Welcome to Inspiring Connections 🌳

Inspiring Connections #1

Author

Anita Cassagne
July 22, 2024

This is your privileged and ambitious digital space. I want this communication to be simple and pragmatic to inspire you on your never-ending journey to leadership. And this is also about what you want to share with the rest of the readers.

Summer has arrived ! I hope you take this time to focus on yourself, disconnect from your daily routine, slow down, and cherish special moments with loved ones. It's also the perfect opportunity to reflect for the rest of the year.

In this edition: your summer book, a reflective exercise on how you allocate your time, and a talk with Brené Brown giving us some key insights on creating true connections.

This month’s nugget 

Here, I want to share some easy-to-digest gems for you to read, listen to, or watch..

Summer reading

Remote not distant - Gustavo Razzetti explores how to create a strong, cohesive, and productive culture in remote and hybrid work environments. Challenging these days, right? 

Why did this book inspire me? It provides very pragmatic strategies for building trust, fostering collaboration, and maintaining engagement among remote teams. Keeping it simple, Razzetti emphasizes the importance of communication, adaptability, and intentional culture-building to ensure remote teams feel connected with organizational goals.

A big UP to Graham Stickland for orienting me to this book 🙌

Remote work has really taken off in recent years. With summer on the horizon and the Olympics coming to France, this topic feels more pertinent than ever.

Leadership nudges

In this section, I encourage you to reflect on your leadership, and to put these tips in practice.

Investing in your talent

How do you allocate your time to go to the essentials ? Here is a simple exercise to think about it: draw a circle which represents 24h of your day and follow the instructions.

This is part of the many themes I facilitate in the Inspirational Leadership Program through my association with Starfish Partners. Contact me to know more about it.

Portrait of an inspiring leader

Here is a space where you will read about the journeys of leaders who have inspired me, like you. And I hope more people will look forward to hearing from you. 

Brené Brown, and the essence of authentic connections

Brené Brown is a social worker, researcher in the humanities and social sciences at the University of Houston, lecturer and storyteller who's spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Her work inspires me daily in my leadership journey.

In this 20-minute talk, she asserts, "Connection is why we are here. It is what gives meaning and purpose to our lives," and I couldn’t agree more. Building connections requires courage—to be who you truly are with your whole heart. She encourages us to embrace our vulnerability, accept uncertainty, and abandon the need to pretend and strive for perfection. To create genuine connections, you must be willing to release who you think you should be and embrace your authentic self.

Now, hit reply and tell me which leader inspires you 🙌

That’s it for now. I hope this newsletter has encouraged you to nourish the authentic, curious, and enabling leader in you. If it has, feel free to share it with others. They can subscribe  here.

Looking forward to connecting next month🌳

With all my energy,

Anita Cassagne, Founder & Coach at The Laughing Willow