First Quarter 2022 is almost gone... What’s Next?
Is it March already?!!! In our January issue, we celebrated the new start to 2022, explored the emerging themes regarding the human side of work, and shared how GOOD was shifting mindsets. While it may feel like the year just started, we are quickly approaching the end of the first quarter. Can you believe it?
As a Board, we invested that time in planning and laying the groundwork to better understand our members, their perspectives, and areas we can strategically grow as an organization. This will involve continuously nurturing a culture of adaptability and accountability with which to take GOOD to great, starting with these three (3) overarching themes:
1. Celebrating the diversity in GOOD
In 2021, the GOOD Board established the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and issued a statement aimed at recognizing and celebrating “the diversity of our members, collaborators, partners, and the global community.”
As such, we would be remiss not to take a moment to acknowledge, honor and celebrate Black History Month, which was celebrated in February. The 2022 theme focused on “Black Health and Wellness,” which explored "the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing throughout the African Diaspora."[i]
As OD Practitioners, we are always seeking “other ways of knowing,” learning, growing, and contributing to the organizations and communities we serve. Much of that “knowing” is based on both the social and behavioral sciences, psychology, and a wide range of disciplines that help us focus on organizational change and improvement. Within the healthcare industry, organizational development can be a matter of life and death. As such, we celebrate the contribution of the Black Community in preserving history, challenging present social norms, insisting on equity by dismantling systemic racism, and advancing health equity in the future. To learn more about psychologists of color, like Mana Ali Carter, PhD, who is working to eliminate health disparities and are making a difference in today’s society, check out the American Psychology Association’s issue of Moving Psychology Forward.
In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month. According to the National Women’s History Alliance, this year’s theme is “Providing Healing, Providing Hope” as a “tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.” [ii]
According to the 2021 GOOD Membership Survey, 80.70% of respondents identified as female, which is also reflective of our membership. As such, we take a moment to celebrate and thank the women for their leadership, membership, and contributions to society and in making the GOOD community great, particularly during the last few years and as we navigate this ever-changing global pandemic.
Moving forward, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee of the Board will continue to explore ways to "ensure that everyone -- regardless of the dimension of diversity -- has equitable access to resources and feels a sense of belonging." It's all GOOD.
2. GOOD’s 2022 Strategic Focus
In January, the 2022 GOOD Board held a Strategy Meeting to reflect, recommit, reengage, rethink and reboot for the coming year. The strategic focus areas were founded on the 2021 Member Survey responses, incorporating our members' feedback and recommendations. As such, there are new Strategy Committees designed to address these three areas:
- Connecting with People & Our GOOD Community: Programming (hybrid)
GOOD is entering a new ‘phygital’ world - virtual, in person, hybrid? No longer is our membership geographically located just in Florida. As such, virtual programming is a flexible and convenient option, yet many of our members are yearning for that in-person connection and networking. We hear you! A Programming Hybrid Committee has been established to explore all viable options to connecting, conversing, and continuing to build our GOOD community through valuable programming in this new ‘phygital’ (physical & digital) world.
- Organizational Pathways and Succession Planning: Governance (org. structure & bylaw review, etc.)
GOOD has been growing up and growing! Established in 2003 by a small group of OD practitioner in Orlando, due to our 2020 pivot to online and social change, the way we conduct the business of GOOD has shifted and continuously changing. As such, a committee has also been established to reassess the governance and structure of the organization, review and update bylaws as well as explore the development of operational procedures.
Interested in helping shape the future of GOOD? We currently have Board positions such as the Director of Communications and Co-Director of Community Programs as well as opportunities to get involved in the Governance Committee. Please email Kristin Chase, Past President at nominations@goodnetwork.us to learn more. Join us in taking GOOD to great!
- Member Engagement (including a Let’s Chat series)
The 2021 membership survey has revealed valuable insights regarding the perspectives, desires, and future goals of our members. We want to continue that dialogue by creating a safe space to engage in meaningful conversations about topics that are of keen interest to our membership and moving GOOD forward together. In the GOOD DEI statement, it shares that “we are committed to listening, learning, and having courageous conversations, inclusive behaviors, and grace as we work together to intentionally create a culture of belonging that nurtures a GOOD community for all.” This is a way to do just that and really engage with our members. So, let’s chat!
3. Think Local & Reach Global
As we grow as individuals, a membership, and organization, we must continue to think local and reach global. While Florida and the US may have once been our first thought geographically, we are now part of an online global community that includes people from all over the world. This offers a unique opportunity as OD professionals to connect, engage, and network with professions from HR, L&D, coaching, consulting and other disciplines, while sharing industry trends, best practices and diverse perspectives. Here are two ways you can think local & reach global:
- Start a conversation by sharing OD related articles, tools, tips, insights, etc. and help us build a GOOD global community.
What’s Next? We continue to be intentional.
As Co-Presidents, we entered this year with intention. We continue to keep the essence and sentiments of being deliberate and purposeful in how we strategically plan and work as a Board to continuously make GOOD great and communicate with you - our members.
If you would like to be a part of any of the GOOD Strategy Committees mentioned or just want to share, please feel free to email us directly at president@goodnetwork.us. We’d love to hear from you!
Xaulanda Simmons-Emmanual and Krystena Sterling, Co-Presidents
Footnote links:
[i] https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month#:~:text=The%20Black%20History%20Month%202022,throughout%20the%20African%20Diaspora.
[ii] https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2022-theme/#:~:text=The%202022%20Women's%20History%20theme,healing%20and%20hope%20throughout%20history.
Greater Orlando Organization Development Network
