My Editorial on this Pandemic

I have been silent these past few weeks. At first, I think it was denial. The feeling of waking up every day, seeking to find my old norm outside my bedroom door.

I realize, now,  I’m torn with the what our world is going through and how I can or should react. We share statistics and pretty graphs on tv. Heck- I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little excited seeing those charts, bringing me back to my simulation undergrad courses. 

But each red dot is a person. A mother. A father. A daughter son or sister. A grandparent or uncle. A friend. A lover. A human. 

More and more you see ads with the tag line ‘we’re all in this together’ and I bet that only a small percentage of the nation feels that way. 

How about the percentage that has to drop their children at daycare each morning? Or the percentage who got laid off with no money in their savings? Or the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, truckers and grocers on the front-line? Together we stood after our last national turmoil. How can we stand now? 

What is the answer? Can we just stop? Should we? How will those families put food on the table? How will the ill be treated? 

This is bigger than any national emergency I had ever hoped to witness. But being a mother, the sheer thought of this country stopping, even for a day scares me. How will I feed my daughter tomorrow? Care for her if she runs a fever?

We must do our part in social distancing. Only go out for necessities and only buy the necessary. And keep those who provide those necessities safe and healthy. 

I have come to learn a few things this week. 

1. Be grateful for what you have, as it can be taken from you in seconds. 
2. Be empathic to those who are in worser conditions than you. 
3. Be a leader who drives optimism during a time of fear. 

I cried last weekend when the reality hit me. I worked so hard from 7-3 each day that I didn’t have time to stop and think about the situation until Friday. But I cried mainly at whether or not I can do the above three things successfully. 

Our world is ever changing and we do not know what tomorrow or next week week will bring. All I know is how I need to be now to enjoy each moment I have and get through the day. 

There is a light on the other side of this and a story to told. With stories, there are lessons to be learned. Our nation is an ecosystem, run by humans to generate valuable resources to keep the humans happy, safe and healthy. When a virus hits, it compromises the integrity of the ecosystem and starts to break down each resource one by one. 

This virus will break us if we let it. We must be mindful. We must recognize we are unique as a nation and we must be use the resources we have to remind us how we got here. And how we will remain here to tell the story. 

Everyone has an opinion.  This is mine. No opinion is wrong. Just use your mind: Before you speak or leave the house, ask yourself - is it worth compromising my system? My surroundings? My family and friends. 

Everyone has the same fear but some choose not to show it. Everyone is susceptible but some are more so than others. Let us be selfless by being selfish. Take care of yourself first and those around you. Then the world will operate the way it was intended to. 

It has to, right? Well, I will at least pretend that it will, in the name of leadership, for the sake of my loved ones. 

Learning to Serve Through Language

English is my first language. I am however bilingual with Arabic as my second. And although I took Spanish in High School and tend to use it here and there living in Arizona, I cannot say I'm fluent in it.

Growing up, my parents spoke to my brothers and I in Arabic at home and we'd respond in English. My grandmother (God rest her soul) didn't speak English. So she would say a few words and we'd use hand gestures and visual cues to maintain a conversation.

I am confident to say I'm fluent now in Arabic - Speaking, Reading and even Writing. I'm slower at grasping than I was before but am starting to strengthen my language all over again. All thanks to my husband, where English is his second language.

What is even more amazing is that our dialects are different being that we grew up in two different nations. Since everyone knows his dialect is more delicate, I'm trying to learn it and speak it more.

When learning any new language, it's not just the words you're grasping. You're picking up the meaning and the cultural habits behind it. And it got me thinking in the last few weeks - what makes his dialect more "delicate" as I put it?

It demonstrates servant leadership at its core.

By simply swapping one word, you can go from being demanding to serving. Over the years through different leadership classes, I was mentored on how to approach my peers, subordinates and managers. I would come off as "bossy" and "pushy," to keep this post G-rated.

I started framing statements into questions as a way to bring people on board with me. I tried to reference someone's idea to show how I was listening and asked how we could use it or build upon it. At times when I had to give orders, the statements came with confidence and grace and an explanation as to why it had to be done.

I am still trying to master all of that and continue to look for ways to improve my communication. And now I found it. If I could take the concept behind my new dialect and translate it, I'll be one step closer to being more approachable.

Traditionally I would ask -

"What do you want help with?"

In this statement the you can be offensive and that alone can make the question less delicate. Rather I ask -

"What do you want me to help with?"

By adding me, you're removing the focus on the person and creating a team environment.

I also mentioned that English is a second language to my husband and this has been a lesson in itself. When communicating with him, there are phrases and words I would traditionally use that do not make sense when translating to Arabic.

So I've become selective when choosing how I say something to ensure it doesn't come off wrong. As we expand our global presence, this is a crucial skill we need to master.


Language is not only the words.

It's how we order the words.

It's how we select the words.

It's how we present the words - our tone and timing.

Language is key to how we interact and communicate with those around us. Be mindful for how you order select and most importantly present your words.

If you're a Star Wars fan, you would recognize that the Master of all Jedi's, Yoda, speaks in a different form than we do.

"Patience you must have young Padawan" and in this example he's emphasizing what you must encompass - Patience in this case.

As you set off into the galaxy communicating, remember what you're intent is and don't be afraid to start with that.

It is way better than inadvertently offending someone when you set out to compliment them.

Enough said.

Picture credit: http://electrastreet.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hello-wordle.png?fa7b5c

Give Credit To Silence

As a leader, a common objective is to be fair and consistent. Fairness and consistency are demonstrated in various settings. For example, in training sessions, we want to ensure the message and intent of the material is the same even if it's delivered in different styles. 

Today was just another Sunday afternoon where I had scheduled to train a new time tracking system to the manufacturing team. I had two sessions to make it easier and minimize the impact. 

When I was coordinating the sessions, one of the area leads reminded me of a gentleman that I'll call Bee. 

"What about Bee?" He said. And I paused for a moment. Then asked: "what about him?"

Bee is deaf. Normally, for hour long training sessions or meetings either in a classroom environment or hands on manufacturing, we hire an interpreter. Instead of taking that option today, I decided to have a one on one session with him at my desk so that he wouldn't be left out in learning the new system with his peers (especially with the holiday break coming up). 

Given that Bee was able to fill out his time on the new system only 10 minutes into our discussion, I can safely say it went really well. And reflecting back, it came down to my preparation.

Often times, we learn about the importance of preparing for a presentation. What message do I want to send? What were some things said in the previous sessions that weren't in the slides? What do I want him/her to walk away with? These are common questions that everyone should answer prior to completing a presentation and I for one, took them for granted. 

Prior to my one on one with Bee, I wrote down four main bullet points that I commented on in the other two sessions that weren't in the slides. Not only did I have the two slide decks open on my desktop but also had a blank one for walking him through the presentation, where he could ask questions or make comments as well. The structure of how I wanted the 30 minutes to go was perfectly laid out. 

Preparing for a presentation is important. I am reminded of it day in and day out, regardless of what the presentation setting will be. It all comes down to the message. Getting ready for my one on one with  Bee helped me reflect on how I've been doing on my presentation skills. Honestly, I think my session with him was one of my best, since the only thing communicated was what he needed to know. And pleasantries were still exchanged so the personal element was never lost. 

In my last blog post, I spoke about trying to find the introvert in me and only saying what's critical. Keeping this in mind, I'm confident I can succeed at this if I prep presentations ad-hoc or formal as if it were with Bee. It was very humbling to say the least but I can only grow from this interaction. And today was yet another lesson crediting the old proverb- "silence is golden." 

[[found a blog post on a similar topic of 7 lessons we can learn from communicating with the deaf : http://www.purposefairy.com/64696/7-important-lessons-deaf-people-can-teach-you-about-communication/ ]]

Image:: http://clipinterpreting.com/tag/interpreter/

Finding the Introvert in Me

For the last couple of years, I was confident that my outgoing personality is what got me where I am today. As much as that may be true, it was brought to my attention this week that it may hinder where I want to be. My extrovert characteristics including being assertive (with respect) has driven results in many pressing situations. However, it takes sustaining self-awareness to truly seek understanding. And thus I've taken a vow to seek out the introvert in me. 

Leadership takes many forms. But ultimately, the strength in a strong leader is when the people are willing to follow. If you don't want to emulate or look up to someone, you might as well kick him or her away from the podium. 

In a world where leaders are getting younger and younger, "mature" leaders are becoming scarce. Fresh out of college, the enthusiasm is good for being hardworking change agents. We're great for working late hours and being upbeat at 8 in the morning after pulling an all-nighter (with the help of a large ice coffee and two extra shots of espresso of course). 

So in order to build my credibility as a true 'mature' leader, there are specific, simple actions I am willing to take. 

Nod and Smile with Silence 

Often times, people can be very rude in the workplace, especially under stress. They blame others for missed deliverables even when there's no major impact. Being passionate about my work, I had a tendency of responding eagerly to anyone who knew how to push my buttons. But the technique that makes me stronger is just listening. I have a great smile so even though I may look crazy smiling during a crisis, it helps in keeping any unnecessary words from coming out of my mouth. This prevents conflict and demonstrates strong communication. 

Keeping it short, like me 

Communication is key; especially as a leader. However, if you're just throwing random words out there, people stop listening. Next time you're standing in front of your team or peers, just say what's important. What message are you trying to say? What key terms will you say to keep them engaged? What questions will you ask to ensure effective communication was met? Time is everything and if you can't keep it brief you might as well not say anything at all. 

Ask: what's the point? 

To sum up it all up, we strive to succeed in our life- inside or outside of work. We do so by building relationships through conversing about key strategies or who's making it to the Rose Bowl. Being an extrovert in nature, I live off the energy of others but I start to ask myself what's the point.

 In the last three years, I went from being a little intern to a technical leader and manufacturing engineer. Almost every senior leader in my organization is watching my every move. And to blow it all away from a measly comment or phrase would be just plain pathetic. My key message is to stop and think before speaking. Is what I'm going to say next even worth my breath? My career?

Most times... It's not. 

Introverts have a way of internalizing their environment mainly by just listening. So why don't you take a stance to find the introvert in you?