Hope
Hope springs eternal as
I search the distant landscape
The path I choose will determine my fate
The goal is to win the daily grind
Which path will I take?
Determination sets the course as the search continues
Multiple options, multiple venues
Working towards the important things in life
Without trying the only thing left is strife
“He who commits injustice is ever made more wretched than he who suffers it”.
(Plato)
My Walk into the Future for 2020 has been an interesting journey so far. Not complaining because there are worse things in life than maintaining physical distance during a time of COVID-19.
The most interesting part has been the ability for me to find a new voice and interest in documenting injustices that are happening in plain sight in America. The current news cycle seems to identify another racial injustice daily in America—that may be a slight exaggeration, but you may have to walk in my shoes to prove that.
My latest injustice knowledge came through a research show on ESPN titled the Black 14. I did not stop to watch the program initially because it centered around the University of Wyoming football team and I never had interest with anything in Wyoming. Decided to sit a bit and see what the program was about since I could not make it to the beach due to bad weather—lucky me! 😊
The Black 14 were 14 black football players who were recruited to the University of Wyoming football team from every corner of America. These players wanted to be a part of something different and chose to play football in Wyoming. I later learned there initially were 17 black players on the team but 3 quit the team earlier.
The racial turmoil of 1969 made it out to Wyoming in the form of protests in and around the University of Wyoming campus. The Black 14 were not part of the student organizations who protested injustices but wanted to take a stand against the racism of the Mormon church which founded Brigham Young University (BYU).
The Black 14 wanted to wear black armbands with the number 14 to signify unity when the University of Wyoming football team played against BYU. The players decided to approach their head coach with the REQUEST to wear the arm bands during the game. The coach saw this request from the Black 14 as a rebellion against him (white guy) and his authority. Again, the Black 14 went to ask permission to wear armbands. Fast forward and the Black 14 were dismissed from the team because they were creating a fragmented locker room according to their coach.
Their dismissal was appealed but the Black 14 were still kicked off the team even with most of the students on-campus in support of what they wanted to do. The Black 14 never got another chance to play for the University of Wyoming together again. Some stayed around the campus and were let back on the team the following year. Others made their way to smaller schools to complete their playing careers. They never got an apology or full explanation of why they were kicked off the team. A side note to this story is the University of Wyoming football program has never regained a national place in the college football world after the Black 14 were kicked off the team. Karma is real!
Imagine you go to an authority figure to ask for permission for something but get kicked out for simply asking. These men were damaged for just trying to do what others around the country could do freely.
Sadly, it took the University of Wyoming 50 years to issue a formal apology and welcome the Black 14 back to campus. This is a start but imagine how these men felt over the past 50 years. Happy they got their apology but makes me wonder how many other Black 14’s, Black 27’s, Black 3’s we never hear about.
2020 has proven to be my year of enlightenment and learning more about America. There appears to be a lot left for me to learn.
“If you can’t eliminate injustice, at least tell everyone about it”.
(Shirin Ebadi)
Vote next week!
Life role
Living the life I lead
Let’s me see how mistakes can produce learning moments
Taking time to enjoy the world around
Produces the essence in this life I lead
Working towards goals, to fulfill this promise I need
Striving for perfection is what I bleed
There will be times when I do not reach my goal
The key to the life I lead is to find my role
“It’s not who you know but who knows YOU”.
(Anonymous)
Dictionary.com defines networking as the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.
This definition provides a clean view of networking but does not limit how it can be done. I have written in the past about several podcast episodes I have been a part of. Each episode was done to share a specific message to the audience and help their professional growth. I engaged in multiple in-person networking events (Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic with designs to meet people who could help me grow my consulting and speaking roles. So, as you can see, networking takes on many forms with the objective of connecting with others.
I got invited to speak on a local radio program last week to engage and speak with Fort Pierce community members about my new workplace and the work we do. Turns out the radio host is an Indian River State College (IRSC) colleague who happens to work on a different campus. We had not met prior to the event but knew of each other through work interactions.
I make a point to never turn down opportunities to speak about the great work we do for our students and alumni populations. The radio spot was a fantastic way for me to network with students, parents and employers interested in attending or coming back to IRSC.
The host for this networking opportunity works directly with underrepresented students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. She is always looking for new ways to engage students and members of the community on the benefits of higher education and wanted me to discuss how my office helps our students become career ready. Love being able to showcase the improved operations and services we are building. These new operational tweaks allow staff to reach more students and add value to the overall college experience.
I especially enjoyed participating in the radio program since I could speak directly to employers in the local Fort Pierce area who did not know they could recruit talent on our campuses. We are not hosting in-person events in the fall, but employers are able to post their openings for free with our office. We are in the process of finalizing our Virtual Career Fair platform and wanted to let employers know they have multiple access points to recruit on-campus. The radio program reaches our four-county service area and should enhance our reach to help employers understand how we can help them moving forward.
A secondary aspect of participating on the radio show was to let the community know enrollment for the fall semester is open and we are still recruiting new students. COVID-19 has had a major impact on college and university enrollments across the country and we are no different. Going on the radio allows us to let folks know we are here for them and want to share ways we can help with their success. Two-year colleges are very affordable and can be an excellent way to launch into a four-year degree if that is a goal.
The new term for me in this environment is UpSkill. We talk with prospective students and employers on the benefit of in-demand certificate programs to UpSkill their careers or improve staff outputs. This process is still new to me since I came from the four-year university model but UpSkill is a great way to impact local economies by training students to meet local career demands.
I am scheduled to speak on another radio program later this month hosted by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and will look to continue to network to help the Treasure Coast grow. Excited to see the impact of these networking opportunities! 😊
What networking opportunities are you working on? How can networking help your organization continue to grow?
“Networking is the #1 unwritten rule of success in business”.
(Sallie Krawcheck)
Listen to the show here—I speak around the 5 minute mark: http://wjfp.com/ondemand-wjfp/player.php?wrspot=72816
(Image by Pexels from Pixabay)
“You are only one workout away from a good mood”.
(Unknown)
Decided to test the waters and get back into LA Fitness to jump start my weight training program again. I started putting extra emphasis on my running program in 2019 but I was still getting in four days of weight training while increasing my mileage. I still made it to Momentum Fitness in Tallahassee in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stopped going completely as the pandemic started to get worse in mid-March and switched to home body workouts until it was time to move to Fort Pierce, Florida in April.
I maintained my distance from the gym during my first two and a half months in Fort Pierce because I did not feel comfortable being around people in a confined space. Note, I am still not completely comfortable but have allowed for limited time around people with proper physical distancing.
My new workplace has a small workout room, but I do not consider it a gym. The weights and cardio equipment are in great condition but there are limited weightlifting options. I ventured to this location a few times on the weekends just for limited workouts (cardio, legs). Had this location to myself each time I went in so think I got a bit of confidence to explore a larger facility.
My new habit is to carry Clorox wipes with me everywhere I go so I can wipe down everything myself prior to touching it. Never thought I would be that guy, but yes, I have a pack of Clorox wipes in my gym bag and do not see this changing anytime soon. A new normal for the gym has been born. 😊
LA Fitness
My history with LA Fitness began during my time living in Oviedo, Florida. Really enjoyed the multiple cardio, weightlifting, basketball, spinning and yoga class options available at LA Fitness. All these things were part of the regular membership and made the facility popular with my folks in East Orlando. My experience prior to joining LA Fitness centered on fitness centers on military installations. Always had what I needed in these facilities and never had to pay to get in a workout.
I decided to test out LA Fitness because I felt limited with the other workout options in Orlando. Was able to get a great rate with a military discount and spent as much time in the facility as possible. Made some great friends in LA Fitness and got myself in fantastic shape with all the options there. So, as you can see, I have a fondness for the LA Fitness brand.
There are two LA Fitness locations in Port St. Lucie, Florida and I finally got comfortable enough to want to venture in to enhance my weight training. Went on-line and signed up for a free guest membership which gave me access to the facility without having to commit or join. Leveraged the pass to see how the facility was maintained and what protocols they had to combat COVID-19. Was a bit surprised how clean they kept the facility and was happy there were not large crowds working out. Made sure to only use equipment where physical distancing was possible and moved if anyone got too close to where I was working out. Felt funny doing that but decided to air on the side of caution.
Waited a couple weeks and signed up for another free guest pass for the second LA Fitness location. Wanted to see if there was a different vibe there and I was not eligible to get another guest past at the first location. You are supposed to wait 6 months between passes at the same location, so I just moved down the road a bit for my workouts. I liked the second location best because the shopping complex it is in has more options for me when I am done with my workout. The equipment was the same, but the setup was a bit different–both locations were maintained with an eye towards maintaining physical distancing and cleanliness.
Quickly found out my home pushup routine was not the same to lifting weights. Got a new level of soreness from lifting but it felt good to be back in a weightlifting routine. Do not think I will ever lift heavy weights again but want to keep lifting for definition and to feel good. Got several good workouts in utilizing the free passes and I am seriously thinking about joining the LA Fitness family again. Will evaluate each location again to see which one makes the most sense for me to join. I could sign up for a membership which gives me multiple location privileges but that may be a waste of money—we will see.
Look forward to sharing more of my workout journey in the future—back to LA Fitness and enjoying it! 😊
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going”.
(Jim Ryin)
Control
Life’s limitations can only limit what you allow
You have control over all circumstances
This I will avow
The simplicity of life will make you see
The things most important can be
Right in front of you
But you must stay true
The vision you have requires additional work, time, and effort
Put the past behind
Start to remove the limitations from the process and let the simplicity of life
Guide your path
“A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language”.
(W.H. Auden)
(Image by Free Photos from Pixabay)
“If you are walking down the right path and you are willing to keep walking, eventually you will make progress”.
(Barack Obama)
Love starting Walk into the Future blog articles with quotes to introduce the topic for each week. The quotes are selected to get me into the right frame of mind to generate content my followers will enjoy. I try not to overdue my Barack Obama quotes but he provides inspiration on multiple levels and I can always find something generated by #44 to help me find the words to make a positive impact with my writing.
I am an avid reader and discovered author Robert Hargrave’s book, Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job: Powerful First Steps on the Path to Greatness prior to taking my role in Fort Pierce. Decided to leverage my first 100 days in my new role to find ways to make a positive difference in our daily operations. The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on normal operations was a huge challenge to me. I accepted my position at Indian River State College in March 2020 with hopes the pandemic would be mitigated during the summer and we would get back to what use to be normal workday activities. The COVID-19 numbers exploded over the summer and most of the country remained in a work from home mode out of necessity.
I did not let COVID-19 limit my focus on making a difference daily. Referred to President Obama’s quote daily and looked for ways to chip away towards the progress I sought. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you make workplace progress? One project at a time.
My first 100-day point at Indian River State College was 7/28/2020. The Career and Transfer Services (CTS) team was not briefed on my 100-day plan but were key players to ensure we got the results I wanted us to gain. I take a lot of pride in being able to organize and execute action plans and set about getting a lot of things completed in the first 100 days.
Vision
One of my first tasks was to create and then share a vision for the CTS team. This process allowed me to educate the team on how we would work together to help generate wins for our operation. Robert Hargrove advises to seek out as many wins as possible in the first 100 days—it builds positive energy.
I went on a listening tour (virtual, phone, in-person) to speak with staff, colleagues, students, and faculty to understand the best way to partner with each of them. I learned a lot during these conversations (good and bad) and discovered who I needed to mend fences with. It was not important when the fences broke but it was my responsibility to get things moving in a positive direction.
The team conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify what we did well, our weak areas, improvement opportunities and organizational threats. This was an eye-opening experience for the team because they had never analyzed the operation at this level. I needed a full view of our operation to make the first 100 days productive.
We created action plans to mitigate weaknesses and threats (wins) because we could not grow without addressing these two areas. This process led to improved training, better communication, and improved team interactions. The SWOT analysis is a living document and will extend beyond the first 100 days but is a positive step.
We leveraged multiple teambuilding activities during the first 100 days to ensure our continued growth. We leveraged the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), created team values statements, enhanced professional development training, and got on The Energy Bus. Each initiative built on the previous one to help us all grow as team members.
This teambuilding process allowed us to create additional wins:
These are a few examples of our wins in the first 100 days—excited to add a few more wins as the team continues to grow together.
We continue to walk on the right path and progress is evident daily!
How do you measure your progress? What steps do you leverage to continue to move forward?
“Little things make a big difference”.
(Picturequotes.com)
(Image by Venita Oberholster from Pixabay)
There is still time to register to vote! Do not miss your opportunity to have your voice heard in the local, state, and national election process.
Registration deadline is October 5, 2020!
Thank you!
Have you registered to vote yet?
(Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay)
“Positive work environments outperform negative work environments”.
(Daniel Goleman)
Positive people make positive things happen is one of my favorite sayings to inspire people in my world. I created this as a mantra when I enter a work environment to help my team understand the mindset, we need to get positive results.
I was introduced to Positive Psychology during my course work and it remains with me daily. One premise of Positive Psychology is people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. This could be on a personal or professional level. I like leveraging Positive Psychology within the work environment to show direct reports how our mindset influences work outcomes.
I mentioned in an earlier post, my daily response to how I am doing is to say fantastic. This is not a way to hide my true thoughts or feelings but a way to energize myself. I found by saying I am doing fantastic provides a new level of energy for myself and it can inspire others around me to join in on the fun. The word fantastic is not used very often in daily life so it makes people take notice and encourages them to get on The Energy Bus.
Now imagine if you had a leader who was always negative and never had anything nice to say. How would this person impact the work environment? I am sure this negative mindset would translate to everyone in the work environment and would not be a pleasant place to work.
Leaders must be cognizant how their energy (positive or negative) impacts the work environment. This knowledge will go a long way to build a positive work environment culture to ensure positive things get done daily. Sounds simple, huh?
It takes a while for this positive process to take hold within a new work environment. The speed of this process can be enhanced when everyone is ready to engage. One negative teammate can slow or aggravate the process, but this can be mitigated by the rest of the team pulling in the same direction. A new initiative for me is to follow Rule #6 from The Energy Bus—I have a sign posted that reads No Energy Vampires Allowed in my office in a prominent location. I will point to the sign when the tone of a conversation starts to become negative. I welcome different views and opinions but look to negate negative tone, language, or interactions. It takes time to eliminate the negative, but the goal is to move forward in a positive manner. I struggle sometimes because I want everything to head in a positive direction but also know things take time.
A positive work environment is a place where everyone can thrive, grow, and provide input. We spend a large amount of our lives in the work environment and I strive to create a space where we can work hard, laugh, and enjoy the process. Leaders who understand work does not have to be stressful create a space where productivity can be displayed daily. I have worked in places where people dreaded coming to work and I made a vow to never duplicate these types of environments when I reached the big seat. Well, I have been in the big seat for a while now and smile whenever one of my tree branches reach out and say they want to work with me again.
I am sure not everyone feels this way, but I have enough of these folks to form my own wolf pack. 😊 Still learning and growing but will continue to promote positive work environments because they are productive and fun. Imagine that, fun in the workplace! Guess Google, Microsoft and Apple understand what people want in the work environment. I do not have ping pong tables, yet, but play a lot of reggae in my office. Irie!
What do you see as the benefits of a positive work environment? How do you contribute to ensure your work environment remains positive?
“Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.
(Elbert Hubbard)
INSTAGRAM: @jayla_brianna
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