Voce Justicia

The Voice is logical and thoughtful. The Voice is urgent and needs to be heard because the message is so crucial. The Voice is diverse because the issues are multiple.

[vocejusticia]

Remembering the Dream

January 15. The day marked as the day to honor the birth date of the man, Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, minister, strategist of nonviolent resistance, advocate for economic justice, beacon of a more equal and inclusive United States of America. His most famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” offered a vision of a future shaped by justice, belonging, and the courage to widen the circle…

Remembering the Dream

[vocejusticia]

Is it a Matter of Communication?

Although October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month) is behind us, the matter of abuse is an ever-present entity that plagues all parts of our culture, society, world. It impacts not just the home but many other places outside of the home.

One of those external places is the area of sports and athletics. Olympic gymnasts have complained about harassment and abuse from their coaches. So we shouldn’t be surprised at the many other places outside of the home where this dynamic is occurring - in silence.

There are many facets of abuse. Physical abuse is the first impression of what abuse represents. There are other dynamics involved in this kaleidoscope. There’s also psychological abuse (sometimes referred to as emotional abuse) where disparaging language is used to crush the personality. Some sports coaches used the old school version of emotional abuse in order to spur their athletes into being motivated to win at all costs.

In high school sports, that attitude and style of coaching is changing. The urging for excellence is taking on a new form. Consider Coach Parrish’s metamorphosis over the last 20 years.

Reading the dynamics of the old school style of coaching brings to mind the old school style of business management and supervision, paired with the HR responses to manager complaints and poor performance reviews. Those situations usually turned into a career that stagnated or nosedived.

There are a lot of alternatives to the brusque attitude of those in power. One of the leading alternatives is developing good communication skills, using tact when speaking to others who are under our tutelage, and being diplomatic when dealing with even the opponent. Sometimes it’s important to develop a relationship that survives “today” so that it becomes a future alliance and improved business relationships. Sometimes it’s more than merely winning today’s game because there’s always tomorrow when it isn’t a game but the future of many other stakeholders whose welfare is on the line.

[vocejusticia]

Home Made Partners

  Gardening © Viacheslav Iacobchuk | Dreamstime.com v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Sometimes we parents (especially single parents) get into a rut (or even a funk) about things that seem out of our control. Bad habits start to grow, become mountainous. Our kids are watching their role…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

The Audition

Let’s have a casual conversation about presenting ourselves. Let’s talk about some things that need to be remembered, whether during a public speech, in casual conversation, or when auditioning (or interviewing) for a part.  Some of you may be aware that I’m in the process of moving. That has entailed going through 30 years worth of accumulated things. The discoveries have been surprising,…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

The United States Pledge of Allegiance

The United States Pledge of Allegiance

It’s endured a lot in its history. The basic tenets of the symbol remain constant. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash Last month I volunteered to lead a group in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag. The words of this pledge have haunted me for at least the past four years. Each time they’re uttered, either mentally or aloud, their meanings challenge my thought processes.…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

Having a Voice

Some us are writers and desire to express ourselves in whatever is our style. Some of use mixed genre, fiction, nonfiction, advocacy, poetr...

Your message wants to get out there. Make it effective.

[vocejusticia]

Engagement

Telling a story involves having a subject, attracting your audience to the narrative, and making them glad of the experience (generally spea...

Entice them to care and get involved.

[vocejusticia]

These days we speak in polite terms about racism. It’s denominated as “implied bias” and “unconscious bias” when terms and references hale back to outdated practices o…

Reagan and Nixon. We don’t think of them as racists nor having racist proclivities. They were public leaders; they both held the office of President of the United States. Their public addresses were not divisive nor held import toward being so. Yet some recorded conversations between the two show the other side of those profiles.

[vocejusticia]

Not Implied, Private Speech

Not Implied, Private Speech

Seeking the Truth; What’s Behind the Door

Diversity, inclusion, acceptance, racial and ethnic harmony. Interesting terms; usually desirable concepts. Then there’s the opposites such as implied (as well as blatant) racial hate / bias. Basically, they’re a lot of talking points.

Starting with “implied bias,” they’re usually not actually discussed in polite public arenas but they (as well as the…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

The push and pull of governmental negotiations is the public view of how things transpire in many organizations, as well as families. The health isn’t necessarily what meets the eye. The end …

Are we really focusing on keeping out undesirables or are we delving into questionable ethics and leadership?

The earmarks of a domestic Holocaust seem to be emerging on a daily basis. It's time to rise up and demand accountability and a return to sensibility.

The superficial issues appear to be political in nature. Delving into the deeper issues involved, we begin to realize how events can translate into how some organizations operate in order to gain the upper hand while deluding their audience into believing altruism and security are the high stakes.

[vocejusticia]

A Humanitarian Move from a Leadership Perspective

A Humanitarian Move from a Leadership Perspective

A $4 billion border funding bill was passed by Congress today. Although at first blush it seems to be the funding “demanded” by Trump in order for him to finance a southern wall (that he vowed would be financed by Mexico), in fact, this bill is not for financing a wall.

Actually, the funds are intended to finance care of those who are migrants and being held in detention while waiting for an…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

A Woman's Choice, A Woman's Right

A Woman’s Choice, A Woman’s Right

For your information: My Body, My Choice

Kirsten Waters is a spokes person for the Pro-Life cause. She makes an interesting and compelling argument until a critical tipping point. She cites the writer’s argument that men have the responsibility to work in order to provide for the woman and her offspring.

Actually, there was an historic prohibition to women’s right to work and earn a living (even…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

Having Power

It’s one thing to think you have power. It’s another matter of actually having and using it. Identify the elements of the skill.

Whether a leader or a candidate for a position, demonstrating effectiveness is the critical ingredient to demonstrating being capable and having power. Effectiveness is spotlighted when searching for the one who power. Which attributes would you add?

[vocejusticia]

Having Power

Weight of having strength and power

There are many concepts of what power means as well as what it is. Simply put, power is the ability to be effective. We speak of having powerful engines and equipment. The lion is known as the King of the Jungle because of its prowess and powerfulness. Leaders are known for their insight, vision, and ability to influence others to do (or overcome) certain things…

View On WordPress

[vocejusticia]

Throughout the centuries, resistance to technological advances was high. It was a threat to the human worker. Consider the legend of John Henry, the steel driver who didn't want to yield his known prowess to a steam engine. Although the machine broke first, human endurance element of insufficient rest, also defeated the man. In the end, the...

It used to be considered a threat to employment security. It was viewed as an assault on a worker's integrity and value. As time has passed and technology evolved, what was formerly a matter of science fiction has become so commonplace as to be an expected tool. Is it possible that disability and lifestyle accommodations are the cause of this evolution or is it a matter of making Life more convenient for everyone?

[vocejusticia]

Early Prevention

A mere seven weeks into the year 2019 and already there have been 39 mass shootings that left 67 people dead. Nine of the incidents occurred in public places or businesses. Yesterday's incident involved workplace issues. In this last case, there were measures that could have been put in place to at least ameliorate the escalation of the outlash of...

There are ways to deter workplace active shooter situations. What could have been done better?

[vocejusticia]

The use of calendars is typically viewed as a means of keeping track of days of the year. It;s important for the sake of scheduling, attending meetings, predictable commencements and conclusions.

The start of a year has various interpretations that depend on what you're doing as well as your location - and even religion. Let's not forget regulatory and business filing dates.

For a well-run, inclusive enterprise, it's important to keep track of time and dates. But what constitutes the start of a year or an anniversary date?