The Glory of Friendship, The Power of Volunteerism, Transforming Grief to Grace & Leading Consciously in Times of Challenge

This week:

“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship;

it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him

and is willing to trust him with his friendship.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American Poet and Essayist

The Power of Volunteerism

Where do volunteers get their inspiration?
Inspiration from the Latin root is to literally “breathe life into ourselves”. Thankfully, volunteers are still finding inspiration in our post Covid lives and making a difference of consequence.
With respect to volunteerism, my biggest learning has come in both understanding and harnessing the “discretionary energy” we each have to make a difference.
What is discretionary energy? It is the energy we choose to give (that conscious leadership choice) above and beyond what we have to do.
If you can tap this discretionary energy- the penultimate social capital- in your teams, your family and your community, do you have any idea of the real value this represents for the greater good?
This is not a rhetorical question. Recent studies have actually monetized skills-based volunteering and the total value it would bring to bear to address social issues in the US.
It has been valued at $1.5B a year!
Please don’t ever undervalue a volunteer again.
To understand the magnitude of their contribution, all you have to do is have all the volunteers in this country take a day off at the same time, and watch the tremendous scaffolding their work represents for our social sector come crashing down.
Let’s seek out opportunities to celebrate EVERY volunteer in our community!
It is time to rightly understand the real value they bring to our world every day!
Thank you for your service and your sacrifice on the home front in the war against inequality and ignorance and in service of all our stakeholders!

Here is a great example of volunteering:
It is from Kenan Pala, a 16-year old volunteer from Interfaith Community Services who received a NCPC award two years ago. He poignantly states how the award impacted him.

https://ardenpala.wetransfer.com/downloads/1982aa0a95d551c6db7a66f4c993039220200814215734/abeafaf631b4ab6034131ed09670118c20200814215734/359364?utm_campaign=WT_email_tracking&utm_content=general&utm_medium=download_button&utm_source=notify_recipient_email

Sponsor and Sign Up for This Great Event and Powerful Opportunity to Celebrate Your Volunteers!
The North County Philanthropy Council 2020 Volunteer Awards Celebration:
Please join us and celebrate all the amazing volunteers!
https://ncphilanthropy.org/programs/volunteer-awards-celebration/

Transforming Grief to Grace

Transforming Grief to Grace Recording:
Several of you have asked for recordings of webinars we are doing virtually in the community, that you might not have been able to make live.|
You can find the Grief to Grace session I did with Dr. Alan Daly with the help of Brenda Hall the SCPDF Director of the Southern California Professional Development Federation here. We recommend copying and pasting the password below to make it easier to login.
May we all be reminded about the importance of coming together in order to really embrace the opportunity that this time provides as we work to discharge our loyal soldiers and consider what we might stop doing, as well as consider what to start leaning into- in service of our best selves.

Grief to Grace Recording
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/-MF0IZzLr2FOZ6_VzH_wAZwEFa7Oaaa8gSEXqPcMykx9LOm25eqZQ-lWqEYr04yl
Access Password: 5Qb*y0^N
As an added bonus, here is the video, #The New Humanity, that Alan shared at the beginning of the session.
Lavazza took Charlie Chaplin’s speech and added the video and music: https://www.lavazza.us/en_US/landing/thenewhumanity.html.

Thank you to each of you that you are doing to meet this moment. I am very glad to join with you, like the Emperor Penguins, to put our backs against the storm, and thanks again Brenda!

Leading Consciously in Times of Challenge

Leading Consciously in Times of Challenge
An Interactive and Appreciative Inquiry-based Experience
September 23rd 2020 from Noon to 1:30 PDT

Here’s the registration link for our session:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqcuivqD4oHNIzpT8_veRNaTeA0HM5yiSK

We find ourselves in extraordinary times. The coronavirus pandemic has added a significant amount of stress and uncertainty to existing life and work demands.

For many, these challenges trigger a reactive mindset with fear-based thoughts and feelings that can lead to disconnection, which has been intensified with social distancing.

Since we are all fundamentally wired to connect—and leadership is an act of influence where everyone “leads from their seat”—mindset is emotionally and socially contagious.

Now more than ever, it’s vital for all of us to engage in a creative leadership mindset.

This includes ways to lead consciously and stay connected within ourselves and with what matters most, in order to elevate ourselves and others for the benefit of everyone we serve.

This is particularly important at this moment in time where it is vital that we double down on a commitment to diversity, inclusion, justice and equality.

In this interactive session on “Leading Consciously in Times of Challenge,” I’ve invited my dear friend and beloved colleague, Dr. Daniel Friedland to share with us a neuroscience-based perspective

to frame the leadership challenges we are facing, as well as facilitate a powerful appreciative-inquiry based experience to help us reflect on, share and find inspiration on how to advance our growth as conscious leaders in these challenging times.

“Dr. Danny,” as he is affectionately known by many is a leadership trainer and coach, CEO of SuperSmartHealth, and the author of Leading Well from Within: A Neuroscience and Mindfulness-Based Framework for Conscious Leadership. You can learn more about him and his work here.