The Corporate Rebel's Guide To Being Of Service

Time to read: 1 minute, 15 seconds

I finally had a few hours to pour over all the input you sent after the New Year. You asked me to talk about things from the existential (How do we trust our inner knowing?) to the tactical. (How do I know when a meeting needs to be in person vs virtual?)

I'm excited to dive in on the things you care about.

Today is about service. A few of you asked how you can make a difference when the world's problems seem so big. You're needed. Really. Here's what I mean:

I recently started substitute teaching at my children's school. Although I teach in my business, I'm not a trained teacher and a classroom full of students terrified me. After my teens schooled me in how not to be lame, I took my first assignment in the middle school. Turns out I like middle schoolers and that everything I've learned as a trainer and leader made me pretty good at engaging kids.

There's much need these days so here are my three criteria for service so you can look around your corner of the universe and decide where to plug yourself in:

• What's in it for them? The main point of service is to actually meet a need and make things better. Knowing that you're making a difference, even to one person, motivates you. In my world, there aren't enough substitute teachers. The past two years have been rough on educators, and they need back up.
• What's in it for you? When you meet a need for others and yourself, it's a win-win. Find service that benefits you or people you love or helps you develop a skill or a new perspective. I want school to stay open for my kids and all kids. I'm also an extrovert and am happier when I'm out in the world, live and in person. And I get a free lunch!
• Can you do it? Use your skills and gifts. I wouldn't volunteer in technology or construction. I'm great with people, good on my feet and entertaining. Perfect for a class of 5th graders. I can also schedule my coaching to leave a few days open for subbing. Look for the openings in your schedule, even if it's just once or twice a month.

Today a 5th grader thanked me for being a good sub and a preteen told me she liked my dress. So worth it.

2022 Predictions

Time to read: 12 seconds.

Ahhh….2022

Welcome to 2022 wonderful Corporate Rebels!

Thank you for your responses to my request for input. I am digesting your thoughts and questions. You will soon see those in this weekly newsletter.

For today, I want to give you my predictions for 2022. (Yes, I have a crystal ball, and it shows the future.)

1. Make peace with reality. Covid isn't going anywhere. Separation and division continues. Chaos and disruption in the world does not mean that you have to live in despair and frustration. Accept the situation. Drop resistance. When you accept where you (and we) are as it is, new possibilities open.  
2. See possibilities. I laugh at my innocence in believing things would snap back to 2019 eventually. There is no going back, and the best choice is to keep going. I'm optimistic about the future. In my work I see healing, creativity and people stepping in to help. Pay attention to what is working. You'll be amazed by what you see and the possibilities in your work and life.  
3. Be empowered. The power dynamic between employers and employees has shifted. During the pandemic, people felt the importance of their labor, time, and talent. Employees are no longer willing to work crazy hours and burn out their bodies and minds. I see people from cleaning staff to corporate directors taking back their power at work. Now is a good time to ask for what you want.  
4. Be flexible. We're still in for a bumpy ride. In person at the office? Ha. Maybe. Maybe not. Online school? Goodness, I hope not. Covid rules? Who knows. Have grace for yourself and for the leaders and service providers you interact with. Assume positive intent and stay flexible with changes and interruptions. You'll be happier when you can easily pivot.

That's what I see for 2022. More coming soon.

Will You Do Me A Quick Favor?

Time to read: 12 seconds. Time to answer the questions 10-15 minutes.

It's the first week of 2022. Last year we were in lockdown.

And this year?

You are back at the office. Or you're not. You had fulfilling in-person holidays with your family. Or not. You have new energy and are ready to go this year. Or not.

I'd love to know how you're doing and what you're thinking. My goal in these newsletters and in the live events and courses I offer is to make a difference in your life and work. There's been so much change. I'm wondering, where are you now?

Will you shoot me an email and answer these three questions?

• 1. How do you feel these days?
• 2. What do you see ahead of you in 2022?
• 3. If you followed a terrific executive coach and she was super helpful to you in 2022, what would she talk about? What would she do?

I love to hear from you. Welcome to 2022!

Three Steps to a Powerful 2020 Plan

Time to read: 1 little minute

Happy 2nd week of 2020 Rebels!

It takes a few weeks, maybe even 4-6 weeks to clean out the debris from 2019, wake up from the holidays, build your momentum, and be ready to set goals and intentions.

I’m coaching at a spa in Mexico this week. (I know. Someone’s gotta live this hard life. In a future newsletter, I’ll tell you how to create things like coaching at a spa in Mexico. It’s a great story.)

I had a blast planning 2020 on the flight. If you had asked me to plan 2020 two weeks ago, I would have poked you in the eye and gone back to bed.

Here are three tips for setting your 2020 plans:

1. Wait until you are energetically ready to plan 2020. If it doesn’t feel easy, you are not ready. Don’t force it. Forcing just brings the energy of striving and pushing into your year. Bring the energy of ease and flow instead.
2. Be disciplined about reflecting on 2019 and creating a plan. When the ideas start flowing, set aside time, make space, take notes. Your plan won’t create itself.
3. Be open to surprises. When you do a structured reflection and planning process, the unexpected happens. Two of my goals for 2020 are to follow my urges (quickly moving past the doubt that stops me) and do new things. Before I sat down to process 2019, I didn’t see these goals coming.

Setting clear intentions and goals is a powerful practice. Your year will take off like a rocket before you even have a chance to write it all down. I haven’t finished writing my plan yet and today I handed my card to a fellow business traveler (following an urge) and I’ve taken up cross country skiing (something new).

Set your intentions and fill this year with ease and flow.

If you want my help with reflection and planning, reach out. If you want to tell me what you’re already doing, reach out. I love to hear from you.

With rebel love,

Christina

P.S. Do you have a friend or family member who is transitioning to the new year? Share this newsletter with them. If they choose to receive more, they can join us here.

P.P.S. The New Year is the perfect time for a Corporate Rebel Strategic Plan for Work and Life OR a Corporate Rebel Year End Reflection and Plan. Both offer the chance to reflect on 2019 and plan for 2020. Email me for more info.

3 Tips For a Successful Transition to 2020

Time to read: 1.05 minutes

This is the second time my dishwasher has been featured in a newsletter.

Happy New Year!

It's 2020.

Chaos is the name of the game. My clients are experiencing chaos. I'm experiencing chaos. Do these examples feel familiar?

• The dishwasher broke down.
• Your child showed up to the class he's registered for and discovered he's not registered.
• The scope on a work project crept over the holidays, and everyone on the team is confused about their role.
• You're not sleeping well.
• People are sick.

Here's the good news. Early January is a period of transition. Life doesn't immediately go back to "normal" on January 1st. The promise of the New Year doesn't take off on January 1st. It will take you a few days to a week to feel like the ground is solid under your feet again.

So, what's a Corporate Rebel to do in the chaos of transition?

1. Get to know and accept your process. You have a process that guides you safely through a transition. Some parts of your process may not be pretty. Mine involves a major freak-out/melt down. A friend's involves apathy. Move through your process (even the messy bits) with acceptance and grace. After my melt-down, I have a day of super efficiency. It's like a storm blows through, clears the debris, and sets the runway for take-off.


2. Be patient. Transitions aren't a one and done. Give yourself time to get back on your feet after taking time off.


3. Take one step at a time. You'll find a firm foundation one email at a time. One meeting at a time. All you have to do is write that one proposal. Send that one inquiry. Call that one person. Pretty soon you'll be on a roll.

Then it will be spring break, and you can come home from vacation and do it all again.

Mid-January through the end of February are the perfect time to reflect on 2019 and create an intentional plan for 2020. If you'd like to talk about a powerful 2-session process to guide you through reflection and planning, hit reply to this email and we'll set up a quick time to chat.

Welcome back, Rebels!

Christina

P.S. Do you have a friend or family member who is transitioning to the new yea? Share my blog with them. If they choose to receive more, they can join us here.

P.P.S. The New Year is the perfect time for a Corporate Rebel Strategic Plan for Work and Life OR a Corporate Rebel Year End Reflection and Plan. Both offer the chance to reflect on 2019 and plan for 2020. Email me for more info.

Happy Bleepin' New Year!

Time to read: 56.48 seconds

I hate New Year.

I've always hated New Year.

Here's why: You are expected to wake up on January 1st and be miraculously different. But when you wake up, politics are the same. Your body is the same. It's the same world, layered with false expectations that everything will be shiny and new. I hate that.

Until recently, I've learned to enjoy New Year. (Don't tell anyone. It's much more fun to be the curmudgeon who hates New Year.) Here's what changed and what you can do if you are a New Year hater, too.

1. Change your expectations. Stop expecting everything to be shiny and new. Changing your expectations means you won't be disappointed when they aren't met.


2. Do something different. We started having people over and making sushi or taking sparklers outside in the snow. Throw out any prescribed tradition and make fun in your own way.


3. Go to bed. I never stay up to midnight. I like sleep. I like my cozy bed. If you like staying up, great! If you feel you should stay up, don't bother.


4. Make New Year one step in the larger journey of your purpose. The truth is, New Year is just a point in time on the larger journey of your life. Eight years ago, I started evaluating my year in order to set intentions and goals for the coming year. I love looking back to see how the past 12 months stacked up and by February or so, I have a document that steers the direction of the coming months. This process helps you stay on purpose and be conscious and intentional about what you create in your work and life.

I hope this helps.

I offer The Corporate Rebel Year End Reflection and Plan once a year as a stand-alone process. If you're curious to learn more, hit reply and shoot me an email. We can hop on the phone for a quick chat to see if this is exactly what you need to move forward with intention.

Happy New Year!

Christina

P.S. Do you have a friend or family member who hates New Year? Share this blog with them. If they choose to receive more, they can join us here.

P.P.S. The New Year is the perfect time for a Corporate Rebel Strategic Plan for Work and Life OR a Corporate Rebel Year End Reflection and Plan. Both offer the chance to reflect on 2019 and plan for 2020. Email me for more info.

Three Unsexy Ways to Realize Your Dreams

Time to read: 1:19.62 minutes

Happy New Year Corporate Rebels!

I hear a lot about people's dreams or people ask me how I have realized my dreams. If you follow my stuff, you know I'm a believer in magic. I'm also a believer in something a lot less sexy than magic. That is...

Discipline.

It's true that my clients get raises and promotions and get happier at work and in life (their dreams). It's true that I have the flexibility to travel and raise my own children while also having a fulfilling and meaningful career (my dreams). Many days, the path to realizing those dreams is as much discipline as it is magic.

It takes discipline to take a hard look at how you conduct yourself or the choices you make to evaluate if they align with what you want. You have to force yourself to have hard conversations that clean up old patterns and relationships. You sometimes have to stick your butt to your chair to write the report, create the development plan, or for me, today, produce this newsletter. There's nothing magic about making yourself do The Thing.

Here are three ways to stay disciplined about creating your dreams when you're tempted to get another cup of coffee, call the dentist, or talk to your cube-mates:

1. Remain true to your bigger commitments. That report is just a thing. This newsletter is just a thing. And that thing represents your service to your customers, your value of trust, and your love for your people. This one thing you have to do is part of a bigger picture that is made up of hundreds of "just a things."


2. Decide to start. It's pretty simple. Just decide you are going to do the thing and sit down to make yourself start. Once you start, it is much easier to keep going until you're finished.


3. Set up a reward. I'm a big fan of joy and fun so I reward myself all the time. Something like this works for me (dorky, I know), after you write your weekly newsletter, then you can make another cup of tea. (Maybe I should dream bigger. After you write, you get a diamond ring.)

Support and accountability also help you create your dreams. A few of you have reached out to tell me that all the January spots to talk with me are already filled. I opened a few more.

If you want to create a 2019 plan to get you on the path to what you want, let's talk! Choose a time here.

And now I get that cup of tea diamond ring!

With rebel warmth,

Christina

P.S. If you want to explore ways to create a plan for 2019, let's talk. I have a couple of step-by-step processes in my toolbox that will get you set up for a wonderful 2019. Choose a time to talk here.

P.P.S. Please share this link with your friends who want a plan for 2019. Just forward this email directly to them.