Week 21.32 Permission to Speak Freely
I was so ready for a normal summer. I stayed home most of the pandemic, wore my mask as required, and signed up for my vaccine the day my number came up. It felt great to start to travel again as it seemed that enough of the country was vaccinated (at least in some places.) Then the Delta wave hit, and we are looking again over the precipice of stress.
I was also ready for a return to normalcy and perhaps just a little calm after the trauma of the election, the Jan 6 attack on the capital, and the transition of power. It seemed that individuals were regaining a more tempered voice after years of shouting. Power is too often expressed and seen as the power to silence and shut down. Giving voice is a form of empowerment, information, and protection. And just as my hope for the vaccine seems to have been premature, so to my hope for a return to normalcy.
One of the notable changes during the pandemic was the raising of voices of protest and the power of the individual to speak up. Athletes were able to take a knee in protest. There was a greater awareness of individual rights. There was the beginning of the conversation about the history of racism in the United States. These are passionate and painful conversations, but as we begin to have them more openly and more honestly than in the past (still far to go), we can begin the process of healing and finding a better place together. My optimism may have been a little premature here also.
As observed by the excellent sports editor of The Nation, David Zirin, during an interview on The United States of Anxiety podcast, what could have been moments of giving voice were mishandled by authorities as an opportunity to attempt to reassert control. Recall the withdrawal of Naomi Osaka from the French Open, not wanting to attend press conferences advocating for herself and her mental health. "Following the lack of engagement by Naomi Osaka, the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open jointly wrote to her to check on her well-being and offer support, underline their commitment to all athletes’ well-being and suggest dialog on the issues. She was also reminded of her obligations, the consequences of not meeting them, and that rules should equally apply to all players." (Roland-Garros) When two priorities come into opposition, the real order is revealed. In this case, as Zirin points out, the tennis authorities decided that the commitment to well-being is second to commitment to press conferences. And in so doing, they lost, for the moment, their #2 woman's tennis star and beloved fan favorite player.
Here in New York, we are watching the unwinding of Gov Andrew Cuomo, who a year ago seemed poised to make a run at the White House in 2024. Sporting amazing accomplishments, including bringing same-sex marriage to New York, introducing the $15 minimum wage, and other accomplishments led to a $5m deal for a memoir titled Leadership Lessons. And now, the combination of withholding the nursing home death toll and a history of sexual harassment is quickly bringing him down. One contributing factor to this kind of fall from grace is a lack of voice from people with tempering viewpoints. We can imagine they were in the room, perhaps too afraid to speak, perhaps outnumbered, or just overruled. In diverse rooms in which contrarian voices are permitted to speak, this issue is less frequent. Great leaders are great listeners, and the more power they have, the more they realize that their power obscures their ability to see clearly. Warren Buffet has been quoted as saying, “If you’ve been in the game 30 minutes and you don’t know who the patsy is, you’re the patsy.” A good corollary for people in positions of power could be, "If you do not hear opinions from your trusted advisors that you are doing something wrong, then you shouldn't trust your advisors."
This week is the week of the birthday that I share with my daughter (Lily), and I like to reflect on the year and what I can learn from it. This year I have been learning from the example set by my children of the power of allowing others to speak freely. Too often, when we think about speaking freely, we think about our need to speak and be heard. As people in positions of power of any kind, we must focus on permitting others to speak freely. The sensitivity we need to notice is "am I shutting people down or shutting people out" and if so, can I shut myself up? Lily is so smart about understanding the nuances of the needs of those who, for any assortment of reasons, are incapable or unwilling to speak up and supports creating the space for them to have a voice. My work for this year is to learn from her and follow her example. Thank You and Happy Birthday, Lily! (be sure to check her out at www.cookedbylo.com and @cookbylo on Instagram)
Week 35 of 52 weeks of giving: Voice Of Witness
Voice of Witness (VOW) is an award-winning nonprofit that advances human rights by amplifying the voices of people impacted by—and fighting against—injustice. VOW’s work is driven by the transformative power of the story and by a strong belief that an understanding of systemic injustice is incomplete without deep listening and learning from people with firsthand experience. Through two key programs—our oral history book series and education program—we amplify these voices, teach ethics-driven storytelling, and partner with advocates. The VOW Book Series depicts human rights issues through the edited oral histories of people—VOW narrators—who are most deeply impacted and are often at the heart of solutions to address injustice. The series explores race-, gender, and class-based inequity issues through the lenses of the criminal justice system, migration, and displacement. The VOW Education Program connects over 20,000 educators, students, and advocates with these stories and issues each year through oral history-based curricula, training, and holistic educational support.
52 Weeks of Giving is a project designed by Pamay Bassey to which I have committed and has me exploring and researching a wider diversity of charities and issues than I could ever have imagined. Thank you, Pamay, for your inspiration.
Join Ayse Birsel for Virtual Summer Lunch #71 and explore our post-COVID work and life using color.
“In a time like this, our senses need to be attended to more than ever. We are completely removed from our normal function, and color is going to play a more vital role addressing human needs and values like safety, fear, and connection.” —Laura Guido Clark.
Laura Guido Clark is the Founder and President of Project Color Corps, a company that uses color as a change agent. Transforming inner-city neighborhoods through painting, infusing a sense of well-being, joy, and equity into the surroundings. Her company Love Good Color (LGC, just like Laura’s initials), empowers organizations to strategically shift their approach to designing through color with deep impact using her unique process. Laura believes color can create meaningful emotional connections. RSVP
How to Get and Be a Great Peer Coach a new digital mini-course by Scott Eblin
Scott Eblin has released a free digital mini-course on How to Get and Be a Great Peer Coach. While his primary audience is organizational leaders who can benefit from peer-to-peer coaching (i.e., all of them), he's also excited to share it with the 100 Coaches community. Scott hopes you'll find it useful in your work with leaders and encourages you to share the course with anyone who you think could benefit from it.
Celebrating 1 Year Milestone: The Mindful Marketer LifeStream with Lisa Nirell
Marketing Leaders are being tested at every turn in this new world. Customers demand different, faster ways to engage. Employee turnover in marketing is reaching all-time highs. And CMOs struggle to personally make the leap from “order taker” to “growth champion.” Lisa Nirell hosts an acclaimed Livestream on the first and third Fridays of each month to address these challenges. She and her producer, Stef Kaplan, just celebrated the one-year mark. Combined with 30+ years of advising some of the world’s top CMOs and Lisa’s impressive guest list, this is worth a watch. Several 100 Coaches have been Lisa’s guests. Check out her recent discussion with Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire here. And don’t miss the August 20 Livestream and book launch celebration with Dorie Clark. Sign up here to receive Lisa’s Livestream calendar and invitation.
Co-Creation Leadership a new book by Terry Jackson
Helping Leaders Develop Their Superpower of Co-Creation for the Greater Good of the Organization
In this book, Dr. Terry Jackson, a renowned expert in executive coaching and organizational change, discusses co-creation leadership and how all leaders can use it to achieve organizational success. He also introduces the co-creation leadership's RECIPE model. Leaders with underperforming teams can recognize and apply the components in co-creation to succeed. Successful co-creation paves the way for healthier and happier humans and contributes to flourishing and thriving organizations.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Aug 10: Lou Konspore Aug 15: Lily Osman, Angie Atkins, Mort Aaronson, and Me! Aug 16: Scott Malkin Aug 17: Darek Lenart
With love and gratitude
Scott