Bold Kindness

Summer in Qualicum Slow mornings, salty air, and time with family. 

For the first time in years, women aren’t just stalling in leadership. We’re moving backwards.

I’ve been a CEO for over a decade, and I want to be clear about what this is not. It is not a talent problem nor is it an ambition problem.

Part of the issue is the glass cliff.

Women are more likely to be appointed to leadership roles when an organization is already struggling, then held responsible for conditions they inherited. 

We need to challenge the systems that keep elevating the same leadership profiles and create the conditions for women to lead with real authority, support and autonomy.

To me, that is Bold Kindness in leadership.

Where do you usually eat lunch at work?

One of the reasons I advocate for creating white space is because insight rarely arrives when we’re forcing it.

By white space, I mean intentionally creating time with no agenda, no meeting, and no expectation that you need to produce something.

Research found that people generated roughly twice as many creative ideas while walking than while sitting.

It’s a reminder that some of our best thinking happens when we step away from the task at hand and give our minds room to wander.

This week, the Nurse Next Door team attended the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame Gala, an evening dedicated to recognizing the leadership and lasting impact of some of British Columbia’s most influential business leaders.

Serving on the Business Laureates of BC committee has given me a front-row seat to the remarkable stories of leadership, resilience, and impact that exist across our province.

Congratulations to this year’s inductees and everyone involved in making the evening such a success!

Bold Kindness is a choice to lead with belief in people, not control over them. 

Most of us feel uncomfortable after just 4 seconds of silence.

Our natural instinct is to fill the gap. A story, an anecdote, more words, just to keep things moving.

But when we rush to fill the silence, we can inadvertently shut someone out of the conversation entirely.

Studies on introversion and cognitive processing have found that people who process more deeply tend to focus on internal thoughts and feelings before responding.

The person you’re talking to may need that pause to fully arrive at what they want to say.

Silence doesn’t mean someone has nothing to say.