Hello W.A comrades,

Like many Americans, I grew up in a foreign household where English was NOT my first language. Communication to others outside of my family and friends was a bit blurred. I knew I loved to talk because every time we had guests over I would go hangout with the adults and just talk all night long. Clearly, I wanted to be heard whether the content is interesting to my audience or not.

As I started learning English in Preschool, Kindergarten, and so on I now became a dangerous talker… now I know how to speak in 2 languages.  May God help everyone in my path at that point. Eventually as I got older and “wiser,” I started to learn/realize that talking does not mean communicating. You may talk for hours and hours on end, but if your intended audience does not understand what you’re saying or are engaged, you have lost them. Which can lead to lack of communication. Since communication seems to be a key component of human interaction, I decided to take note and see how I can improve my communication skills to avoid such calamity.

Here are some tips I discovered that helped me communicate and I hope it can help you to:

• Active listening: Talk less listen more. Truly try to hear what the other person is trying to say. Try your best to not be distracted with your thoughts of what you are going to say next. I know I was always guilty of thinking of what I am going to say next that I missed half of what the other person was trying to tell me.
• Reiterate: Sometimes it helps to reiterate what you think you heard them say to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding. 9 times out 10 they would correct you if you misheard or misunderstood.

• Be proactive and considerate: Having the conversation is one thing but following up and following through are also very important. If you have a conversation that ends with some sort of delivery or expectation to someone it’s important to stay proactive to deliver and to stay in communication about it. For example, if it’s taking a bit longer than expected to deliver, it’s good to communicate that things are getting delayed, you have not forgotten, and you will try your best to follow-through as soon as possible. A timeline usually helps, but if it’s not feasible and open ended it’s good to touch base. I am not saying communicate every hour or everyday with constant updates (even though I have done that before..oops), but every couple of days does not hurt. Trust me people appreciate you circling back, knowing you haven’t forgotten them, and you value them. 

• Avoid bulldozing: When someone is speaking try your best to avoid cutting them off and start talking about what you wanted to say. It’s rude to your audience and you might end up annoying the other person, which can lead into an unnecessary argument. Sometimes you end up missing an important part of what they are trying to say, because you interrupted).

• Be empathetic: If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all. As fun as it is to throw that saying around, it holds some truth. When you try to wrap your head around what the person is saying and see it from their point of view you are practicing empathy. As the saying goes, “you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar”. Honey being the sweet and empathetic vs. the vinegar being sour and mean. Choose your words wisely.

Sincerely,

Nora Hamdeh

Scrum Master, Fidelity Charitable

It is safe to say that 2020 was not what any of us expected. Many of us have overcome great things this year, but before 2020 leaves us, it is time to plan our success and what we will achieve in 2021!

The best way to get where you are going is to actively plan the way…. Failure to set goals may result in not achieving things that are most important to you. Goal setting can include personal and professional goals to help provide you with focus and direction. Creating goals you are passionate about and working towards goal achievement provides you with things to look forward to each day when you wake up and start working.

As you start thinking about your goals, it is necessary to take a step back and figure out why something is important to you, why might this goal motivate you?  If you can’t articulate why a goal is important, then you are not likely to achieve your goals.  It is important that you know what you want and if the work needed to achieve the goal is worth your commitment.

“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.  Put your future in good hands – your own.” 

Mark Victor Hansen

When setting goals, work to make short and long term goals that are reasonable, measurable, and time specific.  Make sure to write these goals down and keep them visible be it in your planner or computer screen to allow you to reflect and track your progress through the year.  You may want to allow for 15-20 minutes each week on Sunday evening to evaluate your success and any adaptations that are needed.  Reflecting on the past week can display your achievements and work done to help you visualize success is achievable.

After setting your goals make sure that you put your well thought plan into action.  Setting goals is the easy part, action becomes the hardest part.  Trust in yourself and put in the work necessary to achieve goal success.

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” 

Henry Ford

Time is your most important asset, be cautious what you say yes to and make sure that your time aligns with your goals!  Stay focused on what matters and persist on until you achieve your goals.

Make 2021 a great year!

I lost my job due to Covid-19. It was a fantastic job that I was lucky to have. The job was in my chosen field, I was well qualified for it, I had a lot of responsibility, trust, overcame many challenges, and I loved my boss. At the time of writing this we are faced with the uncertainty of whether the company will be able to reopen once this wave has passed. Despite how much I loved my job, I must admit this job was never my end goal.

I double majored in English and Studio Art in college. Two years in I discovered that my passion was painting. I had been painting since I could walk; my first mural came at age four on the second floor wall of our brand new family home, made using finger paints, spanning the length of the hallway and as far high as I could touch. I was quite proud of my masterpiece. My mother was less pleased. It took until my Senior year of college to hear someone tell me that they believed I could pursue painting as a career. Those words of encouragement came from my painting professor who I held in the highest regard. The most startling part of what he told me was not that he believed I could become great; it was that he expected me to become great. Unfortunately, there is no linear way to be an artist. In most fields people are said to have “paved the way” for others. I often feel that I am bushwhacking my own path.

There is one proven way of becoming a successful artist. Making. As often as possible. There are these programs called artist-in-residence. These programs are designed to take an artist of any medium and provide them a prescribed amount of time away from distractions and their normal life in order to produce their work. Usually these occur out in the forest, on deserted islands, or in foreign cities. Anywhere that will give the artist inspiration and freedom. They are usually expensive and often competitive but every artist I know who has participated in one has raved about their experience, created killer work, and immediately searched for another opportunity.

Given my sudden abundance of free time and nowhere to go this seemed like the perfect moment to create my own artist-in-residence or what I like to call my “artist-in-quarantine”. As things began to shut down, I ordered an abundance of art supplies and got to work. I spend most days now locked in my apartment creating. I usually have a podcast or audiobook playing and I create however I feel like on that day. This was important to me as I did not want to box myself into a specific goal or obtuse expectations. I wanted to see what would come of me making art for my own sake. My work has spanned drastically so far from huge paintings to small paintings, drawings, and even making a coloring book for my niece and yes, okay, I painted a bedroom like everyone else. My apartment is covered in art supplies. There is a painting in progress on almost every flat surface. I have a rolling cart with my tools, and I follow the light and any spark of inspiration around my space like a sundial. I take my dog for walks and I make indulgent desserts. My techniques are developing, and I try to remember to breathe.

This is a stressful and frankly terrifying time for us all. I’m not trying to be heroic or make light of what is going on. I also know that I am not the only artist to be doing this. I am incredibly lucky to have a stable place to live and a loving family who are making sure I don’t starve and occasionally take a painting away from me before I destroy it. I am doing what I need to do to feel sane during a time that is not sane at all. I don’t know the right way and I am not naive enough to think how I am proceeding is the right way for everyone, but it is the right way for me.

You can request custom paintings by Christina Mignosa via emailing [email protected] or by checking out her Instagram @christinamignosaart

Painting: “Self-portrait: quarantine” (16×20)

Painting: “Gooseberry Beach” (16×20)

As an organization, Women Accelerators aims to help advance women and promote gender equity though creating a centralized network and community where women can access resources to help achieve their career goals.

Women Accelerators welcomed Dr. Alexis Stokes in February to meet their community to discuss issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Dr. Stokes serves as the Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the Harvard School of Engineering where she creates systematic changes to support the success of unrepresented minorities, nontraditional students, and education programs.

Below is a summary of Dr. Stokes presentation with information and tips that can be discussed and utilized in your workplace.

Why are diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations essential?

The world demographics are changing which impacts all environments.  This creates a need to change and innovate the way that organizations have always done things.  Organizations can empower their communities to get involved and create an environment where the culture values diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Inclusive practices benefit everyone within an organization, not just diverse employees.

How can organizations help create diverse, inclusive, and equitable spaces?

It is much more than just hiring an individual for a diversity position.  It is about influencing the organizational culture to move beyond simply working in an inclusive environment to contributing to an inclusive environment.  Understanding the culture (beliefs, customs, acts) of a group helps develop a strategy to invite and encourages individuals into a conversation and create connections to what is valued.  The process should allow individuals in a group to use their privilege and powers to help others.  Organizations need to prioritize this as important work that they do as individuals as well as teams.

It is essential that organizations are clear and transparent with employees as to where they currently stand in the journey to become diverse, inclusive, and equitable environments.  Sharing a process and timeline can be helpful to allow individuals to visualize how getting involved can impact this work.  Being open and honest around data and decisions can allow people to feel more included in work that is going on and to start conversations and help make connections.

For an organization to work on diversity, inclusion, and equity, what resources are necessary?

Organizational culture is a shared responsibility where everyone needs to contribute.  Creating diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment requires ongoing commitment and resources to make the initiative successful.  Necessary resources include: budget, staffing, a communication plan to internal and external groups, connection to those who hold influential positions in the organization, visibility within the organization, access to data and resources, and training that enhances knowledge and action.

What steps should an organization take to create action around diversity, equity, and inclusion?

An organization needs to include these values as part of their mission. All departments and groups should be held responsible for reporting on their progress and success. Creating accountability as individuals, teams, and organizations helps to develop a culture where expectations, commitment, and reporting become the norm.  Additionally, organizations need to share data with people as this knowledge helps to influence actions.

What are some suggestions around how reporting can be done to understand the impact on efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion?

There are several ways that impact can be evaluated.  They include:

• Develop initiative into an organizations strategic plan and create a congruent diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan that supplements the larger plan.
• Develop/implement a community standard or code of conduct.
• Goal setting on measurable activities or tasks.
• Include in employee evaluations a way for each induvial to share what they have done to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Track progress on initiatives implemented and shared findings with the organization.

What can individuals do to support the creation or further development of diversity, equity, and inclusion through their work?

Individuals have the power to influence and create change in many ways:

• Provide micro affirmations of positive things you see and experience. These can be very effective and help others create a culture that respects diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Give credit to others when appropriate and try to use “we” more than “I” to create a group culture.
• Ask others for opinions and feedback, especially if you notice that they have not had an opportunity to speak.
• Use the preferred pronouns for individuals and work to use inclusive language and images.
• Make eye contact with those you are working and speaking with to create a connection.