Explore the power of emotional intelligence and creativity in navigating life's ups and downs, enhancing personal and professional growth.

As you move into 2022 take time to reflect, set a direction, move into action, and commit to being honest with yourself regarding how you are spending your time. Also, take time to express your gratitude to those who have supported you on your journey.

There's pent-up demand in many industries and workloads are high. Employees are demanding flexibility of both schedule and location, and employers are exhausted from the challenges of constant adaptation. How do we meet in the middle, with satisfied employees at thriving businesses?

So what's to be done?

When the pandemic hit we experienced stress and fatigue. Now we're facing it again. This time it's about change. Change is hard - it affects each of us differently, but it affects us all.

Our long-term professional success - especially as we move into senior roles - depends upon identifying areas of strategic importance and making real progress. This is not just checking tasks off the to-do list. Rather it's about checking off the right tasks to make real progress on what matters! 

In a year where the idea of wearing a mask has profoundly changed, that phrase we used to hear on every airplane flight has a whole new meaning. Read on for tips on how to put your oxygen mask first in your professional life.

To succeed professionally (and personally) takes a careful cocktail of skills, knowledge, and mindset. When any one of these attributes is lacking, we are at risk. We must stay curious to thrive - even more so in times of change. Poetry can build change resilience.

Walking has gained a lot of attention during the pandemic. It's outside, free, takes limited equipment, and accommodates social distancing easily. Walking is also business relevant. Walking helps you think and spurs creativity. It can enhance memory and shift perspective on persistent challenges. Walking with others disrupts power dynamics and lowers conflict.

It's been a year of conflicting emotions. We've deeply examined business trends and choices; reimagined our relationship with technology; transformed how we discuss mental health and wellbeing; and opened a broad conversation about race, equity, and opportunity.

Self-knowledge can be as simple as understanding who and what we are, and who and what we are not. It allows us to operate with effective authenticity.  A lack of authenticity undermines trust and that is not good for business.

The pandemic has helped me see that even though I am an introvert, I enjoy being around people. Getting intentional about relationship building has been immensely satisfying. I can count a number of new and highly-valued friends/colleagues with whom I have never spent time in person.

How we socialize, and who with, is often an operation of habit. But the COVID pandemic has given us a chance to be intentional about who is part of our Dunbar number.

When we are feeling dissatisfied, our tendency is to move away from what annoys us. Instead, we should move toward what satisfies us. We can use our values as are guiding North star.