5 Things: Good Vibes in DEI is now Good Vibes Leadership! What's that? I talk about the transition and what that means for the show going forward. I also tell a story about people stepping into leadership because they were "Voluntold."
5 Things: Good Vibes in DEI is now Good Vibes Leadership What's that? I talk about the transition and what that means for the show going forward.
I recently sat in a room full of ERG leaders who were hitting a wall of fatigue. When I asked how they actually started their leadership journey, the answer was universal: They were invited. In this micro-lesson, I’m breaking down why "voluntelling" someone isn't a burden—it’s a vote of confidence. We explore the fear of career stalling, the privilege of having the bandwidth to say "yes," and how to handle it when someone chooses to protect their peace.
Hey, folks. Uh, thank you for listening to Five Things. It's been a 150 episodes of sharing good vibes in DEI. I know some of you are longtime listeners. Some of you may be more new to the show. But thank you for sticking around through a 150 episodes.
So now I'm gonna make a little change. Uh, so now the name of the show is switching to Good Vibes Leadership. And if you want to actually read the good vibes that I share every week, I'm going to ask you to subscribe to the newsletter. That's the only place I'm sharing the good vibes is in the Five Things newsletter which you can get at 5thingsdei.com.
So if you want those stories on things like diverse Barbies or inclusive restrooms or whatever, the good new public policies that we can be excited about and proud of. If you wanna hear those stories or read those stories, you can get them at 5thingsdei.com.
After a 150 episodes, the show is transitioning into Good Vibes Leadership. Good Vibes Leadership is about playful inclusion. It's about me sharing micro lessons from my own experiences, from other stories that are about playful inclusion and how we can use that and bring that spirit to building more authentic relationships, having more meaningful conversations, and just cultivating a happier world.
You know, my personal purpose is to create spaces where everyone feels a little more loved. A little more loved. And it's something that we can do for each other. And, uh, this show is gonna be about that. How can we create spaces, especially through our leadership and especially at work where everyone feels a little more loved. Yes. Loved at work. It is possible with some Good Vibes Leadership.
So that's the focus of the show. I hope you enjoy it. It's definitely an evolution, but I'm excited. You know, I've—to be honest, I feel like I've been hiding behind the good vibes. I've been hiding behind those stories that I share every week about what others are doing. And I don't talk enough about what I'm doing and what we have, uh, what I have to offer and what I have to share from my decades of wisdom leading teams.
Some of you may know that I was a wedding planner with an LGBTQ specialty, and I started that business in 2004 when marriage equality came to Massachusetts. And as a wedding planner, I was a leader. I was a leader of my clients who were navigating an industry they were unfamiliar with and they're with no—with no road map. So I was their leader as they step through this overwhelming process of wedding planning.
But I was also the leader of my team. You know, the assistants that I had on-site and as part of the planning process. The florists and the caterers and the vendors and the venue, I was the leader. I was the—the hub, the connector of all of it. And so, um, over the years, I have developed a lot of leadership skills. And, uh, and I've tried to mostly do it with some good vibes. It's always, uh, imperfect, but that's part of it too, talking about the imperfections.
So, anyway, this is what the new show is about. Please stick around. I'm excited. I hope that you get some wisdom from it, and I hope that you laugh and have a great start to your week. So let's get into it.
So last year, I facilitated a discussion for a bunch of ERG leaders, a pride group here in Chicago. And a lot of the leaders were really struggling with the same problem, which is essentially succession. You know, they—they were burned out. They had fatigue, but they were having a hard time finding folks who were sort of volunteering to step up in any capacity. They were even having problems getting people to attend their events and their meetings.
So as part of this discussion, I asked the leaders a simple question. How did you get involved in leadership? How did you get in the role that you're in? Because for all of them, it is a secondary position to their day job. It's their gay job essentially. Right? So how did they get into this leadership role? And almost every single person gave me the same answer: "I was voluntold."
Just about every person was voluntold to join. Someone, their boss or manager, another leader saw their potential and made the ask. They suggested a gentle suggestion. And I know right now there's a lot of fear about stepping up, especially in corporate. Um, I know that some folks are afraid that if they step into ERG leadership or even other leadership, it might mean that they are defined by it or it stalls their career at worst. You know, that could happen. Some—or at least some folks fear that it could happen.
So, you know, these are folks who might not be raising their hand because they're protecting their peace, or they're just, you know, playing small right now because they're trying to stay safe. And I totally get that. It makes a lot of sense.
But these folks may respond to a personal invitation. So maybe you have to voluntell someone to step up into this role. You know, keep in mind that having the bandwidth to even consider that is a privilege. So definitely, if they are not into it, respect that. Um, you know, your job is to just make sure that they know the door is open and that you see their spark because someone saw that in you.
And so sort of giving some folks a gentle nudge, showing them that you see their potential, that you see their spark can be an amazing way to fuel them, to send their career in a place they may never have considered for themselves, to discover their own untapped potential. What a gift. What a gift you can give others.
How can you voluntell someone to step up this week? Think about all of the amazing people that you know. And—and maybe not even within your ERG or within your organization. Who are some of the amazing people that you know that might be hiding back or in—in the shadows a little bit, but who really have the ability to shine? How can you voluntell them to step into the light? That is my challenge for you this week.
Let's move into this week's Good Vibes to Go. If you like the Olympics like I do, there were plenty of good vibes to be found. Some of which I've already covered in the Five Things newsletter. But I urge you to watch Alyssa Liu's free skate program. US women's figure skater, Alyssa Liu. She won gold for this amazing free skate program. And the way she skates with joy and abandon is an absolute good vibe.
So I'll make sure I put the link to that in the show notes. Folks, if you don't already get the Five Things newsletter, you can subscribe at 5thingsdei.com.