Equipped For Change®

In the midst of uncertainty, success or failure hinges on how well people embrace and navigate change.  In this episode, Keisha A Rivers, M.Ed. digs deeper into The People Side of Change™, providing strategies, approaches and insights to support leaders.

Change is a constant in most organizations. Navigating change initiatives and being resilient in the face of change is a core skill for leaders to be effective. Join our host Keisha A Rivers and guest Rosalind Johnson, SVP of Build A Bear, as they share insights and strategies to help you practice resilient leadership in the midst of change.

We all know that action is necessary to achieve success, but are we taking the RIGHT action? Join Keisha A Rivers as she outlines a quick 3-step process: ACT: Alignment - Clarity - Timing- guaranteed to ensure you and your team are creating a blueprint of success.

When we talk about wanting change, we have to look beyond the surface to dig deep into the systems that have supported the status quo. If you're not seeing results in your change efforts, are you going beyond the surface and examining the system? Join Keisha A Rivers as she outlines 5 areas that you need to focus on to create long-term, systemic change for your people and your organization.

How often have we heard "Treat others the way you want to be treated"? What if I told you that when it comes to creating truly inclusive communities, the Golden Rule does NOT apply! Tune in as Keisha A Rivers provides three ways in which you can shift from centering yourself to creating dynamic, inclusive and diverse communities where ALL people are celebrated. If you're a people leader, you don't want to miss this!

When change smacks us in the face, we have a decision to make about HOW we show up. Do we stand up tall or do we cower in fear? Do we harness the power of our passion to create long-term impact? Join Keisha A Rivers of The KARS Group LTD as she shares three things you must have when showing up during change.

We've all heard about the natural seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. But what if I told you that there are corresponding seasons when it comes to change both individually and within your organizations? Join Keisha A Rivers as she outlines the seasons of change; what they look like and how to navigate them successfully.

When I lost my voice for 3 weeks, I had to come to grips with what having laryngitis meant for me and the way I saw my voice. Turns out there's MUCH more to voice than we think. Tune in as I share my ah-ha moments and provide tips for how you can be more effective, impactful and influential when wielding your voice.

Talk is cheap. Whenever we're faced with change or something difficult, we tend to talk more about how we're going to do better instead of actually doing the work of becoming better. What will it take for us to move from performative to impactful? How does this look for allies? What does it mean for organizations and leaders? Join Keisha A Rivers as she asks the hard question: "When will we go from performative to impactful?" -- and then provides steps to help you in your journey of transformation.

Change challenges us. It forces us to take a long, hard, HONEST look in the mirror. So what happens when we don't like what we see? How do we move forward to improve and make progress to become a better version of ourselves? Join Keisha A Rivers as she provides insights into what makes us react to the challenge of change the way we do and shares two things you can do right now to equip yourself to embrace the challenge of change in your life.

We've all heard it and done it....a new year rolls around and chants of "New Year, New Me" abound. But what's REALLY new about you? How are you holding yourself accountable to be better? What steps are you taking towards REAL, sustainable growth? Join Keisha A Rivers as she asks some hard questions to get you to change your mindset so you can master your success in the new year.

Change is a process that begins with an event. But how many times have we gone through the process only to miss the lessons that are right in front of us? Tune in as Keisha A Rivers shares three tips to help you identify the lessons and apply them to your circumstances to create success.

If 2020 has taught us nothing else, it has shown us that change is inevitable. Change is a constant. The way in which we react to change is important, but instead of reacting why not get ready? Join Keisha A Rivers as she shares 3 ways you can shift your direction to get ready for change that will equip you for success.

Inclusion isn't just a concept, it's an action word. What does it look like to create a truly inclusive environment? How do you ensure that you are working towards implementing all of the strategies, best practices and information that you've been hearing? Tune in as Keisha Rivers outlines specific steps of what to do and shares the foundational key to "getting inclusion right" that most people miss.

Many SAY they want change, expect change or even need change. But do you BELEIVE in change? Do you believe in yourself, the actions and others in our journey of transformation? Tune in as Keisha A Rivers provides food for thought, insights, strategies, do's and don'ts when it comes to determining whether you are setting yourself up for successful, sustainable change.

When organizations want to go from good to great to exceptional, what's the secret sauce? How do you ensure that you're on the right track to creating a culture and community that moves the needle and gets sustainable results? Our guest Dr. Shalini Nag is a firm believer in the limitless potential of people united by a common goal. She has experienced this first-hand in her work with over 85 organizations worldwide. Listen in as she provides proven strategies and outlines specific actions you can take to move your organization from great to exceptional.

We live in a microwave society where everyone is screaming "Give it to me FASTER!". So what does that mean for making decisions and preparing ourselves to be equipped for change? If no one has any patience for the process, how to we make real progress? Join Keisha A Rivers as she provides three strategies that you can implement when making a decision about whether to capitailize on building momentum and doing it fast--or to think it through and do it right. (Hint: the solution isn't mutually exclusive!)

Leadership practices tout how leaders need to be effective, responsible, ethical, authentic and collaborative (among other characteristics), but when it comes down to it, are we putting more emphasis on policy or personality? Join Keisha A Rivers as she discusses the double-standard that we have when it comes to the roles and responsbilities of leaders in different arenas and what it means for us to live up to our responsibilities as followers.

Changed actions begin with being open to having a conversation and exchanging ideas and new information. We all know people who are willing to "have the conversation", but aren't really open to actual change. In order to position ourselves for better, we have to adjust our beliefs, our mindset and our actions. Join Keisha A. Rivers as she discusses the top 5 things you have to consider when being open to change.

When dealing with issues that come up, it's easy to want to take an action--any action. But is what you're doing real change or misdirection? Are you dealing with the REAL issues, asking the RIGHT questions and preparing for REAL results? Join Keisha A Rivers as she identifies 3 steps to ensuring that your organization and leadership is focusing on the right things in order to get the right results.

How you think about change, circumstances, situations, people and yourself has a huge impact on your actions and how successful you are. How do your beliefs impact, empower or limit you? In what ways do your thoughts affect the ways in which you navigate the world and deal with others? Join Keisha A Rivers for a heart-felt mic-side chat as she shares insights and experiences regarding change and how what we think we know and believe is actually all in our heads.

It's been said that comparison is the thief of joy. Well it's also the thief of growth. In our focus on instant gratification, we forget that change isn't about who achieves or arrives first--it's about the process that you go through to create success based on who you are and what you need and want. Listen in as Keisha A Rivers provides three tips that will equip you to establish your own process of change and will enable you to achieve success on YOUR terms.

Change and shifts provide lessons and opportunties to learn and grow. But what are we doing with those lessons? Are we really applying the new information, insights and knowledge in ways that will best serve us and those around us? Listen in as Keisha A Rivers provides insights on how lessons of change can manifest themselves in people, relationships, perspective/perception and within you.

What do you do if your people want and are willing to do the transformative work of change but leadership doesn't? How do you deal with people who are closed-minded, disconnected and apathetic--especially when those people are in leadership positions? Join Keisha A Rivers as she shares insights, tips and strategies to help you create success through difficult situations caused by toxic leadership.

In a time when people are hypersensitive and the environment is highly charged and politicized, a new fear of "cancel culture" has arisen where people fear being "cancelled" because of something they say or do. What if we focus instead on canceling the notion that people have to conform with an arbitrary standard of what's "normal" or acceptable? What does it look like to cancel conformity culture in your organization, team, company or community? Listen in as Keisha A Rivers shares insights on what this looks like in action and how you can cancel conformity culture and create an environment that is better equiipped for change.

The year 2020 has taught us that what we thought we knew and the things we thought were "forever" are all subject to change. We have had to shift our ways of doing business, traveling, connecting and living. How do you adjust your vision to not just react to catalysts and change events, but to think ahead and create a new vision that equips you to thrive BEFORE change happens? Join Keisha A Rivers as she shares three strategies that you can implement now to start shifting your vision and changing your life.

The way we see the world, circumstances, situations and ourselves can either propel us forward or hold us back. How do you see the world? How do you see yourself? The vision that you have impacts the way in which you see the world around you and impacts the way you think and what you do. Join in as Keisha A Rivers provides insights on how your vision shapes your actions and provides a roadmap of questions to consider in making the shift to change your vision.

Leaders, managers and supervisors are responsible for achieving specific outcomes and have to manage and equip their teams to do so. A large part of leading teams is to provide feedback that is relevant, timely and action-focused. If you're leading a team, you need to understand the best way to address issues while creating an environment of collaboration. Tune in for insights, suggestions and tips you can apply immediately to make your teams better.

We're creatures of habit. We don't like to do things differently even if the situation and circumstances around us REQUIRE that we shift. As such, we're missing an opportunity. Instead of trying to make old systems fit new circumstances, we should be looking for the opportunities to create a new way of thinking, doing and being that leads to new systems and approaches based on what we're facing. What opportunities are you missing? How are you looking at change? Join Keisha A. Rivers as she provides insights and specific questions you need to ask yourself about how you're missing opportunities to grow, change and succeed.

With all of the change swirling around these days, it's easy to feel as if you can't move forward unless you get buy-in from the top. But what happens if it seems as if your leadership has checked out? What if they're not involved, interested or engaged in the process of change? What do you do to keep momentum going? Tune in as Keisha A Rivers provides insights, strategies and a mindset shift to help you think differently about what it means to lead and how you can create opportunities for sustained change and success in your organization.

So often we move through the world in our own little bubble. We only go to the same places; talk to the same people; watch the same programs; vote the same way and move in the same circles. But change requires that you expand your way of thinking. It requires that you get out of your bubble and become more aware of and connected to the world around you. We don't exist in a vacuum. We have to connect because the ripple effect of what we do--and what we don't do--is felt long after we're gone. How are you going to get out of your bubble? Listen in for some suggestions about how you can start the process.

We are beings of purpose and passion--always seeking the "why" that fuels us and pushes us to the "next". But what happens when life shifts and change is upon us and the "how" that we had envisioned no longer applies? How do you shift? Join Keisha A Rivers as she gives you food for thought and questions to consider in making a shift to adapt and evolve your "how" so you can honor your "why".

The way you think fuels your emotions and your emotions direct your actions. When you want something different in your life, you have to start thinking differently. Change is a process that begins with an event. But the way you think about change and that event determines the results that you get. On this Equipped for Change edition of Mindset 2 Mastery, Keisha A Rivers shares how you can understand the impact of your thoughts on change and provides insights on how you can direct your journey by directing your mind.

With the heightened awareness of the need for diversity & inclusion training and with more companies implementing new initiatives, there has been some pushback that D&I training is inherently racist. When dealing with and unpacking sensitive topics like subconscious bias, white privilege, racism, discrimination, microagressions and power -- of course people will feel uncomfortable. But is the training actually racist in it's approach to and treatment of white people? If this has been a question that you or your team has been grappling with, listen in as Keisha A Rivers provides you with the case for D&I training and it's role in being anti-racist.

There's a saying "I cannot hear what you say over the sound of your actions". Our words mean nothing. Our behavior is what is the ultimate testiment of what we truly believe. To be equipped for change, you need to be open to examining what you REALLY believe. Join Keisha A Rivers as she unpacks the relationship between your beliefs and your behavior and provides you with steps to shift your mindset so you can create new ways of thinking, being and doing.

So often people talk about choosing the work that they do. They think about what it is that they are good at and how they can create a profession and a career in that area. But what happens when the work chooses you? What happens when you find yourself passionate about something that causes you to speak up and stand out in ways that you didn't before? What happens when you find yourself unable to go back to the way things were before because you know too much? In this episode, I talk about what it looks like when the work chooses you and give you some action steps of what's next in helping you to embrace the choice. You don't want to miss this one.

When people say "I can't imagine" it's usually in response to something horrible that's happened. It's meant to convey a sense of deferrence to your pain or experience by not attempting to trivialize it in some way. But what if we switched the meaning of that phrase? What if we DID imagine what someone else is experiencing, feeling and thinking? What if we DID connect to their experience so much so that we actually DID something about it? In this episode, Keisha A Rivers shares insights on how to change that phrase in ways to create a catalyst for change and to support the transformation within your teams, organizations, companies, and communities.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, systemmic racism and discrimination have all been described as policy issues, political issues, procedural issues and process issues. They have typically been regarded as something that happens to or impacts "others". What if the "others" is actually "us"? What happens when we see things through a different lens? How would you think about these issues if you were to see through MY eyes?

In a previous episode I shared my personal views and experiences about racism and what it's like to be a Black woman in the US. In this episode I want to talk about what it means to be anti-racist and what that looks like for people who are seeking a post-racial society.

Now more than ever we have to be intentional about designing a work culture that encourages and fosters engagement, diversity and inclusion. Our guest Cherise Walker shares her insights and experiences of what it looks like to create a leadership approach founded on the principles of engagement and community.

Racism is a hot-button topic these days. It's emotional, political, polarizing and divisive. Racism is the dirty little secret that everyone knows is there--yet no one want to talk about. Listen in on this episode as I unpack what racism truly means, how it shows up and what it looks like from my perspective.

With newfound attention being placed on diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, an easy go-to has become forming Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). But what if ERGs aren't really being utilized to their full potential? What if organizations are rushing in to implement programs that amount to little more than empty promises and actually diminish engagement? In this episode, Keisha A Rivers examines the truth about Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): what works, what doesn't and how to create opportunities for long-term sustainable success.

Resistance to change happens for many reasons, but the one that most people fail to address are the impact that triggers and trauma have on how people deal with the change process. Join Keisha A Rivers as she provides a 4-step process to help you address triggers and reframe trauma to create opportunities for growth and transformation.

We've talked a lot about change being a process that begins with an event. But did you know that the process of change also has seasons? How we understand, engage and act during the summer, fall, winter and spring of change determines our long-term success and the sustainability of change efforts. Join Keisha A Rivers as she outlines what the seasons of change are, how you can recognize them and what you must do to successfully navigate each one.

Change is a process that begins with and event. But what happens when the process becomes derailed? If you understand and can prepare for these 5 issues, you'll be well on your way to overcoming the obstacles and creating a path to success.

Fear Of Missing Out is what causes us to want to feel included, accepted and embraced as "good enough". When we operate from a foundation where we fear missing out on the good life, or our status or even our privilege--we miss the opportunity to step up, speak out and create change. Diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging are not mutually exclusive concepts. If you champion inclusion and equity for all, that does not mean that there won't be enough for you. This episode is personal. This episode is passionate. This episode is one you should listen to and share.

People talk about change. They fear change. They fight change. they may even wish for change. But at what point will they--will YOU step up to BE the change? Listen in as Keisha A Rivers provides insights into what it means to harness the power that is within you to make an impact and create a ripple effect within your team, organization, community and society and bring about the change that you want to see.

Our minds automatically want to find ways to make connections to make meaning. The problem is that most of the time we prefer to seek out information that supports what we already think or believe. So how does confirmation bias impact our ability to embrace and manage change? Listen in to find out ways that confirmation bias shows up and how you can effectively navigate it within your organization.

There has been a never-ending battle between our personal and professional lives. We're always searching for the elusive "lines" that will enable us to "balance" both sides. But what if instead of trying to "balance" the lines, we instead blur them? Join us as we talk about the shifts we can take to stop trying to balance the personal and professional and instead blur the lines to create success.

There are TONS of workshops, talks, webinars, articles, trainings, posts, courses, videos and podcasts that provide lots of content on any topic you can imagine. But how much of that content are we actually connecting with? When there's so much information coming at you, the natural inclination is to shut down or shut it off. But what happens if instead of being overwhelmed by the content, we instead looked at ways to connect? Listen in as I walk through three ways for you to connect with information that will move you from feeling overwhelmed to learning, growing and developing in ways that will equip you for change.