1. Degrees of Freedom

✅ Do you have and have you aligned with your boss on clear degrees of freedom? Everyone operates differently and maintains different levels of comfort with granting autonomy. Naturally, earlier in a relationship, your boss may be more hands on. Then as you prove your trustworthiness and consistency, you’ll earn more agency. Along the way, agree to align on the WHAT and ask your boss to allow you to own the HOW.

✅ Does your boss set clear milestones? These provide clear checkpoints and enable you to do your thing. Do they check in between aligned milestones or interrogate how you approach the task? Or do they step back and give you time/space to deliver the aligned goal?

✅ If folks go to your boss, inadvertently or purposefully going around you, how does your boss react? Do they dive into the conversation or do they pause to bring you in? The latter signals trust in you as a leader and ongoing commitment to the agency you’ve been granted.

2. Opportunity for Growth

✅ Does your boss enable you to learn? Do they support you in developing your craft? Or do they spend more time checking on your hours?

✅ Are they more focused on your demonstrated growth or on your face time in office?

✅ Do they ask what how you want to grow and where you’d like to be in 3 years? Do they offer resources, support and personal investment in the most important asset of the business… you?

3. Value on Community

✅ Does your boss encourage you to build, participate, or lead in curating your workplace community? Do they recognize you for your contributions to the culture?

✅ Do they encourage connection? In fact, do they invest in, show up at, and personally lead events?

✅ Do they notice the informal ways you contribute to culture and thank you?

So, what’s your score?

Listed above are 3 things you need from your boss, with 9 key questions.

• If you scored 7-9, you’re in good shape. I’d encourage you to continue the healthy dialogue and keep doing what you do best!

• If you scored 5-6, I’d encourage you to have a heart to heart. Acknowledge and communicate appreciation for what’s working and graciously lay out tangible asks that will enable you to do what you do even better. Document your discussion and take the lead to follow up. Just like you appreciate recognition, remember to recognize your boss for delivering on their promises.

• If you scored 0-4, I’d suggest evaluating your situation. Do you think your boss could get there, but you need a real heart-to-heart? If you’re not sure about your boss’ reaction to a discussion on the topic, consider speaking to a mentor or asking HR for their advice. Because these are 3 things I believe you need from your boss to be successful.

For related articles, check out:

• 3 practical tips for young people entering the workplace
• Hope in the workplace
• Social Legacy in the workplace

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It starts with a mild sort of emotional friction,

that comes from a lack of will power or self-control. But dissonance can rapidly grow into frustration… “Why can’t I do this when I know it’s the right thing to do?” Which risks becoming self-loathing: “What’s wrong with me?” How quickly we can spiral!

So, what can we do to avoid akrasia?

Try its opposite: enkrateia. Pronounced “en-KRAH-tay-ah“, the words means to “be in power over oneself”. But that’s exactly the issue, isn’t it? Things feel out of control!

Sure, and anxiety can skyrocket when we think about everything we have to do which we aren’t doing. This is why it can be helpful to do these 3 things:

1. Break tasks down into smaller, bite-sized chunks. Need to write that tough email? Sit down with pen and paper to jot your key points. Then allow yourself to step away. Come back a few minutes later and structure your email. Then, fill in the gaps. Eat the elephant… one bite at a time 🙂

2. Talk to yourself like you’re a friend. I know this may sound a little hokey. But imagine if your friend came to you with this particular struggle. How would you extend kindness and offer help? We often find it easier to tackle others’ problems before addressing our own.

What if we treated ourselves with the generosity with which we treat others? Inc.com wrote a nice article about this; to learn from Yale psychologists and Olympians, click here.

3. Quiet the trolls. We all have them, those nastly little voices that whisper past traumas in our ear. Identifying those trolls is the first step to shutting them up. Do you know what your trolls are? If not, ask yourself these few questions:

✓ What diminishes your physical wellness?

✓ Can you identify fears or insecurities that hold you back?

✓ What practices maintain your spiritual balance?

Which one of these tips was most useful for you?

If torment lives in the space between knowing and doing, how can you get yourself out of that place?

If you’re interested to read more, here are a few more resources:

• Click here for a full article I wrote about tangible tips to live with intentionality.
• Another article on Resetting the Standard in Work and Well-being recapped a dynamic panel hosted by Jeanne Sparrow for She-Suite.

Photo credit for #2: Inc.com article (just loved it!)

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What does thriving look like to you?

There’s no such thing as the perfect balance. But the thing is, our focus tends to swing in one direction or the other. Personally? While I deeply love my job, I’ve come a long way since those P&G business review days. Now, I see my job as a way to achieve a holistically, thriving lifestyle. Doing the best I can at work gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and earns the family money… which allows me to continue investing my time in a great job and afford the international travel that expand my daughter’s world view. These things, and the balance of them, bring me inner peace and an abiding sense of fulfillment.

So, what brings you peace?

Is traveling internationally your siren’s call, or do you crave spending more time with the ones you love? Are you itching to buy that fabulous car or yearning for the time to go on a full-day hike? (Oh and yes, it could be both those things… and more!)

Whatever it is, and whatever balance works best for you – do you know that understanding these things enables a sense of freedom for your spirit? And when you feel free, you operate at your best, which enables you to live generously!

So ask yourself – are you investing time to get money or investing money to get time?

For related articles, check out:

• Tangible tips to live with intention
• Protect your spark!
• On energy management

Photo credit: Unsplash pocketwatch

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Classes (and professors) can be intimidating

We don’t want to look stupid, or get caught out not knowing the answer. Perhaps we didn’t understand the content and hope it’ll become clear as the class goes on. Spoiler alert: this is highly unlikely to happen! If you have a question or don’t understand the material, it’s best to ask sooner, rather than later.

You see, being in the wonderful state of “learning mode,” you’re allowed to not know the answers! In fact, it’s kind of the point. So, take this opportunity and ask ALL the questions!

This is an invaluable moment

Perhaps you’re a student. Or you may be new to a job. Either way, while you’re living in this precious window of time, learn all that you can! Get as much help, and absorb as much perspective as you can. Be BRAVE in your learning!

And remember: Bravery is not the absence of fear. Bravery is feeling fearful, recognizing it, and continuing on in spite of it! So take advantage of every single opportunity, and ask all the questions!

For more on the topic of learning:

• Check out this podcast, “Learning with Leaders
• Click here to help your kids “Learn where they are”

#TheSpareRoom #SocialLegacy #TEDTalk #TEDx #TEDxTalk #TEDxSpeaker #IdeasWorthSpreading #NonEssential #NonEssentialMindset #Inspiration #PublicSpeaking #Speaker #TEDxNYUShanghai #Empowerment #HealthyLifestyle #Growth #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #PersonalDevelopment #Organization #Coaching #Mentorship #Mindfulness #SelfAwareness #Perspective #Learning #Listening #AlwaysLearning #Courage

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Tip #1: Look around the corner.

While no one has a crystal ball, we can do our best to understand the past, and identify key factors at play today. With past and present in mind, leaders need to look to the future and anticipate what’s coming next. Some changes may be expected, based on history or what’s happened in other countries. Other changes may be unprecedented, like kindergartens or workplaces being locked down for a couple of days (early 2022).

Coworkers found themselves locked in the office for weeks! They learned to share stale snacks from the pantry and took turns taking “sink showers” in the bathrooms. As CEO, I was most keen to ensure this didn’t happen to McCann Worldgroup, so we constantly monitored the market. And I’m grateful that we got our people and their technology home THREE days before the March lockdown! No sink showers for our people! 😅

Tip #2: Care for all of our people’s needs.

Another unexpected change in 2022 was the three-month shutdown March – June! The Shanghainese were told to go home for a couple of days, which then unexpected extended for months. With few vetted delivery folks relative to the huge population in Shanghai, people struggled to access the most basic necessities like food and potable water.

Have you heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? That’s the pyramid above, which I find to be a helpful framework for considering people’s every level of wellness. For instance, during the lockdown, we didn’t hover in the higher order when our people lacked basics. That’s when our ET or enabling team (Heads of Ops, Finance, HR and me) rolled up our up sleeves and worked around the clock to ensure we could deliver food baskets to each of our employees. Their photo expressions of appreciation made all that hard work more than worth it!

Tip #3: Exercise operational discipline.

This is a less exciting but highly important aspect of leadership. What are the policies we need to implement for our teams? For instance, the policy just changed dramatically at the start of 2023. Suddenly, China walked away from the Zero-COVID policy and we could anticipate that everyone would soon fall sick. So, we batched our people before the policy lifted, ensuring that every team had some folks who could keep working, while others fell sick. As leaders, we must regularly review our policies to ensure we are aligned with government mandates. And over the last few years, our ET has been on high alert, convening within 15 minutes of any major news or changes to ensure we could design and roll out clear communications and plans. We also recorded a weekly short video to maintain visibility when folks were all working from home.

Tip #4: Maintain a unified leadership team.

While we have the benefit of outstanding leaders, I don’t take for granted that we also have a unified leadership team. You see, no matter how amazing our leaders are, if they communicate different messages, the organization will experience high anxiety. They won’t know who to listen to or what to believe. For this reason, leaders must ensure we are closely aligned on our message. This builds trust, and reassures folks that all is well. This is why, no matter how busy we get, our leadership goes offsite once a quarter to invest in ourselves as individuals and as a unit. At our last quarterly two months ago, we were nearly kicked out of the tea room for being too boisterous!

Those are my 4 tips for leading through ambiguity. Do you have any other tips you’d add?

If interested in life during lockdown, you can find some of my lockdown posts here:

• April 15, 2022 in lockdown
• May 8, 2022 update from lockdown

Also, the Wall Street Journal interviewed me in April 2022 about the lockdown and food shortage – if you have a subscription, you can check it out the wsj article here.

Photo reference for Maslows’ pyramid

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Let’s start with the former: when can an email suffice?

• Is your objective simply to inform? If the communication is primarily one-sided, try sending an email before scheduling a meeting. If people are clear on what you need them to know, job done!
• Do you need to collect inputs? Instead of scheduling time and asking each question, taking time to write down what you hear, consider sending an email. Collect the answers and see if you have what you need, before calling a meeting.

On the other hand, I recently watched a slew of emails go back and forth, thinking, “This really needs to be a meeting.”

When should we not send an email, and call a meeting instead?

• When one email turns into 15… and there’s no end in sight. Clearly a discussion is needed, so stop typing and pull everyone together!
• The email asks more than one question. If the sender requires more than one straightforward response, a discussion may be more productive.
• More than one respondent owes a response. If the sender seeks inputs from multiple people on the email, the group should connect and dialogue.

Then there’s the rare breed who shoots 5-6 questions to you via email. No context, consideration, or timeline. And frankly, no real desire to understand. Make no mistake – those aren’t questions… they’re bullets. In this case, don’t respond via email – ask for a meeting and seek to understand what has ruffled feathers and get them to put down the gun.

Communication is hard. Written and verbal communication can so often be misunderstood. So in the spirit of generosity, take the time to consider your best course of action. Think through what will help you accomplish the job in the most efficient and caring way possible. Then, you’ll do great work AND deepen relationships.

If the mug makes you giggle, check out this song by Ryan Maloney! 😄

For related articles, check out

• The Power of Communication Cubed
• How to Graciously Say “No”
• Are you a Consistent Leader?

The post That email should have been a meeting 😄 appeared first on Social Legacy.

1. Empower yourself early in your career.

Heading to an interview and feeling nervous? Remember, you’re not just being interviewed; you are also interviewing the company to ensure it’s a good fit.

• Is this a place that is worthy of your time, where you will spend more hours than anywhere else in your life?
• Can you see yourself thriving here?
• What are your leader’s principles, and what do they prioritize?
• What can you learn about the company’s culture?

Get intentional about how you collect this information. If you ask a general question, you’ll get a general answer. Pose an expected question, and you’ll receive an expected response. Instead, here are some questions you might ask to really understand the hiring manager and culture of the place:

• When’s the last time you got your key leaders together? What did you do and talk about?
• How often do you hold an all-hands meeting?
• When was the last time someone came to you, who was struggling?
• Can you give me an example of something you recently orchestrated to delight your teams?

If they offer inspiring answers, delivered with great care and enthusiasm, you’ve found a great spot. If they can’t think of tangible examples, consider it a warning flag. If they stare at you blankly… well, you know.

2. Everyone at every level has the opportunity to demonstrate leadership daily.

Even if you don’t manage people, you will find yourself managing processes, systems, and client expectations. So, early in your career, clearly define how you want to operate. This is about about leading yourself with intention.

• WHO are you? How will you introduce yourself? There’s power to specificity and clarity, both for yourself and for those you work with.
• WHAT is your role? How is it defined, and what will you make of it? Your boss may not agree, but you can at least try to stretch the definition to what you’d most like it to be.
• HOW do you want to bring the best of who you are to work every day?

3. Learn to persevere and persist through the tough moments.

I love young people, especially the curious and passionate ones! So I say this with no disrespect: I noticed that young people today tend to jump from one job to another very quickly. Now let me start with a caveat: if you’re not treated well or don’t feel you’re learning, you should remove yourself, and place yourself where you can do both.

That said, there’s value to not running away from hardship. There’s so much richness to be learned when we’re willing to dive in deep and deal with experiences that are uncomfortable. You see, the world is not necessarily just. But looking at those around us with generosity of spirit, we can recognize that most people are trying to do the best they can.

So young people, If you can power through hardship, you’re going to learn so much more! Discover what maturity and wisdom you can gain when you come out the other side, and you will catch a glimpse of your best, future self.

I hope you find these 3 practical tips for young people entering the workplace helpful. Do you have any of your own to add? I’d love to hear them!

If you found this content useful, here are some related articles:

• The Power of Communication, Cubed
• Redefine Yourself, Constantly
• Don’t “Fake It Till You Make It”

Source: empower photo from unsplash, name tag, persist hills

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Sizzles & Pops

When we create a space of open engagement, nurture passion, and encourage innovation, the room lights up! Nothing gives me more joy than experiencing those sizzles and pops when strangers meet in my space and quickly become a tribe. This is what my Social Legacy is all about: Kibun, creating a comfort for the spirit.

Abby asked, why don’t we see more leaders doing this? I think we haven’t seen it role modeled enough… yet. Remember when Brené Brown introduced the concept of vulnerability in the workplace? She gave us words to shape what we were feeling, and which we can now express. In the same way, we can benefit from witnessing leaders who role model true authenticity. In part, this speaks to the need for representation. We need to see and lift up different types of people, who model different styles, and help them succeed and thrive in the workplace!

But sometimes, we let our light dim.

We think to ourselves, “I’m not outstanding,” or “I’m good enough but not great.” We wonder, “Who am I to shine so brightly?” Now, we don’t want to become arrogant or cultivate an inflated sense of self, but when we diminish our light, we’re missing out and so are those around us.

In fact, having an objective perspective of what we offer pays tribute to how we have been so uniquely and wonderfully made. For this one precious life, don’t we want to live it to the absolute maximum? So, fully embrace everything you think can do, everything you offer, and bring all that is unique and precious and special about you to the table! Then, here’s what happens: once you put your Social Legacy out there, you might find someone else who has the same. You will immediately spark to each other and the power that’s amplified when people who share a similar Social Legacy meet is so exciting! Because we suddenly find ourselves with like-minded, like-hearted, like-spirited people who want to have a similar impact in the world! Sizzles and pops, galore!

Beware the dangerous power of your subconscious.

Wait, isn’t my subconscious a good thing? Sure, it can be. The subconscious mind is where our brain makes decisions without actively needing to think about them. Some refer to it as our lizard brain – that primitive part of us, which is dominated by instinct or impulse and can serve to protect us in times of danger.

In fact, we humans are so good at pattern recognition, much of what happens on the subconscious level triggers so quickly, that we don’t even recognize it’s happening. But sometimes, if we don’t pause to interrogate our decisions and judgments, we may be yielding to irrational fears or insecurities. We might be passing judgment on others, without even realizing it.

That’s why we should pause in the micro-moments to analyze what conclusion we just drew and why. Let our conscious mind confirm what our subconscious might already believe and why. In the process, we’ll be exercising more conscious grace towards ourselves and others.

This is where the pink ball of yarn comes in.

To understand this reference, check out the 8min short: Purl the pink ball of yarn. I remember when I was recruited by IHG and met the CEO. Kenneth looked like a stoic, British man and I immediately wondered if I should dye my blue hair back to black.  Why was that my first question? Why wasn’t I thinking about why he’s interested in my leadership, or what talents I bring? Instead, my first thought was whether I should conform physically. That lizard brain! See what I mean?

We must pause in these micro-moments, before we yield to the nasty inner whispers that can so easily dominate and begin to reshape us. Purl’s transformation is so whimsically and artfully visualized in Pixar’s short. And it resonates deeply, because it is all too true.

In Summary:

• Look for, fuel, and celebrate the sizzles & pops!
• Don’t you let that light of yours dim.
• Beware the dangerous power of your subconscious.
• And stay pink.

Related articles:

• 3 ways to create a culture of belonging
• Protect your spark!
• Hope in the workplace

My lizard meme was built off this photo, dim lightbulb

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Instead, what if we tried to “Live as if”? 

Try it for a week. Live as if:

• You were fully comfortable in your own skin.
• In your heart, you knew you deserved to be here.
• Those around you believed in you and wanted what’s best for you.  

What’s the difference?

Instead of faking it, you’re considering a different state of life, mind or self. You’re trying something on, as you would that fabulous D&G chiffon cape. You’re not saying you’re going to buy it (hear that, babe?) you’re just donning it and asking yourself what it would be like to live “as if.”

Instead of faking it, you’re trying to adopt an improved state of life, mind or self. You’re interrogating what has to be true to “live as if.” This is more about experimentation and learning by doing. And by the way, what a cool opportunity (and privilege!) for each of us who has the opportunity to invest in this kind of trial.

You also don’t risk veering into this danger zone:

After faking it for a while, you may start to believe you’re someone else. In fact, if you really get into faking it, you can start believing you’re capable of more than you are. You might overpromise, overcommit, or come across as overly confident. None of this sets you up for success.

What do you guys think? Have you discovered any useful tips that helped you operate at the next level?

For related articles, check out:

• 3 Ways to Increase Your Impact Now
• Leadership Types
• New Years Intentions

Image from unsplash

The post Don’t “Fake it till you make it” appeared first on Social Legacy.

Same behavior, different conclusions.

This is the crux of the issue. If a man comes on strong, he’s perceived as a good leader. But if a woman comes on strong? “She’s a little aggressive, no?” Possibly seen as a little bitchy. “Maybe it’s her time of the month.”

A man adopts a condescending tone? “Well, we all know how he is. After all, he’s a CFO.” But a woman? “She’s going to need some coaching and this may become a career-limiting issue.”

A man delays a decision because he’s thoughtful. “How measured and thoughtful! It’s wonderful that he he’s seeking others’ input.” A woman does the same? “She’s in over her head. She’s wishy-washy and struggles to make decisions.“

Enough.

A woman can be strong and ambitious, thoughtful and considerate. Let’s see the positive in women and recognize them for their strengths. Personally, I’m increasingly seeing my job as an opportunity and privilege to identify and support talent of all gender identities. Let’s find, raise up and become role models for the next generation.

Women, know yourself and embrace your strengths! You’re becoming gold.

This post was inspired when I heard some ugly words spoken on the phone, while one of my favorite artists was playing in the background, Check out the song Gold here, by MILCK. Sometimes we struggle to stand up for ourselves; it’s easier to stand up for others. But MILCK is right – we should be able to feel and express ourselves with confidence and not apologize for it. We should learn to wear self-respect and dignity comfortably. Enough with this age-old double standard.

For related articles, check out:

• A great initiative led by Meta called Pass Her the Mic.
• Three amazing women leaving an incredible social legacy in Ukraine.
• Is Hate Bonding a thing?

Thanks to Jason Pischke for the photo background and header photo credit here

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