Change is eternal, our need to adapt perpetual. Uncertainty and angst are the order of the day. No one is immune, and every person and organization is recalibrating mission and purpose with the urgency of the displaced.
For the past 25 years, I have been an entrepreneur and small business owner navigating the torrent of change and upheaval that defines the technology sector. Simultaneously, like many, my business has been buffeted by the same random, extreme, and unpredictable life forces that have tested us all. Along the away, I learned and adopted an important survival philosophy that has kept me motivated and committed to the positive and the constructive, while preserving my sense of purpose as well as my sanity. I call it pragmatic idealism.
Contents
Rick Thomas
Editor
Nance Larsen
Cover Story Photo
Tonya Harvey
pbth.net
Visualizer
Scott Mlynarczyk
The STRIVE Group, LLC
thestriveproject.com/subscribe
Copyright © 2022
The Strive Group, LLC
All rights reserved.
s a 23-year-old entrepreneur, I’ve grown up with tech as a solution. Given that I’m only a couple of days older than Google, it might surprise you that what I’m about to suggest is not tech-related. Instead, it goes back to our core, real-life human connection.
I’m sure we’ve all felt technology has helped us communicate with relatives who live far away or make new friendships with people from different time zones. However, while technology connects us to those geographically distant, it often disconnects us from those close to us.
The pandemic has been one of the most relevant examples of how technology has enabled us to connect with loved ones, find other single people just around the corner who are up for dating, and even order food to be delivered to our doors in minutes. But that’s just the tip of the connection iceberg.
re you ever surprised when things that seem to be running fine suddenly get out of control? You have all your ducks in a row and, just when you think everything is in sync, one of the little fluff-bombs waddles off and disrupts the whole journey. What is going on?
We live in an imperfect world, and there are demons among us causing chaos—sometimes big chaos, like the COVID-19 pandemic. We ignorantly enjoyed a daily routine of commuting to work, working with a great team in an office, going to meetings, etc., and then bam! The demons of chaos rose and shook us all into a new awakening. Overnight, COVID-19 forced us from our happy routines to confusion, uncertainty, and learning.
We experience these demons of chaos in frequent, smaller ways, too. The app you’ve been using for weeks suddenly freezes and you can’t get that project updated while you eat breakfast. The microphone just purchased for better virtual meetings gets a bug and generates disrupting noises. The tire on your car, now sitting in your garage more than it did before, slowly, almost imperceptibly, goes flat. The team member that was once highly engaged and participative unexpectedly decides to leave.
moved to Ghana, West Africa, prior to my senior year of undergrad to participate in an education abroad program. I was leaving the comfort that I knew to live in a new culture for an entire year. I traveled farther than ever before to a continent I had never seen. I didn’t know any Ghanaian people, but when I arrived I was warmly welcomed. Ghanaian students and university staff made me feel at home, and I quickly moved into a space of trust and open-mindedness, ready to absorb, adapt, and learn.
e all have moments when our credibility is on the line, and this was one of them. I was visiting a long-term client’s office, where just two hours prior I had presented a training on conflict and accountability to the entire human resources team. I winced as I heard a highly visible, veteran employee named Drew express his opinion about senior management in a highly unprofessional way. My wince was especially deep because Drew had uttered the comments in front of a set of new employees who had just joined the team. It was one of those moments when, if the wrong ears had been around, there was a good chance Drew would have been shown the door before the end of the day. I knew if I was going to maintain my integrity and credibility I would need to confront Drew about his comments and hold him accountable for his behavior.
#LiveLikeGreg
had no idea how those six words my husband, Greg, said to me would ultimately change me and my life. In September of 2020, after months of lockdown, confusion, and restlessness, I had decided to take a break—a long weekend in San Diego at the beach to recharge my soul and find some internal peace. What better way than the soothing sounds of the ocean and some quiet time in the sun and sand. It was there, in the place I was so desperately looking for peace, that I heard those words, and the calm that I needed and wanted was quickly replaced by anxiety.
Greg was invincible. Larger than life in presence and personality. He was healthy and strong, and loved all kinds of physical activities, from mountain climbing and scuba diving to horseback riding and so much more—I swear he did it all. And he was never sick. Surely this would not be a big deal. But that day, I heard something I seldom heard in his voice—fear.
he horror that struck a quintessential town in New England rippled across the globe. The loss of innocent young lives and the adults giving service for their futures was, and remains, incomprehensible. From that point on as a parent, that sick feeling inside of “Will my son be safe?” when dropping him off at school never faded throughout the years. The tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School hit close to home; two children of high school friends were inside during the mass shooting.
eddy was a gangster. There is no other way to put it. And he was proud of it. When I showed up for my first day as a volunteer at the county juvenile detention center, I knew I was outside my comfort zone. I had no idea that Teddy was going to extend that comfort zone throughout the better part of a decade and take me hundreds of miles away from home.
When I met Teddy, my job wasn’t fulfilling. It paid for my student loans and other bills, but I was searching for an outlet that could truly make a difference. That’s why I started volunteering with young people. I love teaching and coaching.
Cultivating these environments is the responsibility of supervisors and managers.
• Foster relationship building • Develop empowered teams • Enable performance
• Improve communications and generate engagement • Establish a productive virtual work environment for all
- Creating and Enabling an Effective Remote Workforce
- Managing Virtual Teams
- Leading People through Challenge and Change
- Accountability on Remote Teams
- Safety Matters, Even Remotely
- Using Brain Science to Maximize Your Effectiveness Leading Remotely
- I Can Do It!
- Communicating Effectively Over Distance
- Facilitating and Mastering Effective Virtual Meetings
- Tips to be Effective and Productive While Working from Home
- Maintaining Mental and Emotional Wellness Through Challenging Times
- Using Brain Science to Maximize Your Effectiveness Working Remotely
Successful Environments
- Creating and Enabling an Effective Remote Workforce
- Communicating Effectively Over Distance
- Facilitating and Mastering Effective Virtual Meetings
- Tips to be Effective and Productive While Working from Home
- Safety Matters, Even Remotely
- There’s an App for That
training.thestrivegroup.com
Classes now available on The Chariot Group’s Online Marketplace. Learn More
When developing your business response to change and uncertainty, recognize that your organizational and strategic response will differ depending on the scenario quadrants you’ve identified and should be responsive to the scenario you currently find yourself in.
he “new normal” is a tired and meaningless phrase. Do a Google search. I did, and Google returned this: “About 4,960,000,000 results (0.68 seconds).” That’s close to five billion—with a capital “B.” Let’s agree on this from the start: There is nothing new or normal in 2022 except for the unrelenting pace of change that challenges us every day.
STEP 2: Create interest
STEP 3: Motivate action
STEP 4: Reap rewards
Our digital signage software, interactive designs and room booking solutions help motivate your audience so your communications can make a difference. Engage employees, students, visitors and customers with announcements, event schedules, wayfinding and more using easy templates, widgets and data-mapping tools.
- AxisTV Signage Suite content management software is scalable, flexible and user-friendly.
- Award-winning interactive touchscreen designs invite your audience to participate.
- Interactive and e-paper meeting room signs help you manage shared spaces more efficiently.
The Female Advantage
fixated on fitting in, wearing a bland outfit so as not to draw attention to myself. I worked at staying quiet, not saying too much, sitting at a table in the back of the room.
As president and CEO of a professional services company for the last seven years, I was at a meeting with other CEOs to talk about potential partnerships. As the knot tightened in my stomach, the thoughts that ran through my head were, “I don’t fit in. Nobody looks like me. Are they going to take me seriously?” I prayed to the CEO goddesses. “Please make another woman walk into the room.”
My reaction to functioning in this way was to put my head down and bear it. Over time, these self-denigrating behaviors made me angry. Angry that I needed to adjust myself to be heard. Angry that I needed to fight for a seat at a table that I had earned…over and over again. When I decided to leave my CEO position and go out on my own, these formative experiences became the fuel that drove my consulting business. I wanted to help other women to function as the leaders they could be using all their skills and all their strengths, and to stop the conditioned behaviors that sabotage their success and happiness.
The Great Reveal
The Great Reveal
f I had a nickel for every time I told a client, “That resignation was avoidable,” I would have a lot of nickels.
Many pundits have claimed that COVID has caused “the great resignation.” I disagree. While COVID has disrupted a variety of issues around the globe, I believe much of the existing turnover was avoidable. The data offered prior to 2020 from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Quantum Workplace, Gallup, Aon Hewitt, and similar reporting agencies all suggest that significant workplace vulnerabilities have been prevalent for years. COVID simply served as “the great reveal.”
Burnout
Prior to 2020, about 60 percent of surveyed employees were burned out and 30 percent were feeling unusually high levels of stress at work. For the previous 10 years, data suggests nearly half of the workforce worked more than 45 hours per week. Finally, data suggests that while many employees expected their employers to support a balanced work/life environment, a large percentage felt they were denied reasonable consideration to meet the proposed objective.
Our consultants are passionate about
helping you and your business move forward.
Our Services
LEADERSHIP
- Assessments
- Coaching
- Succession Planning
WORKFORCE
- Training/Workshops
- Coaching
- Team Building
ORGANIZATIONAL
- Business Consultation
- Strategic Planning
- Policies & Procedures
Remote Empowerment
- Virtual/Remote Environments
- Efficiencies & Engagement
- Leveraging Technology
907.2.STRIVE
Compliant
Sustainable
Comprehensive
Connecting people and ideas. Specializing in group communication collaboration technologies, whether in person, over distance or in combination.
www.chariotgroup.com/online-marketplace
info@chariotgroup.com | 877.822.5300 | www.chariotgroup.com
Thanks for reading our Apr-Jun 2022 issue!