Rosalee Rush: Hear me. See me. Dare I say Listen!

Rosalee Rush: Hear me. See me. Dare I say Listen!:  Hear me. See me. Dare I say Listen! This is what we all want, need, and crave. We each wrestle with our own truths and role in defining and...

Hear me. See me. Dare I say Listen!

 Hear me. See me. Dare I say Listen!

This is what we all want, need, and crave. We each wrestle with our own truths and role in defining and molding ourselves into the leaders we espouse to be or simply want to be. My leadership journey entails spending a lot of time sitting in silence and reflecting more and more. Although, sometimes sitting with my own thoughts creates more noise and chaos than being in a crowded room. Yet, I'd rather be there than in a room filled with chatter, sound bites, and in-kind gestures bouncing off the walls and ricocheting nonstop. 

The silence I choose to sit in allows me to reflect on others' perspectives and concerns, and observe how people respond and react throughout my day. (Yes, I constantly replay meetings and conversations in my head.) I use all of my senses to hear people and analyze what's said and how the tone impacted or changed the atmosphere and dynamics of how people interacted. I find myself frequently questioning "did I add value or context to a conversation? Did I take the time to hear and digest what was said or asked, or was I feeling especially enlightened and just had to share my point of view?" 

Does it matter? I think so. Particularly, if you are a leader, mentor, or guide. (This isn't about a title, but more so influence). For those like me that are closely watching, rewinding, and constantly scanning the environment; every word, action, and posture has meaning. We must be deliberate and intentional in how we use them. They tell a story about us and indirectly reveal how we see others. 

Are you listening with all of your senses? What truths about yourself and how you value others are they whispering to you?

Rosalee Rush: Launching a Brand inthe Midst of a PandemicIf the...

Rosalee Rush:  Launching a Brand inthe Midst of a PandemicIf the...:   Launching a Brand in the Midst of a Pandemic If there is one thing I learned in 2020, it was the reinforcement that your brand has to be...

 

Launching a Brand in the Midst of a Pandemic

If there is one thing I learned in 2020, it was the reinforcement that your brand has to be more than words. It must be lived and embodied in every action, message and transaction. This became even more clear to me as we prepared to launch our University brand in early 2020. We had spent months researching and engaging our campus community and then COVID-19 pressed pause on our plans. Do we proceed or delay until everyone returns to campus?

My mind was racing with many questions. After talking with our team, we felt compelled to move forward, albeit with some changes to a virtual event to encourage our campus community and remind them that resiliency and grit are part of what makes us Warriors. Together, we would get through this challenging and unprecedented time.

I trusted our process and research. For everything I believed about our brand, I must admit I had  lingering follow-up questions.

I believed our brand was:

• 1.       Relevant

a.       Is this relevance beyond the University parameter?

• 2.       Authentic

a.       When it matters most, will we live up to the brand pillars and values; moving beyond messaging, are our actions/priorities true reflections of our values and beliefs?

                                                               i.      Are we demonstrating it in tangible ways?

• 3.       Strong enough to unite and build the communities/families we serve
• 4.       Purposeful

 

During the last nine months of 2020, I noticed that our brand essence was evident in every decision and response to student concerns, frustrations, fears and needs. The words #StanUp and #WarriorStrong took on new meanings and gave our community cause to rally, support and encourage each other in new and tangible ways on a daily basis. We were connecting people and building community even while we were physically separated. 

The outpouring of care for our students, faculty and staff mental and physical health was heartwarming. It began with equipping every student in need with a laptop and WiFi at the onset as plans were made to transition to remote learning. Upon learning a student was facing food insecurities in their hometown, a faculty member contacted a sister university’s food pantry and officials to provide for the student and their family. Faculty, staff and alumni stepped in to care holistically for our students and help them succeed even when those challenges were outside the classroom. When the decision was made not to disenroll students for lack of payment during this pandemic, leadership removed obstacles instead of creating them. And when racial inequities created social uproar across our nation, there was a collective response to reach out to our black faculty, staff, students and alumni across the state to listen and build a virtual community. Physical distance did not prevent us from implementing ways to better support our communities of color. It affirmed our commitment to pursue equity and inclusion and not only said we hear you, but we see you; we value and support you.

So, when we say “In the Central Valley lies a welcoming community where we support and challenge each other; where all who want to do more with their lives are invited to Stan Up; where Warrior Strong means resilience and so much more,” we mean it and our actions prove it.

Our brand speaks to the humanity of our campus community and our collective will and greater purpose to serve the people of this region. This is who we are and what we believe.   

Cognitive Dissident Cannot be Tolerated

 

August 28 marked the 65th anniversary of the murder of Emmet Till as a result of systemic violence stemming from racism. Just five days prior on August 23, we found ourselves trying to make sense of another senseless incident where a Black American, Jacob Blake, appears victimized by police violence. And as a result, the protest and violent unrest continue.

Again, we are again trying to find solutions to heal our broken hearts and address the voices screaming for change — real, lasting change and transformation — for our Black Americans to be seen and treated equally. So many countless deaths. Say their names — George, Beonna, Aubery, Eric, Treyvon, Sandra, Emmet. 

Say their names. When you say their names, you have to acknowledge their existence. When you say their names, you have to acknowledge their humanity. When you say their names, you have to recognize their worth.

Each time I say their names, I see my son, my father, my brother and my sister.

Do you see me? Can you hear me? Can you see my tears that continuously flow? Can you ever understand the agony, pain and fear behind my tears? 

So many countless deaths. We must continue to say their names. While we all grieve their loss, we hope that each time their names are said, action is evoked. 

However, as the past has taught us, hope alone is not the answer. Hope can fuel the actions we must take to transform our collective future, to develop our collective humanity. That's why so many continue to peacefully protest. We can all can do our part to facilitate critical discussions around race, EQUITY, intolerance, prejudice, injustice and inequality.

Please vote this election. Please don’t let indifference or anger with political rhetoric suffocate or smother our voice. There is too much at stake.

Your Aroma Stays Behind, Long After You Have Left the Room

I was listening to a guest speaker, one Sunday, sharing his story of growth, healing, and perspective. Of all the things he shared, one statement continues to linger in my mind, “Your aroma stays behind, long after you have left the room.”

This statement was not about one’s actual body scent or fragrance. It refers to how you make people feel. Does your presence comfort people? Does it energize, challenge and make people feel appreciated, leaving a sweet fragrance? Or does it confuse, frustrate, mentally or emotionally drain? When you leave the room does the feeling dissipate or linger? Are people seeking more interaction with you or talking about how your presence permeates or positively impacts the culture or atmosphere?

This touched me on so many levels – as a parent, wife, friend, colleague, mentor, communications professional and leader. How many times have I dreaded an interaction, event or meeting? I begin to reflect on the reasons why. I thought of the times where I craved to be in the presence of specific people. Why? In these interactions, I felt genuine respect for everyone in the space, appreciated and listened to. No matter the topic, certain people have an air about them where I feel valued and always able to glean wisdom from them even during the tough conversations and admonishments.

Now the hard question. What does my aroma say about me? What impact does my presence have on people? As I reflected on this, I recalled a comment made on my very first evaluation in a leadership role. Someone wrote, “Rosalee needs to understand how her emotions affect the entire team. When she is energized and excited, the team is motivated and engaged. When she has low energy or shows her frustration, the team feels depleted and responds accordingly.” My initial response, “Aren’t I entitled to be tired or show my frustration occasionally?”

Over the years, I’ve grown in my leadership and come to better understand the lesson in this statement. As a leader, it is critical that I have a keen sense of self-awareness and recognize the influence of my emotions (spoken or not) on those looking to me for guidance, support, strength, and leadership. It’s not that I can’t have low energy days or frustrations. However, I do need to be cognizant of the perspective when it is obvious.

I am mindful of this lesson daily as I interact with numerous people, personally and professionally. I hope the scent I leave behind is one of compassion, tranquility, support, confidence, and appreciation. More importantly, I hope my aroma carries over and entices others who have come into contact with me to do the same for others. That is the impact I strive for every day as a leader.

So, I ask you, “What aroma are you leaving behind?”

Finding Beauty in the Detour

I’m traveling home from a tournament in southern California with my son when Onstar redirects us an hour out of our path. After driving in a circle for 20 minutes or so, we finally call OnStar to see what was causing the detour. Learning they were actually helping us avoid a two-hour delay caused by an overturned truck, we decide to follow the new directions provided. About 30 minutes into the detour, I wake up to a beautiful image of mountains in the Mojave Desert, perfectly pictured outside my window. It looked like an artist had freshly painted it. I wanted to reach out and touch the mountains. I imagined myself sitting at the top looking across the plain thinking “we would have missed this beautiful landscape had we not taken the detour.” As I sat atop of the mountain, in my mind, I thought of all of the possibilities and opportunities that await us.

Life is full of detours. Sometimes it’s the distraction needed to invoke a fresh perspective or way of thinking about a particular topic or issue. The challenge is not to avoid the detour or rush to a speedy fix, but to take the time to scan the landscape, actively take in the moment and find the value and beauty in the detour.

As leaders we should plan and look for the occasional detour. It’s our opportunity to help our teams view a project or problem through a different lens; as a small piece of a mosaic- finely crafted artwork. Each pen/brush stroke is vitally important and thought through adding to the overall uniqueness and tone of the piece. Even the smallest stray line seen by the eye can change the composition or balance of the picture. For that reason, an artist continuously steps back and looks at the piece from many different angles to obtain a full picture and refines. That is what we, as leaders, should be doing – helping our teams continuously reflect, connect our individual efforts with the bigger and refine as needed to create a mosaic – a collective masterpiece that all can own and be proud of. When we do this, the focus moves to the outcome and not the steps and obstacles needed to achieve it. That is the value and beauty of the detour.