Slow Down and Connect

• I was accepted into the initial cohort next year of a Trauma-Informed Consulting & Coaching Certificate Program led by Thomas Hübl and Amy Elizabeth Fox of Mobius Leadership. I've been learning how trauma freezes people into unproductive response patterns, so I'm excited to expand my skillset into handling that more effectively and compassionately with my clients.
• I've joined the GoFractional platform as an executive coach (here's my profile!). If you're interested in exploring fractional leadership, where you share your expertise among several companies, you can see how it works with this platform, and sign up to join here. Or if you need help, you can check out the experts they already have on the platform here.
• I'm an associate with Project Next Leadership, and wanted to share that they are offering two exciting programs this fall to help level the playing field: High Impact Leadership for Women Leaders and the Mosaic Program for High Impact Leadership for leaders from historically excluded populations.

• When are you a human being, rather than a human doing? Most of us spend our time in a constant state of anxiety, feeling we are not where we "need" to be, of constantly feeling the weight of what we "should" or "must" do. It doesn't have to be that way. Being present in a state of flow is both more satisfying and productive, if we can let go of the habits of doing.
• What does it mean to be authentic? Some people think being authentic means showing up the same way in every situation, because they see people who change their approach as being like sleazy used-car salesmen who say whatever it takes to close the deal. I think being authentic is more about the core values being expressed, even if the form in which they are expressed varies from situation to situation.

• Puzzle Theory vs. People Theory. I liked this newsletter from the Raw Signal Group (aka Johnathan and Melissa Nightingale) which contrasts the "puzzle theory" that people and problems at work are puzzles to be solved through tricks and cheat codes. People who have this mindset want me to just tell them what to do, not realizing that the real change needs to happen within them. People theory, as they name it, is the idea that work is "a product of the systems of communication, trust, accountability, and division of work that we all participate in building and maintaining". In other words, it's just people, and we have to figure out how to work with different people.
• Identifying why a startup won't work. Jason Cohen lays out "solving a problem is—perhaps surprisingly—not nearly enough to build a successful company." and offers a flowchart and reasoning to explain the many other factors necessary to build a thriving company. I went on to read most of his other articles as I appreciated his perspective. Here's his newsletter.
• Cedric Chin's articles on Dell's Capital Expertise and The Skill of Capital as he explores what he is calling the triad of business expertise (supply/operations, demand/strategy, and capital/cashflow). Expertise on supply and demand is well covered in business literature, but expertise in capital is not, and I appreciate his exploration of what that skill looks like with memorable examples. This one's a bit of a cheat, as I'm already a paying member of Cedric's Commoncog site, but I was debating whether to renew and I think this series tips me over into staying.