I was at a campfire a couple nights ago explaining to someone about my sabbatical and my summer search for who I should be. “Are you becoming a new person?” she asked whimsically. “Are you reinventing yourself?”
At 58 years old it’s hard to totally reinvent yourself. And not very practical. Yet the summer has let me see that I absolutely want to re-invent parts of me.
I want to be way more aware of my prejudices and actually demonstrate how to be an ally for black and brown people, indigenous people, and women and girls. As an old white guy I have learned so much from the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements and I’m very grateful to those who have told hard stories. I have work to do.
I plan to be more outspoken about politics and act on my values. I want to demonstrate that I can be a Liberal AND show respect to Conservatives and all others with differing views. As I get older I’m less concerned with being neutral but more concerned about showing respect. I plan to be more active on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Wish me luck!
I’m going to simplify and shrink my work. I’m going to do fewer types of jobs. I will be better at saying no to off-target jobs. I’m going to streamline customer invoicing.
I hope to start a new Talk Show and new eNewsletter; both focused on how to get along with each other in teams, in organizations, and in politics.
And for the next 6 weeks I will be working on the election. Make Shift Coffee Houses and my Good Group Decisions clients will need to be patient. I am especially concerned about the integrity of our elections and easy access for every American. That’s what I will be working on.