Executive Aura

Like Olympic athletes, executive leadership takes positive thinking.

Women are not afraid to take risks and create their own paths.

Congratulations to Natalie M. Curcio, M.D. and Curcio Dermatology. A trusted, talented doctor. #thinkleadactlikeaCEO #executiveaura

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I invite you to re-read the Birmingham Jail Letter and contemplate how it applies to our world and your company. From the letter, one phrase stood out to me: “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” It’s true. If we have the knowledge and see injustice, we must speak up for love and acceptance. I often observe two kinds of responses. One is “I’m not going to say anything; I don’t want to cause a scene or be rude” or “I’m going to tell you exactly why you are an idiot with inflammatory language.’ We can speak up with respect. Practice how you would respond, and listen to your choice of words, your vocal tone, and your body language. Situation #1: Imagine we hear a joke that has a racist undertone. If I know the person, I assume positive intent and choose an appeal that relates to something I know about the person. “Because of your work with X charity, I know you are a person who cares about all people. When I hear this joke, it sounds to me like X people are being degraded. I’d recommend not sharing this joke with others.” Situation #2: Imagine someone that says off handedly, “I call all my workers Mexicans.” I use my teaching tone and say something like, “Calling someone Mexican refers to a nationality not a race or ethnicity. This would be like calling all white people Italian or German. I like to use Hispanic to be more inclusive.” Situation #3: Imagine someone who is truly racist or openly speaks hate towards someone’s chosen sexuality. I will say, “I believe that our Creator loves everyone unconditionally, and because of this, please do not say that phrase in front of me.” As leaders we model the behavior. If we seek an inclusive and diverse company, we must evaluate who are the voices around our meeting tables, who presents with us, what our visuals represent, and what language we are using that calls people to be respectful of each other. We should allow our peers to speak up and provide us honest feedback. When we accept the feedback and give feedback, we will demonstrate to others how to have the courage to speak up. Please share specific examples of how you advise others to speak up for. Kimberly Pace #thinkleadactlikeaCEO #executiveleaders #diversityandinclusion #mlk

There is nothing better than seeing great leaders transform into executive leaders. HCTec chooses an amazing group each year to think, lead, and act like a CEO.