As we get into the early part of 2025, I feel it’s important to honor and reflect what 2024 was for me. 2024 was a year full of many ups and downs. I started the year realizing that so much of what I thought I knew about myself looked very different through the lens of my new diagnosis. I was also coming off an intensely difficult period in my work, after realizing I was being bullied, and mobbed, and felt like no one cared what I had gone through, or was willing to do anything about it. Imagine walking into a shared workspace and you notice that one person warmly greets everyone but you. You attempt to greet this person, and they don’t respond. They say that you can’t offer guidance to your own direct reports for fear of “outing” their staff member who complained something wasn’t getting done correctly, and for which was trained, by the person in question. This was just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine having someone “choose” not to communicate or respond to you, yet you are expected to communicate with them.

Most may not realize this, but I started getting bullied in middle school. I’ve worked hard to overcome that, yet, sometimes, I’m taken back to that dark place. I was always a bit awkward, was never popular, and had low self-esteem for many reasons. This quote will always resonate for me:

In early February, I got the news I’d been waiting for. I would eventually get to move out of the region and having to work closely with the person who was bullying me. While initially I thought the move would be quick, it ended up turning into a 7 month wait, which felt nearly unbearable. That wait gave me time to learn as much as I could about change management, supporting staff, working on my own well-being, and more. I dove into books, webinars, and attended my first ever PLA Conference.

In April, I got the chance to hear Shola Richards speak at PLA. It was pure luck, as he was not the intended speaker, just one that happened to fill in when another cancelled. His keynote changed my life. They way he talked about the difference between kind and nice, the concept of “ubuntu,” I am because we are, and more, helped me change my mindset. I immediately bought “Making Work Work” and “Go Together,” just so I could devour them, and learn as much as I could. As part of the launch team for “Civil Unity” I was hooked. His weekly emails are some of the best things out there.

Shola’s work then led me to the work of Helen Rimmer, The Kind Brave Leader. Both of these have been instrumental in my learning and growth and overcoming some really difficult things in my life, and have changed how I lead people.

Stay tuned for another post about the books I read in 2024, and what I’m looking forward to reading in 2025.

Be well.