5 Things / Voluntold
I recently facilitated a discussion for a group of ERG leaders, and we kept hitting the same wall: leadership fatigue. Most of these leaders are struggling to find successors or even just a helping hand.
I asked them a simple question: “How did YOU step into leadership?”
The answer? “I was invited.” Just about every single person was "voluntold" to join. Someone saw their potential and made the ask.
Right now, there is a lot of fear, especially in corporate. Folks worry that stepping into ERG (or other) leadership might define them or, worse, stall their career trajectory. They aren't raising their hands because they're protecting their peace. I get it.
But they may respond to a personal invitation. Keep in mind that having the bandwidth to even consider saying "yes" is a privilege. But if they say no? Respect it. Your job is to make sure they know the door is open and that you see their spark.
I want you to think about the people in your orbit. Who can you "voluntell" to step up this week?
This Week's Good Vibes:
At the Winter Olympics, Elana Meyers Taylor won monobob gold, becoming the oldest individual Winter Olympic champion at 41. The victory ties her with Bonnie Blair for the most by an American woman at the Winter Olympics. She is also the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history and the first mother to win Olympic bobsleigh gold. A parent of two deaf children, one with Down syndrome, she dedicated the medal to working families. ♐️ Experience and lived reality are competitive advantages.
After the U.S. cut $25 million in federal funding for suicide prevention services supporting LGBTQ+ youth, The Trevor Project eliminated 200 roles, including crisis counselors. MAC Cosmetics responded with a $1 million grant from its Viva Glam Fund generated through product sales, helping enable nearly 20,000 crisis contacts totaling about 44,000 minutes of support. MAC also expanded gender inclusive training for makeup artists in partnership with The Trevor Project. When public funding disappears, marginalized communities feel the consequences first. ♐️ Consider how you can embed equity into operations, not just marketing.
The GoodPhone Project in Rochester, NY upcycled old pay phones and converted them to free voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phones in neighborhoods where some residents lack mobile access. Community organizers installed a handful of working phones that see hundreds of uses per month and allow users to set up their own voicemail numbers. Roughly 20 percent of calls go to social services, and one phone is solar-powered where electricity wasn’t available, showing how creative infrastructure can fill communication gaps. ♐️ Design solutions where markets have failed to serve all residents.
In England, the National Health Service opened dedicated mental health crisis clinics where anyone in urgent distress can be seen by a specialist within 10 minutes. These 24/7 services offer a full holistic assessment for people feeling suicidal or experiencing symptoms like psychosis or mania and aim to reduce the extreme waits seen in traditional emergency departments, where around 250,000 people presented last year and many waited over 12 hours. Clinic staff can link patients to ongoing community support and address underlying needs like housing or substance use, getting people home sooner with support rather than leaving them in hospital chaos. ♐️ Fast-tracked specialist access reduces harm and acknowledges crisis care as urgent care.
Free child care for many families
San Francisco’s new program provides free early child care for qualifying families with children under 5, beginning this month. Under the plan, a family of four earning less than about $230,000 per year can access free care at hundreds of providers. By this fall, households earning up to about $310,000 annually will qualify for a 50 percent subsidy on these costs. Families in the city typically pay $20,000+ per child each year for care. This structural barrier disproportionately impacts low and middle-income families, caregivers of color, and workers with limited leave or flexible work options. ♐️ Use targeted, inclusive eligibility to reduce disproportionate financial strain.
Good Vibes to Go:
If you like the Olympics like I do, there are plenty of good vibes to be found, like the pure joy in Alysa Liu’s gold medal-winning free skate. Catch those good vibes here.