Every year, the U.S. recognizes March as Women’s History Month, and as the CEO of Center for Executive Excellence, a Woman-Owned Business, I’m excited to celebrate. If you’re wondering how you can celebrate Women’s History Month this month and beyond, here are four excellent tips.
I am of the age when families bought volumes of the World Book Encyclopedia from door-to-door salesmen. The 20-volume, hardbound set could be purchased on a payment plan for around $700. The volumes were divided alphabetically into articles and themes often accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Before I was 5-years old, I had poured through every volume that lined the shelves in our living room. That core childhood memory is what fueled my lifelong love for libraries – where I could check out stacks of books and enjoy the gift of reading for free.
Chances are, January has you thinking about how to be your best self this year. Doing so likely means taking stock of the rote habits in your life that are causing a drag on your energy. Simple enough in theory. Yet, simple is rarely simplistic.
19th century philosopher William James opined that all of our lives are but a mass of habits. Research published in a 2006 study found that about 40% of our daily action is habitual, which is still a good chunk of time spent in mindless behavior. And that was more than 15 years ago. How much more distracted, distant, and drained are we today by our digital lives and full-frontal political polarization?
We’re taking our own medicine this month by not producing a full edition of CEE News and focusing on building margins in our lives, both personally and professionally. We invite you to access past editions of CEE News, help yourself to our library of free resources, or view the webinars posted on our YouTube channel to continue to build your leadership skills and toolkit.
Meanwhile, scroll down to check out the new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Training Program we’re kicking off in February. You can sign up for DEI On-Demand or earn a DEI Executive Certificate through the facilitated track. Either way, you can build your DEI acumen and get Credly badges along the way!
We hope that you find these resources valuable. Please share with your colleagues who might be interested in building their leadership skills, or dive deeper into DEI personally and professionally.
Happy holidays!
This is traditionally the time of year when we start to shift our attention inward, to focus on family and on what we are grateful for. As we enter a transitional stage after a year of trauma and strain, more than ever we need ways to refresh our energies, calm our anxieties, and nurse our well-being. Here are three ideas from TED Talks that can help fill up your gratitude jar.
Last month, I called my go-to window washer to schedule a much-needed cleaning. I usually have this done twice every year, but…well, you know. He was booked solid for the next two weeks, but we managed to get the job scheduled. When he came to my house, I asked if he’d been extra busy with customers like me scheduling make-up window cleaning. “Yes,” he said, “I’ve had more back-to-back jobs in the last two months than I had all of last year.” I had similar conversations with a landscaping crew, the dental hygienist, and the manager at my local dry cleaners. Everyone is happy to have plenty of work to do, but managing the sudden surge in demand while trying to deal with pandemic fatigue and get through the upcoming holiday season can set us up for a triple dose of mental drain this quarter. (more…)