House Republicans passed Trump's disastrous tax plan
-- even though it raises taxes on hardworking American families and the
middle class. Watch this video to learn more about the Republican scheme:
Friday, November 17, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
How Mindful Team Engagement Can Cultivate Innovation and Inclusion
I am pleased to welcome Melissa Shaffer, author of today's blog on mindful team engagement.
-------------------------------------
There has been a rapid development of new technologies claiming superior approaches to leadership development and team engagement. However, big companies continue to struggle with creating inclusive cultures and retaining diverse workforces. Why? Technology clearly has its place in the game. However, we believe culture change also requires dedicated face-to-face time for connection, vulnerability and mindful team engagement.
What do teams and communities need to mindfully engage and create inclusive environments where each individual can communicate and contribute to their greatest potential? This is a question our team at HiveQuest thinks about deeply in our work.
An alternative approach to group learning
How many times have you sat in a room with
one person speaking at the front, while you simply sit and “receive
knowledge”? When you leave, you have to then figure out what to do with
that knowledge, and have no context for how others received it. We feel
this is not the way adults learn best and want to actively work to flip
that model.
A community of practice is a research-based
structure that makes a major paradigm shift in adult learning. It
offers an ongoing space for people to meet and have room to surface
dilemmas in their work and discover new approaches from the wisdom of
others.
To test the impact of this group learning approach, we have been hosting in-person “Community of Practice”
events with Culture Labx in San Francisco. Over the past couple of
months, we’ve brought together local culture builders to have deep
conversations and crowdsource their ideas about supporting belonging,
inclusion, and diversity in the workplace.
We posed the following inquiry: How do we interrupt inequitable patterns of participation to engage in courageous conversations around inclusion?
To address this, we focused on practicing
norms for inclusive collaborations. We theorized that attendees would
gain valuable new insights from the co-construction of knowledge and
peer-to-peer learning.
Through our experience facilitating these
networking events, and thanks to the willingness of all involved to
share openly and vulnerably, we arrived at some key takeaways to bring
back to your workplace.
Using Norms to Foster Inclusion
We began
each event by setting agreements about how we would engage with each
other as a new community. For example, one norm was to “withhold blame,
shame, or judgement”. Then a Block Party protocol allowed us to reflect more deeply on the norms and begin building trust as a group.
From our own experience using the norms internally, and from event participant feedback, we’ve found norm setting to be crucial in holding safe space for everyone.
What’s important to know about setting norms:
- PURPOSE: They help level the playing field. Everyone has access.
It’s much easier to give your 100% when you don’t have to climb a mountain to do so. - PROCESS: They can build team connection from Day 1.
Each person gives input and takes responsibility for developing the company culture. - PRACTICE: They take time to internalize and integrate into your culture.
Setting intentions and interrupting old ingrained behaviors that aren’t serving the greater good requires awareness of self and others to enhance communication.
Norms are important because they create
equal access for all community members to make their voices heard in a
positive and organized way. Extroverts can agree to pause more to allow
others to speak. Similarly, introverts can agree to speak up and request
time to process information when needed. Norms help account for
different communication, processing, learning, and engagement styles.
Furthermore, giving everyone a chance to share their ideas and
perspectives sparks greater innovation.
One of our event facilitators had this to say after the event:
“Voices of dominant culture loudly communicate their discomfort and disapproval of messages that would fall outside the normative conversations. Ears are not trained to hear the silence of the oppressed.”
When we establish norms for mindful team
engagement, we make space for the voices of the oppressed and ask
dominant voices to embrace their discomfort. The deviant conversations
that emerge often lead to the most creative and innovative results.
_____________________________________________________________
Melissa is the Community Relations Manager at HiveQuest.
An important component of their work is using the Mindful Engagement
cards. The Mindful Engagement cards can help you strengthen your
community norms, core values, and organization's culture. Check them
out at EngageMindfully.com
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Feedback and Employees Retention
I am pleased to welcome Rae Steinbach, author of today's blog on feedback and employee satisfaction.
------------
Happy employees increase a company’s bottom line, help build great culture, and boost business performance. While perks are part of showing employee appreciation for great work, effective communication far outweighs material gifts when it comes to increasing employee engagement and happiness.
Feedback is the Key to Keeping Employees: Here’s How to Use It
Happy employees increase a company’s bottom line, help build great culture, and boost business performance. While perks are part of showing employee appreciation for great work, effective communication far outweighs material gifts when it comes to increasing employee engagement and happiness.
Perks, though positive in nature, will also be forgotten much more quickly than strong workplace relationships, meaningful one on one interactions, and great communication. Here’s how to incorporate feedback into your management strategy for better retention and satisfaction in the workplace.
Reap the Benefits of Employee Feedback Loops
Employee feedback loops have been acknowledged as inspiring and incentivizing staff to always give their all and open up blocked channels of communication throughout a company. Regular, meaningful communication builds a healthy and energizing workplace culture – the thing known to be the cornerstone of employee engagement and retention.
Annual performance reviews with structured feedback sessions are simply not enough. The irregularity breeds a disconnect between teams and managers rather than building strengths. At best, they are considered a waste of time. At worst, they are a chokehold to employee motivation and introduce awkwardness to the relationship between teams and their leaders.
Great leaders communicate consistently with their teams throughout the year, ask meaningful and searching questions, and solicit feedback from employees about their own performance. Great teams understand that there is always room for improvement and relish the challenge of driving things forward for the business. They’re also able to provide constructive feedback to leadership and create an open dialogue for the benefit of organizational development.
Four Elements of Great Employee Feedback Loops
Feedback loops are reciprocal. Thus, they require good questions and active listening. They also need to spark action and reaction to be effective. Without these elements, they will not provide the necessary results for your leaders and the business as a whole.
1. Ask the Right Questions
Provide structure for feedback collection by asking the right questions, and make sure there is room for staff to elaborate and provide open-ended responses that will expose blind spots of the business. The right questions may be tough but will get to the heart of any problems.
2. Analyze
Go through responses objectively and define trends that may not be immediately obvious. By taking time to interpret feedback, you are setting yourself up for better results when you take the next step, which is acting upon the results.
3. Take Necessary Action
Productive feedback loops will highlight things that need doing, so do them, and do them straight away. Don’t just talk about what needs to be done, or plan for changes. Recognize what actions need to be taken and then act accordingly.
4. Communicate
The whole point of the ‘loop’ is to show your team that you have heard and are taking action on their feedback to you, just as you expect them to the same with the feedback you give to them.
Let them know their needs are being addressed and how this is being done. This lets them know that you take their thoughts seriously and will strengthen the feedback loop for next time.
Be Empowered By the Feedback
Great feedback loops allow your business to recognize issues before they become problems and act before they become crippling. They also empower your teams and company to become agile in response to changes through better communication. Employees feel supported, heard, and valued which enables them to understand and support problem solving methods better.
When all is said and done, looking after your greatest asset – your employees – will create a workplace culture that promotes open communication in support of your business’s bottom line.
Investing energy into building an environment that promotes transparent, supportive communication will help in the retention of top performing employees and protect your future profits.
Contributor: Rae Steinbach is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International
Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working
abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue
curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and
writing, of course, and is a contributor to 15Five.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Memo - Red to Blue CA Team
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Defend DACA
The decision to throw 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. as
children into legal jeopardy is despicable and immoral. Our Revolution
believes that no human being is illegal. We need a path to citizenship
not only for DREAMers, but all 11 million undocumented people living in
the shadows today. When we bring people together and build stronger
communities, everyone benefits.
There is a bipartisan consensus that DACA should be protected. It
includes the most conservative and most progressive members of Congress.
That's why your action is so important.
In solidarity,
Erika Andiola
Political Director
Our Revolution
DACA Recipient
Political Director
Our Revolution
DACA Recipient
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
A Conversation on Race
Good Morning,
Now,
more than ever, we must continue to have conversations on race,
culture, equity, etc. I am learning that the fear of doing so is much
less impactful than the result of not having the conversations and
training. Please note this Op-Doc from the New York Times on "A Conversation with Native Americans on Race."
Ken
"Be the voice, not the echo..."
Anonymous
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Sunday, August 13, 2017
Calling All Citizen Leaders: The People's House Project
Calling All Citizen Leaders
The People's House Project looking for citizen leaders with warriors’ hearts to take back the House for the People. If you are new to politics, we welcome you. If you are a first time candidate, we can help you amplify your voice and values. If you are nervous about taking this leap, we can help you prepare for the jump and support you along the way.
America
is at a time of massive transition. Our working class is under attack
thanks to the forces of automation, globalization, and greed. At the
very moment when we most need our government to chart a new course, our
elected leaders have turned their backs on the American people. They
have attacked everything that’s dear to us from our health, to our
earned living, to our bedrock values as a nation of immigrants. No more.
To fight back against these forces, we need a Democratic Party that will stand unbowed in its historic role as the champion of the people. Far too many have lost faith that the Democratic Party will truly fight for them while others have been uninspired by a vision that lacks clarity and boldness. We must win back the trust of these voters. To do so, we must support candidates who offer an alternative vision for the country based on working class solidarity and respect for the dignity of every American.
Even in difficult districts, we must compete with real campaigns and strong candidates to begin to rebuild organizing infrastructure and pave the way back to success for the true champions of the working class. That’s why the People’s House Project will incubate and accelerate candidates in every Republican held congressional district in our targeted region of Midwestern and Appalachian states.
We
are looking for citizen leaders with warrior’s hearts to take back the
House for the People. If you are new to politics, we welcome you. If you
are a first time candidate, we can help you amplify your voice and
values. If you are nervous about taking this leap, we can help you
prepare for the jump and support you along the way. One day our children
will ask us what we did for our country in this time of great peril and
uncertainty. Join us to restore the House of Representatives to
our Founders’ original vision. Join us to reclaim the House of
Representatives for the People.
The People's House Project looking for citizen leaders with warriors’ hearts to take back the House for the People. If you are new to politics, we welcome you. If you are a first time candidate, we can help you amplify your voice and values. If you are nervous about taking this leap, we can help you prepare for the jump and support you along the way.
The Problem
To fight back against these forces, we need a Democratic Party that will stand unbowed in its historic role as the champion of the people. Far too many have lost faith that the Democratic Party will truly fight for them while others have been uninspired by a vision that lacks clarity and boldness. We must win back the trust of these voters. To do so, we must support candidates who offer an alternative vision for the country based on working class solidarity and respect for the dignity of every American.
Even in difficult districts, we must compete with real campaigns and strong candidates to begin to rebuild organizing infrastructure and pave the way back to success for the true champions of the working class. That’s why the People’s House Project will incubate and accelerate candidates in every Republican held congressional district in our targeted region of Midwestern and Appalachian states.
Time to Fight
CLICK HERE AND JOIN TODAY!
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Reflection on our Life's Journey
As we move through our life's journey, we value the opportunity to stop and reflect on where we've been, and where we're headed. Standing still long enough to integrate that into where we are today helps to remind us of what worked and what didn't, what matters and what doesn't, and how that can translate into the decisions we make moving forward.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Elaine DiMasi Represents Progressive, Evidence Based Policy for New York's 1st
CROWDPAC
____________________________________
Why you should support Elaine DiMasi for Congress
I’m
Elaine DiMasi, and I’m exploring a run for Congress in New York’s 1st
because I can see what's possible - Congress can collaborate, embrace
science, and achieve prosperity for all. As a scientist I am trained to
overcome the obstacles of bias
and see problems for what they truly are, then find the
best solution. I will apply this approach to finding answers
to the problems we face - so that we can all get back to work.
Lee Zeldin is out of touch with Long Islanders, who know that fair access to health care is a necessity. Zeldin's approach for our economy rolls back protections against another big-bank crash. His many anti-environmental actions include prohibiting the U.S. Military from continuing to research and prepare for the effects climate change will have on military installations.
My message to Long Islanders:
LEARN MORE HERE
Lee Zeldin is out of touch with Long Islanders, who know that fair access to health care is a necessity. Zeldin's approach for our economy rolls back protections against another big-bank crash. His many anti-environmental actions include prohibiting the U.S. Military from continuing to research and prepare for the effects climate change will have on military installations.
My message to Long Islanders:
- Let’s re-energize our
businesses! We can bring the best clean energy incentives
to Long Island, creating high-tech companies and lowering energy costs for all businesses. At the same time, we can right-size
the regulations, with protections, informed by the best science,
that work.
- Let’s reach our full
potential! We can grow our Trade Schools into a third
strong pillar to stand beside our renowned K-12 system and our world
class colleges and universities. I envision a network of Trade
Schools that
will be the envy of the nation. And, let us keep working to
guarantee healthcare for all.
- Let’s commit to clean water!
We must continue to protect our aquifers and our beaches.
Suffolk County’s 1.5 million residents have hundreds of miles of
shoreline in our care. Solutions developed here can save the world.
Long Island can champion truthful, practical climate
policy.
LEARN MORE HERE
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Brewing employment opportunities for those with disabilities
Monday, July 10, 2017
This Army vet wants to unseat one of Donald Trump’s yes-men
A progressive Army veteran is considering challenging “one of Donald Trump's most devoted and unquestioning yes-men in Congress”
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The context from Joe Miguez’s campaign:
Being
a Congressman takes “guts, backbone, common sense, and a core belief
that our government should fight for all of us, not just a privileged
few. On each of those points, Rep. Michael McCaul has failed. For over a
decade, he has placed the wants of the super-wealthy and well-connected
over the needs of Texas families.”
He's opposed Democratic initiatives and ideas, no matter how much they'd help Texans, and supported Republican ones, no matter how much they'd hurt us. And he's been one of Donald Trump's most devoted and unquestioning yes-men in Congress…[making] Texas less free, less fair, and less safe.
I’m an Army veteran, a former military intelligence analyst specializing in Middle East affairs, a member of the City of Austin Human Rights Commission, a lifelong progressive Democrat, a proud husband, and father of two beautiful daughters.
I’m seriously considering running for Congress so I can fight for the citizens of Texas's 10th Congressional District, and be your voice in Washington.”
You can contribute to Joe’s campaign here.
He's opposed Democratic initiatives and ideas, no matter how much they'd help Texans, and supported Republican ones, no matter how much they'd hurt us. And he's been one of Donald Trump's most devoted and unquestioning yes-men in Congress…[making] Texas less free, less fair, and less safe.
I’m an Army veteran, a former military intelligence analyst specializing in Middle East affairs, a member of the City of Austin Human Rights Commission, a lifelong progressive Democrat, a proud husband, and father of two beautiful daughters.
I’m seriously considering running for Congress so I can fight for the citizens of Texas's 10th Congressional District, and be your voice in Washington.”
You can contribute to Joe’s campaign here.
|
A sense of duty has guided me throughout mylife, first as a soldier, then as a husband, a father, and a citizen. It now compels me to throw my hat in the ring, to fight for everyone.
I'm under no illusions.
Winning this fight won't be easy. It'll require every single one of you who cares about the issues I've described to get out and vote. It will require every ounce of energy you can give, whether that's spent registering voters, knocking on doors, and fighting to get our message out. And it will require money--a whole lot of it.
Michael McCaul has a massive family fortune, and we know his deep-pocketed corporate supporters will spare no expense to keep their grasp on power. And we will be fighting on a gerrymandered battlefield, one that was specifically designed to give Republican leadership free reign to ignore and marginalize us with impunity. To prevail, and to give this district the leadership it deserves, we will have to fight harder and smarter than we've ever fought, and raise every penny we can possibly raise.
But I know that, together, we can win.”
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Making Poor People Pay More For Less Health Insurance
As
23 million Americans risk losing their health care if the Republican
bill passes, a doctor is running for office to fight for our “secure
future”
Today, Senate Republicans unveiled the health care repeal bill which they’ve been working on behind closed doors.
Here’s analysis from Vox.com: “Policy after policy in the bill is built to achieve the same goal: making poor people pay more for less health insurance.”
Here’s analysis from Vox.com: “Policy after policy in the bill is built to achieve the same goal: making poor people pay more for less health insurance.”
The bill gives the wealthy massive tax breaks, and does so by slashing
Medicaid funding and cutting health care subsidies for middle and low
income Americans.
So far, opposition to the bill is strong—the AARP, the American Medical Association, and the Children’s Defense Fund are just a few examples of the groups voicing their disapproval.
Dr. Rob Davidson sees what’s happening in Congress right now, and he thinks America needs to do better. Having seen our system up close, he believes in health care for all. So he’s running for Congress in West Michigan.
You can contribute to Dr. Davidson’s campaign here.
So far, opposition to the bill is strong—the AARP, the American Medical Association, and the Children’s Defense Fund are just a few examples of the groups voicing their disapproval.
Dr. Rob Davidson sees what’s happening in Congress right now, and he thinks America needs to do better. Having seen our system up close, he believes in health care for all. So he’s running for Congress in West Michigan.
You can contribute to Dr. Davidson’s campaign here.
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Can't contribute? No worries—share this campaign to spread the word:
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Stop the Senate’s secret “health care” plan
Economic
Policy
Institute
By now you’ve probably heard that the House-passed “health care” bill would rob 23 million Americans of health insurance, push up premiums for those who keep it, and degrade the protections even employer-sponsored insurance provides.
But you may not be aware of the other ways Trumpcare would damage working families and our economy.
EPI research shows that Trumpcare’s cuts to Medicaid and insurance subsidies would drag down job-growth by more than a million jobs by 2020, and even more thereafter. Our research has shown that this job loss would occur in every state and the vast majority of Congressional Districts.
We have also shown that out-of-pocket costs like premiums, deductibles and co-pays would rise by a whopping $33 billion per year if the House plan was passed by the Senate. These costs would rise largely because key regulations forcing better behavior from health insurers―that were part of the Affordable Care Act―would be stripped away.
Sign the petition telling the U.S. Senate to reject the American Health Care Act and protect the health care of millions of working people.
We cannot allow a tax cut for the rich and corporations to masquerade as “health reform,” when in fact all it does it rob Americans of insurance, raise out-of-pocket costs by tens of billions, and slow the economy and job growth.
Stand with the EPI Policy Center to reject the Senate’s “health care” repeal legislation that would make health care unaffordable for working families, older Americans and people with pre-existing conditions.
Thank you for demanding an economy and a health care system that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
Sincerely,
Liz Rose
Communications Director, EPI Policy Center
Policy
Institute
By now you’ve probably heard that the House-passed “health care” bill would rob 23 million Americans of health insurance, push up premiums for those who keep it, and degrade the protections even employer-sponsored insurance provides.
But you may not be aware of the other ways Trumpcare would damage working families and our economy.
EPI research shows that Trumpcare’s cuts to Medicaid and insurance subsidies would drag down job-growth by more than a million jobs by 2020, and even more thereafter. Our research has shown that this job loss would occur in every state and the vast majority of Congressional Districts.
We have also shown that out-of-pocket costs like premiums, deductibles and co-pays would rise by a whopping $33 billion per year if the House plan was passed by the Senate. These costs would rise largely because key regulations forcing better behavior from health insurers―that were part of the Affordable Care Act―would be stripped away.
Sign the petition telling the U.S. Senate to reject the American Health Care Act and protect the health care of millions of working people.
We cannot allow a tax cut for the rich and corporations to masquerade as “health reform,” when in fact all it does it rob Americans of insurance, raise out-of-pocket costs by tens of billions, and slow the economy and job growth.
Stand with the EPI Policy Center to reject the Senate’s “health care” repeal legislation that would make health care unaffordable for working families, older Americans and people with pre-existing conditions.
Thank you for demanding an economy and a health care system that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
Sincerely,
Liz Rose
Communications Director, EPI Policy Center
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
PatientsLikeMe: Putting Patients First
Recently a former colleague, Chris, took a short trip from San Francisco, for a visit. During our conversation he shared about his family, and what his kids were up to. His daughter works for PatientsLikeMe. It is a website and smartphone app in the health industry that serves as an online community for people with illnesses, diseases, etc., that can crowdsource learning how to manage and overcome the challenges related to their setbacks. I am not doing it justice, so you should check it out yourself.
I hope you find it as valuable as I did.
"Imagine this: a world where people with chronic health conditions get together and share their experiences living with disease. Where newly diagnosed patients can improve their outcomes by connecting with and learning from others who've gone before them. Where researchers learn more about what's working, what's not, and where the gaps are, so that they can develop new and better treatments"I quickly went online, downloaded the app, signed up, and am now a member of a great community. I also contacted family members and encouraged them to go to the website and check it out.
I hope you find it as valuable as I did.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
How Mindful Team Engagement Can Cultivate Innovation and Inclusion
There has been a rapid development of new
technologies claiming superior approaches to leadership development and
team engagement. However, big companies continue to struggle with
creating inclusive cultures and retaining diverse workforces. Why?
Technology clearly has its place in the game. However, we believe
culture change also requires dedicated face-to-face time for connection,
vulnerability and mindful team engagement.
From our own experience using the norms internally, and from event participant feedback, we’ve found norm setting to be crucial in holding safe space for everyone.
One of our event facilitators had this to say after the event:
What do teams and communities need to
mindfully engage and create inclusive environments where each individual
can communicate and contribute to their greatest potential?
This is a question our team at HiveQuest thinks about deeply in our work.
An alternative approach to group learning
How many times have you sat in a room with
one person speaking at the front, while you simply sit and “receive
knowledge”? When you leave, you have to then figure out what to do with
that knowledge, and have no context for how others received it. We feel
this is not the way adults learn best and want to actively work to flip
that model.
A community of practice is a research-based
structure that makes a major paradigm shift in adult learning. It
offers an ongoing space for people to meet and have room to surface
dilemmas in their work and discover new approaches from the wisdom of
others.
To test the impact of this group learning approach, we have been hosting in-person “Community of Practice”
events with CultureLabx in San Francisco. Over the past couple of
months, we’ve brought together local culture builders to have deep
conversations and crowdsource their ideas about supporting belonging,
inclusion, and diversity in the workplace.
We posed the following inquiry:
How do we interrupt inequitable patterns of participation to engage in courageous conversations around inclusion?
To address this, we focused on practicing
norms for inclusive collaborations. We theorized that attendees would
gain valuable new insights from the co-construction of knowledge and
peer-to-peer learning.
Through our experience facilitating these
networking events, and thanks to the willingness of all involved to
share openly and vulnerably, we arrived at some key takeaways to bring
back to your workplace.
Using Norms to Foster Inclusion
We began
each event by setting agreements about how we would engage with each
other as a new community. For example, one norm was to “withhold blame,
shame, or judgement”. Then a Block Party protocol allowed us to reflect more deeply on the norms and begin building trust as a group.From our own experience using the norms internally, and from event participant feedback, we’ve found norm setting to be crucial in holding safe space for everyone.
What’s important to know about setting norms:
- PURPOSE: They help level the playing field. Everyone has access.
It’s much easier to give your 100% when you don’t have to climb a mountain to do so. - PROCESS: They can build team connection from Day 1.
Each person gives input and takes responsibility for developing the company culture. - PRACTICE: They take time to internalize and integrate into your culture.
Setting intentions and interrupting old ingrained behaviors that aren’t serving the greater good requires awareness of self and others to enhance communication.
One of our event facilitators had this to say after the event:
“Voices of dominant culture loudly communicate their discomfort and disapproval of messages that would fall outside the normative conversations. Ears are not trained to hear the silence of the oppressed.”When we establish norms for mindful team engagement, we make space for the voices of the oppressed and ask dominant voices to embrace their discomfort. The deviant conversations that emerge often lead to the most creative and innovative results.
-Melissa Shaffer
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Support Joseph Kopser for Congress, (TX - 21st District)
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