How Wide is Your Shadow?

Time to read: 33 seconds

I drew this. I have never drawn anything in my life and lately, I've discovered the wonders of drawing.

Here's my skinny on leadership: Leaders take responsibility for their world. Everyone is a leader 24/7. That means you. All the time.

Why am I talking about leadership today?

You are a leader…at the office (regardless of your role), at the grocery store, in your family, and in your community. Each of us is responsible for our corner of the universe, and part of my leadership is helping you define your world and learn to take ownership of it. Your shadow combined with the other 2999 Corporate Rebel shadows adds up to an awful lot of goodness in the world.

That matters. A lot.

And we've been tired. Exhausted even. Taking responsibility for even one more thing has felt impossible. And, we're creeping back. Slowly. I invite you to consider one small way that you can take more ownership/responsibility for your corner of the world. Here are some ideas:

• Have that hard conversation to clean up an important relationship.
• Examine the places you are short-tempered and address them.
• Rest so you have good energy for your life and work
• Create something

I haven't had the energy to create anything new for close to two years. (Remember all the great free offerings at the beginning of the pandemic? Daily calls. Short courses. Oh, how I miss seeing you.) I've taken responsibility for many corners of my world and finally, I have bandwidth to create again. For YOU!

Next week I'm announcing something awesome, and free, and meaningful, and awesome, and free for you. Bear with me for a few weeks. I'm excited to finally have something to give you. You're gonna get an email or two about this. Watch your inbox next week. It's coming!

What Does Covid-19 Teach Us?

Time to read: 1.35 minutes.
If you missed the Corporate Rebel Roundtable last week, you can still join here. (It's free!)

Covid-19 is all over the news. Last weekend, I noticed that people had purchased all the black beans and spaghetti at my neighborhood grocery store. A friend said Costco was out of toilet paper. People are canceling flights. Companies are asking employees who travel out of the country not to come back into the office for 14 days upon their return.

What does all this mean for the Corporate Rebels?

IMHO Covid-19 serves as a stark reminder that you are not in control.

You can have your 5-year or 10-year plan and then something comes along and changes your direction. That something may be a health scare, a new baby, following a partner's dream to a new location, a layoff, a new boss you hate, or a side hustle that goes viral and becomes your main work.

Covid-19 is making mincemeat of many corporate plans and affecting many individuals across the globe.

So, what is a Corporate Rebel to do when faced with the truth that you are not in control? (Start with a curse: Damn it!)

1. Trust yourself: Know that you always have everything you need to make the next right decision. When you look back over your life, you can see that you figured things out. You knew what to do. You took chances, and things worked out. Or they didn't and you made a new choice. You've got this. Whatever "this" is.
2. Take ownership: Just because you're not in control doesn't mean you throw up your hands and do nothing. Apparently, for Covid-19, you need black beans and toilet paper. (I bought extra chocolate chips. Priorities.) You do your work. You stay up-to-date in your field. You feed your network. You buy spaghetti.
3. Be open to the journey: You never know what will happen next. You don't know where your next opportunity will come from. Even crisis like layoffs or viruses have a way of bringing people together and opening doors. Covid-19 will force some serious conversation about how we do business and who knows what will come from such re-evaluation. This virus is a game-changer.

Promise me you'll still click the link on the Corporate Rebel Roundtable and share it with all your friends even though I am about to share an incredibly useful and distracting link right here. This blog post by Seth Godin is one of the smartest, most insightful pieces I've read about Covid-19.

Now, here's the awkward transition to the Corporate Rebel Roundtable. Please sign up to join us live on Friday, March 13 for a rich and meaningful conversation about work. Join here and share this link with your friends, colleagues, and business partners.

I can't wait to connect with you live.

Wash your hands.

Christina

P.S. Invite your friends to the Corporate Rebel Roundtable. They can join the Roundtable here.