🎁 7 Values to Reflect on this Holiday Season
Join for our Howl-iday Paw-ty on Dec. 18th for Subscribers Only
Hello, it’s Julia. Welcome to my weekly newsletter exploring the ways we communicate and connect at work and beyond.
This year I introduced a new question in my interviews with leaders: What is a value that matters to you and why?
Their responses have made me think, reflect and stay focused on what matters. These values are a compass for leader’s personal and professional lives. Here’s a look back at what these leaders had to say and links to our full conversations:
🌭 Loyalty: Will Guidara
🏥 Connection and Community: Claudia Ball
🚀 Integrity: Sylvia Acevedo
💫 Positive, Realistic and Transparent: Brooke Kruger
🛒 Truth: Dani Dudek
⚽ Honesty: Jennifer Levine
Consider sharing a value that matters to you in the comments or reflect on one of these values with our community.
🌭 Loyalty: Will Guidara
Loyalty. I have my people. I am loyal to a fault to them. It’s a scalable value. When you are loyal, loyalty and greed are not friends. It doesn’t work with selfishness either. If you prioritize loyalty, it has a cascading impact, and it points you in the right direction, which is the right way to go.
🏥 Connection and Community: Claudia Ball
Connection and Community. I think from our earliest days, we want to be accepted, seen, validated and connected with others–made to feel part of something and that sort of inner longing is what I believe to be a “built in” feature of humanity and it drives most people personally and professionally. I try to ground my communications work in this thesis and go from there to communicate in meaningful and impactful ways.
🚀 Integrity: Sylvia Acevedo
Integrity matters a lot. For me, number one is someone's character — how you act in the world and how you treat people is a really important part of their character. When I'm thinking about who I'm working for or with, I want to make sure that my character and values align with them.
💫 Positive, Realistic and Transparent: Brooke Kruger
I try to always be positive and realistic and transparent. If I can do this with every interaction with our candidates and clients, I will feel fulfilled. I believe our work at KC partners shouldn’t feel like a transaction. By connecting with people on both a professional and personal level, we can make that happen. At the same time, we need to set expectations and keep people informed to continue to cultivate the relationship with them beyond that interaction.
🛒 Truth: Dani Dudek
From a young age, I’ve always felt that one of the most important things we can do is stay grounded in truth. For me, it’s about saying what needs to be said even if it’s an unpopular point of view and doing what needs to be done in the best way possible. It’s important to set aside personalities and egos. If I’m in a meeting, and I think we need to change our opinion or our point of view, I believe it’s important that we need to speak up and do the hard work.
⚽ Honesty: Jennifer Levine
Honesty. I ask for it from both my peers and my team members. I always say to the people that work for me, if you mess up, I will always have your back, just be honest with me.
🎁 The Switchboard Howl-iday Paw-ty on Dec. 18th
You and your pets are cordially invited to our inaugural celebration. Join for facilitated conversations reflecting on our values and learnings with fun from our furry friends at 4:30pm PT/ 7:30pm ET for 30 minutes.
This invite is only for subscribers only so be sure to receive this newsletter in your inbox weekly. It is limited in size to ensure a strong community vibe. Please join with your camera-on and optional festive holiday virtual background.
🍽️ Paper Plate Award Spotlight: Best Community Builder
Congratulations to Amanda Griffith. Nominated by KT McGraw. Celebrate by sharing here.
When it comes to media relations, Amanda has written a master class on what it means to build, maintain, and inspire a community of journalists, executive thought leaders, and communicators. Ever wonder a journalist's favorite cookie? Ask Amanda. What a journalist is writing about now ... and in the next 6-months? Amanda has the 411, and will share the insight and guidance with you to help out her close-knit group of media friendlies.
Her superpower is her ability to connect and build relationships - but to also balance empathy and the best interests of others (often reporters) with those of our clients in the digital health space. Amanda is a helper, a storyteller, a super star - and one of the fiercest protectors of reporters that I know. I am grateful to call her a colleague and, ever more so, a friend.
Thanks for reading this edition of The Switchboard. I’m wishing you a values-powered holiday season. May it be your compass now and in the future. -Julia
Lovely post, Julia!