Take The Lead is deeply saddened by the news of the mass shooting that occurred this weekend in Monterey, CA during a Lunar New Year celebration and stands in solidarity with its AAPI colleagues.
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Forty-three women elected to the State House of Representatives in Missouri now have to wear a jacket to work. The new dress code for female lawmakers is prompting pushback for what some call out of touch, out of date and outright sexist.
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Issue 218 — January 16, 2023
January 16, 2023: The nation celebrates the birthday of Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King today.
For many, the holiday acknowledging Dr. King’s transformational significance in American History has become primarily a welcome long weekend off from work. For others, it’s the opportunity to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy in secular and religious settings, as President Joe Biden did at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King had been the pastor.
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Do the negative news stories, content and information we consume affect who we are, our state of mind, and how we work and move in the world?
Emma Varvaloucas, executive director of The Progress Network, believes that is the case. In her role of providing content, podcasts, newsletters and more in this “network of ideas,” she is helping to shift the concentration on extreme, volatile opinions to a more positive gathering of news and facts based on progress.
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Issue 217 — January 9, 2023
Last week, I quoted Alicia Keys who asked the great question on social media:
“What energy are u bringing into this year?”
What was your answer?
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“They have skills.”
That statement has been universally and historically viewed as a compliment to an employee, colleague or leader.
It still is, but now there is an asterisk to the statement. Looking forward with the influx of artificial intelligence and automation in the workplace, it may precede a path to worker replacement. Individuals need to know the value they offer beyond their skills, and that those skills are not automatically generated cheaper and more easily. And they need to surpass the AI gatekeepers and algorithms steeped in gender and racial bias.
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Issue 216 — January 2, 2023
Alicia Keys — yes THAT Alicia Keys — and yes I follow her on all social media — asked this New Year question on social media, and I love it:
“What energy are u bringing into this year?”
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It seems everyone starts the new year with a sterling list of goals aimed at making this a shiny year of professional successes. Some are reachable, some are aspirational, all seem plausible in theory.
To make this year 2023 truly monumental and to zero in on actively achieving the goals you assign yourself, it is important to be realistic about where you are in your career, who you are and what skills and resources you have at your disposable—and can acquire.
Take The Lead has a bounty of instructive and inspiring content, resources and courses available for you and your team to make these goals a reality and to see that 2023 is your best year ever in terms of reaching your heights as an entrepreneur, leader, innovator, manager and colleague.
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Issue 215 — December 19, 2022
My mother’s Wedgewood Bone china and Tiffany crystal wine, water, and cordial glasses glisten in the hutch I bought, where they could be not just stored but seen.
Mother had kept them packed away for many years. Why? Because she was “saving them for nice,” as she put it.
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If you’re like me, and have a pile of books you are aiming to complete before the end of the year yet are still craving to know what is new and not to be missed, this list is for you. This is also a list for amazing gifts for the friends and colleagues in your life hungry for the best and brightest in nonfiction written by women who tackle workplace issues, personal struggles, strategies and insights to being your best self.
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Issue 214— December 12, 2022
“Say what you want out loud.”
That was the most quoted takeaway from the fireside chat interview between Morning Joe co-anchor and founder/partner with Forbes in the “Know Your Value” initiative, Mika Brzezinski and NBC’s Today Show cohost Hoda Kotb at the gathering of women chosen for Forbes 50 Over 50 2022 on December 8 at Forbes’ New York headquarters.
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What you see is what you get. And what you don’t see is what you don’t get.
Nina Menkes, award-winning filmmaker, director and creator of the new documentary, “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power” anchored a recent panel following a screening in Chicago at Facets on the historic visualization of characters identifying as women and how that mandates how systems treat half the world.
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