Want to be a better leader? Be kind, not nice. Niceness is what's said. Kindness is what's felt. Niceness is manners. Kindness is caring personally. Niceness asks 'how are you?'. Kindness really listens. Nice people play it safe. Kind people stand for something.✨

Saying no doesn't mean you don't care. It's an act of self-care. It isn't selfish to set boundaries. It's selfish of others to expect you to be selfless. A gracious decline isn't a rejection of the person. It's a recognition that you don't have the energy for this right now.

"The most essential work of a leader is to create more leaders. Expect to need others. Expect to be needed. Expect to be changed." – Mary Parker Follett, 1868 - 1933, aka the forgotten business guru and founder of modern management theory. Know her name.

When you shrink yourself and your goals, nobody wins. Not you, not other people from your background, not anyone that matters. When you stand in your power and pursue your goals, everyone does. Your power is yours to define. Go get it. We’re rooting for you.

You are not your circumstances, you are your possibilities. You are not defined by what happened, but what you can become. Be strengthened by your past and focused on your future.

Whenever I doubt myself, I remember Oprah sharing that every person she interviews asks the same question: “was that ok? Was I ok?”. We’re all making it up as we go along. None of us are ever 100% ready. Let that liberate you. You’re doing so much better than you think.

When you show up as who you are, you give the people around you permission to be who they are.

Good feedback means sharing exactly what you liked and why. Specificity builds creativity. Genuinely constructive feedback means being curious, asking questions and contributing towards a solution. Know the difference.✨

A reminder to hold space for multiple truths. You can be grateful for your job and need a new challenge. You can love what you do and need a break from what you do. You can always start over.

You’ve been living with Covid restrictions since March 2020, have barely had a break, the world is full of uncertainty, and you keep going anyway. You are doing ✨so✨ much better than you think.

What Oliver Sacks Can Teach Marketers About Storytelling by Bianca Bass in Better Marketing bettermarketing.pub/what-oliver-sa…

Want to have a better year in 2022? Start by truly celebrating everything you did in 2021. The healthiest way to plan your future is to feel proud of your past. You experienced, achieved, processed and overcame things this year. Start there. Start with your story.

⚡️Important resource ⚡️ Ukrainians put together a list of resources on how foreigners can help. There are all reputable organizations doing good work. Spread far and wide: ukrainewar.carrd.co

Truly resting is about more than sleeping. Creatively depleted? Go to a new gallery, talk or gig. Socially burnt out? Spend quality time with people who energise you. Sensory overload? Schedule a few minutes of silence. Different cups need filling up in different ways. ✨

Daily practices to help you build your career and confidence: Doubting your doubt Examining the evidence behind your self-doubt - is it a fact or a feeling? Knowing it’s often fear, not intuition Befriending the worst-case scenario Speaking to yourself like your best friend

Creativity’s biggest killer is fear of judgement. To do our best work, we need to create cultures that encourage honesty, bravery and clarity. We need to create brave spaces. Safe spaces allow you to be who you are. Brave spaces help you discover who you can become.

Research shows that admitting you don’t know something actually makes people trust you more. “I’ll find out and follow up.” “I’m not sure - I’ll come back to you.” “I think so, but I’ll double check.” These aren’t statements of weakness, but creators of trust.

Instead of asking “does that make sense?”, try “is there anything I can clarify for you?” This makes it less about *you* making sense and more about *their* understanding.