Articles, tools, and books for you and your team

 
 
Welcome to my newsletter, in which I curate resources including articles, reports, books, and more for those interested in people development.
 
 
 
 

In the coming months, years, and decades, it is irrefutable that the global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic will be at the center of both critical and cultural commentary. Living in and through this pandemic has fundamentally affected every facet of our lives. It has changed our perspectives on our position in the world -- and placed those who were vulnerable in our society at even more risk.

 

These extraordinary circumstances have demonstrated the importance of better learning and understanding how to navigate a crisis many of us were not prepared for. Our responses in these moments not only carry more responsibility but have a greater impact on ourselves and those around us. 

 

As such, I have found it valuable to read about how others have navigated crises --some are related to the COVID-19 pandemic, while others arose from an entirely different context. In many of these cases and experiences, our responses and behavior during crises can help us become more resilient, innovative, and stronger to confront the next challenge.

 

 

- Cranla
 
 
         Recommended Articles and Resources
 

How to Manage Your Career Through the Coronavirus Crisis: 6 Ways to Thrive When Nothing is Certain

This Forbes article includes General tips and suggestions on how to handle the uncertainty of work during a crisis such as taking initiative, asking more questions in challenging situations.

 

Tips to Manage Mental Health During COVID-19

A useful resource with mental health tips, suggestions, and additional links to cope with exacerbated mental health symptoms or anxieties that may be present during the pandemic.

 

Build Your Resiliency in the Face of a Crisis

This article offers strategies to build mental resilience while sharing information on how our minds generally respond to crises and threats. It speaks directly to the threats posed by COVID-19.

 

How to Become Mentally Strong: 14 Strategies for Building Resilience

With techniques and resources to build stronger mental resilience, this article draws direct connections between mental strength and resilience and what it means.

 
 
From My Library
 
 
 

 

Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly by Evy Poumpouras

 

Evy Poumpouras, the author of Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly considers herself an agent of change. This is particularly interesting given Evy’s earlier career as a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent who provided security detail for presidents. In this book she shares insights and skills based on her training and experience, from the most elite security outfit across the globe, to prepare for stressful situations and help us live a more fearless life.

 

From the outset, Poumpouras details her active experience as an agent impacted by the September 11th attacks. Using powerful language, this author describes how different the world became and how we all took on a new set of previously unrelated fears. This book provides overviews of what is fear, how to harness it, and how to build resilience in order to navigate the “tough stuff.” In addition to strengthening our mindsets, Poumpouras encourages us to assess potential risks inherent in everyday situations we may face.

 

 

 The process she outlines involves:

  1. Exposing ourselves to potentially uncomfortable stressors with the goal of developing mental toughness.
  2. Observing ourselves under conditions of heightened stress and determining our natural reactions – fight, flight, or freeze.
  3. Consciously adjusting our default responses so we can have greater impact and achieve the desired result.
  4. Assess what works for you and what doesn’t and focus on one area you want to overcome.

 

A summary of the remaining key points includes, suspend your assumptions, respect others to earn respect, shift to a solution vs. problem mindset, own your mistakes while holding empathy for others, learn to listen and compromise, have the courage to walk away, and if you must fight – then fight.

 

The overarching theme of this book is to snuff out fear when it’s just a flicker.

 

 

 

“Fear is like fire, if you extinguish it while it’s small, it won’t become an inferno.”

– Evy Poumpouras

 
 
Stay Updated
 
I add new articles, books, and learning events to my resource page every month. 
 
 

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