Pride & Joy
My approach would naturally be much more practical – but Erma had me sold. Pride is about joy.
5 Things / Praise
“Don’t congratulate us on what we’re doing well…we don’t want people to see that and get complacent." That makes sense, and yet, I’ve found that it helps to have an outsider like me acknowledge and celebrate what’s working so that they can do more of it.
5 Things / Ageist
This year I learned that I’m ageist. I learned this by showing up at “drop-in pickleball" at the rec center around the corner, having never played. The other players were patient with me, lent me a paddle, and taught me to play. I felt cautiously confident that I could pick this up easily, especially since many players were older than me. And then I had my a$$ kicked by folks 15-20 years my senior.
5 Things / Connection First
This week I met with a keynote client that found, when they issued return to office mandates last year, that productivity was higher when people worked remotely. As a result, they backtracked on the mandates and now the vast majority of employees work at home.
5 Things / Visibility
My partner Heather Vickery and I spent Wednesday (Lesbian Visibility Day!) in Springfield for LGBTQ Advocacy Day at the Illinois State Capitol. It was my first time attending this annual event organized by Equality Illinois. The goal is to meet with legislators and share our perspectives on LGBTQ-related bills.