Strategic Wins
We don't have to win all the time, but we'd have to prioritize our strategic wins. Focus on the causes of your success and not the correlates, smart not hard work, and being ruthless about waste.
Announcements
News and Opportunities
The Frank Insights
Welcome to my Newsletter
Thanks to two new subscribers.
Last week, the Filipino community in Vancouver was devastated by senseless killings. As I grieve with each family affected, I call for justice and accountability. The police defended their actions by saying that “this is an unpredictable behavior.” The Toronto car-ramming incident occurred a few years ago, then this is not impossible and unpredictable. It can happen as in any terrorist attack. Should we account for all the unpredictable, bizarre, and dangerous behaviors that have the likelihood of occurrence or should we wait until a mass casualty blows up in our neighborhoods? More of this at my next issue.
Announcements
👀 Members’ Spotlight: I’m featuring my readers here, all great changemakers. Growth comes with belonging, learning, and aligning purpose with like-minded peers. If you want to share your transformational stories or lessons or any opportunity that this community may find useful and interesting, please fill out this form. As a subscriber, this is your chance to:
Share your stories/insights/opportunity 💬
Get your work noticed 💐
Connect with collaborators and like-minded professionals 🤲
This could be you
✔️ The Provocateurs Self-Assessment Tool is now available for purchase. The Tool from the book: Provocateurs provides 5 reflective questions for the 10 Principles of Global Impact Leadership + a bonus resource. Great for beginners and mid-level social impact professionals working on the ground with communities to solve the world's challenges. Free when you buy the print version of the book or ask me to present to your team. Send an e-copy of the receipt and this goes your way.
✔️ Complete the First Reader Survey I sent out a few weeks ago with my Welcome Video. Thanks in advance!
🧠 New Coaching Offers - I’m opening up 5 one-on-ones for Change Management Coaching for Executives up until the summer. In 90 days, you’ll have a concrete plan of action to jumpstart an organizational change project using my IP and best practice I’ve facilitated in many purpose-driven organizations, build buy-in and engagement, reduce resistance, and achieve long-standing gains. One-time or monthly programs are available. This expense can be charged to your yearly Professional Development budget or Organization Development budget as Board. Message me if you’re serious. First-come, first-served.
Same with the Personal Strategy Coaching for social impact leaders in transition or wanting to pivot. Transition issues arise when you change careers/field & embark on an independent venture as a business, a contractor, or build your own non-profit/social enterprise project. Together, we’ll be strategizing, addressing your resistance and obstacles, and facilitating a realistic pathway for your success in 90 days. One-time or monthly programs are available. If you’re self-employed, you can charge this expense as a business cost. Message me if you’re serious. First-come, first-served.
Martine Miller, Former Deputy Director, Rotary Peace Center, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Maiden was our Leadership and Change-Making Instructor at the Rotary International Studies on Peace, Conflict Transformation, and Development at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.
For two consecutive cohorts, Maiden led successful leadership development strategy and coaching sessions with close to 40 Rotary Peace Fellows from more than 15 countries. The goal of these coaching sessions is to further support and empower them to better navigate and lead in their personal and professional lives during these dynamic times.
These sessions with Maiden were empowering. As a whole, the Peace Fellows experienced a dramatic shift in mindset, attitude, and perspectives as they identified their growth needs and aspirations to become better leaders and change-makers. With levers of accountability, they created and managed their sustainable pathways to breakthroughs that improved their effectiveness in their current local, national, and international roles.
Camille Bowen-Forbes, MPH, PhD, Entrepreneur
I am now better able to think strategically about the pricing of my product. The way that Maiden shared personalized strategies to each of the participants demonstrated not only the depth and breadth of her expertise in developing business strategies, but also her interest in the personal success of others. I would definitely recommend Maiden as a business strategist!
📖 Available: The 6-Week Reflective Practice for Purpose-Driven Leaders is a tool to strengthen clarity, resolve, and resilience in moving forward with your goals this year. We can never have too much reflection. This is a self-directed exercise, use it anytime and anywhere you need to. Free when buy 3-months of The Sentimental Provocateur. Originally valued at $19.99 CAD. If you’re self-employed, you can charge this newsletter subscription as a business cost.
📖 !!! Drum roll….Global Voices for Peace is now available. Yours truly is just one of the many contributors of this book. You can find all the ways to purchase the book here. Invite Susan to speak at your events/programs. Find my contribution in that book!
🎤 Where Am I Speaking /Facilitation/ Writing Next?
The Above the Bar Podcast, May 28th (Online)
Facilitating Conversations on “Leadership and Community Strengthening: How does the Provocateur-Leader approach fit in?” - CDLI- June 18 (Online)
Keynote Presentation: Provocateurs, Net Impact Edmonton AGM, June 26, IRL
??? - Don’t let your professional development event become a footnote. DM me.
🌲 Opportunities & Events
These opportunities are provided as a bonus for subscription. Please exercise due diligence and contact these providers directly if you want more information.
Apply for Partial and Full Scholarship at The University of Peace Costa Rica Diploma programs, May 15
Apply for the 2026 Rotary Peace Fellowship Program, Rotary International by May 15 (if you’re serious, I can help)
Register to the 2025 Rotary Calgary Convention and attend all the interesting side-events at the House of Friendship
Apply The Rising Leaders of Mexico Fellowship, by June 22.
The Frank Insights
Chance
We don’t credit chance in our success more than we should. The more we do well with what we’re good at, the more successful we are. Have funding, apply for more. Get into prestigious networks, get more. Promoted your cause in a big stage, do more next year. Wrote 1 book, write more in the next few years. You stack the chance of success in your side by doing more of what works and jettisoning what didn’t. Too many people get depressed when starting and not seeing results. This is not an instant results-life although we have everything instant by the swipe of a finger. Find another way. Take another route. Don’t let the early disappointment get you out of your game.
It reminded me recently of Sofronio Vasquez, the first Asian to win The Voice 2024. He was always teary-eyed about the declines and rejections he faced before reaching this achievement. Until now, he tears up about it, when asked, as if all fresh and new. Talk about 15 years, 10 years of preparation, leading to the biggest win. Your ego maybe crushed by the momentary pain but your soul is refined overtime.
Success happens too! The more we understand the underlying causes of our success, the less edgy we are about our own genius. With preparation and right mindset, lady luck is easily within reach.
Strategic Wins
Talking about luck, let’s focus on strategic wins. How busy is the modern world? Too busy. How busy is the modern CEO? Way too busy. How busy is the social entrepreneur? Really busy. How busy are the parents these days? Ah, don’t tell me about it. But you see, everyone’s hustling but not strategically winning.
Last year, I sat on the coach for almost two months after my surgery. I let everything slipped and rested to heal. I cared not about the world, my work, or if people even knew that I was offline. I woke up everyday with the awareness that I will not do anything that’s mentally and/or physically exhausting. I took my sweet time. While all the time thinking about what I can do next. What’s next? Silence filled my days, and honestly I loved it.
Those silent days without turning a computer on, checking emails, watching Youtube videos helped me dig deep into another area of my business which was under-focused and underinvested. I sought the help of a coach to strengthen that piece and so for the next few months, I felt renewed vigor I’ve never experienced before. Those months of rest paved the way for me to bounce back strategically.
Remember the Parkinson’s Law, what you magnify expands. A two-hour business meeting turned out to be three, a half-hour writing a memo becomes a 2-hour work. I called an executive a few years ago, to follow-up with our conversation regarding a specific assistance on strategy. She told me that she’s very busy that she wouldn’t have time to discuss this particular need at this time. Well, I let her go with that busyness or non-need. But that could be just an excuse not to talk to me, which I didn’t even bother to argue.
Are you actually focusing on the problem or you’re situating yourself towards a solution? Going round and round like a hamster in a wheel, redoubling your efforts while you do not see results is insanity. The problem will just get bigger and bigger while the solution becomes unreachable. And once the perception that the problem is too huge or complicated, the tendency is to sweep the issue under the rug, hoping that it will go away on its own with a new staffing , new strategy or policy or buy-in from management. Or maybe there’s an change of heart from a staff that needs to be given a heart-to-heart talk.
As a purpose-driven leader, are you instinctively making band-aid solutions or lasting changes?
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