November Connections video: How 2021 has changed my leadership

As leaders, the example we set goes a long way to creating the work culture around us.

This is one of the reasons I’ve made it a habit to set aside time each month to think about what I’m grateful for. This habit keeps my mind and heart set on the things I have to be thankful for, and it helps me maintain an open, supportive energy that I can then bring to Syte and our clients.

With Thanksgiving coming up fast, we are now in the season of gratitude. I’m sure many of you are thinking about what you’re thankful for, even if it’s not a habit you maintain throughout the year.

In this month’s Connections video, I’m sharing some insights I’ve gained in 2021 — and how I found a silver lining in a place I didn’t expect.

I hope it gives you some food for thought, and maybe even some conversation starters to take back to your team.

Watch the video.

Hi! Erin Koss here, CEO at Syte Consulting Group. You know, I believe that expressing gratitude heals our hearts and allows us to see all that we have to be thankful for without minimizing the challenges COVID has dealt many of us. I want to share a few you of the things that I am grateful for or what I’ve come to call the “COVID silver lining”. Covid allowed us to slow down so that we could speed up with focus and intention as traveled ground to a halt.

These past couple of years, my staff and I found ourselves less taxed by travel, whether our daily commute or flying across the country. Each week, we found ourselves with more time for our families, our clients, and each other.  With this extra space, I found myself focusing more on quality than quantity in all areas. After a reset, I became more thoughtful about who and how I spent my time, because whether enjoying myself or not, I found that time still equated to energy.

I found myself having more thoughtful and meaningful conversations. I learned more. I grew more and so did Syte. Speaking of learning more and though not explicitly coveted, silver lining related, I wanted to give thanks for the conversations the Me Too and BLM movements have sparked and really hope they continue. I’ve had the opportunity to read a number of books that have educated and been really meaningful to me.

If you haven’t read Toronto Burke’s unbound, I can’t recommend it highly enough. As the founder of the Me Too movement, an African American and survivor of sexual abuse herself, Ms. Burke’s words just should not be missed. Finally, I want to say thank you to the people of color who have come alongside me and allowed me to ask them important questions and graciously shared their experiences with me this year. You know who you are.

I’m grateful for you and I’m really here to support you. As I mentioned at the start, gratitude has a healing quality. Most compelling, though, is how this healing builds, connection, empathy, and relationship when we share our gratitude. So what are you grateful for? This year?

I encourage you to take the time to consider this question and write down three to five things that come up for you. Maybe you even share it with those you love and those you lead. Remember, as leaders, it’s our job to go first. Maybe they’ll share as well. Imagine, I want to hear what you come up with.

It would be wonderful if you were open to it to have you hit reply or jot down in the comments. Exactly what showed up for you when you did your own ex exercise and gratitude and maybe how it went for you and the people you love and the people you lead with that I wish you a happy Thanksgiving and we’ll see you soon. Take care.