Now the real work begins

Hello all,

It was quite a crazy past week and in the end opportunity, equality, justice and freedom prevailed in our country. As we look at the good, bad and very ugly past 4 years, the real work now comes in. This work is dependent on all of us. It's in how we bring each other together, listen, communicate and instill change that benefits everyone near and long term. A President can do many things to set a precedent for who we are as a nation, but it is on us to live our day to day lives with the best part of ourselves and take meaningful action.

So, where do we begin? The North Star lies in education. Education is how we evolve through communication, ideology, science and technology, diversity and much more. Education enacts clear change with even clearer ROI when we all become lifelong learners with a growth mindset. While we showed our voice in voting, we need to act now to ensure we are setting ourselves up for success to bring us together through listening, learning and acting.

First, providing employees with continuous education options is not a nice to have, but a need to have more so than ever. We cannot have a war on talent and a skills shortage. We cannot treat the people who work for us as commodities and we can't limit their opportunity for growth. Companies who invest in their employees are more successful and more likely to survive an economic downturn. By investing in learning and development, we're investing in a workforce that innovates, drives change, and leads with resilience and empathy. We close the skills gap and stop the talent war by providing education and learning that helps our employees communicate, handle conflict, manage change, and lead with humanity at the forefront.  Our Management Certification Series provides everyone the ability to begin now. To learn more, click here and let the new day begin: https://www.gocoachgo.com/learning/

Second, a group of people coming together requires listening, not division. We often assume rather than asking for clarity. We allow our biases to get in the way, quite often without realizing it. When we ask questions and actively listen to what people have to say, we learn something beyond our point of view. We gain the ability to empathize and understand someone else's lived experience, which allows us to confront our biases and work better together. Division will not bring us together. Vulnerability will. Being vulnerable enough to unlearn what you think you know, to be curious, to ask questions, and to challenge biases - these are the things that will bring us together. So, take a simple mantra, and ASK before you ASSUME. I practice it everyday to hone myself.

Last, the way we drive unity is by thinking beyond ourselves in even the smallest behaviors. When we shift our focus away from ourselves and think about the greater whole and the potential we have to impact others. So as we go into this new year, when you write your list of resolutions, write them with a focus on helping others. Focus on ways you can provide unity and hone a shared responsibility to lift each other up and look out for one another. To keep each other safe. An example of this type of behavior is wear a mask. It's something we do to protect the people around us. We're safest when we all assume the responsibility of keeping each other safe. It's effortless, inexpensive, and an unexpected fashion item in 2020! When you do it, you help others and their health. When you do it, you help to drive down Covid case numbers. When you do it, you are preserving the life of someone else that may not be fortunate with great health and access to healthcare. When you do it, it shows you care. Small actions lead to big things, so let's go into the new year big. Let's rally each other and help each other. Begin with education and others and it will help pave the path to unity one day.