The pain is in the middle. This week, I was supposed to be on vacation. I’m not. In fact, it’s the antithesis of vacation. I’m not fully working, so my time is compressed to accomplish all I’ve committed to, and I’m not off when I’m off, because I’m trying to steal moments and hours of relaxation. I’m partially working and partially… View Article
Have you ever noticed when you put off challenging conversations you suffer? One of the best principles I live my life by is to handle things promptly when they go wrong. Whether it’s family, work partners, teammates, employees, friends or the service professionals you encounter in life, the rule of thumb is 24 hours. Whether it’s good news… View Article
Listening and learning. The two skills partner nicely. It’s refreshing to dial in, listen and be fully present without trying to influence, persuade, discuss or debate. In order to affect change, listening is key. Without deep listening, there can be no understanding. Without understanding, we will perish.
Studying is challenging. As I work to learn everything I can about racism, I find I am disrupted in my security and my comfort and it’s a good thing. Disruption is uncomfortable. Disruption is unpopular at times. Disruption is a space of letting go of the known in order to learn and experience the unknown. It’s like trying on new boots for your next journey…. View Article
As I open my mind to the various points of views about systemic racism and learning more about what’s happening, I am reading, watching and learning about things that are uncomfortable. To learn about systemic racism means I need to take in views I don’t agree with, haven’t considered, images and learnings which make me upset, angry and embarrassed. It… View Article
Worry doesn’t work… even when the world doesn’t make sense, when you’d like to change everything about the circumstances and conditions surrounding you, and things feel out of control. Worry is a result of catastrophizing what could be. (but isn’t) It’s a result of your mind running rampant with all the possibilities for negative outcomes in the future. Could… View Article
There’s been a lot of unpredictable, unforeseen things happening this spring. Most of which has challenged the best of us. Truthfully, this past weekend was the first full day off I’ve taken since March 10th. While I’ve taken hours and partial days, like many people, I’ve been working more than usual to adjust to the ever changing… View Article
Some experiences give you hope. No matter how hopeless things may seem at times, we all have visual reminders of hope. It’s no surprise, with a last name like Hawkes, why for me they often involve birds of prey. Every time I see a hawk perched on highway lights or flying by, I am immediately connected with my Mom,… View Article
To know is not enough. In fact, it’s the door prize. Knowing about racism won’t change what’s happening; action, learning and repeated practice will. My family and I watched “Just Mercy” over the weekend. We wanted to watch together while the awareness in Minnesota is still heightened and we are all tender. It proved to be an amazing movie… View Article
Fear. It’s certainly prevalent and it’s gotten our full attention. For now, that’s good. It’s sobering and necessary to move us forward to create equity. We can all agree, it’s not a place to live. We are better than this. We must gather, learn, affect change and move forward together. It’s the only way we’ll survive. We must sit together in the discomfort to build trust. We… View Article
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Communication Catalyzer Bundle: Winning Strategies for Stress-Free Communication