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The Middle.
During my United Fresh Produce Industry Leadership Program (#class24 💕), we had an incredibly smart, talented, and beautiful lady guiding us. Her name was Julie, and she was fabulous. (Still is!) She had a very polite and kind way of telling you some honest truths. She was blunt and funny. She said a lot of memorable things during our time, but the one that keeps coming to my mind in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic is this: “Get the hell out of middle management as fast as you can.” (Her words exactly.) Middle managers experience compression by those they lead and those who lead them. It’s a tough place…
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Standards.
I had the TV on in the background one evening, when I overheard something that made me pause. He said, “Maybe your standards are too high.”She replied, “Our standards are who we are.” They weren’t talking about dating. They were talking about quality of work. Now, I’ve been thinking about my own standards, both personally and professionally, a lot over the past year or so. Am I setting my expectations too high? Are these realistic things to achieve? Honestly, I get teased a lot because I was a straight A student, and I always strive for 100% on my audits. I set my sights for ideal. And if I talk…
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Commentary.
It is so painful to read the comments on posts related to these E. coli outbreaks. People are so quick to point the finger, and they are convinced they are right in their assumption. But you can say that about any topic on any platform. 🙄 The main argument I see online is people blaming farm workers for pooping in the fields. You guys. 🤦🏻♀️ If a farm worker has E. coli, he is not going to be pooping in the field. He is going to be in the hospital with all the other victims. E. coli O157:H7 is a very virulent pathogen. We all know that bacteria are very,…
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Sharing is Caring.
A colleague recently recommended I listen to an episode of a podcast called The Happiness Lab by Dr. Laurie Santos, but I accidentally listened to the wrong one. It was called “Caring What You’re Sharing.” I can’t really say it was an accident though, because the message actually helped solidify some thoughts I had swirling around. I’m inclined to believe there was a reason I listened the “wrong” episode. Have you ever watched a movie with someone, and that person falls asleep? Or maybe when two of you go to dinner, but the other is on their phone? Think about how those circumstances make you feel. A little ignored? A…
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Guilt.
I recently read a quote that said you need to put others’ needs before your own. As someone trained in leadership, I know that you cannot be a successful leader without first taking care of yourself. You are at the foundation of your leadership, and if the foundation is weak, everything else will be too. Rachel Hollis lists her priorities: Herself Her marriage Her children Most people would look at this list and totally give her flack for putting herself and her husband before her children, but I get it and fully stand behind her. You know that saying, “When mom doesn’t feel good, no one feels good”? Everyone feels…
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Good Things.
After I posted about The Little Things, I got to thinking about it. Little things add up to big things when those little things are good habits too. It’s in our nature to dwell on the negative, but when you take a moment to reflect on the positive, you will find there is so much good in our world. And when you recognize the little good things, it creates big things like gratitude, appreciation, love, and happiness. They say emotions are contagious like viruses. Do you want to be the flu? No. You want to emit positivity. (Although if I’m being completely honest, I’d kind of love the power to…