Responding to the Call: Standing Up and Speaking Out for Tolerance and Understanding

Responding to the Call: Standing Up and Speaking Out for Tolerance and Understanding

 

Many of us are struggling to make sense of the unnecessary and devastating hurt and damage caused by racism in our communities. As a Latina who was born and raised in NYC’s South Bronx, I have witnessed the pain and long-term damage caused by deep-rooted racism.

 

By virtue of my faith and profession, I interact with individuals from all different walks of life. What I’ve learned as I engage with my network is that some will internalize the issues of the day and proactively take steps to effectuate change. On the other hand, others will hear the news, see the images on TV and disassociate from what is happening.

 

The reality is that regardless of whether the events of the day impact us personally or not, we ALL have a role to play in ending the cycle that perpetuates bigotry, hatred, and violence.

 

As women leaders at work, at home and in our communities we play many roles. We are daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, friends, managers and employees. We are uniquely positioned to influence others and help to shape the narrative. We can each take small steps that will lead to impactful long-term change. We can start by standing up and speaking out in love. Here is how . . .

 

Let’s pray for peace, understanding and love.

 

Let’s not pretend that “everything is ok”. We have friends, neighbors, and colleagues who are stressed, anxious and afraid. Ask how they are doing and let’s show them we care.

 

Let’s not judge another’s pain if we haven’t walked in their shoes.

 

Let’s educate ourselves and others about racism and its effects on communities.

 

Let’s speak up against hate and not tolerate racist jokes, comments or behavior.

 

Let’s create a future where tolerance and understanding is reflected in how we speak, how we interact and how we embrace those who are different than we are.

 

Let’s do the deeply personal work to grow in our compassion and empathy for others and use better judgment in how we engage with people of diverse backgrounds.

 

Today we have an opportunity to better educate ourselves and engage in courageous conversations that can lead to healing and transformative change. How will we respond to the call?

 

#blacklivesmatter #standupandspeakout

The Most Successful People Spend 10 Hours a Day on These 6 Things

The Most Successful People Spend 10 Hours a Day on These 6 Things

Successful people fascinate us. We are intrigued by how they live and how they achieve success. So, we study their habits and best practices. In studying the time management techniques of successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet and Albert Einstein, serial entrepreneur Michael Simmons discovered a common practice these high performers shared. He calls the practice, compound time.

Compound time refers to the large return that is generated over the long term from a small investment made now. If you want to focus your time so that you have maximum impact as a leader you can adopt the practice of compound time, too. According to Simmons, here are 6 practices you can adopt that will allow you to compound your time:

  1. Keep a Journal: Engaging in regular journaling can have a major impact on your personal development. For example, use a prompt to flesh out your thoughts around an idea or a concept. Perhaps there is a leadership quote that really inspires you. Use that quote to launch your journal entry and write about how you can incorporate qualities addressed in the quote into your leadership style. Perhaps you are experiencing a personal challenge. You can use that challenge as a prompt to explore possible solutions. Using prompts during journaling will help you process your thoughts and will help you become a more effective leader over time.
  2. Take a Nap: Research shows that napping has many benefits from reduced stress to improved memory. Napping allows you to clear your mind and boost your energy. You can accomplish so much more with a clear head and extra energy to get you through those tough days.
  3. Go for a Walk: Top performers include exercise in their daily routine. Walking is the most common form of exercise and it’s the easiest to incorporate into a daily routine. Walking gets your blood circulating and improves creativity.
  4. Read: Reading is no doubt the quickest way to access information and gain knowledge. Investing time in reading articles and books about subjects that can enhance your life and leadership abilities can be life transforming.
  5. Talk: There is nothing like sharing and co-creating with someone who is like-minded. There is power in banter, discussion and debate. A sharpening occurs when ideas are shared and fleshed out. This kind of exchange can lead to creative work with long lasting impact.
  6. Experiment: Many of the high performers that we read about today are not overnight successes. Their success came after experimenting with many methods and business models. Only after much trial and error have they attained success. Success requires a level of risk and experimentation to refine ideas and perfect solutions.

So, if you want to follow in the footsteps of high performers, slow down the pace of your busy life and begin to incorporate these 6 activities into your daily schedule and routine. You will see that over time, compound time will pay rich rewards.

A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading

A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading

Ellie Nieves interviews author Julia Mateer. Julia just released her book, Lifegiving Leadership: A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading. She is also the co-founder of Generation Eve, an online community for women focusing on leadership, relationships, and parenting. She is also a wife, mother, and licensed mental health therapist.
A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading

A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading

I recently interviewed author Julia Mateer.

Julia just released her book, Lifegiving Leadership: A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading. She is also the co-founder of Generation Eve, an online community for women focusing on leadership, relationships, and parenting. She is also a wife, mother, and licensed mental health therapist.

During our interview, Julia shared about her background as a mental health therapist in a private practice for 10 years. Her main focus was working with at-risk adolescent girls. Over the years, she transitioned into becoming a full-time pastor. For the past four years, she has directed small groups at a large church in her area. She focuses on writing and maintaining her relationship with her husband of 33 years. She has three adult children and one grandchild.

Julia was inspired to write her book, Lifegiving Leadership, after finishing up her career as a therapist working with women facing clinical and spiritual issues. Largely influenced by her Christian faith, Julia observed her patients with a unique perspective. “One of the things that I noticed caused women the most heartbreak was relationships, particularly relationships with other women,” Julia said. She considers this a point that many Christian women struggle with and noticed many have trouble finding the support and encouragement they need.

The purpose of her book is to help these women the tools to develop healthy, lifegiving environments within the church setting so fellow women can find healthy relationships and opportunities to minister and impact people’s lives with the love of Jesus.

Tools to Help Women Lead

“For us to be able to lead others, we have to be able to lead ourselves,” Julia said. In her book, she covers several ways to accomplish this:

  1. Develop your observational skills
  2. Develop your ability to find quiet and stillness in a busy world
  3. Be willing to seek help for any “heart blockages” we have that might inhibit our ability to lead from a healthy place.
  4. Learn how to develop a healthy team and how to affirm and bless your team
  5. Learn how to foster good relationships with members of your team
  6. Learn how to be a champion for the women you’re mentoring and developing

Leadership Goals and the Challenges They Bring

Julia says the main challenge facing women leaders is balancing family life with leadership goals. As she began developing as a leader, she said one of her biggest struggles was “being able to keep the integrity of my family while I was going to graduate school, while I was taking on more responsibility in ministry, and staying before the Lord to protect my heart and making sure I was following His leading, too.”

Another challenge facing women leaders is keeping themselves healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually in high-stress roles.

Faith and Career Goals

Most of Julia’s goals are directly influenced by her relationship with Jesus Christ. She became a Christian at age 19. “My goal since then is to filter everything I do through Him,” she said. This impacts every area of her life, including her roles as a wife, mother, therapist, writer, pastor, and leader. It influences how she leads and how she respects others. It drives her to help others to grow and take their next steps. She wants to lead through the lifegiving love of Jesus, which inspires her to show integrity and honor as she fulfills her various responsibilities.

Generation Eve

Julia launched Generation Eve, or GenEve, a little over a year ago. The idea stemmed from a desire for an online community that could foster authentic conversations with women about important issues facing them every day: what it’s like to be a woman leader and the challenges that brings, issues in relationships, parenting issues, and various faith topics. The community includes people from all walks of life and many different ethnic backgrounds, each bringing her own perspective to the group. She wants the conversations to be inclusive and encouraging. To learn more about GenEve, visit www.generationeve.com. Julia is in the process of developing several new books about parenting and women’s issues. She also wants to begin hosting live events for her GenEve group.

You can connect with Julia by emailing julia@generationeve.com. To review Julia’s complete list of leadership tools, her book, Lifegiving Leadership: A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading, is available through online book retailers.

You can listen to the full interview on the Leadership Strategies for Women Podcast.

A Woman’s Toolbox for Leading

For Women Leaders: Competence + Likability = Success

Ellie Nieves interviews Renee Weisman, Author of Why Hillary Lost: What Women Can Learn from the 2016 Election. During the interview, Renee shares that likability and competence are directly affected by gender, much more than experience or evidence of talent.