How are you weathering the storm?
What storm are you in?
Last year, in the height of the pandemic I remember hearing that we are in the same storm but different boats. The analogy being that we were all experiencing the same situation, the pandemic, but our experiences were different depending on where we were located and our personal situations.
Some of us were in small leaky boats with the risk of capsizing. Others were riding the waves in strong sturdy vessels.
In general, I found that living in Singapore was like being a strong sturdy vessel. The government took strong and swift action, locking the country in a hard lock down for 2 months, and even though it was tough, there was a sense of solidarity, of being safe and getting through this together.
In other countries governments were slow to act, didn’t have the resources, or politics got in the way of keeping people safe.
In 2021 it sometimes feels that not only are we in different boats, but we are in different storms in different oceans. Some of the oceans are dark and turbulent with small unseaworthy boats capsizing (I’m thinking about countries like India, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia), while others are navigating seemingly calm clear seas in beautiful yachts (I’m thinking about countries enjoying their summer holidays across Europe and the US).
Lying awake this morning I wondered if a similar thing is happening in D&I. Are we all in the same storm? We are all trying to make a difference and improve things in our organisations and communities. We are all trying to create more opportunities for women, for underrepresented groups and to build inclusion.
But I suspect we are in different boats. Some of us are working with leaders who want to make a difference. Others are trying to convince leaders that creating inclusive cultures is the way to better innovation and business results. Some of us have resources and budgets. Some of us are trying to navigate the storm in leaky boats using plastic buckets to bail out the water.
At The Culture Ministry I want us to be in a strong seaworthy boat, navigating the same ocean. And we can only do this if we do it together. Get in touch if you would like to chat…..
Lisa xx
This weeks interesting stuff
We are mixing it up this week with Britney, fights in sport and equal access to development opportunities.
Britney is Free! Sort of….
In Framing Britney Spears, the world came to learn the control being held over her life and her fortune. 13 years ago Britney’s father Jamie he took out a conservatorship and gained control over her whole life. This week Britney had a win.
Want equal opportunity coaching?
This is the mission of Peeplcoach, an on demand, coaching led career and leadership development platform. Their vision is to ensure that every person has equal opportunity and equal access to an experienced coach to accelerate their personal, professional and business impact.
Love yourself a documentary?
Malice at the Palace is a look at race relations through a 2004 basketball brawl between predominately black players and white fans. A behind the scenes thoughtful look at race relations played out in the court of public opinion.