By Mimi Moore, Forbes Contributor & Executive Coach

Are you tired too? Are you in need of a break?

I was tired. I needed to regroup and I needed to regroup with my peeps.

And so, this month I embarked on a 2-week sailing journey with my husband and kids through the Thousand Islands – on the St-Laurent Seaway – this aquatic channel characterized by its biodiversity, refreshing waters, picturesque granite islands and secluded bays all of which border both Canada and the United States. Kudos to Parks Canada, we sailed and moored on several, beautifully outfitted island-parks.

On this journey, something happened. 

I experienced the wind – that powerful but often mysteriously illusive and unpredictable yet necessary element to a sailor’s forward motion. 

But I experienced something else too. 

I experienced greater self-awareness and foresight – which led to important reminders around intuition, trust, silence, sleep and empathy – all of which are keenly relevant to life, leadership and forward motion.

1.    Self- and situational awareness – In sailing, self- and situational awareness are critically important to navigate channels safely, and to successfully get from points A to B.  While it is relatively easy to succeed in a controlled setting, life rarely presents itself that way. The ability to recognize and subsequently react to changing conditions, challenges and opportunities is an important skill to develop.  Quick tips include identifying distractions, issues, trends, noticing others and surroundings, tracking variables and risks, and being vigilant.  

2.    Intuition – Skills are critically important and in sailing, it can mean the difference between life and death. That said, intuition – that inner body of knowledge – is just as valuable and reliable a point of reference, too often underutilized or ignored. Being aware of and listening to our intuition (aka, your gut) is a trustworthy habit that can be nurtured and developed over time.

 3.    Trust – On a sailboat as in life, conditions can change rapidly without advance notice. Hence the need to trust yourself and your shipmates. Hence the need also to be nimble, adaptive and have full confidence in the entire crew.  Trust is that essential human value that defines the interdependent quality of our relationships with others – a must for all leaders!

4.    Silence – Sailing provides ample opportunity for silence if we stop to listen to it. The secret is to stop long enough and to hold the space to simply be. Life offers similar opportunities if we seize them. If we want something new or something different, we must be prepared to hold the space for it to emerge.

5.    Foresight – While silence provides the opportunity to be fully present; foresight is the ability to anticipate the direction of the winds and the various options ahead. Being present and anticipating next steps are not mutually exclusive concepts. Au contraire – foresight is equally important to the equation. By being present and alert, you are also able to exercise with finesse and accuracy the ability to foresee or anticipate a particular need, opportunity, event or outcome – another must for effective leaders!

6.    Sleep – I realized rest and sleep are important. On this trip, I slept, I slept in, I napped. I read novels. I swam and I laughed with those closest to my heart. In short, I have come back replenished and rejuvenated; ready to tackle what comes next – in that steady forward motion.

7.    Empathy – As our sailing adventure came to an end, I found my daughter sitting at the bow by herself. She was crying. When I asked her why, she replied: “I am not sad our trip is over; I am just so happy it happened.” And so, I put my arm around her and we sat in silence contemplating in our shared space all that we had experienced together.

As I mentioned at the outset, I was tired and in need of a break. I needed to regroup with those closest to me who provide unconditional love and safety… and comic relief! It was a great opportunity to rest, to contemplate life, to re-prioritize myself, my well-being and that of my peeps.

What will your break look like? What can you gain from it?

The story of the orange t-shirt in Canada begins – but does not end – with Phyllis Webstad. 

Phyllis was born on Dog Creek Reserve and is from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation. Her family didn’t have much money, but her grandmother managed to buy her new clothing for school. Phyllis carefully chose an orange t-shirt. 

Her orange t-shirt was particularly meaningful because it was gifted from her grandmother – the woman who was raising her. It represented family, home, love, trust, respect, safety, and security… All the things we need and crave as human beings.  

In 1973, Phyllis entered the residential school system at the age of 6 – “a 300 day sleepover” as she describes it but there, on that first day, she was stripped of all her possessions – including her orange t-shirt and with it, her sense of self-worth.  

It was the beginning (and the continuation) of a process that violated children and families, and robbed them of the fundamentals of life.  

Over 130 federally funded and church-run residentials schools across Canada were attended by more than 150,000 Indigenous children who were “scooped” from their homes and families.  

The goal, as expressed by Canada’s then first prime minister was to “take the Indian out of the child”, and thus began the deliberate process of forced assimilation and cultural genocide that created nothing short of intergenerational trauma amongst Indigenous Peoples.

Fast forward, Phyllis – the grown woman – tells us that,

 “…the feeling of worthlessness and insignificance, ingrained in me from my very first day at school affected the way I lived my life for many years… The losses of family, culture, freedom, parenting, self-esteem, and worth were experienced by everyone.”

Many children died of illness, lack of care and worse, negligence and abuse (physical, psychological, emotional and sexual); and we are now uncovering countless unmarked graves. 

Those who did survive, returned to their home communities without the knowledge, tools or skills to cope in either world. The impacts of their institutionalization in residential school continue to be felt by subsequent generations. 

Maggie Hodgson, in Impact of Residential Schools and Other Root Causes of Poor Mental Health, summarizes the cumulative impact of the loss of parenting knowledge and skills across generations like this:

“If you subject one generation to that kind of parenting and they become adults and have children; those children become subjected to that treatment and then you subject a third generation to a residential school system, the same as the first two generations.

You have a whole society affected by isolation, loneliness, sadness, anger, hopelessness, and pain.”

And so, why the orange t-shirt? It is anchored in Phyllis’ story. It is a symbol of the devastation and trauma experienced by Indigenous children, their families and communities. It is also a powerful reminder that every child matters.

I have said it here before. To be whole, our country needs truth and reconciliation – real and meaningful reconciliation. 

RECONCILIATION means recognizing how Indigenous Peoples have been traumatically and systemically harmed and disadvantaged on so many levels through intergenerational cycles – cycles that persist to this day. 

RECONCILIATION is about acknowledging on a grand scale the devastation caused by Canada as a colonizing nation. It is about apologizing and taking the necessary steps to redress past transgressions and establish a respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

RECONCILIATION is a collective endeavour, a collective responsibility. It means recognizing what Indigenous Peoples across the country have had to endure and what they have lost – and what they continue to endure to this day. 

RECONCILIATION is also an individual responsibility. Learn, grow and understand with an open mind and an open heart, compassion and empathy.

What will you do today, on this first annual Truth and Reconciliation Day?

Last month, Bloomsberg’s Mattheu Boyle cautioned that the return-to-the-office deadline after the Labour Day weekend may set off a bit of a showdown.

Emerging studies are now demonstrating that the pandemic has single-handedly caused the highest level of employee mobility in modern history.  It has literally flipped the balance of power on its head – moving from capital to labour.  This is a seismic shift: the number one determinant of corporate success is talent.

Leaders are facing a bit of a crisis: the Great Resignation, the Great Retirement and the War on Talent are all coming to a head like the perfect storm.

Brian Kropp, Chief of HR Research at Gartner, tells us that employees have stepped up to the plate and have demonstrated their efficacy remotely.  He adds that “forcing employees back into non-flexible work arrangements could leave organizations vulnerable to talent being actively poached by employers that offer the kind of flexibility employees have come to expect during the pandemic.”

Furthermore, Forbes’ contributor, David Michels, writes that “more than simply inputs, workers are the atomic building blocks of the modern [workplace]. Yet our understanding of workers—their hopes and desires, their untapped potential, their emotional state—is often superficial.”

As a leader, what do you need to know?

Employees – the people that should matter the most – are looking for employers who care. They are looking for employers who will recognize the realities and the demands of daily life – demands placed upon them beyond your corporate needs.

While you might be looking for talented, nimble, flexible, capable and competent employees; know that they too are looking for the same traits in you and your organization – and then some.

The days of overly prescriptive workplace environments are a thing of the past.

To attract, successfully on-board and retain talent, leaders will need to be flexible – more so than ever. Leaders will want to adjust their strategies and adapt their corporate culture by loosening the traditional, hierarchical, rules-based organizational structures – and adopt a more holistic and human-centric approach to work.

We have evolved since 1872 – the year Canadians started to celebrate Labour Day.

As a result, we benefit from fair hours and safe workplaces, medical insurance, eye care, dental care, unemployment insurance, paid parental and family leaves, paid holidays and more. That said, societies are in continuous movement – and as we continue to evolve and collectively emerge post-pandemic, employees will be looking to leaders and organizations for workplace environments that will not only suit, but also accommodate their needs.

As we look ahead, what conversation do you need to have in and outside of your boardrooms to become or remain a world-class, competitive workplace of choice where employees’ dreams and full potential have room to emerge and flourish?

Are you that employer?

The meaning behind the red dress and why it matters.

May 5th is Red Dress Day in Canada. It is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The Red Dress Project was created in 2015 by fellow Manitoban and Métis artist Jaime Black to commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. It is vital that we collectively bring continued awareness to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes that persist in this country against Indigenous women of all ages. 

Why red? The red dress serves as a sacred item of love and of healing for Indigenous families as well as their communities. The red dress enables families to visualize their loved ones in beautiful traditional regalia. And, in Indigenous culture red is the only colour that is believed to be seen by spirits. It is a way of calling the spirits of missing and murdered women and girls back to their loved ones, and “to evoke a presence through the marking of absence” says Jaime Black.

The exact number of Indigenous women of all ages who have gone missing or have been murdered in Canada (and the United States) since the 1970s is unknown, with estimates in Canada alone ranging from approximately 3,000 to nearly 5,000.  The lack of media attention, public outcry and accurate information continue to play a crucial role in this national tragedy. 

Here are some startling facts:

 ·        Indigenous women 15 years and older are 7 times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women (Native Women’s Association of Canada)

 ·        Violence against Indigenous women and girls is not only more frequent but also more severe (Native Women’s Association of Canada)

 ·        While Indigenous women and girls made up only 5% of Canada’s total female population according to the 2016 Census, they accounted for 23% of all women and girls murdered in Canada between 2014 and 2018 (Statistics Canada, 2018 & 2019)

These numbers speak directly to the disproportionate level of violence against First Nations, Inuit and Métis women and girls in Canada.

I’ve written about RECONCILIATION here before because in this country, it is important. In fact, it is more than important, it is essential. And part of reconciliation includes education, knowledge, awareness, advocacy, and empathy.

RECONCILIATION is a collective endeavour, a collective responsibility. It means recognizing what Indigenous families across the country have had to endure and what they have lost – and what they continue to endure to this day. 

RECONCILIATION is also an individual responsibility. Learn, grow and understand with an open mind and an open heart, compassion and empathy.

RECONCILIATION is an everyday action. 

In its final report entitled Reclaiming Power and Place, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019) encourages Canadians to “contribute to the healing by acknowledging those who were murdered or have gone missing” by bringing people together to share and to learn more. 

Your leadership challenge? Start your meetings by speaking about what you have read here. Share the knowledge, help increase awareness and cultivate empathy.

 RECONCILIATION: Be the change you want to see in this country.

Mimi Moore, B.A., LL.B., LL.M., ACC is a Manitoba Métis. She is the CEO of exeCoaching International; she is a Forbes’ contributor and an executive coach.