New year, new keyword, same penguins.
We’re back after a few months’ hiatus, during which I submitted my doctoral thesis and swiftly proceeded to do nothing but sleep and eat to recover from said thesis. It’s a new year and, astonishingly, we’re already approaching the end of Team HB6’s online leadership programming! While it's still uncertain when a global cohort will be able to safely travel to Antarctica, the good news is that this is only the beginning of my engagement with Homeward Bound.
As many of you know, Team HB6 Canada has united and will work to advance our shared goals this year. I’ve also signed up to join the Homeward Bound Inter-Cohort Networking Program 2022, a wonderful initiative started by some of our alumnae to facilitate cross-cohort collaboration. Additionally, once Team HB6 completes our online programming this March, we’ll be formally inducted into The Convergence, the full global alumnae network of Homeward Bound.
With these avenues ahead of me, it’s time to reflect on my keyword for the year. As I described in last year’s post about my 2021 keyword, I like to choose a theme for the new year that I can channel in all areas of my life. Last year’s keyword was visibility. I challenged myself to become more visible in all spheres, whether that meant public visibility (like this blog), advancing in my profession, or communicating more openly and confidently within my personal relationships. This was nurtured in great part by the many visibility-themed exercises, discussions, and reflective practices guided by Homeward Bound faculty throughout the year. Other keywords I’ve chosen in the past include boundaries and healing, two major themes firmly embedded in my lifestyle.
Image description (above right): A grainy, sepia-toned comic of a penguin standing on a small hill and surrounded by many pairs of eyes. The penguin's soul is escaping from its beak ('Giving up the Ghost' trope) and the words "so. exposed." are written beneath. A caption reads "'Very Visible Nia', an HB newbie, circa 2021". The original colour version of this comic was published in a blog post in March 2021.
Typically, I’m proactive and enthusiastic about diving into my New Year’s introspection. This year, however, it took me a while to figure out what keyword I wanted to channel—largely because I was suffering from burnout. The few times I started pondering keywords, I found myself centering the current stressors and immediate needs in my life: money, repose, direction. While these are all valid things to focus on, none of them fully embodied my feelings toward 2022.
Finally, I landed on something (much) broader: horizon. The line where the earth and sky meet. To me, the word ‘horizon’ evokes a sense of vastness, uncertainty, and hope. At this time in my life, that’s exactly what lies before me.
I’m closing a long chapter that includes my graduate research, various leadership projects, and years of profound and transformative healing work. The next chapter is a blank canvas, which is simultaneously daunting and delightful. Whereas my 2021 keyword was closely linked with concrete goals and challenges, my 2022 keyword is more about embracing the unknown and allowing my eyes to alight on distant and unexpected sights. Right now, I don't know where I'm headed, and that's okay.
Image description (above left): An early-morning horizon in blue, green, and yellow tones. The hazy silhouette of mountains appear in the bottom half. In the top half, the sun is rising in a clear sky.
As I take my time selecting pigments for my fresh canvas, I reflect more deeply on my leadership and what it is I want to create. Over the past year, I’ve considered my values, priorities, and purpose along with my HB6 teammates. Recently, I also completed the last in a series of one-on-one coaching sessions to explore my Life Styles Inventory (LSI). The LSI is a diagnostic tool comprising self-assessment and peer assessment to deliver insights into your thinking and behaviour.
Before exploring my detailed LSI results, though, I want to start with one (seemingly) simple question: What am I known for? This question was posed to HB6 as we practised verbalising our strengths and purpose as womxn leaders in STEMM. We tried to describe ourselves as candidly as we could, which for many was a novel and tricky experience—after all, womxn are still socialised to undersell themselves in a way that runs much deeper in our social systems than simply 'lacking confidence'. In the end, Team HB6 described everything from ‘top specialist in my field’ to ‘big picture thinker’ to ‘someone who asks the difficult questions’.
My contribution fell along the lines of “practical and compassionate leader who strives to leave things better than I found them”.
Though, ask me on a different day and I might easily give you a different answer! As challenging as it can be to tout your own strengths, it’s another challenge entirely to boil down your essence to one or two sentences. This piqued my curiosity: How would others describe me in a few words? I thought it would be a fun exercise to ask my family, friends, and colleagues to share their perspectives. What is Nia known for? There is, of course, no acceptable answer without accompanying penguin comics. Image descriptions are provided at the end of this post. And yes, 'noot' is the sound a penguin makes. Trust me, I'm a scientist.
Despite being quite self-aware with respect to my personality and character strengths, it is a new and fascinating experience to hear others describe me in their own words—and I’m certainly less poetic than some of my friends! This short exercise was a fitting prelude to my LSI reflections, as it gave me a taste of how my self-perception might align or diverge from how others perceive me. In the next blog reflection, I’ll expand on this by reviewing the LSI reports generated from the input of myself and seven of my colleagues, including supervisors, peers, and supervisees. Quite frankly, the scientist in me salivates at the abundance of data to analyse.
Facing down 2022, one of my goals is to start integrating the insights from my LSI and coaching sessions into my leadership strategy. By exploring previously unrecognised strengths and areas for improvement, I aim to develop a better sense of direction for the future. In other words, I'll be broadening all kinds of figurative horizons—and hopefully glimpse a few new literal ones, too. More on this next time!
In the meantime, what are you known for? What would you like to be known for? Do you struggle to describe yourself? Have you agreed with or felt at odds with how others describe you? Leave a comment (sign-up is free) or contact me if you’d like to share your thoughts!
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Image descriptions for the above comic series:
First: A floating penguin with sparkling eyes holds a rose in each wing, shedding rose petals against a multicolour pastel background. The penguin's feet extend into plant roots while small green leaves sprout from the top of its head. A caption reads, "An artist, an empath, an intelligent scientist, but above all, a student of life—always willing to learn and grow."
Second: A pink sponge with a smiling face sits in the middle of a classroom beside a stack of books. The sponge is soaking up a puddle of water labelled 'knowledge'. A caption reads, "Smart yet very humble! Absorbs new information very quickly. Has a quirky humour that made my mundane college days much more interesting! I'm thinking about all the times we laughed together.”
Third: Two penguins sit leaning against one another on an ice floe. One wears earmuffs and the other wears a toque. Behind them is the sky at sunset. The colours of the sunset are reflected in the water before them and shafts of sunlight streak across the image. A caption reads, "Someone who encourages people to be better by bringing other perspectives and asking hard questions. As a friend (if you are lucky enough to be their friend), they are compassionate and supportive, always offering a safe space."
Fourth: In the foreground is the back of a person wearing trekking clothes, a sun hat, and a backpack. The person holds a wooden staff and faces a lush green jungle containing different types of leaves, vines, and tropical flowers. A caption reads, "Trailblazer. Resilient. Explorer. Creative. Curious. Solving problems first. Has and continues to beat the challenges in their path."
Fifth: Against a polka-dotted background rests a small round table, an easel, and a potted plant. A steaming mug of tea sits on the table. On the easel sits a rectangular canvas with faint pastel paint splotches, a paintbrush, and a pot of water. A palette and jars of paint sit below the easel. Behind the easel is a draped red wall hanging embroidered in gold and trimmed with decorative bells and tassels. A caption reads, "A hardworking and intellectual individual. Extremely creative. Adventurous and willing to explore the unknown. A team player who listens well to others, is responsible, and reliable."
Sixth: A black sky is dotted with stars and thin clouds. A faintly multicoloured full moon gives off a glow and shines upon grey water. In the foreground, a colourful wave crests and sprays foam. A caption reads, "Nia is known for inciting colourful tides in a motionless, grey sea; a chromatic moon in the night sky."
Seventh (last): In superhero style, a penguin wearing a cape leaps through the air against a comet streak. The penguin's foot strikes an amorphous stone-like slab labelled 'problem'. Cracks spread through the slab. The word 'NOOT' is drawn in block letters against the background. A caption reads, "Very thoughtful in all interactions and an active problem solver."