Tag: covid

How to Show Grocery Store Workers That We’re Grateful

Posted on by robbie

Leaders and readers,
I hope this edition of the Impact Weekly finds you, your teams and your loved ones in good health, and that you’re finding moments of joy of peace throughout this sometimes taxing period of social distancing. 
I want to take this opportunity to be radically honest about something I’d taken for granted. Before this crisis began, if you’d asked me to name three service or purpose-driven career paths that are essential to the health of our communities, I probably wouldn’t have mentioned the people who work at our grocery stores. Now, I can’t imagine making a list that doesn’t include them at the very top — and I bet I’m not alone in that. 
Like doctors and nurses, grocery store workers are at the frontlines of this crisis. But unlike doctors and nurses, these essential workers are far less likely than most to be able to afford health care, child care, rent on a one bedroom apartment in the state in which they live — the list goes on.
I’m grateful to these people; and if you’ve been to your grocery store to pick up food for your family, I’m sure you are, too. But gratitude can and should be more than just a thank you. To that end, I’d like to mine the compassion and good thinking of my readership to find ways that we can show up for them the way they’ve shown up for us.
If you have any ideas, please reach out. I’ll be spotlighting them on NationSwell and in this letter. 
Many thanks,
Anthony Smith
One Harvard Medical Expert’s Idea to Fight This Crisis
Dr. Raj Panjabi, CEO of Last Mile Health & Associate Physician at Harvard Medical School, has a proposal for how we can fight the health and economic impact of the pandemic: Take U.S. workers who’ve lost their jobs amid this crisis and hire and train them to be Covid-19 community health workers, empowered to do everything from delivering elderly people food and medicine  to organizing transportation to testing centers for people who might be sick. How do we pay for their training and their wages, you ask? Through the public-private sector collaboration of federal stimulus dollars and philanthropic efforts. Read Dr. Panjabi’s full proposal here.
#WeavingCommunity Matters — Now, More Than Ever
It’s on all of us to practice social distancing amid this crisis. But social distancing is lonely, and loneliness is America’s most under-discussed health crisis. That’s where our partners at Weave: The Social Fabric Project come in. Rising to this moment, they’ve created a digital toolkit that empowers you to connect and converse with, and care for, people who might be struggling right now.
Learn more about Weave’s Coronavirus response here, and see more about how we’ve worked with Weave and the Aspen Institute here.
Three From the Council
I wanted to use this space to express gratitude to the social impact leaders in our Council by amplifying their efforts to respond to this crisis. Here are just three examples, and ways you can get involved. 

  • In one week, Eric Leslie and Union Capital Boston have ordered the direct delivery of Visa cards for 374 families in Boston in need, totaling $56,100. Contribute to the fund here.
  • With offices closed, many companies are entering the brave, new world the completely digital workplace. Council member Rachel Renock created a great, great guide with insights on how Wethos built their fully-remote team, and how they keep it running smoothly each week across 17 different cities. 
     
  • Simone Marean and Girls Leadership have created a guided meditation for you. You are 30 seconds away from feeling calmer and ready to embrace what this week might bring your way. GL’s Certified Yoga Instructor & Meditation Practitioner, Sybil Henry, has created a meditation to help you and your people start your day off right. Check it out on Youtube here.

Helping Hands
One more quick thing! Like so many of you, I’ve been practicing the CDC’s guidance on hand-washing: do it many times a day, use lots of soap and scrub 20 seconds minimum. It’s helping keep all of us healthy, but it’s also leaving our hands dry and raw — mine included! And that’s why dermatologists have an additional reminder for us during this crisis on how to properly care for your freshly and frequently scrubbed hand: Always pat your hands dry after you wash to minimize dryness, and if that still doesn’t help, it’s time for a hand cream or a moisturizer. It isn’t just cosmetic — it could keep a bacterial infection away.      

How We Foster Cultures of Purpose Amid This Crisis

Posted on by robbie

On a Tuesday evening in March, members of the NationSwell Council gathered around the digital table to discuss how social impact leaders can better foster cultures of purpose in our professional and personal lives. Given the ongoing health crisis, we also took a moment to discuss how we’ve been showing up for ourselves, our teams and our partners.
In the hope that these might serve you on your mission to make this world a better place, we’re sharing out some of the key moments from our discussion. These insights, practices and recommendations all come straight to you from the inspiring Council members in attendance.
Insights

  • Moments of intense pain can be where the most opportunity lies.
  • One of the most valuable traits in a good leader is transparency, especially in times like these.
  • Being present in whatever way you can be present is of the utmost importance.
  • Remember that you’re not alone; there isn’t anybody in the world who isn’t dealing with this right now.

Practices

  • Ask yourself: How do we respond to this crisis, and other crises, through the lens of equity? How can we slow down and think about whose voices are missing, and who’s not at the table, when it comes to our responses and our solutions?
  • Imagine it forward: Ask yourself, “What does good look like? What might we be able to do that we feel good about in six months?” That way, you’re not always talking about doom and gloom.
  • When you’re communicating with key stakeholders, be clear about what you can control and what you don’t control.
  • You can’t do enough for your employees during times like these: Hold open office hours, share your vulnerabilities with your team.
  • But as you think about your employees, don’t forget to show up for your customers and partners too — They want to hear from you!
  • Inspire others: They need to hear in challenging times that we can get through it.
  • As our team workplace meetings become more digital, it’s a great time to get creative about how you can foster a sense of togetherness while we’re apart: Take people on home tours with Zoom and Hangout; recommend recipes for meals and cocktails and have everyone make them together.

Recommendations 

Welcome to Dispatches From the Council, a new series capturing insights, practices, recommendations and other powerful moments from some of our NationSwell Council events. If you have any feedback on this series, or if you attended and you’d like to add something you think we might have missed, please reach out via email. To find out more about the NationSwell Council, visit our digital hub.