Exciting news: I've been selected for UC Berkeley's LCEP!

I’m pleased to share that I’ve been selected to participate in UC Berkeley’s Leadership and Career Enhancement Program for Staff of Color (LCEP). LCEP is a unique, experiential leadership development program administered and sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Central HR Learning & Development team under the sponsorship of Vice Chancellor for Administration Marc Fisher and Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion Oscar Dubon.

Through a series of six 2-hour group workshops, I will work to strengthen and hone my leadership skills through intensive discussions on the following topics:

• Survive vs. Thrive - What is the difference? How do you adapt to change (which is constant) and not only survive but thrive? One needs to be nimble and understand the unspoken rules of engagement. Who are your champions?

• Negotiation – Why is negotiation important? What tools do you need in your toolkit to negotiate effectively? What is the strategy of negotiation?

• Speaking Truth to Power - Using Voice: When…When Not To…And How – Speaking truth to power can be a very intimidating experience. You need to learn when, how, and how not to use voice when you need to speak “truth.”

• Tell the Negative Committee to Sit Down and Shut Up – Why is there a negative committee meeting in your head in the first place? How do you tell it to sit down and shut up?

• Management vs. Leadership (There Is A Difference) – So, you took on a role you didn’t ask for? OK…but make it yours! Change is constant. Therefore, leadership is about demonstrating your ability to discern and act on opportunities in ways that promote your ability to garner the support of others in the pursuit of shared goals.

• The 2 Most Important Days of Your Life: The Day You Were Born and The Day You Find Out Why – What is your assignment? What are you passionate about and how can you engage your passion as part of your purpose and career objectives? (This workshop will include the development of individualized career and strategic plans.)

I will also participate in a 1.5 hour executive coaching session that will further assess and guide the development of decisive decision-making and empowerment techniques as follow-up to workshop discussion.

I'm most looking forward to strengthening my leadership skills, the cohort experience, and mentorship. I plan to share as I learn, and document these thoughts and ideas here! Talk soon :)

My vision for 2018

I made this vision board alongside a handful of inspiring girlfriends to set an intention to FLOURISH. It hangs now in my cubicle at work, as a daily reminder of what I envision for myself. 

My biggest goal is to prioritize my health and happiness. I want to show up for my community. I want to do my part to move innovation and education forward in the workplace. I want to save money. I want to exude strength.  I want to welcome change.

2018: My Year to Flourish

I'm very excited for what 2018 will bring! Every year, instead of forming a New Year's Resolution, I try to come up with one word to aspire towards. This year is FLOURISH. ✨ 

If I speed ahead and imagine myself in December 2018/January 2019, here is what I imagine for myself professionally (adapted from an exercise from Chani Nicolas): 

At the beginning of 2018, I gave up being passive and being afraid to advocate for myself. As a result, I have so much time and space in my heart and mind to be fully present, authentic, and excited about how to spend my time and creativity. I feel full and fed, grateful and able to give in a way that feels sustainable. This year, I have been able to cultivate a stable, yet creative relationship with my work. I have been able to show up as an expert and leader in my subject matter expertise. My professional life as blossomed into a fulfilling and stable way to live my 40 hours a week. I didn’t know I had the capacity to create space and intention for myself and my needs in my professional life and I am grateful for getting the experience of getting to do so.

Here's to achieving this dream! Happy New Year, everyone!