February 2021

Hi, It’s Harriet here.

How are you today? Well, I truly hope 💖

Here’s my recap of some of the January issues that seemed to lift and engage us all. I so, so value your insights, ideas, and inputs. Big thank you again 🙏

I’d like to start with this wonderful hope-mindset poem on Instagram from Leslie Dwight that has resonated with so many of us and sparked much conversation.

What if 2020 isn't cancelled?

What if 2020 is the year we've been waiting for?

A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw... that it finally forces us to grow.

A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.

A year we finally accept the need for change.

Declare change. Work for change. Become the change.

A year we finally band together, instead of pushing each other further apart.

2020 isn't cancelled, but rather the most important year of them all.

However hard the start to 2021 might seem, I think you’re all doing great in so many amazing ways. Just list all the ways you have pivoted and changed, how you have helped others in ways that might have seemed imaginable 12 months ago!

I read some new research this week from Hootsuite and We are social that confirmed how people are now investing more time in life’s simple joys and appreciating the little things right now. I happened to share a post about this at the same time as the research was published and was delighted to hear how you too are taking the time to enjoy a special cup of coffee, lighting scented candles to lift the mood, enjoying a long hot bath, food treats and going outside to enjoying breathing in some fresh air.

The concept of ‘three hobbies’ also continues to gain your interest and excitement. Harvard Business School is weighing in on this too with their article 'Why You Should Work Less and Spend More Time on Hobbies'.

I love to hear what you are doing physically and creatively, plus there’s so many exciting purpose-driven projects happening in the workplace, and in volunteering. Keep the messages coming!

My core theme for January 2021, was how we might together ‘build back better’. A year like 2020 gives us a unique opportunity to gather our learnings and take a whole new perspective on who we are and where we want to be in 2021.

During the month I shared a post on how I have been working on my own goals, with a simple 4-step approach.

1 - I listed all my accomplishments in every new and established area of my life in 2020 and laid them out like a huge jigsaw to look at the real-time picture of me!

2 - Then I focused on what I really loved doing, what new skills I have learned and what the new year demanded I do differently than before?

3 - Onto the evocation of making them SMART - Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic (always a challenge for me as I veer off into the impossible!) and Time-Bound

4 - And then the “pièce de résistance” a wow breakthrough goal that must spirit and catapult me to a new level!

There's some more great tips for 2021 goal setting in this Forbes article.

As I started to think about this year ahead I was also struck by the context of my 60th year and the focus going forward.

Broadly speaking from years 5 to 25 I was so, so focused on learning and passing the numerous tests necessary to prove to the world I was employable and acceptable!

Then from 25 to 30, I chose wisely who I worked for - finding great mentors, friends, and supporting my family.

Whilst leading and driving huge change from 30 to 45 it was critical I remain teachable, open to new approaches/people, and up until the age of 50 using my influence and building an extraordinary foundation of relationships across the world so that now together we give back with purpose and impact

It’s now time - my 60th year - that purpose and impact will be my focus. It fills my heart with joy and my head is full of interventions that can and will make a difference.

During January I’ve been very aware, particularly during my mutual mentoring and coaching sessions, of the need to boost morale, and the following tips I shared on this certainly seemed to help with many people commenting and sharing it with others.

ENCOURAGE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

In all the teams I have worked in, across 4 continents, creating an environment of fairness, no favourites, encouraging outspoken views whilst deeply embracing inclusion & diversity builds trust. With individual & collective trust that you can be yourself, a fabric of psychological safety is woven that allows all to focus & excel on the mission.

EMPHASISE LEARNING OVER WINNING

Team members, of all ages, need to feel they are learning daily in structured and unstructured activities. Providing skill-based programs, shadowing days, internships, assignments & sabbaticals creates loyalty & focus that propels success.

IDENTIFY AND CELEBRATE LITTLE VICTORIES

Stop often to shout about the successes calling out rockstars, heralding the teamship, the wins, & the delights!

This Fast Company article offers more great advice.

As a new 2021 feature, each week on a Saturday I am sharing things very special that strike me during the week, something “gold” in the making or a “universal elixir”. I'm calling it the Alchemy Alcove.

In January I shared the experiences of my first snowfall in a very long time having spent the last years in tropical climates and how beautiful snow is if you look up v v close.

I also shared a quote that stopped me in my tracks and made me think about how can we, as ordinary women, ensure that our work forges a passage that enables others to build on the foundations of success.

“The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman... it is only when we can measure the life of and experience made possible to the ordinary woman that we can account for the success or failure of the extraordinary woman” - Virginia Woolf.

You can still add your thoughts to the post, here.

And I shared my reflections on the power of role models that were wonderfully manifest during the 2021 presidential inauguration, not only Vice-president Kamala Harris but our new first lady Doctor Jill Biden, former first lady Michelle Obama and the incredible young poet laureate Amanda Gorman.

As I watched the events, I was reminded some years ago a major telco provider surveyed thousands of young women about what they wanted to be when they grew up. The top 10 “professions” chosen were somewhat surprising - no one mentioned being a doctor, journalist, camerawomen, businesswomen, or writer.

As much as I love Cheryl Cole and wish I could wake up each morning looking as lovely as she does, the top role models mentioned in the survey were footballers WAGs, celebrities, soap opera stars etc.

Perhaps this isn’t surprising as many young women have had limited exposure to the amazing roles and professions that so many women really have - which is why we are entering such exciting times with many more visible role models, including politicians, lawmakers, and artists.

This was further confirmed with the recent release of the OUTStanding LGBT+ Role Model Lists 2020; I was proud to be involved in the judging process.

So, are you ready for February 2021?

This month my core theme is going to be self-love and kindness building our personal resilience and strengthening our cores. I’ll be sharing more thoughts, insights, and top tips to help guide us all through these challenging times building on these inputs which generated lots of feedback.

As certainty, security, and our ability to plan even small activities is further eroded in lockdown 3, personal resilience becomes core to surviving stress.

I found this Fast Company article very interesting as I personally focus on the following 3 main areas of this critical toolkit.

1. Cultivate more compassion

Firstly for ourselves and then for others! According to research, expressed and demonstrated compassion increases positive emotions, creates positive work relationships, and increases cooperation and collaboration.

2. Compartmentalise your cognitive load

Apparently, we receive 11 million bits of information every second, but our brain can effectively process only 40 bits! So if we can’t reduce the amount of information we receive, we must compartmentalise doing certain tasks only at certain times, as we might with exercise – a sort of monotasking!

3. Exercise more mindfulness & get trained

Social psychologists are finding that mindfulness predicts judgment accuracy and insight-related problem solving and the available online training can be fun and fulfilling!

Today I couldn’t be more overjoyed to launch our new online book club!

Your amazing book recommendations and participation thus far has been hugely inspiring and I don’t think we could have selected a better book to start the book club!

Here’s a reminder of how it will work:

📚 The book choice criteria

The book can be fiction or non-fiction. It must be available globally and not published before March 2020. I'm really keen to share texts that are relevant for the new Covid world we live in so that we can build back better with relevant learnings and insights.

📚 How to get involved

You can follow my posts on social media, and also visit my website www.harrietgreen.com/book-club

On the website, you can submit your details so we can keep you updated via email, and we’ll also be prompting you to keep visiting the page to see my review, and to add your own comments.

So, let’s get started!

Our first book club choice is…. huge drum roll 🥁: The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias.

A huge thank you to Britton Bloch and a few others for this recommendation. It was a stand-out choice to launch the book club and I hope you will all enjoy reading it and learning from it, as much as I did.

Here’s the official book description to whet your appetite:

"A timely, must-have guide to understanding and overcoming bias in the workplace, from the experts at FranklinCovey.

Unconscious bias affects everyone. It can look like the disappointment of an HR professional when a candidate for a new position asks about maternity leave. It can look like preferring the application of a red brick university graduate over one from a state school. It can look like assuming a man is more entitled to speak in a meeting than his female junior colleague.

Ideal for every manager who wants to understand and move past their own preconceived ideas, Unconscious Bias explains that bias is the result of mental shortcuts, our likes and dislikes, and is a natural part of the human condition. And what we assume about each other and how we interact with one another has vast effects on our organisational success - especially in the workplace. Teaching you how to overcome unconscious bias, this book provides more than thirty unique tools, such as a prep worksheet and a list of ways to reframe your unconscious thoughts.

According to the experts at FranklinCovey, your workplace can achieve its highest performance rate once you start to overcome your biases and allow your employees to be whole people. By recognising bias, emphasising empathy and curiosity, and making true understanding a priority in the workplace, we can unlock the potential of every person we encounter."

What I have read so far gives such personal insights from many and actionable practical suggestions, it's exciting. 🌟

📚 Next steps

I’ll be sharing my review in a couple of weeks so that you can get started with your own thoughts and opinions.

I’m also over-the-moon to share with you that author Pamela Fuller is excited to be involved and we are discussing right now her interview on the book addressing the comments or questions you might have!

Make sure you subscribe via the book club web page for all the updates so you can get involved with the conversations.

As we continue to navigate these unchartered territories, let’s support, share and encourage each other – the world needs us to be kind to ourselves, as we survive and flourish in this vortex of change.

Take care, stay safe and keep in touch,

Harriet