#3 I'm Such a Boss

Hey amplifiers,

Welcome to another dose of inspiration and motivation to spark your impact. By the time you've read this, I would have spent 6 hours straight, binge-watching Ripley on Netflix . There are no regrets. Have you watched it? Let me know how you liked it in the comments!

Oh and it's Tax Day!

This issue at a glance:

• Political Chatter: What to do when conversations about politics become an office norm.
• What you need to excel in Leadership this year.
• This week's Epic Win.
• Washington Post says that women's representation has declined at the C-Suite.
• Every Leader is an influencer. If you're not, you aren't doing your job.

But first...

Let's jump in!

I'm a Boss

You know what I realized?

I'm such a boss. I mean I've been navigating this crazy new world of business like

Even for the most gifted individuals, the process of becoming a leader is an arduous, albeit rewarding, journey of continuous learning and self-development. The initial test along the path is so fundamental that we often overlook it: becoming a boss for the first time. That’s a shame because the trials involved in this rite of passage have serious consequences for both the individual and the organization.

Executives are shaped irrevocably by their first management positions. Decades later, they recall those first months as transformational experiences that forged their leadership philosophies and styles in ways that may continue to haunt and hobble them throughout their careers.

But I must say, looking back, I did dat!

I don't think we take time out enough to be proud of what we've done. No matter our level, many of us struggle with our swag.

Today, just take a little time out to pat yourself on the back. And tomorrow is so much brighter!

Address workplace political disputes proactively to mitigate risk

It’s unrealistic to expect employees to stop?political chatter?altogether. But HR can craft policies and train supervisors to prevent problems.

We are well into an election year with another hotly contested presidential race expected in November. There are wars occurring across the ocean that are prevalent in the national conversation. And as millions of consumers know, social media has become a breeding ground for political debate, memes, and disputes.

It is inevitable that some political disagreements will cross over into the workplace. When it does, it will leave many businesses wondering about the rules: Can an employer fire an employee for political speech? Can it prohibit political discussions in the workplace?

A few facts:

• Although many people rightly view political speech as protected by the First Amendment, it does not apply to most employer-employee relationships.
• Although political affiliation is not a protected class under federal law, some states and localities expressly prohibit taking employment action based on political affiliation or political involvement.
• Some states are less explicit in protecting political activity itself but have broad laws that prohibit termination of an employee based on their engagement in lawful conduct off-duty.

So, whether an employer can terminate an employee for political activity may depend on multiple factors including the type of activity, when the activity occurred (on or off the clock), and the limitations of state and local laws where the employee performs work for the business.

It is important for employers to take a proactive approach to addressing political disputes by crafting policies, training employees and supervisors, and uniformly and consistently enforcing company rules. An employer may establish a policy that prohibits political discussion or displays in the workplace, provided that the policy has appropriate carve-outs for activity that is protected by applicable law and is consistently applied to all workers.

If an employer adopts a “no politics in the workplace” policy, it is also important to make it clear to employees that the policy does not prevent employees from discussing issues that affect the terms and conditions of their employment.

Most importantly, employers should strive to ensure a workplace culture that embraces respect and professionalism.

Leadership Capabilities Needed for Today

More than 40% of executives say navigating changes quickly is a top leadership capability in 2024, followed by building a high-performing team and understanding and promoting diversity and inclusion.

In addition to adapting and pivoting quickly, leaders are also struggling to balance empathetic leadership with the demands of a performance-driven culture. Nearly three in five executives say that taking decisive action for desired results is more important than demonstrating empathy and flexibility this year. Yet, 96% of executives believe that an effective leader must support employees in both their professional and personal lives.

Empathy doesn’t mean you tell me what you want, and I do it. Empathy means you tell me what you want, and I do the hard work to understand. For executives, this means listening to the needs and concerns of your team and doing what you can to support them. If you can’t meet their needs, you must transparently communicate why.

Humans perform to their highest potential in the presence of high standards and deep devotion. This means asking, “What do you need? What tools don't you have access to? How can I support you? What does success look like? What can I take off your plate? are all signals of devotion to someone’s success in a role.

Epic Win

Last week I asked you to share your times in your career where you changed from being the flop to being the clout. Here's one from Robert J. Williams :

I was once asked by my CEO to complete a technical task which I had no idea how to do. It seemed like a really bad look because I was supposed to be the technical resource at my company and I couldn’t perform this specific task when asked, because I had never done it before. Instead of lying, or feeling guilty about it I simply told the truth. I hadn’t don’t that before, and would be open to learning it if that was an available option. The CEO happily said it was, and taught me the skill and subsequent tasks himself. That one skill led to me being promoted and an added $15k bump on my salary.

Lesson learned: Williams shared that real leaders lead. Sometimes you don’t know how good your leader is until you need them. His CEO could have obliterated his confidence, but he didn’t. He set aside time for the both of them to become better acquainted, and he personally ensured Williams had the skills he needed to succeed.

That's some good vibes! To enjoy more of Williams's content check out his page!

Where's all the women at?

Washington Post wrote an article sharing that women in leadership positions have declined over the last 3 years. So I asked what you all thought. Here's what you said:

What do you think is the reason for the decline in women's representation at the C-Suite?

Influencers in Leadership

Influencer. Leader. In 2024 these two words have evolved to become synonymous, but are all Influencers leaders, or are all leaders Influencers?

In my biased opinion, all leaders are influencers because you are the head of culture. At a time when playing your social media cards right can garner you a mass following overnight, the lines between Influencer and leader are growing increasingly blurred.?

As a person with power— the backbone of that power lies in trust. And the trust between leader and follower is a delicate balance. Think of all the people you willingly trust. Your grandmother, your partner, your professional support system. We trust all of these people willingly because of our deep relationships with them, and because we are all on the same level in terms of our relationship to one another. When we add a hierarchy to our relationships, suddenly trust becomes a little more difficult to dole out. In the same way that we would stop trusting our medical doctor if they were revealed to have an uninformed decision regarding our healthcare, we would stop trusting our favorite leadership influencers if they were revealed to have poor ethics.

As a leader, you are in the position of balancing the world of a thought leader with the world of an Influencer, while upholding the responsibility of both. You are the expert in your field and the authority on industry trends. You need to be prepared to stand behind your decisions and your image. In a world where trends move at the speed of the internet, it is your job as an influencer to promote inclusive, innovative ideas that drive success and look to the future, without getting stuck in the mindframe of the past.

Amplifyers remember, you have the power to change your world. Now Go Spark Yourself!

-Keosha

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

???? Hi! If you're new here, I'm Keosha and I deepen the connection and influence between the C-Suite and their teams. I pioneer radical solutions and vibrant team cultures to unlock an organization's full potential through its people.

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