Joanna Vahlsing

😕 Forget the (confusing) chasm between community and advocacy for a moment. ⚾ Focus on Kevin Costner (easy) and the million dollar question: If you build it, WILL they come? ⁉ What are the biggest challenges with user adoption after building an incredible program? Why aren't we guaranteed support and/or participation after building the thing? ❗ How do you ensure that if you build it, they DO come? Discuss! #customermarketing #customeradvocacy #community #peoplebeforeprofessionals #fieldofdreams https://lnkd.in/gma4ZeSy

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More and more I'm getting questions about Reverse Mentoring Programs. Does that resonate? If so, check out these helpful resources to get your gears turning (links at bottom of post): 1. Patrice Gordon: How Reverse Mentorship Can Create Better Leaders 2. Laura Francis: Reverse Mentoring: 11 Tips to Making it Work 3. Jack Kelly: How Reverse Mentoring Bridges Generational and Cultural Divides in the Workplace Keep calm and mentor on! 1.https://https://lnkd.in/edkysdud 2. https://lnkd.in/exrgUdjv 3. https://lnkd.in/eK8scYxN

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This month it's TECH AND US in THE CEO ELEVATION CIRCLE, our community of practice in leadership develpment and #careeracceleration for outstanding women leaders. So yesterday evening we ran our traditional 90-minute NETWORK & LEARN. Our job was to identify tech usage behaviors that drive us nuts and solutions for replacing them - in ourselves and others - with more sustainable approaches. Thus I asked our colleagues: ❓ How many of you have received a company-paid training course on how to use emails effectively? Can you guess the answer? ... 0. That's how many. To her honor, one colleague paid for one such course from her own pocket. How many of them use emails? 100%. ❓ Next, how many of you have received a company-paid training course in meeting facilitation - IRL, virtual, or hybrid? The answer? ... 1. How many of them attend and / or facilitate meetings? 100%. I stopped there because the answers to how many of them have been properly trained in using others digital tools in their companies' tech stack would have been similar. So, why exactly do we (still) have: ✅ Neanderthal behaviors in digital tool usage and online communications? ✅ Tremendous waste of time and healthy emotions, massive friction across teams? ✅ Ignorance towards how tech can make our work and lives better? ✅ Aversion to tech and a wide-spread perception that tech makes us waste time? ✅ Aversion to async work and coms? ✅ Aversion to exploring and embracing new AI tools? Well, siree, could it be because companies are failing miserable on their S - social role - from the ESG ansemble? In fact I believe companies fail twice: ⛔ By not investing in people's quality use of tech + ⛔ By tolerating waste and crappy, ineffective behaviors. This is how we end up with institutionalized ghosting that doesn't surprise anyone, with recommendations to start meetings late ( 😨 😱 ), with people who wouldn't turn their cameras on if one poured gas on them etc. And this mess is going to only get amplified by the messy AI implementation that is currently under way in many companies. The solution we proposed yesterday? Tech stack audit + individual betterment = ✅ Identify all the tech tools / platforms / apps you are using + ✅ Assess yourself on how well you use them + ✅ Identify your learning & growth potential + steps to get there. Because this is how we roll in the shire - by naming things for what they are and by looking for concrete solutions to pervasive problems that drive us all nuts. We deserve better. Everyone deserves better. And the positive change starts with us 💪 Wanna give our community a try? Check us out here: https://lnkd.in/eBBJbMfg #womenleaders #wearethechange #elevatingeachother #ceoelevationcircle #community

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I must share this wonderful article of helping parents in workplace health crisis by workplace entrepreneur and parent advocate Brea Starmer. Could more of our national COVID recovery $$ go to adoption of flex and fractional work? Let's recast the risk. Our mental health post COVID, especially in the workplace and also in our homes is in CRISIS and need to make it a matter of NATIONAL SECURITY. *Putting aside the tech-privileged, golden hand cuffs* When I truly pushed myself to mental breaking point working in pre-internet tech, with the additional weight of sole caregiver and lead breadwinner, there were times when I needed easy access to fractional or flex time. It wasn't available and no one was looking beyond the boutique management consultants. All I needed was access to 6mo of healthcare while working with flexible hours and my mental health would have been significantly saved. My career progress less jagged and circuitous. Flextime/fractional work is one winning solution to the workplace mental health crisis and it should be treated at the level of national security.

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Earlier this week, I brought my fully remote, distributed team together in Napa for a two-day offsite, where I intentionally stepped away from the typical planning and strategy sessions. Instead, I created space for us to simply connect.🙌 The days were mostly unstructured—a welcome break from the daily grind. We shared great meals, stories, and laughter—lots of it.🤣 Here’s what I walked away with: ✅ Immense gratitude for each person I work with. ✅ Confidence that those two days were time well spent. I truly believe that the supportive, psychologically safe environment we’ve built as a team is a direct result of the time we’ve dedicated to getting to know each other, understanding one another better, and prioritizing playfulness and fun. Too often, leaders underestimate the value of this type of connection, dismissing it as "fluff" or making minimal efforts, treating it as an afterthought. But for me, it’s the foundation of a thriving, cohesive team.❤️ Each smiling face in this photo is a big part of why my career is such a fulfilling and positive force in my life.🙏 #leadership #innovation #mentalhealth #peoplefirst #remote #remotework #wfh #humanresources

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I was reminded of something incredibly important when talking with my friend and CMO extraordinaire Gracey Cantalupo ✨ last week. I love our conversations because they naturally flow from one important topic to the next. Through our careers, we’ve become mentors to many. On the topic of executive coaching, Gracey talked about “whole person” coaching. Confidence, executive presence, allyship, mentorship, none of it matters if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Getting enough sleep, exercising, drinking enough water, eating enough protein is so important if you want to execute at the next level. I’m going to make it a point to add at least one self-care item on my daily “to do” list every day. My day is never done until I've crossed everything off on my list. This way, I'm competing with myself to take care of myself. 😉 What other tips and advice would you share? #coaching #selfcare #executivepresence #leadership #mentorship

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If you are going to this year's Scrum Gathering in New Orleans, I'd be honored if you decided to spend part of your conference with me at my talk: Embracing Neurodiversity: A Blueprint for Inclusive Scrum Teams. We're going to talk about not only the changing climate of our workplaces that are including an ever increasing percentage of neurodivergent people but also how this effects us as Scrum Masters or Agile Coaches. Our job is NOT to find the right process for every team or business in the world. Our job is to find the right process for the team or organization we serve right now. Those are made up of a unique set of individuals, some of which are neurodivergent. If we're not prepared to help them succeed, how can we truly say that we have the ability to elevate our teams / organizations?

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As a New Yorker through and through, I learned that trust means telling the truth—even when it's hard to hear. Trust in leadership isn’t just built by what you say, but how you say it—especially when giving tough feedback. We have to find innovative ways to turn a difficult conversation into an opportunity for growth and connection. #Leadership #FeedbackCulture #EmpathyInLeadership #HR #GrowthMindset #EmployeeRelations"

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One of the things I love about longform podcasts are the opportunity to go a level deeper in understanding great authors and their additional insights. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits does a lot of podcasts and I always learn something new, or gain a new insight from listening to him. In the podcast linked below he was asked what's the difference between people who make the most of their potential, vs others. His answer was simple, people make the most of their potential by the way in which they direct their attention. What's beautiful about the answer is how it's such common sense. Time is our most valuable resource, and what we apply it to directly impacts outcomes. https://lnkd.in/eEFnrRAN

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I'm thinking about my LA friends and the devastating fires. No one should have to go through the loss and trauma that so many in LA are experiencing right now. Luckily one of the startups I've been working with, Lōti is building a platform to help people recover and get insurance to actually pay out after disasters. They've thoughtfully published a set of resources to help people navigate post-disaster recovery. https://lnkd.in/eeCTcFzq Thank you Mike Yurochko and Daniel J. Choi for building such a needed resource. This whole thing is yet another awful reminder of why we need to stop burning fossil fuels now. And why we need to invest SO much more in climate resilience and adaptation. #wildfires #climatecrisis #losangeles #climatetech

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I just recorded a podcast with Lindsay CPHR, CPCC, PCC for High Voltage Leadership and I think it is the best one yet 🏆 Why? Reason 1: Lindsay is a great host and has years of coaching and HR experience to draw from Reason 2: We dove deep into the actual challenges facing female founders in building successful companies (spoiler: its not just lack of access to capital and bias, there are things women can do to set themselves up for healthier, reciprocal relationships with advisors, partners and vendors) I can't wait to share it! In the meantime, she has 147 other episodes to check out: https://lnkd.in/dh2_AKRj #femalefounders #womenintech #entrepreneur #startups #femtech

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"Reflecting on the recent tech layoffs... As someone who's experienced uncertainty, I understand the anxiety and doubt. But I've also seen the power of community and reinvention. To those affected, remember your skills and expertise are valuable. Stay positive, focus on growth, and know that new opportunities await. #TechLayoffs #CareerGrowth #Resilience #Innovation #JobSearch #NewBeginnings" https://lnkd.in/gdivqqkC

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Let's talk about funding equity! Google's recent move is a step in the right direction. Google is granting 20 Black and Latino founders who are using AI to make a difference. More of this.... https://lnkd.in/gmvsZufN #startuplife #diversityintech #goodnews

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Are you leading or part of a team facing a merger? 🤝 Make sure you have the support you need during this transition. Check out my latest Medium article, "How to Navigate Team Dynamics and Identity When Facing a Merger" for insights on navigating the change positively. 🗞️https://lnkd.in/g4JrEsNr

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As an ERG lead and nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience, I’ve recently been struck by the subtle but pervasive racism and lack of transparency in Atlanta’s large Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs). In seeking potential collaboration, I asked these VSOs what I thought were straightforward, data-driven questions—focused on measurable impact and accountability, basic standards for any mission-driven organization. To my surprise, many struggled to provide answers. Beyond emotional marketing and narratives, there was often little data backing up impact claims. This lack of transparency was particularly troubling in conversations with executives who should be deeply informed. I also noticed another major issue: the lack of diversity in VSO leadership. These organizations, meant to serve a diverse veteran community, lacked representation. Coming from a family of veterans of all backgrounds, it was disappointing to rarely see leadership reflecting our diversity. This exclusivity is concerning, especially in a sector that should model inclusivity, unity, and equality. This experience revealed not isolated gaps but a deeper, systemic problem. These large VSOs publicly champion support for veterans while operating with an unspoken bias, leaving out the very groups they claim to serve. If they represent all veterans, why does their leadership and strategy reflect such a narrow demographic? Equally troubling is the lack of data-driven accountability. I hoped to see evidence-based impact behind their programs, but instead often found a reliance on stories over metrics. When asked for measurable results, responses were often evasive or redirected. This reluctance to answer questions underscored that these organizations may be unprepared to meet the evolving needs of today’s veterans. Large VSOs in Atlanta need to understand that claiming to support veterans means little if leadership lacks diversity and if there’s no transparency around real impact. Moving forward, they must be held to the same standards they expect of veterans: accountability, integrity, and a commitment to inclusivity. A sector dedicated to service should prioritize transparency, reflect our community’s diversity, and demonstrate real, measurable outcomes. Our veterans deserve nothing less.

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Where I live it’s a tradition to eat collard greens and black eyed peas on New Year’s Day to bring prosperity in the new year. It just so happens I like greens and black eyed peas, so January 1 is a great opportunity to eat two foods I like. Does eating them bring prosperity? Let’s say I’m not convinced. 🤷‍♂️ Whether or not you believe in luck, there are things you can do that will attract success in 2025. Let’s start by committing to clarity in: ✅ Marketing ✅ Selling ✅ Goals ✅ Communications That will help customers understand how you can help them. And it will help your team know what you need them to do every day. If you need help getting this done, book a no-strings call with me. And let’s put a Business On A Mission workshop on your calendar this month. That’ll change your luck 🍀 and set you up for a prosperous 2025. We’re supplying clarity here. Isn’t it time you got some? Let’s go, Hero! 💪 #clarity #newyear #2025 #luck #tradition #action #businessonamission #letsgohero

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DEI needs to get back on track. After a rapid build-up following the summer of 2020, initiatives have stalled and been slashed or abandoned. Leaders on an SXSW panel titled “The Fight for DEI” suggest the following to bring meaningful movement to DEI programs once again. ⚡Start from a genuine place. Embed the motivation for DEI in the company's values. Investment in the programs needs to be intrinsic, and not forced. ⚡Recognize that DEI is not charity, it’s good business.  ⚡Support your DEI leaders. The work itself is emotionally exhausting, and lack of support from stakeholders multiplies that. https://lnkd.in/gftWYNMu

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