If you want the process of delivering feedback to serve as an opportunity to deepen trust rather than to damage a relationship, then take time to understand the situation AND the person before rushing to assumptions or judgment. Being clear, candid, and consistent can help move your fear of feedback to a practice of love.

Whether you manage a big brand or a small startup, a team of thousands, or a team of two, there is power in every single one of your decisions: power to shift and shape society for good. So, I dare you to ask, and then explore more deeply, your individual power to make an impact. Consider the effect of your big decisions and your small ones, too. Then, ask again and again, What If?

Listening matters. If you're working for progress of any kind, you have a responsibility to listen—carefully and intentionally. Find ways to get closer to the audience, the content, and the presenter, and use these moments as opportunities to understand the information being shared with you. I guarantee you'll be surprised at how much you can learn.

Your most significant contributions—to the world, your work, your team—cannot be defined by others. They will be determined by the actions you take and the values you practice.

So, pause with me for this moment in time. Set aside the lists, demands, and worries— just for a moment. And think: what tremendous power there is in how we choose to use our time, our most valuable asset.

Rather than try to fit everyone into a preconceived mold, let’s identify and celebrate the characteristics that make us each unique and special. In doing so, we can unlock the best in each other and in ourselves. So find what’s being underestimated, and celebrate it.

Consider what you can do today, this week, or this month to fill up your character bank. What small ways can you focus your energy on someone other than yourself?

There’s always something more to learn and something that might be getting in your way of learning too. I hope this learning list gets your mind going with new ideas and information and invites you to ask: what have you learned that’s getting in your way, and what are you missing now?

It’s never too late to learn and never too late to love. There will never be enough time, so use the time you’re given today running after something, or maybe someone, that you love.

We can’t turn back time, but we can progress forward. So, if there is a person you believe you’re done learning from, I invite you to reach out to them today. Tell them that you were thinking about them. And then listen closely to whatever they have to share. You may be surprised by how much there is left to learn.

No organization is immune from a crisis erupting at any moment. It’s how you prepare, plan, coordinate, and communicate in the moments of calm that will determine how you weather the storm when it rolls in.

Checking in may not change the big things, but it will matter deeply to those around you, who need to feel and see that you understand the weight of this time. And maybe that’s something good to hold onto in these uncertain times.

Eliminating coded language from your vocabulary takes a willingness to learn and a dedication to making intentional change. Use this week to assess the words and phrases you use and notice if you're actively (and perhaps unintentionally) using any coded phrases. Practice speaking up when you hear others using these phrases, too, and use this blog as a guided resource to practice replacing those words with more inclusive phrases. Words matter, and with each intentional swap, we can show how much people matter, too.

Life is hard, and there will always be more to people’s stories than they let on. Start every day from a place of compassion and a commitment to lead with empathy over ego. In taking the time to understand and practice empathy, you may find that people take the time to understand you better, too.

Consider where you’re feeling most comfortable in your work and what you could do to push a little further outside of that zone. Challenge one of your existing routines and what “changing up the process” might look like. And while you’re at it, consider where you can give a colleague a boost in their learning by providing safe opportunities to test their boundaries, too.

In tennis, as in life, there are moments when we’ll be on the defense and moments when we’ll play offense. Every day, however, is a chance to play and lead with care, courage, and clarity. And Gauff is a great reminder of what winning can look like at its best.

AI is an important tool and an indelible part of our future. But we don't need to lose our humanity in the process of using it. Consider how your team's intelligence can be augmented by technology, rather than replaced by technology, and you'll be futureproofing your work in the process.

Stories are critical to business success. And stories exist in all of us. Make time to reconnect with your stories and find out what's possible as a result.

Moving from best-kept secret to the best-known nonprofit is possible. You can move your mission forward by focusing on words, connections, and reach; no secret there.

Regardless of the words you choose to swap, focus on where you can clarify and simplify the language you use. When we take the time to debunk our go-to terms, we stand a better chance at communicating inclusively and effectively.