Joy in DEI
The Diverse Charter Schools Coalition National Convening was FIYAH!!!!!
I attended a lunch panel session on What an Intentionally Diverse School Means to Me.
To hear from the different Nashville leaders (and student!) perspectives, I was reminded of my own NYC public school experience.
I went to public schools with a cornucopia of people: all kinds of Asian-Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian), Latinx (Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Ecuadorian, Columbian), Black Caribbean (Guyanese, Trinidadian, Jamaican, Haitian), Black Africans (Nigerian, Ethiopian, Ghanaian), African-American kids, and white kids (Italian, Irish, Russian, German). I wish my teachers had this kind of diversity.
Considering all of the other dimensions of identity, I had to quickly learn to understand and get along with different people.
That cultural fluidity has me comfortable in many rooms and contexts. From the gala to the cookout. From the house party to the book panel discussion. From dominoes to Pusoy Dos to chess. From organic chemistry to powerlifting.
I am grateful for this gift that I didn't realize was a gift. It was just the way I grew up.
Oh and check out my earlier LinkedIn post about the DCSC National Convening here.
I don't like to follow rules that don't make sense to me.
As the youngest of seven in structured environments, I wanted to please others and follow rules. That got me by most of the time, but I always had an itch in me to not follow rules. I would usually finish my tests fast (40 minute tests in elementary school usually took me 10 minutes), but I never asked why rules were created (I tended to assume that these rules were just there).
As I've gotten older, I realized that understanding rules and why they exist is paramount to doing work and living life. I've developed an aversion to bureaucracy and tradition without any understanding of why these things exist.
Things like having to show up in the office at a certain time really bothered me. If I finished work more quickly (and with quality!) than others, why did I have to stay in the office that long?
In my leadership roles, I learned that articulating how you like to operate, and what things you're going to do or not to do is LIBERATING.
I've learned that I enjoy living in the multitude of colors, in the nuance.
I love working hard. But not working hard most of the time.
There is a similar balance between my preferred intensity at work (work in bursts) and fitness (similarly maximal bursts with powerlifting, or sprinting, or HIIT workouts).
I've learned to counterbalance that intensity with slower methodical work (using timers and making work blocks helps here) and mobility/stretching/breathing/resting (having time to slow down and feel helps me recover from the intensity).
I ask myself: What energy does each thing I do need?
Quick Hits:
Imagine being a student and realizing you can be anything you want to be!
Join us at Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School on February 12 from 8:30 am-12 pm, for our Success Looks Like Me career day.
We are looking for Black and Brown volunteer speakers to show our students what is possible- click here to sign up! Volunteers will share their experiences with students and enjoy a luncheon with the opportunity to network! #SuccessLooksLikeMe #BKLABCareerDay #MentorshipMatters
#CoachingStatRON
I tell folks I don't know where I'll say when I coach. Similar to Tyler Henry, I don't like to have too much context when I coach/intuit.
I ask for context (knowing the person, why they came to chat, what their situation is) and then ask lots of questions.
I then start sharing patterns and recommendations. My patterns and recommendations sometimes have themes with what I usually say (leverage your network when looking for a job, etc) but often it's the HOW I share that info that matters.
Gathering context so you can speak what you see based on how you understand someone will receive is a skill.
#LeadershipAHas
One of the things I've learned over the years is that I love culture work.
领英推荐
I go back to my favorite sports teams and how they built culture. I also go back to school experiences (HS volleyball team 4 and college student advocacy and organizing) to work experiences (my New Leaders team led by Joyce Macek) where everyone was valued, respected, and heard.
I am excited I have been leading culture work at Stronger Consulting.
I get to combine my feel for culture and people with a focus on planning, calendaring, and results.
My bet: we can still get paid while taking care of each other for the long-term.
#BIZDEVSTORIES
At the DCSC National Convening, we had mini-consultancies so DCSC attendees could sign up for a 20-minute free chat to solve a problem.
Mike Montoya and I realized that one of the best ways for folks to see your value in search and consulting is to experience our brilliance. We are both really good coaches and problem-solvers. I call it bringing clarity to ambiguity!
I got to hear about hiring and culture issues from a DEI lens, building a school where there are start-up challenges, and bringing a program into a city.
There was also some strategic planning and hiring needs too!
The best part of these experiences was having folks trust us and share their successes and challenges with us.
Now we have some follow-up to do, but this is one of the best ways to get qualified leads.
Product, Service, Person
Check out the 26th PSP!
Product
I've wanted to keep my phone away from my bed so I can stop looking at social media before I go to bed. I use my phone for alarms galore (hello ADHD strategy!), including my morning routine of waking up and leaving the house.
After searching and realizing that Wirecutter is my best source of reviews, I came upon this affordable alarm clock here.
Service
Brightside Tavern in Jersey City brands itself as the perfect neighborhood hangout. It does feel like the spot where everybody knows your name when our family goes. It's a representation of the Jersey City I love - it has a ton of diversity!
We went last night to continue Ava's 5th birthday week and there was a repass going on, a performance by a 70s disco star, and lots of people at the bar (including an older interracial couple and a group of guys watching basketball)
The owner, Tommy, made sure we had a table for 8, then took photos and wished a happy birthday to our daughter Ava.
Person
Kevin Dillon and I met several years ago when he was working at Bottom Line as a recruiter. We reconnected recently through one of my former career coaching clients. Always great to support fellow connectors and generous people! Kevin is on the lookout for his net role. See below.
I’m looking for positions within the Talent and Culture space which could include the following titles: Talent Acquisition Manager, Talent Acquisition Specialist, HR Business Partner, Recruiter, and I am also open to Consultant roles.
I’m open to roles in New York. I would prefer a hybrid setting, but I am also open to remote work.
I have experience in staffing, Higher Education, Nonprofits, and the Social Impact space - during this work, I was able to hire and partner with folks in numerous different sectors including labor/unions, finance, marketing and communications, tech, fundraising and development, policy, and the medical field
I am interested and excited to join organizations in the finance, policy, entertainment, or communications space, these areas are exciting to me, and I did great work to partner with folks in these spaces.
P.S. I am taking calls from authors who need coaching and development, ghostwriting, or editing and publishing support!
Expand your brand and deepen your credibility at 1/10 of the price of a doctorate or MBA!
Contact me here to schedule a call.
P.P.S. I'm an author. My book, Leverage the People Who Love and Care About You Personally and Professionally, is about the archetypes of people you need in your circle of champions to further your career.
P.P.P.S.Shanita Rapatalo (She/Her) and I lead our own business, the Rapatalo Group LLC! We do K-12 professional development, research, coaching, and public speaking. Learn more here, and message me if you need our support!
P.P.P.P.S Stronger Consulting is looking to support social impact organizations with its signature search and consulting services. If you're a senior leader/hiring manager, let's chat so we can see how our services align with your needs.