Up the Anti
If we pause and reflect on the past three years, there were so many moments that challenged us to think differently about things we are not expected to think about. What does it mean to go to work every day when we are living in the midst of a global pandemic?
We are experiencing a time of racial reckoning and awakening. We are in the middle of a mental health crisis. We are finally hearing the amplification of black and brown voices, and transgender communities. We are watching women’s rights regress to legislation over control of one’s body, and we are experiencing one of the most divisive political climates to date.
I have personally struggled over the past few years trying to negotiate a world where we are taught not to challenge our systems and to be thankful to have work. We are not often encouraged to consider a new way of life. This tension and internal conflict pushed me to think about what it means to value something and on whose terms.
What do I value? How do I understand how to value things?
Is it my definition, or is it a definition of an old way of being or a socially constructed unspoken understanding of our way of life?
The Great Resignation
The thing that has caught me the most over the past few years was not that I felt shocked by what’s been happening.
What shocked me was how we were expected to go back to our lives – to work – “business as usual” when so many around us struggled to get up every day and we didn’t speak of it. People are navigating racial trauma both inside and outside of work, loss, grief from the pandemic, political unrest, financial stress, childcare, etc. We were all gaslighted to act as if everything was ok, it wasn’t that bad, back to normal.
The Great Resignation is not happening because people don’t want to work. People don’t want to work for organizations that don’t stand for values. They don’t want to work for organizations that don’t know how to define value – or won’t act in alignment with what they say their values are.
There is a similar frustration when organizations say, “things take time” or “organizations change slowly.” No, they don’t. Get your most innovative, strategic people in a room and give them a budget.
It can literally change overnight.
So what is the real issue?
I believe it’s how we define value because change isn’t slow; Fear is slow. Fear holds us all back. It isn’t about getting it right all the time. It is about a long-term commitment to doing better. Many people would be nervous to name fear as the thing that holds them back because we’ve been taught to see fear as weakness. And because we live in a system of power, people are afraid to say they’re weak. I don’t believe we live in a culture that accepts fear as an option. People shut down out of fear of doing or saying the wrong thing.
The idea of success is changing. New generations are pushing our systems to think more intersectionally, more broadly, to be agile, transform out of reactive decision-making, and embrace a proactive model of success that looks like financial and geographic freedom. It isn’t about the corner office anymore. People want to believe their experiences and needs are heard, valued, and actively supported.
We can’t only value the things that are important to our personal experiences when we’re supporting others. I am not suggesting organizations will have all the answers. But, I have witnessed so many unkind and careless actions throughout my career. Sending a simple email to acknowledge the experience of what may impact one or several individuals in your community about a significant issue matters deeply. Yes, I believe It really can be that simple.
My question to you is; What do you value?
What did you do before there was a national issue to respond to?
What systems do you have in place to show value?
When there is another shooting, act of racial violence, or hate crime, what is the plan?
We can no longer say we didn’t know, we weren’t prepared, and it didn’t impact our organization. The last few years impacted everyone, some more deeply than others, but ignorance can no longer be the answer. Organizations that are competitive aren’t struggling with retention because they are outwardly and proactively expressing what they value; their people.
In this Great Resignation, we all are witnessing a breakdown in organizational change management that lacks a pulse on equity. So many organizations had nothing in place to prepare for the devastation that was just brought to the surface. This problem is that these issues aren’t new for so many people. The racial reckoning of our time isn’t new to black and brown people. It is new to white people. Many organizations panicked because they had nothing in place to show how they value their people. Urgency is critical, and so is long-term planning.
Many people are so afraid to do the wrong thing that they do nothing.
At Blueprint Evolution, we strive to create spaces for everyone to be able to evolve and fumble while we hug you and give you a pep talk to take accountability and get back in there. We like to think we are the hype team for evolution. Welcome.
In a time where everyone is so afraid to do the wrong thing, Blueprint is your guide. We will work with you, beside you, and behind you so you can successfully lead. It’s time to call everyone in. Raise the stakes, and commit to daily practice and improvement.
It’s time to Up the Anti, will you join us?
PS- the name is a play on words, but it’s also an introduction to more to come. We are preparing to launch our podcast, called, ‘Up the Anti’ and we would be thrilled if you’d give us your feedback on topics you’d like to hear. Feel free to comment below or email connect@blueprintevolution.com.
