Every living being needs rest. We feel like we’ve been conditioned to power through exhaustion instead of honoring it. Choosing to hibernate or take sabbatical in December felt perfectly in line with the natural world.
So what did I do on sabbatical?
I gave myself permission…
During World Kindness week, I got a call from a USA Today reporter asking for my thoughts on a new California neighborhood, Silverwood, where every new resident is invited to sign a Kindness Pledge.
What if kindness at work isn’t just about being “nice” but about building stronger teams, improving performance, and creating workplaces people actually want to be part of?
Kindness isn’t just healing. It’s powerful. It’s practical. It’s sustaining. And it belongs in our workplaces.
Some weeks, like the one I recently spent in Vermont and Pennsylvania, leave you full in the best possible way.
The streets of downtown Portland had made multiple appearances in the news in the last few years, but rarely for acts of kindness. My 55th birthday was on October 9th, when conflict seemed to be all that was shared by the news. I felt at a loss for words what to write or say. It’s hard to feel celebratory when there is an impending war in a place that you love and that is very special to you. When bloodshed and terror are happening in real-time. When everyone I know is fearful of what’s coming next. I certainly didn’t feel much like birthday celebrating.
Post-it notes are magical. I’m crazy about them. They serve as such a great way to bring a little joy to the world. You can use them to bring a smile to someone’s day so effortlessly. Whether you put them on someone’s computer or locker, or stick them in your partners’ things so they find them later, there are so many ways they can work their magic.
How does an organization handle unexpected challenges that impact its customers? If you are the management at Crater Lake National Park Lodges, you handle it quickly and with as much communication as possible. In fact, we were impressed at the speed with which we learned of the challenge.
Graduation is one of the many milestones you could be celebrating this season. Storytelling, whether delivered by a professional speaker or simply among friends, has the power to connect any audience in unexpected ways.