Week 22.23 You Are Enough!

The 100 Coaches Community has a fantastic program called Connect in which groups of 8 people share their stories with each other for 10 weeks. Each week, one group member takes 45 mins to share their life story and then asks the others who are listening for FeedForward - advice on a question of their choosing. It is an amazing program, and over the last year, I have had the opportunity to get to know a couple of dozen people more intimately... on ZOOM.

Last week Charlene Wheeless shared her story. I have known Charlene for over ten years since we collaborated on developing a purpose brand for a global engineering company. I had great respect for the work she was doing there and how much she was accomplishing in bringing heart and intention to a traditionally hard-edged business. Our paths crossed again a couple of years ago, at which point she had written a remarkable book and was a rising speaker and coach. She was a natural fit for 100 Coaches, and she agreed to join the community. This week I heard her complete story for the first time, and I am in awe of her life story and the strength of her character, the depth of her humanity, and the height of aspiration.

I only knew Charlene as a strong and successful female executive in a male-dominated world. She was strong, confident, and assertive. I had not known the hurdles she overcame to reach that place. Her story is well documented in her book, You Are Enough! I encourage you to purchase it. She was raised in a traumatic home and became the first in her family to graduate college. Later in life, she has had to overcome dramatic bouts with cancer, often facing the edge of the abyss and fighting to overcome the obstacles she faced. As she described each block, what inspired me was her strength of character and her unwavering ability to address it head-on.

She also described how she learned about racism early in life. As she tells it, she decided that cheerleading was calling, and when she tried out for the team, she was given the place of the fourth alternate. When a squad member was unable for a game, the coach asked her to step in. When queried why she, the fourth alternate, was chosen, the coach calmly explained that she had assumed that because Charlene was black, she would not work hard but that her efforts had won her the opportunity. With profound humanity that I cannot imagine, Charlene accepted that racism would be part of her life, and she would need to overcome it to succeed. Putting all of her energy into achieving, she went on to cheer at college and was eventually a captain of the squad for the Washington Redskins (sic) football team.

The capstone to the story is the height of Charlene's aspiration while busting up stereotypes, breaking down barriers, and flat-out refusing to be ignored, pigeonholed, or forgotten. She aspired to cheerleading and became the captain of an NFL squad. She desired to be successful in business and rose to the senior suite of major global companies. She willed herself to live through cancer. Her story is an example of the power of an individual to be the best version of herself and the capacity to overcome obstacles to make hopes reality.

Learning each individual's story inspires me and reminds me of the vast potential of each person and the limits of my imagination of what is possible. In life and leadership, we can serve ourselves and those we serve by seeking out stories to learn more deeply about each person we lead and love. We can expand everyone's capacity by recognizing that each person brings their own unique gifts that are there for our wonder if we open our eyes. Charlene is now an internationally recognized speaker and among her many messages is a fundamental one. Charlene's story set the example and her unwavering authentic message for a fulfilling life is You Are Enough! Order You Are Enough here

Create the Culture that Invites Great Talent to Run to You (Garry Ridge)

The team you said goodbye to in early March 2020 has changed. Each person has been enduring a unique personal challenge to their confidence, their faith, their families, their emotional resilience. Even long-term effects on their own physical health. The result? They’re coming back to you and to their workplace looking remarkably similar to the people of March 2020. But there’s something that you can see – just there – around the eyes. Even though you might not be able to put your finger on it, the transformation is there. A deepening. An enriching. A shift in the perspective of how short life really is, and how priorities have reshuffled in response. Those fundamental changes within are bringing new relationship dynamics to the tribe and to the leaders. This is an opportunity for you to take your own leadership game to a new level of authenticity, caring, candor, accountability to serve your people in the way they deserve to be served. How you choose to respond to this opportunity will make the difference between welcome back celebrations and farewell luncheons.The extent to which you are up to the challenge of improving your leadership skills will determine whether they choose to stay. Are you in? Read more at The Great Resignation or Great Escape? Create the Culture that Invites Great Talent to Run to You | LinkedIn

Leading Without Authority: A Roadmap For Data Leaders (Keith Ferrazzi)

Leadership is not the top-down dictate that it’s often misperceived to be. It is about connecting with colleagues, developing and executing a shared vision, establishing common goals and success metrics, and achieving strategic goals—which Keith calls “co-elevation.” And co-elevation determines the quality and longevity of successful business relationships. Data leaders need rich, human-centered relationships that they can rely on—especially when climbing steep hills or when the going gets rough. Build strong relationships before they are needed. Put together a reputable data team that has critical mass; breakthrough and build meaningful relationships with busy peers, and make yourself into a resource that other leaders want to team with. Approach the C-suite and the board and evangelize for transformational projects, because they aren’t interested in the small stuff, and talk about data in compelling ways and sell it for what it is: a make-or-break foundation for the business. Finally, serve as a North Star that people look up to and aim for. Read more in Leading Without Authority: A Roadmap For Data Leaders (forbes.com)

The Gratitude Story of a Sudhir Venkatesh aka The Professional Stranger (Chester Elton)

Gratitude is at the core of Sudhir's work. He is grateful the people he works with and writes about give him access to their most intimate experiences. His storytelling takes place in a beautiful, low-income community on the south side of Chicago. He's been writing and "hanging out" in this community for thirty years, yet he never takes their acceptance of him for granted. The Tomorrow Game (to be released on June 28th) is the story of Sudhir's time in Chicago. It is a story of the power of connection, family, and community and will take you on a journey of learning and discovery. We often take these for granted. It is a story of compassion more important now than ever. Read more The Gratitude Story of a Social Scientist aka The Professional Stranger | LinkedIn Preorder The Tomorrow Game: Rival Teenagers, Their Race for a Gun, and a Community United to Save Them by Sudhir Venkatesh

With love and gratitude, Scott