Last month was the second Mental Health Awareness Month set against the backdrop of a global pandemic. And while we are in a much different – and dare I say better – spot than we were this time last year, the significance of mental health awareness is no less profound. At ABD, we endeavor to offer resources to help our team acknowledge and address their own mental wellbeing. We framed the month with recognition of the various stages from “surviving” to “thriving” and encouraged our team to actively participate in learning and living along that spectrum.

We kicked off the month hosting Paula Davis, founder of the Stress and Resilience Institute and author of . Paula helped us think about burnout as an organization and rather than focusing entirely on an individual’s symptoms, shifting our attention to the causes of burnout, and embracing a systemic, holistic solution.

She shared the symptoms of burnout (e.g., chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy) and the cause as an imbalance between certain job demands and job resources. The antidote, according to Davis, is to create thriving and resilient teams. Davis recommended creating a culture of resilience by keeping teams aware of tangible and intangible resources at their disposal; actively inviting teams to contribute new ideas; and constantly keeping teams informed.

We wrapped up the month with Dr. Eric Potterat, a clinical and sports psychologist and retired U.S. Navy Commander considered one of the leading experts in high performance psychology, performance optimization, and teamwork under pressure. Dr. Potterat shared the value of self-awareness and revealed stress mitigation methods for high-pressure working environments. He also shared invaluable practical tips to both understanding and learning the characteristics that contribute to higher productivity and more consistent success, and ultimately excellence.

We heard many “nuggets” from both professionals that can help individuals and organizations create a mental wellbeing and success strategy. A few we loved:

Mental strength is the ability to control the human stress response and it can be learned, practiced, and improved.

Beware of catastrophizing events that have not happened.

Write down your goals, whether long-term or simply how you mean to end one day and start the next.

Find balance with work, relationships, health, and spirituality and use self-affirmation as a positive feedback cycle.

Mental wellbeing is a journey for everyone, and everyone takes a different path along that journey.

We thank Paula Davis and Dr. Eric Potterat for taking the time to share their wisdom and guidance and help ABD be a better team for our clients, colleagues, and the community.

Last month was the second Mental Health Awareness Month set against the backdrop of a global pandemic. And while we are in a much different – and dare I say better – spot than we were this time last year, the significance of mental health awareness is no less profound. At ABD, we endeavor to […]

Mental Health Awareness Month in the Time of COVID: Surviving to Thriving

Last week was set to be auspicious as ABD celebrated Black History Month, the Lunar New Year, American Heart Association’s “Go Red Day”, Presidents’ Day, and Valentine’s Day – even the sun was even shining in the Bay Area.  Amidst all that, we hosted the “Play” segment of our Work, Love, Play, LEAD Speaker Series with guest Fred Dust author of “Making Conversation, Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication”. Having a conversation with Fred was not just a highlight of our already active week, but the perfect denouement to our series.

We truly did not want our conversation to end.

In this time of “living at work”, fatiguing on zoom, and trying to stay connected with colleagues, clients, and community, Fred made time fly with references to his book, words of wisdom, and exceptional stories.  (One of his words of wisdom was – in fact – to be or become a good storyteller.)  He laid out his conversation design strategy in an actionable way while comfortably chatting as though we were all life-long friends. And there was much more to our conversation. We created a bit of joy: Fred had us break into rooms with 3-4 colleagues and share our favorite Disney song (and why) as well as our favorite song that could be a Disney song.  That “play” led to enjoyable conversations and to our own playlist of 80 or so songs that are both musical inspiration and a memento of the day. We heard many “nuggets” from Fred regarding conversations:

He gave us reasons to feel optimism about the future of conversation – and given the importance of conversation – the future in general.

He discussed the value of setting rules and how rules help – not hinder – the flow of creative and collaborative conversation.

He introduced the concept of a “Wild Card Day” – which we wholly intend to borrow. Anyone can take their Wild Card Day or time – and do with it whatever they need!

He shared the value of 45 seconds of silence in a conversation.

Many of us noted when he said “say divide, see divide” as an especially timely consideration.

He advised that we tell our perfect story: one that is personal, short, surprising, and clarifying. In his book, he recommends asking for a story as well as a way to make conversations.

With communication on the forefront of everyone’s minds in these changing times, there has never been a more important, yet challenging, time to talk with one another. ABD has really worked to put this into practice – and particularly in living our Work, Love, Play ethos.  Last week, we heard from a master of conversation how to design conversations to communicate now and into the future.

We sincerely thank Fred Dust for sparking inspirational conversation for The ABD Team and we recommend Making Conversation to everyone as we all stay connected and talking. ABD’s has been developed in partnership with Grace Migliaccio of PipelineHC and Karin Copeland from CreateXChange with whom we love to converse!

Last week was set to be auspicious as ABD celebrated Black History Month, the Lunar New Year, American Heart Association’s “Go Red Day”, Presidents’ Day, and Valentine’s Day – even the sun was even shining in the Bay Area.  Amidst all that, we hosted the “Play” segment of our Work, Love, Play, LEAD Speaker Series […]

This week ABD hosted the “Love” segment of our Work, Love, Play, LEAD Speaker Series, and were privileged to spend time with Adrienne Bankert, Emmy Award winning ABC News National Correspondent, author, and speaker.   She told us about her life, career, and new book, .  She wrote the book about her passion:  kindness and how being kind makes you unbeatable.

We asked our Life Sciences Practice Lead and ABDHer Co-Founder, Cristina Varner to interview Adrienne, in part because we knew that Cristina just might be skeptical about kindness really being a superpower.  Cristina is more the “tough and no-nonsense” type of professional, and she owned this as she got to know Adrienne.  And while our team may have shared a laugh at the paradox, we also all understand that Cristina – like Adrienne – is an authentically kind human.

In our hour with Adrienne, we were able to talk and think about kindness.  During such a busy and strange time, it felt like taking a collective deep breath.  We dug into the challenge of reconciling kindness with the competitive nature of the business world.  We talked about gender stereotypes that can influence kindness and the risk of being perceived as “too nice.”  That led to learning the difference between the two:  kindness is about being authentic; being “nice” is about self-preservation.

We heard many “nuggets” from Adrienne as a true kindness thought leader:

There are different “flavors” of kindness, and your superpower is finding your authentic flavor. (Cristina’s is the bad-ass kind.)

Self-affirmations are a way to be kind to yourself. And you must start with yourself if you intend to carry kindness forward.

Open your own refrigerator to see a version of your most successful self: Is it clean and stocked with fortifying foods? Are the contents fresh and appealing?  Are you being kind to yourself by keeping it bountiful?

If you watch the news (which by the way, as a news correspondent Adrienne recommends) be sure to also curate – or create – some kindness content to find balance.

True kindness doesn’t have to be so careful. In today’s day, we hear many state they’re unsure of what they can say for fear of backlash and concern of not being politically correct – but this statement of Adrienne’s resonates – if we’re truly kind from our hearts, what we say is kind as well.

Kindness can be the lift we all need during 2020’s many crises.

Adrienne exuded kindness.  She spent exclusive time with ABD’s Black Employee Resource Group, Black at ABD, before the main event even started.  She shared a video she personally recorded of waves lapping the Hawaiian beach that she uses to center herself.  Our team’s follow up and feedback emphasized that kindness matters and is meaningful to our organization – to better service our clients, to help us be better colleagues, and to be better human beings.  Adrienne convinced many (dare I say most of us) that kindness will win the day – and indeed make us unbeatable.

Towards the end of our time, I asked whether her conviction about kindness has ever wavered.  She shared that during this pandemic she has had moments of pause, and that she has also witnessed incredible amounts of kindness during COVID.  So, she believes now more than ever that kindness wins.

We thank Adrienne Bankert for sparking inspiration – and KINDNESS –  for the ABD Team and we recommend Your Hidden Superpower to everyone as we all embrace – and demonstrate – our superpowers.

ABD’s has been developed in partnership with Grace Migliaccio of PipelineHC and Karin Copeland from CreateXChange and we thank them for their kindness.

This week ABD hosted the “Love” segment of our Work, Love, Play, LEAD Speaker Series, and were privileged to spend time with Adrienne Bankert, Emmy Award winning ABC News National Correspondent, author, and speaker.   She told us about her life, career, and new book, Your Hidden Superpower.  She wrote the book about her passion:  kindness […]

Inspiration and YOUR HIDDEN SUPERPOWER in the time of COVID

In concert with the launch of ABD’s DE&I Program last year, our first Employee Resource Group – ABDher – was founded. Since then, I have had to opportunity to work closely and determinedly with ABDher co-leads Cristina Varner and Sarah Schwartz to create opportunities for women at ABD to realize their full potential – at ABD and in their professional lives in general, while we work together to create a community where women can succeed together in an equitable and inclusive environment.

Inspired by ABD’s 2020 theme of ELEVATE, and amidst the crises presented by 2020, we pondered how best to lift our entire ERG and realize our mission – now from our kitchen tables, home offices, and perhaps even with pets or children in our laps. So, for the last several months, ABDher presented the with guests from our organization and our networks. We have connected virtually to listen and learn to better lead — as women and through times of tumult.

We have heard – and learned – from these four amazing women:

Kate recently joined ABD’s Board of Directors. She shared with us the story of her career and how she came to be ABD’s first female BOD member – as well as the vision she has for helping to shape ABD’s future success. She advised women to be bold and NOT to fall prey to the Impostor Syndrome that plagues so many professional women:  do not let fear of failure prevent you from taking a chance to succeed. She also shared that when working in a culture where she did not feel supported as a woman and where she wasn’t able to make change, she, “voted with her feet.”  Kate expressed her excitement to be a part of ABD’s efforts to create a lasting inclusive and psychologically safe culture.

Coleen is ABD’s SVP of P&C Operations. Coleen talked about how her career has progressed over a time of significant change for women professionals. As a strong believer in building teams and focusing on what is best for an entire organization, she also cited her strength at balancing strategy and tactics. Her advice to women in business includes owning mistakes, but not to ruminate; others don’t – so fix it, learn from it, let it go, and move on to the next challenge. As an Executive woman and a mother, Coleen expressed that your children won’t miss the lunches you didn’t make if you have a rich, fulfilling, and happy professional life. Make choices that make you happy, and your family will benefit.

Deanne is a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and has spent years in the finance and investment industry. Deanne is a wonderful storyteller and spoke of various influences that have impacted her success. (She also credited luck!)  Deanne advised that crises present opportunities for people to step up and advance their careers. Focus on creating value, ask to do more, and be visible. Deanne built her first career around the 2008 Financial Crises and looks now to build her “next career” around the current crises. In alignment with her passion for DE&I, Deanne looks to create accessibility and inclusivity within the financial service industry by providing more women and people of color financial advice – and careers – to create a greater impact. Finally, Deanne embraced the importance of psychological safety, particularly for women, in creating success. She suggested creating your own, personal Board of Directors, to sponsor and advocate for your value across any organization.

Linda has enjoyed an amazing career in retail and currently advises and consults while also speaking about authenticity. She shared that her shelter-in-place staple is currently her Kindle – she’s reading avidly to “explore” and believes that preparation brings you luck. Linda also shared that to think like an entrepreneur (as if the business is yours) prepares you to act like a leader (rather than responding or reacting). Realizing that delegation is critical to leadership was a hugely important lesson for her. Her mantra is to “delegate everything.”  If you do not, you will hold up people in the progress they need to make, as well as your own. You must delegate to be successful in leadership roles – and to help new leaders move in their trajectories. Most profound, Linda imparted the importance of authenticity—to be fully yourself, even if you’re the “only” in a room. To be authentic is to foster a culture of inclusion, innovation, and positive change.

From each of these impressive leaders, we were given seeds (“nuggets” as our ABDhers would call them) of wisdom that with our own unique perspectives and practice will certainly become a wealth of leadership prowess. We are grateful for their time, energy, and inspiration. Women like Kate, Coleen, DeAnne, and Linda demonstrate the community we need to realize our highest potential and we welcome them as part of ours.

Listen. Learn. Lead. In concert with the launch of ABD’s DE&I Program last year, our first Employee Resource Group – ABDher – was founded. Since then, I have had to opportunity to work closely and determinedly with ABDher co-leads Cristina Varner and Sarah Schwartz to create opportunities for women at ABD to realize their full […]

Before 2020 became a year of profound crises, ABD’s theme was ELEVATE and we had wonderful plans to inspire new goals, innovation and excellence for ourselves and our clients. Well, so much for planning…

And yet the (surreal) reality is that these crises have created unexpected experiences and growth opportunities that have indeed ELEVATED us: we’ve mastered new tools, challenged old ideas and ways of working, supported clients and created new connections, seen hearts and minds change for the better – and watched our collective culture both take deeper root and also bloom.

ABD is steadfast about lifting our team through current issues and whatever else may lie ahead (and honestly – it seems it could be anything.) We are dedicated to our team’s growth, development, and learning, so this week we launched our Work, Love, Play, Lead Speaker Series developed in partnership with Grace Migliaccio of PipelineHC and Karin Copeland from CreateXChange.

We were excited and grateful to welcome our first guest of the series: Daymond John, author of Powershift and founder of FUBU, Co-Star on SharkTank, Founder of Shark Group – among many other ventures and successes. Daymond spent more than an hour exclusively with the ABD Team sharing his remarkable story, talking about the Powershift and answering questions directly from our team members.

It was a delight speaking with Daymond and he inspired all of us to take inventory in this time and understand our “why” (our REAL “why” – our purpose as individuals and as a company.)  We dug into Powershift framework to talk about the importance of influence, effective negotiation, and transformational relationships. We took away many pieces of wisdom – and action items – that we plan to fold into our own Operating Principles. Daymond encouraged us all to keep learning and be relentlessly goal oriented.  He gave props to Mothers everywhere as true and original entrepreneurs who always manage to “figure it out” and shared that to create success, you have to be ready to “give the power to others.”

At the end of our time, we told Daymond about our own ethos of Work, Love, Play and asked him to share how he fills his buckets of Work, Love, Play.  He said “it’s all the same” and that happiness and success intersect when you are doing what you love. We whole heartedly agree.

We thank Daymond John for sparking inspiration at the ABD Team and we recommend PowerShift to everyone as we all embrace the changes 2020 brings and prepare for a powerful future.

Work, Love, Play, Lead Speaker Series Before 2020 became a year of profound crises, ABD’s theme was ELEVATE and we had wonderful plans to inspire new goals, innovation and excellence for ourselves and our clients. Well, so much for planning… And yet the (surreal) reality is that these crises have created unexpected experiences and growth […]

Inspiration and Powershift in the Time of COVID

Last week, ABD formally launched its company-wide Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) Initiative, beginning the collaborative work required to make DE&I part of ABD’s DNA.

For many months prior, our DE&I Council members diligently researched, assessed the landscape and our own readiness, and planned our efforts.  We came together as a company to describe the “Why”, with guest, Alvin Tillery, Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, whose work led to the launch of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy, to help us better understand context.  We introduced the “What” by illustrating ABD’s current status and tools for addressing desired change.  We then rolled out the “What Next” by sharing action plans for six different program areas and announced our first Employee Resource Group (ERG), ABDHer, for women and allies of women.  We enjoyed some lunch together and returned to business – but with a new (or refreshed) focus on these important issues.

Our Council and leaders believe the many stories and statistics are sufficient to support the prioritization of making DE&I part of our DNA. The argument has been won and we are moving to action.  In other words, the “Why” feels proven and also multifaceted.  Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion:

Melinda Gates wrote in her book, The Moment of Lift, “We all have something to offer. … inclusion means that everyone is a contributor.”  As a company, ABD aspires to ensure everyone is able to bring what they have to offer – our individual sense of fulfillment and our collective success depends on it.

ABD is pleased and eager – as a Council and now with our employee population – to be on our way to making a difference.  We’ve created a charter and mission.  We’ve identified program areas on which to focus our efforts.  We’ve begun training for both our Executives and our People Managers.  We’ve created the framework for ERGs and officially launched the initial one – ABDHer. We’ve also kicked off a company-wide exercise for sharing our individual diversity stories to start the proverbial, and sometimes challenging, conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Getting the conversation started is key to creating meaningful change.

We are asking a lot of one another:  to be engaged and attentive, to practice real listening, and to be open to learning.  We recognize that People Managers have an outsized impact on the employee experience, so we are actively preparing to manage and repair matters of bias and inequity.  Since People Managers can inadvertently become the systems that perpetuate bias (holding certain underrepresented groups back), we are training and preparing our team to become the type of champions who elevate everyone.

We are working to bring everyone along. This is neither a check list item, nor is it a sprint or even a marathon.  This is our new, shared path.  We will include everyone as we navigate the road ahead.

At the conclusion of our launch last week, I asked Alvin Tillery – based on his work in this space and observations of corporate America – what we should do going forward.  His reply (paraphrased) was:

“Don’t stop if the road ahead gets bumpy, because it will.  Keep doing what you are doing and treat DE&I as you would any other business critical function, because it is.”

Amy Steadman
SVP of People Operations
amy.steadman [at] theabdteam.com

By Amy Steadman, SVP People Operations The Day Last week, ABD formally launched its company-wide Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) Initiative, beginning the collaborative work required to make DE&I part of ABD’s DNA. For many months prior, our DE&I Council members diligently researched, assessed the landscape and our own readiness, and planned our efforts.  We […]

The Launch of ABD's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiative

At ABD, we’re  passionate about the growth of each person here. We are a learning organization and proudly invest in our team members through training and development.  We develop our expertise as part of our culture, to better service our clients and to help us reach our company objectives.

We do this in a number of ways:  DISC Profile Assessments and Workshops, People Managers Training, Customized Management Development, Leadership Development, Core Systems Training, 1:1 Coaching, and our new On-Demand Learning Management System.  Every employee has an Individual Development Plan (IDP) to ensure they are developing in their role and advancing at ABD, while preparing for the future.

We also support employees’ continuing education classes and encourage attendance at industry conferences.  This investment allows our team to stay current about market trends and issues, ensuring we provide each client with partners who help them make the most rewarding decisions about their insurance and risk management programs.

In the spirit of encouraging the dissemination of expertise and information obtained at industry classes, events and conventions, ABD introduces ABD Accelerate – a new blog series for ABD employees to share key learnings and take-aways (or even humorous observations) so that the entire organization can learn from the experience.

We encourage each and every ABD Team Member to participate by contributing to ABD Accelerate, reading the posts to learn from one another and growing our expertise together.

At ABD, we’re  passionate about the growth of each person here. We are a learning organization and proudly invest in our team members through training and development.  We develop our expertise as part of our culture, to better service our clients and to help us reach our company objectives. We do this in a number […]

Blog ‍

Connect ‍
with ‍
us. ‍

Articles from Amy Steadman

Mental Health Awareness Month in the Time of COVID: Surviving to Thriving

Inspiration in the Time of COVID

Inspiration and YOUR HIDDEN SUPERPOWER in the time of COVID

LeadHER Speaker Series

Inspiration and Powershift in the Time of COVID

The Launch of ABD's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiative

Introducing ABD Accelerate

Newfront for Businesses

Newfront for Employee Benefits

Newfront for Private Clients

.css-ehl63z{overflow:hidden;display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;}.css-k6gryc{display:inline-block;word-break:keep-all;}Blog ‍Connect ‍with ‍us. ‍

Articles from Amy Steadman

.css-13o7eu2{display:block;}Mental Health Awareness Month in the Time of COVID: Surviving to Thriving

Inspiration in the Time of COVID

Inspiration and YOUR HIDDEN SUPERPOWER in the time of COVID

LeadHER Speaker Series

Inspiration and Powershift in the Time of COVID

The Launch of ABD's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Initiative

Introducing ABD Accelerate

Newfront for Businesses

Newfront for Employee Benefits

Newfront for Private Clients

Blog ‍

Connect ‍
with ‍
us. ‍

Mental Health Awareness Month in the Time of COVID: Surviving to Thriving