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The Leadership Vacuum: What to Do When Your Ship Has No Captain
Throughout my 25-year career, I’ve witnessed quite a few leadership vacuums. It’s what happens when a team lacks clear, accountable leadership or chain of command. Sometimes it’s a physical absence where leadership unexpectedly resigns or retreats with poor succession planning in place. But sometimes, it’s a much slower burn where leadership might technically be present,…
Why Does Captain Marvel Matter?
Marvel’s latest box office hit, Captain Marvel, experienced an opening weekend for the ages. It not only earned positive reviews from movie critics across the globe but we witnessed moviegoers supporting the film at a rate of $153 million domestically and $455 million worldwide in its opening weekend at the box office.
But why am I writing about the most recent Marvel movie on LinkedIn? Representation is important, especially in media. This is the first solo film led by a female character released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe amongst its nearly 20 movies.
Explaining the Outrage of Blackface
By now, we have all seen the headlines.
Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam first apologized but subsequently denied being one of two men, one in blackface, the other wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe/hood, prominently featured on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. While he denied being either individual in the image, he did admit to wearing shoe polish on his face to darken his skin to portray Michael Jackson in a dance contest.
Italian fashion brand Gucci announced a major push to step up diversity hiring as a part of a long-term strategy to build cultural awareness at the luxury fashion company following an uproar over an $890 sweater that resembles blackface.
Several celebrities — Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Ted Danson, and Jimmy Fallon — are under fire for their views on or poor judgment donning blackface.
Once considered acceptable stage makeup, blackface went the way of the N-word in terms of igniting controversy. At this point, we all should know that wearing blackface is offensive and wrong, but where does this practice originate from, and why is it so offensive?
Five Habits of Highly Successful Leaders
With the start of a new year, developing healthy habits are atop everyone’s mind. By now, we’ve all set our resolutions with a new hope to achieve goals both at work and home. In light of this tradition, as I continue to refine my own leadership style, I have pulled together common threads and habits of what literature sites as common habits of successful leaders. Forming new routines in our daily lives can be a challenge, but small changes make a huge difference.
A Year in Review
As we prepare to sunset 2018, it’s worthwhile to reflect on the journey that the year has taken us on. We learned a lot in 2018. And we also experienced events that made us cry. These tears weren’t in vain as they served as a catalyst, inspiring change in the world around us. So, let’s take a closer look at a few noteworthy occurrences:
Rise in Hate Crimes
The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL. The Emanuel A.M.E. Church, often referred to as Mother Emanuel, in Charleston, SC. A Kroger supermarket in Jeffersontown, KY.
Unfortunately, we all know the tragedy that struck each of these cities far too well. Earlier this month, two significant data points were released that are being discussed on the news, in our social media feeds, in our workplaces, and beyond. These facts are not surprising to most although difficult to digest when considering the totality of increased violence occurring all around us. Most of us have felt a shift happening but perhaps we didn’t know the true intensity of it until now.
A Breakdown of Talent Management
In every successful business, top leaders in the organization must focus on identifying and retaining the best, most diverse talent to achieve its mission and grow the business. Talent management, after all, plays an important role in the business strategy since it manages one of the most important assets of any company — its people.