Atlanta Black Chambers’ Post

New day and feedback 🙏 Back when I worked in the restaurant industry, I used to think: - If even one person in the team needs it, it’s worth doing - If it can make one person feel better, happier, work easier, or save even 30 minutes a week on a task, it’s worth doing Because sometimes one person speaks up, but 10 others might feel the same way and not have the courage to say it out loud for their own reasons. Yesterday was one of those days where I felt like giving up, driving home thinking: why am I here? what am I doing? what value am I bringing? But today, I came in, and 5 people told me how much they appreciated my ideas (some brought cheerful gifts 😋 ), how no one in the company had ever done this before, and how, even though it’s scary, they want to try, change, and improve. I leave this here as a reminder to myself 🫣 Thank you to my colleagues, team for willing to embrace change, even when it’s scary 🤍

As people take leadership roles in Start ups and elsewhere, this 30 item palette offers a variety of choices to pick & paint the picture they want. Though the palette offers variety, it is important that leaders don’t pick too much or too little. Great paintings are composed using 3 or 4 colours only but combine them into a myriad of shades, tones and textures. Measuring the right KPIs is important to drive right behaviours of employees , depending on different stages of an organisations trajectory . For example, measuring on time performance when an organisation is developing a product is certainly a bad choice while measuring number of lead users is a good choice and so on and so forth … With limited resources during initial stages of growth, it is very important to focus and measure right few things and execute well on those and move on .. Love to hear you

Leadership perspective Listen Interesting story: I moved to Buchanan City to serve as port director of Buchanan Port. I had a house in the loop where ArcelorMittal/ Mittal Steel Company is. I assumed everything was there. Most of the things were put in my house by myself except for the electricity from ArcelorMittal/Mittal Steel Company. As a kid who was born in Lamco Hospital, in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, and had minimum access to the very loop I was being hosted, I moved out of the loop and renovated my late mother's house and electrified it. I put over 100 solar lights in the entire communities and their surroundings, including 20 other communities in Buchanan City. On the soccer field that we used to play, I put 10 solar lights around it and continued on the road that I drove on and walked on. The entire county and my late mother's community were excited for a week. I have pictures of the kids studying their lessons and women fixing their hair and people sitting with friends for evening time. The following week, my late mother's community where I live and the other 24 communities were dark because they stole all the solar lights. I am talking about over 250 solar lights that were planted in these communities. Why did I bring this up? I brought this up because people cry every day that nobody cares and nobody helps them when they experienced growth. The reality is, these complainants have no case. They are most times offended by people's growth. If they aren't offended by a person they know growth, they deeply feel entitled to it. Out of love and kindness, you do something great to impact them, they destroy everything. So, how does the trigger down effects work? While some people are intentionally and cruelly mean, the people we care for are the most complicated people in the world. I am a witness. I could go on and on with several more personal scenarios, but this is important for us all to evaluate. Thank you for your time. The world has never lacked problems. The world has never lacked solutions. A new wave of change.

What’s your fav accomplishment? What’s your least fav chore? My son’s school sent these questions (+ 18 more) home to answer about our kids and see how well we know them—as part of their health unit. We turned it into a family exercise to all answer about each other because I personally feel it’s also important for kids to learn to listen and get to know their parents. I asked them the 2nd question and they were like ooooh your LEAST favorite chore? Ooooh I don’t know. I said I do it almost every night. They said: read? Me: Nope I love reading. Before that. I do it after work. For you. Them: After work? For us? They guessed eventually lol. It’s cooking. I’m so over cooking. Moms do like a billion things and many feel thankless. You know who else does a whole bunch of thankless things? CEOs. Thank you to mine—Stacy Havener for: Leading Encouraging Investing in Profit sharing Learning Pivoting Losing sleep (And that’s just your average Wednesday) (Often thankless) traits of good leaders of a firm and a family. You’re both. 💖

🎉 A New Year, a new chapter—what will you write? ✨ Let’s reflect on 2024 and embrace what’s ahead in 2025. 2024 was a year of effort, learning, and testing. I consistently posted, refined my strategy, And earned a LinkedIn Rising Star Award from Derick Mildred. 🏆 But despite the hard work, My engagement didn’t match my expectations. Profile views were up, but comments? Impressions? Not as strong as I hoped. 👎 So, what’s next? In 2025, I am determined to make real connections. This is my plan: 1️⃣ Expand my network with active professionals. 🤝 2️⃣ Tap into AI to optimise my strategy. 🤖 3️⃣ Test new formats that spark deeper conversations. 🗣️ 4️⃣ Engage with intention, sharing content that matters. 🌟 What about you? What’s one lesson from 2024 that shapes your 2025 plans? Let’s inspire each other for an incredible year ahead! 🎊 Drop your goals or reflections below—I would love to hear them! Share Knowledge to Empower! 💡 P.S. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge, support, and kindness in 2024. 💌 Cheers to showing up, learning, and growing together in 2025! 🥂 -------------------------------------------- My name is Corrine Stewartson, and I am on a mission to empower entrepreneurs and MSME leaders over 40 with corporate solutions to streamline operations, optimise marketing, improve customer service, and plan events without hiring a full team.

My Hero: Hamza Wasi Hashmi Hamza is what leadership is supposed to look like. Selfless. Vulnerable. Flawed in all the right ways, yet somehow whole. The kind of person who invests in others, not for a return, not for an agenda, but because he cares. Here’s the truth: if it weren’t for Hamza, my career wouldn’t exist. He trusted me when trusting me wasn’t the obvious choice. He gave me a platform I could’ve messed up. He gave me exposure I didn’t deserve. And here’s the kicker—he hasn’t just done this for me. He’s done it for almost everyone who’s come under his wings. Hamza believed in me before I knew how to believe in myself. And while I’ll always carry that gratitude, I’ve also taken on a new role in his life: the guy who now harasses him about what he should be doing. So here’s my hope: that every Sohail gets a Hamza. But also, that every Hamza gets a Sohail. Someone to challenge, love, and remind them that they, too, have wings to spread. Thank you, Hamza. You'll always be my HERO. - - - - - What's My Hero? Some individuals stand out as incredible visionaries—people whose emotional labor and selflessness have not only inspired careers but also reshaped how we see the world. In this series, I’ll spotlight those who’ve profoundly influenced my perspective. While their paths may not have directly intersected with mine, their values, actions, and vision have left a lasting impact. To keep this series authentic, I’m deliberately excluding individuals with whom I share commercial interests.

Decoding value in corporate. When I started recording my discussions with Ian Faria, he had some interesting questions from the community on LinkedIn and we decided to address them. Write in a question with #askian and we shall have that on record soon! #mentoring #corporatelife #bebetter

You are a Laid-Back Employee → That's Your Brand. You are a Toxic Manager → That's Your Brand. You are a Visionary Creator → That's Your Brand. You are a Super Successful Founder → That's Your Brand. Your brand is not just what you do, but how you show up every day. It’s how people perceive your actions, behaviors, and leadership. Here’s the truth: You control your brand. So ask yourself: → What impression are you leaving behind? → What do you want to be known for? Your brand is your legacy, make it count. #PersonalBranding #Leadership #CareerGrowth #SuccessMindset P.S: If you are in Pune do join us at the Raw and Real Live Event. Register here: https://lu.ma/tmryx3go

A big shoutout to Subin Muraleedharan for an absolutely brilliant session on Strategic Interventions! Who knew organisational change could feel like an intense strategy game mixed with a dose of inspiration? The case studies had us hooked, the handouts were gold (seriously, who loves handouts this much?!), and the thought-provoking questions kept our brains buzzing. Subin has this knack for turning complex concepts into “aha!” moments. A highlight? The Five Frames of Performance and Health: Aspire: Dream big but keep it real. Assess: Are we ready for this? Architect: Plot the moves (think chess, not checkers). Act: Let’s get cracking. Advance: Keep moving or get left behind! And let’s not forget the deep dive into mental models and culture transformation—things that make you rethink everything you thought you knew about organisations. On behalf of the entire batch: Thank you, Subin! Your energy, expertise, and ability to simplify the complex is nothing short of inspiring. Can’t wait to put these insights into action and (hopefully) sound half as smart as you someday! Lakshmi VaidMayur Suvarna Vaibhav Raghuvanshi Mithun Mankar Sudhan Mahuli Vassudevanand Prabhu Aishwarya MankameAkanksha MehrotraAnagha Khot Amol KshirsagarRussel FernandesSuraj AgarwalRhythm Nagda Executive PG Diploma in OD, Change and Leadership (EPGDODCL) C SOL, TISS🚀 Gayatri Kulkarni-Kandar

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't just march. He MOVED. He didn't just speak. He SHIFTED minds, hearts and history. He didn't just dream. He did the WORK to bring those dreams to life - even though he didn't get to experience many of them in his lifetime. Knowing that the work would likely cost him his life didn't stop him from doing it. He endured hate, violence, jail and so much more - all while holding his head high and keeping his vision intact. The thing that hits me every single year about MLK is that his leadership wasn't just bold - it was LIFE-GIVING. He didn't just want to see change - he wanted to see people LIVING and THRIVING in that change. So on this day, I want to ask leaders a few things: • How are you showing up for the people you lead (especially right now, in the midst of so much chaos and uncertainty)? • Are you creating spaces where people feel seen + heard + safe? • Are you willing to lean into your courage even when it's uncomfortable? Yes, leadership is about getting results. And it's also about transforming the lives you lead - not by manually transforming people, but by allowing the work you to do motivate and guide them in transforming themselves. MLK knew that, and his life is a constant reminder of what's possible when leaders step into our full purpose. Let's honor Dr. King's legacy today by being leaders who refuse to sit quietly when our people are struggling (as many are right now, especially today). Let's not just talk about justice; let's WORK for it. Let's lead in ways that leave the world better than we found it. Thank you, Dr. King, for showing us the way. ✊🏾💜