*Before we begin, may I take a moment to acknowledge the injustice and hardship this past week has brought including the horrifying shooting of Jacob Blake (and lack of accountability thus far for the officer who shot him) and ensuing protests that have left two dead, the wildfires in California and Hurricane Laura in Louisiana. And this amongst a pandemic, a fraught back-to-school season and a high-stakes election ahead. My heart has been heavy this week.
What do I think about that?
One of my top five strengths according to StrengthsFinder 2.0 is Input.
And this is described on their website as,
“You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information — words, facts, books, and quotations — or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity.”
I’ve never felt more seen. (And it answers why my Evernote and Notion accounts are bloated collections of articles, book notes, podcasts, PDFs and Twitter threads).
Leveraging this strength is what allows me to write this newsletter to you filled with curated resources I’ve found fascinating or useful. And it’s what makes me a great coach, as I draw on so many ideas, methodologies and approaches when I work with clients.
Best yet, it makes me a fountain of resources for friends. You need a book recommendation? I’ve got 10. Want to find a new podcast to listen to? I can recommend 30 (plus two new podcast player apps to try). Want to go deep on a particular topic of interest? I’ve probably clipped 77 articles I could send you.
But…
It’s also what keeps me circling around, gathering information, consuming content and ping-ponging between OTHER people’s ideas.
And it’s also what keeps my head really full to the point where I often have to pause and ask myself, “Yes, this is all fascinating information and insights, but what do I really think about it?” And more importantly, “What do I want to say about it?”
Yesterday a few LEAD.Well members and I gathered together to chat about this month’s book club pick, “How to do Nothing” by Jenny Odell. While the title is slightly misleading, and perhaps more of a Trojan horse, the main premise of the book seems to be about drawing our awareness to the way our attention is being monetized and commoditized every waking moment.
As we discussed the book, I shared my tendency to fill my time with information and inspiration consumption, and the resulting cost of that. There is but a rare moment where I am not engaged in some form of input: going for the walk with a podcast playing in my ears, drinking a coffee while knocking off a few newsletters, watching TV while clicking on too many Twitter links.
I enjoy these activities immensely (obviously), but whether it’s my 40+ age, the fact that my surge capacity has been depleted, because my kids and husband are home 24/7 or because it’s all just too darn much, I am finding myself struggling more than normal with the ability to find MY signal through the noise.
Odell’s capture of French philosopher, Gilles Deleuze’s thoughts of when we are “riddled with pointless talk, insane quantities of words and images”, the challenge is to search for “little gaps of solitude and silence in which [to]find … the rare, and even rarer thing that might be worth saying,” rings particularly true right now.
And lest you think this is just a weird, quirky habit of mine, let me assure you that this predilection for overconsumption is particularly common among the leaders I know.
They may not go to the input extremes I do (yes, I’ll admit it’s probably overkill) and it may not come in the form of new media, but their brains are still immensely full of requests, to-do’s, new opportunities not yet started, project timelines, client questions, staff needs, problems in need of solutions, and an endless stream of professional resources they could be learning from.
As one client said to me recently, “Ugh. I am so busy trying to answer all my team’s questions and suggestions while also keeping things afloat, I never have any time to figure out what I think about what they’re saying. I’m just reacting, with no time for any meaningful analysis or consideration.”
I’ve talked before about the importance of deep work and CEO time – that focused time where we work on our things rather than just in them. And I’ve talked endlessly about making space for what matters most rather than just focusing on what’s in front of us.
But what I’m realizing might be missing from the equation is the quiet and contemplation that often needs to precede these focused work blocks and creation windows. If I don’t know what I want to create or I have no idea what I think about the project I’m about to start, then having scheduled time is probably premature.
And if I never have a moment where the noise of the world isn’t infiltrating my head space, what chance do I really have to get the clarity of thought I need to move forward purposefully? And so, back to busywork I’ll probably go.
All this to say, I’ve made a commitment to practice 15 minutes of silence every day in September. This won’t be meditation – I’m not aiming to rid my mind of thoughts. Instead, I’m trying to listen to the ones that typically get pushed back into the recesses of my brain because I overcrowd them external, shiny ones.
I’ll probably keep a paper and pen close by to capture any insights I have – a commonplace notebook of sorts that I’ll later transpose into Notion (my tool of choice). I may pick a topic for the session and mull it over, looking to extract my own insights (if I have any – lol). Or I may just sit in silence and let it be a reprieve from the rest of the day. I’ll experiment and see what works best.
The world is feeding us more information, ideas and inspiration than we’ll ever be able to consume in one lifetime and the cost of trying to impacts our ability to be a contributor, not just a consumer. In my opinion, that’s too high a price to pay.
Let me know if you decide to join me in September,
Steph
x
p.s. If you’d like some personalized support this fall, I have two private coaching spots available starting in September. Check them out here and then let’s connect.
p.p.s. a virtual hug and high-five to all my fellow parents who are navigating back-to-school time. I’ve come to a place where I’ve made peace (mostly) with the idea that there is no right answer – only what’s right for us, right now (though my Twitter feed might tell a different story about how I feel about the politics of it all. Sigh).
💡 FRESH, HAND-PICKED RESOURCES
Curated links from around the web to help you work well, live well and lead well.
While I’m still enjoying my summer break from Facebook and Instagram, should I decide to come back (honestly, it’s up for debate right now…), I appreciate Tsh’s perspective on using Insta as a museum not a mall. “I have ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS with Instagram that go deeper than just How does it make me feel?, and those are real and relevant. But the anxiety I often feel when scrolling the app matters, too, and it is indeed similar to how I’d feel back in the day when malls were a thing.”
Leadership has been on my mind a lot lately – especially with so many bad examples of it playing out in public. I’ll write more on this another time, but for now, I thought this article was a helpful look at how to Hone Your Leadership Style In Times Of Crisis. “In difficult times, many leaders and companies tend to retreat, hunker down, and avoid taking on risk. Whether trying to navigate through crises while leading an enterprise, managing a team, or even finding a new job, people crave certainty and stability so they return to the familiar and proven, or take their cues from those around them and follow what everyone else is doing. But great brands assume a more proactive, progressive posture. They look for ways to think and act differently, so that they move themselves and their world forward.” (Forbes)
A lesson in priorities, work and identify from the incomparable Toni Morrison in this 2017 piece, The Work You Do, the Person You Are (New Yorker).
📚Recently read: Evvie Drake Starts Over (warm, fun read) by Linda Holmes, host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.
Interesting two-part discussions on the history of Cancel Culture – part 1 and part 2 (NYT Daily Podcast).
Come and learn with Dan Levy (Schitts Creek fame) and me as part of the University of Alberta’s free course called Indigenous Canada. Dan and others are well underway, but the course is flexible to your schedule. This has been heralded as “mandatory learning” for all Canadians (and I posit all humans) to better understand key issues facing Indigenous peoples. Sign up for the course here.
Despite the fact that I’ll be mercilessly teased by a friend and reader (he knows who he is) for selecting another melancholic song, this one’s been on repeat lately. It about perfectly sums up 2020 thus far. Listen here.
I guess I just feel like
The joke’s gettin’ old
The future is fading
And the past is on hold
But I know that I’m open
And I know that I’m free
And I’ll always let hope in
Wherever I’ll be
It’s been a stressful year so far, and the challenges and uncertainty aren’t going away soon. Enter Victoria Smith – a wonderful woman and client. She’s got a fantastic Stress Less Bundle sale going on right now with her signature programs: Stress Less at Work, Stress Less about your Body, Stress Less: Mindfulness and Meditation for the Everyday and Stress Less in 90 Days. The special bundle offer is only available until August 31st. You can learn more and purchase here.
Keep Listening: 33 Black Canadians Making Change Now A fantastic, though non-exhaustive list of black women leading the way in Canada.
As noted above, I’ve got a new podcast app for my fellow hardcore listeners. Airr enables you to capture episode snippets (think Kindle highlighting for podcasts) to share or save for later. This is perfect way to save those nuggets without having to write them down elsewhere, or bookmark the episode to listen to again later when you can capture key ideas.
Speaking of notes, are you an Architect, Gardener or Librarian? Your answer may determine which note-taking app best suits your style. I fancy myself an architect-librarian, and it’s true that Notion is far-and-away my tool of choice. How about you?
The Best Workout for You to Try, Based on Your Myers-Briggs Type. I still haven’t determined if I’m an INFP or INFJ but both responses seem on point for my exercise personality.
It’s tomato season and I am eating them up like candy. This recipe is making a regular appearance on my dinner table – it is so delicious and only gets better with time. Enjoy!
Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable. I didn’t have to become perfect because I’ve learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness.
~Janelle Monáe
🎉 SUCCESS RITUALS BOOK:
I’m so pleased to be a featured author in The Success Rituals: Winning Habits of High-Achieving Women book, compiled by my friend Gina Raelene. My chapter, One Success Ritual to Rule them All, highlights the importance of leading from our values as an everyday leadership practice.
We’ve already made #1 Amazon bestseller status in Canada in the Entrepreneurship & Business/Mentoring categories, and you can get your copy today for $0.75. Get your copy here.
💥THE WEEK IN A GIF
Thinking a lot about where I can best be of service right now. Because while we’re all in this together, we’re not all in it equally. — Also, Kamala!!!
💛 SHARING IS CARING
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