This week, I was honoured to join the Elimin8Hate symposium "Deconstructing the Monolith" in Vancouver, to provide reflections on maintaining resilience in the face of adversity.
Drawing on my team’s experiences around the COVID-19 response in the Region of Peel, I proposed five “Cs” that leaders might consider to stay focused and passionate when the going gets tough:
1. Collaboration and collective action: The Australian singer-songwriter Ben Lee writes in his song “Begin”: “Thinking about the city / it’s living proof people need to be together.” Through the longest emergency response in Peel's history, I found solace committing to collaboration, being reminded that people are intrinsically oriented to look out for others. Amid the diversity of opinions and perspectives, moments of division seemed far surpassed by the times people came together with care, energy, and ideas to help everyone out.
2. Commiseration: As an incorrigible extrovert, I stayed social despite my crushing workload. Where possible, I checked in with friends over Zoom during the evenings, sharing videos, stories, and playing Jackbox. It was probably time I didn't have, but it ended up time well spent: reassurance and encouragement amid shared struggle.
3. Confidence: Trusting in the work of team, partners, leaders, and the public was essential; it was easier to believe that people came with their best intentions to help us work through the messy but necessary decisions that needed to be taken at a time where there was no ideal way forward.
4. Compassion: At moments of conflict or duress, where comments might emerge uncharitably, I regularly reminded myself that such remarks were rooted in fear and disappointment. Choosing not to respond in kind, I practiced compassion and empathy, knowing that all were trying to make it through the deeply charged crisis.
5. Celebration: It was vital to not ruminate on the setbacks that the crisis provided, but rather, to be encouraged by what did go well. There were so many times that we came together and did what needed to be done to save lives and take care of each other: whether staying home, getting vaccinated, or looking out for the vulnerable in our community. Practicing gratitude and celebrating those wins helped remind me of far we’d come, with so many who'd run alongside us to get there.
Hearing of the excellent work of other attendees and local organization, as well as from Peter Flegel, Executive Director of the Government of Canada’s Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, gave me encouragement that these Cs might help leaders and teams stay motivated and hopeful amid the challenges of combatting anti-Asian hate and advocating for racial equity.
Congratulations to Audrey S.F. Wong, attendees, and the team at Elimin8hate on a thought-provoking and inspiring symposium!
This post originally appeared on Lawrence's LinkedIn profile.
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