Angela D. Henderson, MBA

Start with getting excited!! Working with people from different backgrounds builds character, empathy, and breeds innovation - which leads to personal growth and overall fulfillment. I can't imagine being in a space where everyone thought and looked like me and we were all in the same space. I think I would feel stagnant. What I have found, from a very early age is that working with people from different socio-economic backgrounds provided visibility and access both ways. It is a win-win. I've had people tell me that they were intimidated and uncomfortable in these situations. But once they leaned in, listened, learned - it was one of the most impactful environments they'd been in - and they never wanted to change it. #PrioritizeHumanity

Peer support is finding your “squad”! Those who have your best interest at heart. Mutually beneficial support and want to see you win! This “squad” will always tell you the good, bad and ugly. They won’t try to sugar coat or impress you, they want to elevate you, push you to the outer limits and celebrate your greatness. If you’re blessed to have that, you would be remiss to ignore the benefit of transparent feedback!

Humility is something I believe is developed at an early age, at home. When you learn gratefulness, you learn humility. In my opinion humbleness can be equated to the opposite of entitlement. In your later years if you hadn’t learned humbleness from childhood, it is not too late. Take a moment to reflect on your life. Do you know someone who has lost a parent, while you still have yours? Do you know someone who has lost a sibling, a child or a job, yet you still have yours? Pause and think about what could have been…have you had “close calls” with your own life? These are things to sit with and truly be grateful for. Now apply this trait in your professional setting - be grateful for knowledge sharing and your ability to keep learning also.

I actually don’t think that apologies are always required or necessary. I think that when you acknowledge a problem it is important to discuss what the perceived problem was on both sides - it is likely going to be different for both. Then the next step is identifying whether or not you both want to rebuild a relationship or move forward knowing that you won’t likely have one, but at least you know where each other stands. The discussion has to be had with respect and seeking to understand versus seeking to be understood.

Understanding what competencies and capabilities are required for the successful implementation of your goals is critical, followed by an honest self assessment of where you ARE versus where you WANT TO BE. #KnowThyself

Feedback should never be weaponized by peers, leaders or team members. Keep the feedback clear. Start with what is working well relative to performance objectives, career development support and wellbeing. Next, what is something that you need the leader/team/peer to start doing to help improve performance, career support or wellbeing. Finally, clarify what is the one thing that is currently not supporting your ability to perform well, implement your career development or impacting your wellbeing. Wellbeing is a new topic of feedback discussions for many. Focus on support you need or appreciate from your teams/leader/peer, such as implementing 5 mins after the hour start times to allow transition between meetings. Small steps = big impact.