Impact Archives - SHE Globl

Change Agent, Impact

September 6, 2018

3 Ways To Shift Your Mindset From Being An Employee To A Change Agent

Whether we’re thinking of our family dynamics or the impact we envision for our career, our passion and purpose typically align us on a path directed toward change.

The past seven years of building S.H.E. Summit, I’ve learned that real change is rarely isolated to a top-down effort. High-level demands often result in momentary shifts that don’t last. Culture call outs like we’ve seen at Uber, Starbucks, and Nike are deep-seated reminders that the individuals who make up organizations are the voices prompting senior level staff to update their actions or risk sacrificing success.

The individuals in these stories, they’re you! You are the change agent. There is any number of approaches that can spark workplace change, and none of them are possible without the change agent showing up. The key to success is cultivating the mindset before taking specific action. To prep yourself to make the shift, try the following:

1. Think of your company as a micro-society…

Traditionally organizations are treated as an entity removed from our sphere of direct influence. What happens we think of them as a group of individuals who are engaged in a collective goal? Companies are people, which means even one person pursuing their passion can help tip the balance of how a company responds or reacts to an issue. Thinking of a company as a micro-society made up of people making choices enables you to understand that the path to becoming a change agent starts with a simple first step — having a strategic conversation with just one more person in your micro-society. When we treat the investment of energy at work like an investment in our local communities, we are poised for a domino effect to follow.

2. Daily activations can be as powerful as corporate-wide change…

Choosing a large goal to work towards may be key when changing your workplace and inspiring others to do the same, but convincing them to actually participate means breaking that larger goal down into actionable steps. Adjusting your mindset to reflect a micro-society perspective for you and your co-workers is like picking up litter as you walk down the street. Find a common point of interest with your co-workers, that answers the WHY?When they see how they as individuals and you as a group will all benefit, you’ve discovered the energy source that will fuel the ongoing effort. Daily or weekly activations can help keep people get and stay involved.

3. Start Where You Are and Use What You Have to Your Advantage…

We don’t all have the drive or vision to bring a side-hustle passion project to fruition. We often forget the power we do have with a full-time situation. Many companies invest in their intellectual resources by allowing employees to spend a percentage of time on side projects or participate in ERGs to improve awareness and representation. When you take advantage of your full-time position you can double the benefit of impact and career development when you focus your impact goals to making changes from within.

When you bring internal resources into play by rallying coworkers you have a better chance of sparking the meaningful change that shows upper management your vision is a win-win for all stakeholders involved. Success and impact bring value to everyone involved.

Exploring the potential impact for change that organizations and their employees play in making society’s positive change wish-list a reality, we can’t underestimate how seemingly small shifts in perspective have the power to move the needle in big ways. Top down change is only one approach that is not scalable for the level of change we could make. By shifting the mindset of the individuals driving companies, and we have to make sure those top leaders are engaging all levels of talent and reminding their teams of the agency each of them has.

Building out talent networks with a mindset for making changes will have the ripple effect that extends into communities far and wide. In This is How We Rise, I say, “If we don’t act up, speak up and act against injustices, we let others who may lack integrity and not have our best interests in mind determine the living standards of generations to come.” When we decide to use what we have, we can start making the changes we want to see our reality.

Claudia Chan

D&I, Impact, Strategy

August 7, 2018

Lyft Co-Founder and Board Member Discuss Diversity

Though many tech companies struggle to hire a diverse workforce, Lyft is trying to improve its record on gender and racial diversity. Although women hold 37% of senior positions, 10 department heads and 42% of their workforce – they don’t believe it’s enough.

Click here for a great interview with NPR and Lyft’s co-founder John Zimmer and Valerie Jarrett, a member of their board.

John Wagner

Impact

July 31, 2018

7 Habits to Work Proactively, Not Reactively

That proposal was due last week, you are days behind on finalizing the plan because decisions aren’t being made in meetings, there are 100 emails you need to respond to and back-to-back calls in your calendar today. Then, after skimming the news so you know what’s happening in the world, the clever tweets you have to squeeze in during lunch, and the time lost answering a random email or LinkedIn connection (catching breath) — we wonder, how are we getting anything high-priority done today?

As I tend to be tough on myself when I fall behind on important things, I am practicing what I call “proactive working, not reactive working” habits. Because there is simply too much to do, we must be more proactive and intentional than ever when planning our time. This way our work doesn’t suffer, we can be more present and kind in how we respond to others, and we stay sharp and creative in our actual work.

Here are seven habits I have learned in my entrepreneurial career (and from great coaches like Mimi Duvall and Martha Ringer):

1. On Mondays, write down the few things that you MUST get done this week.
A trick of Sheryl Sandberg’s – this requires you to step back from the weeds to channel your inner “CEO of self” and identify the work that only YOU can do and that will move the needle. Other items can be tasks that you’ll knock out in two minutes of downtime, delegate, or push to “must get done next week.”

2. Work out of your priorities list (ideally you have just one), NOT out of your email inbox (close all other screens/windows, please!).
That email inbox on your phone/computer screen is like crack. Once you check one, you just can’t stop… or compulsive deleting kicks in. It can start in the morning and before you know it, it’s time for bed. So minimize distractions by not even going there so you can focus on the things that you have deemed more important.

3. Block out time to answer emails only 2-3 times a day.
Still not convinced that you can minimize your email time? I am far from perfect on this one, but if we’re always working out of the inbox, we’re working reactively to non-priorities. Perhaps scan your email morning, lunch and late afternoon – answer what you can in an allotted time, and by all means, if something is priority, address it. Flexibility is key.

4. Schedule your seasons like a college semester.
Just like we used to plan everything around our classes in college, I have blocked out times and days for things like meetings and calls versus writing and reading. Some days have themes (e.g., Tuesdays are “team day” where we have important collaborative meetings and I try to give my team what they need to complete their goals). This way we’re not constantly thrown off course. A 15-minute call in the middle of an hour block that you’ve designated for writing can really sidetrack your day.

5. Break the big projects into smaller chunks of work.
We procrastinate on what we feel are big and daunting projects, so break up the work into as many small pieces as you need to and tackle away until you feel like a superhero. Woohoo!

6. Try not to overthink. Just DO.
If you over-think, a 5-minute email could take 30. A few additional Powerpoint slides could take half a day. We tend to overthink when we feel insecure. So shift into a vibe that allows your inherent awesome instinct and abundant intelligence to do its natural work and just get it done. As the saying goes, “Done is better than perfect.”

7. Celebrate what you ARE getting done.
At the end of each day or before you go to bed, reflect or journal what you DID get done and pat yourself on the back for an awesome day.

Claudia Chan

3 Ways To Shift Your Mindset From Being An Employee To A Change Agent

Lyft Co-Founder and Board Member Discuss Diversity

7 Habits to Work Proactively, Not Reactively

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