. It is wellness and self preservation. It is also how we enjoy our short time on this earth. I fully appreciate the younger folks who have come along with this life balance thing already figured out. I speak to clients regularly who share their stress, frustration and/or lack of life balance an...

“I don’t believe in mixing politics with work.” I heard that statement from a leader as a reason to not acknowledge the Black Lives Matter movement and current protests with their team.  I can imagine that this person, a white person, is a good leader in other ways, but they missed an important opportunity to show that they care and to say "I see you" to the people of color on their team and those they serve. With the murders of Black people, the injustices and the protests to combat them, it is an emotional time. To help you (and me), below is a list of articles with helpful advice on how to address the pain people are experiencing, as well as how to lead in supporting racial justice. Whatever your race, this is a very important time to be a strong leader.  Realistically, for white leadership, there is much more work to do. There i s no set best appr oach. It is suggested to: Read & learn Digest what you are hearing that is new to you Take time to really empathize with B...

“Those shoes are cute! They look comfortable too!”  I hear that often. Well, it is not a coincidence. We all work hard. We need to be comfortable and like how we look. Happy feet make for a much better day. Check out my recommendations -- this is my Valentine to you. After getting plantar fasciitis (foot pain issues) a few years ago, my podiatrist suggested better shoes. He twisted the shoe I was wearing like ringing out a wet rag to demonstrate the lack of support. It was painful (literally and figuratively),but I went home and started to throw out a closet full of shoes. Then started on the hunt for cute and comfortable options. Not an easy combo to find! With some trial and error I found a few brands that I really like (shared below).  How to Choose Shoes for Common Foot Problems Here’s to happy feet! Dress Shoes, Flats, Sandals Jambu Taos Spring Step/ L’artiste Dansko Lifestride Naot Casual/Boots Merrell Keen Teva New Balance   Asics ...

I turned to two colleagues next to me, who looked stunned, and said,  “Being respectful and professional is never underrated”. I had just been loudly and aggressively rebuked by a colleague during a very large community event, in front of others. She barked these words after being difficult, non-communicative, planning poorly and generally not being on the ball for months. Now in the heat of the event, she is snapping at me in front of our colleagues and guests. Lovely. I ignored her, and addressed my younger colleagues who witnessed it instead. I figured it was more important to invest in their development in that moment and frankly, it was a way to steady myself -- “When they go low…” Thank you again, Mrs. Obama! Would I choose to work with her again? Or refer her to someone else. No way! I think of my friend Candace often, who will literally shrug her shoulders and swipe negativity with the back of her hand, off of her body when she interacts with such a person... and...

There was a tall woman in a blue camouflage Navy uniform, with a commanding presence, coming out of the ladies room as I entered. I bumped into her. We had just finished a meeting. I said to her, “If people in my life, ran meetings like you do, my work would be so much easier.”  I thought she’d nod and keep going. She stopped and talked with me for about 5 minutes in the privacy of the women’s bathroom at a Navy command center.  Conversations meander in meetings. It is a hard job to keep the conversation focused. We laughed about it and also cringed a little. How about when it just goes on and on? Ugh. And nothing gets accomplished? UGH. We discussed that meeting management can be one of the hardest aspects of working in teams, but also one of the most important. I learn and improve from people like this woman, who show me how to run meetings efficiently and effectively. Here I share my observations of her style, a few other tips and 2 helpful articles for more guidance....

The Star of David came off the wall Saturday evening to be replaced with a cross for Sunday services. The beauty of growing up in Columbia, MD, among many things, was that we had interfaith centers- no churches, synagogues, mosques.  We had to share space and work amongst each other. That brought about a unique experience of sharing and inclusiveness in the community.  Using this lens to think about the holiday season in the workplace is interesting. How can we be successfully inclusive and have everyone enjoy the experience? The commitment to inclusion and respect for varying religions, all the time and in December particularly, where Christmas is a large focus for many, matters in the workplace. The decorations, parties, gift giving, is all relevant. Ultimately, it is feasible to handle this in a respectful and fun fashion, but it takes some thought and possibly effort different than the usual. Below are suggestions from a few articles and ideas that worked well i...

 “All we did is pick weeds in a field.” Heart sinking, I listened. A client called after serving as volunteers for a project that I had arranged and said this. Wait, that cannot be right! I did a site visit with the organization, one of the biggest and best run nonprofits in town-- they showed me the project and it was good -- developing an educational area in their environmental program for school kids. You all said you wanted an environmental and youth-focused project. This was volunteer day, match-made-in-heaven perfection! So, what happened??  The upshot was the volunteers were not shown their return on investment (ROI). They are there to make a social impact (investment) and need to know how the task of today relates to the mission (return).  Sadly, in my story, the volunteers didn’t get the purpose or the connection to the mission and felt like it was a waste of their time. The organization and I had missed effectively laying the g...