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Subscriber First Name, if you’ve been reading these newsletters the past few months, you know that I’ve used the subject lines to ask important questions (FYI, previous newsletters are archived here). When I first wrote today’s question—How can I resist?—I realized it might be read through the lens of resisting temptations and indulgences. But that’s not what I meant… What I really want to ask is: How can we use our leadership and agency to resist the injustices around us? And the more I sat with this version of the question, the more I realized that both questions are one in the same: Using resistance in our leadership requires naming our temptations—the temptation to stay quiet, to stay comfortable, to stay the same. Embracing voice, discomfort, or change isn’t easy, and we shouldn’t expect ourselves to commit a grand act of resistance on day 1. Know that resistance can happen in the smallest of moments. It can look like: 👉🏽 Listening to your body and taking a rest day when you’re tempted to power through 👉🏽 Questioning your colleagues about an unreasonable deadline when you’re tempted to just suck it up and bear it 👉🏽 Asking for extra time to process something important when you’re tempted to provide an answer right away At the core of resistance is advocating for ourselves and others. The more we can practice resistance and advocacy in these small moments, the more we begin to transform into the kind of leaders who shut down toxic workplace norms, oppressive systems, and harmful expectations that keep us small. Before we know it, we are the people others look to when it’s time to step up and speak out. So, Subscriber First Name, if you’re wondering what acts of resistance you can start practicing in your leadership, know that we created the Cultures of Wellbeing blog specifically for this purpose.
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