We Are ALL ONE

We were fortunate to have such an inspirational, fun, passionate and diverse set of women leaders for FountainBlue’s January 15 When She Speaks program on the ‘We Are ALL ONE’ topic. Our panelists shared their wisdom about how to be agile and lean during challenging times, how to embrace the opportunity in any challenge.

Their resilient and growth-minded leadership in a time of great change really helped themselves, their teams and their organizations to rise to the next level, even while others struggled.

Their focus on the people side of change, their focus on how to be more other-centric and empathic because of the extra burdens brought on by that change has really set them apart as leaders of leaders.

Their emphasis on humbly being curious, embracing the diverse perspectives of others helps them to be more nimble and agile in managing through change, in anticipating the implications of the change.

Below is a compilation of advice for leaders who want to build more collaboration, more inclusivity, especially during times of great change.

• Be human, be vulnerable, be candid and authentic. When change is pervasive running deep, lean into each other as colleagues, as teammates.
• Challenge yourself and others to reach for stars, even when it’s a scary thought. Help each other learn from the inevitable mis-steps, and support each other in taking additional steps forward.
• Stretch the capabilities and offerings of your team, focusing on how you can help other teams and customers. 
• Build connections within and outside your organization so that you can better understand a broader point of view, and get input and feedback from people outside your standard network.
• Step up, step in to lead when there is chaos, when there is an opportunity. Don’t wait to be asked. Don’t wait for the title. Don’t do it just for the compensation. Don’t do it just for the credit. Do it because you can, because it helps others, because it’s the right thing to do.
• Be empathetic and supportive and make others feel important and valued.
• Invite out-of-the-box creative thinking.
• Provide yourself grace and acceptance. Indulge in guilty pleasures. Find joy in the little things.
• Take every opportunity to learn and grow.
• Use your time wisely. Be especially selective with what you do in your own spare time. 
• Practice resiliency every day. Help others celebrate resiliency in themselves as well.

The boundaries have permanently blurred between work and life. Proactively managing these fuzzy boundaries will help leaders at all levels plan and respond to the next normal, which doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

In addition, the waterfall of change may be just an indication of the level and speed of changes to come. Fortune will reward the open, the agile, the lean, as it has our panelists.

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