Photo Credit: Kevin Jordan, Yachats, OR. November 2023.
*Quote Credit: Seth Godin

Greetings -

I hope this edition finds you and your family well, as we mark the end of daylight savings time and move firmly into Fall (my favorite season).

This edition, the Articles and Blog Posts/Opinions sections specifically, offers a range of topics to reflect on and consider more deeply. From the pragmatic and existential difficulties of leadership in uncertain and charged times, to the importance of demonstrating kindness, dignity and respect in all of our interactions, to the ability of effectively crafting thoughtful narratives and stories to further our work, the collected perspectives offer a range of considerations. More often than not, there are more questions to consider than answers to be found.

With the on-set of the quarter/year-end performance review cycle and ensuing professional development conversations, I am including resources to optimally navigate what can be a fraught and tense time.

My next publication will be following the Thanksgiving holiday. I wish you all a wonderful, gratitude-filled time with your family and friends. For those traveling, be safe and take good care.

As always, happy reading and listening!

Be well, take good care of your families and community.

-kj

PS - (Missed a newsletter? Past editions can be found here: https://www.kevinjordan.coach/blog. And if you hit paywall on an article(s), feel free to send me a note and let me know what you need. I have subscriptions to many of the sources that I cite.)

Spotlight Article

This edition's Spotlight Article is the recently released Women in the Workplace study: The State of Women In Corporate America. Key excerpts and findings that caught my eye are noted below. There are more hot spots than bright spots. Considerable work remains on many fronts.

"Women in the Workplace is the largest comprehensive study of the state of women in corporate America. LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company have published this report annually since 2015 to give companies the information they need to advance women and improve gender diversity. Over the past nine years, we have collected information from almost 900 organizations employing more than 23 million people.

Across the corporate pipeline, women—and especially women of color—remain underrepresented. However, there is a growing bright spot in senior leadership. Since 2015, the number of women in the C-suite has increased from 17 to 28 percent, and the representation of women at the VP and SVP levels has also improved significantly. These hard-earned gains are encouraging but fragile. Progress is slower for women at the manager and director levels, creating a weak middle in the pipeline and impacting the majority of women in corporate America. And the “Great Breakup” continues for director level women: they are leaving at a higher rate than in past years—and at a notably higher rate than men at the same level. As a result of these two dynamics, there are fewer women in line for top positions."

Key Findings:
- "Women represent roughly 1 in 4 C-suite leaders, and women of color just 1 in 16.
- Women of color face the steepest drop-off in representation from entry level to C-suite positions. As they move up the pipeline, women of color’s representation drops by two-thirds."

Articles

Harvard Business Review: How to Be a Better Leader Amid Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. "Tomorrow is full of fog and volatility. Markets, supply chains, technology, and consumer trends are hazy and transforming. But you can lead your organization to succeed. The Army’s original theory of VUCA defined visionary leadership. And now, using what we’ve laid out in this article, you have a Special Operations method for cultivating it in yourself — and your future teams."

Harvard Business Review: Leadership in a Politically Charged Age. "What social psychology and relationship science can teach us about conflict in the workplace and how to manage it."

Harvard Business Review: Why Kindness at Work Pays Off. "Kindness, although an intangible asset and challenging to quantify, holds immense importance in shaping the dynamics of your team and your organization. Creating a culture that fosters kindness allows individuals to not only produce innovative ideas but also feel secure enough to express and share them."

Harvard Business Review: 5 Types of Stories Leaders Need To Tell. "...Vision stories inspire a shared one. Values stories model the way. Action stories can spark change and, in turn, challenge the process. Teaching stories transmit knowledge and skills to others, enabling them to act. And when you share your own story you build trust and encourage the heart."

The Wall Street Journal: Five Ways to Get the Most Out of a Performance Review. "By being proactive, employees can turn these conversations into opportunities rather than something to dread."

Harvard Business Review: How to Talk to Your Boss About Your Career Development. "Career conversations are vital to your professional growth. By initiating them, you make your ambitions known, gain valuable feedback, and pave the way for a fulfilling career path. Prepare well, communicate clearly, and always be open to feedback. In doing so, you’ll empower yourself to move forward, secure the knowledge you need to grow, and give your manager an opportunity to fully understand and support you on your journey." [While this article is intended for early career folks, the principles espoused have broad applicability and should resonate across career stages. ~ KJ]

Book

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. "Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy...It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church."

Blog Posts & Opinions

David Brooks: The Essential Skills for Being Human. "Human beings long to have another person look at them with love and acceptance."

Institute of Coaching: Let's do a 180 on 360s. "In leadership development, 360-degree feedback can trigger self-advocacy and defensiveness which are counterproductive. Eliciting an open and curious mind is the better road."

Business Insider: It’s not just you. LinkedIn has gotten really weird. "Divorce, trouble peeing, and stealing hotel food: Why did a job network become everyone’s favorite place for oversharing?"

Podcasts

WorkLife with Adam Grant: How to tell your own story with Baratunde Thurston. "...Whether it’s through his witty and thoughtful work at The Onion or The Daily Show, or via in-depth reflections in a New York Times best-selling book or a hit podcast, Baratunde is adept at addressing complex ideas with compelling stories and serious issues with levity. Baratunde speaks with Adam about the evolution of his communication style, shares ideas on what kind of storytelling actually moves the needle for an audience, and discusses the surprising ways in which he’s rethinking his approach to AI."

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. "Amy Edmondson (Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well) is a professor and author. Amy ...discuss[es] why she was drawn to studying organizational learning, what psychological safety is, and how systems exist to make societies better. Amy and Dax talk about why working groups can have different interpersonal climates, the definition of learning behaviors, and what the three types of failure are. Amy explains that vulnerability can actually be a desirable trait, how to take smart risks, and why apologies exist."

Arts, Music, Culture & Humor Corner

The New York Times Magazine: Seeing Beyond the Beauty of a Vermeer. "The violence of his era can be found in his serene masterpieces — if you know where to look."

The New Yorker: A Newly Discovered Realm of Accomplishment for John Coltrane. "A recently released live recording is of equal importance to aficionados and newbies alike."

Longreads: Girl Genius. "She will grow up and leave me and yet never leave me; she will be mine forever, a being I shaped."

The New Yorker: Embarrassing Injuries of Middle Age.

Reflections

"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." ~ Eric Hoffer

CROSSROADS
by Louise Glück
My body, now that we will not be traveling together much longer
I begin to feel a new tenderness toward you, very raw and unfamiliar,
like what I remember of love when I was young —
love that was so often foolish in its objectives
but never in its choices, its intensities
Too much demanded in advance, too much that could not be promised —
My soul has been so fearful, so violent;
forgive its brutality.
As though it were that soul, my hand moves over you cautiously,
not wishing to give offense
but eager, finally, to achieve expression as substance:
it is not the earth I will miss,
it is you I will miss.

"Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
~ William Martin

"The Opportunity To Care Is Evenly Distributed."*