Super. Crucial. Human

Introduction I am writing this book in the Winter of 2021. We are almost two years into the pandemic and right now there is a rise in the variant Omicron. It has been a challenging few years of upheaval, disruption and change. Prior to the pandemic, many of us must admit we were going a hundred miles an hour. We were all running as fast as we could before the pandemic. Technology innovation was ramping up and many of us and 24/7 technology was inundating us (and still is). We were/are suffering from going too fast and having access to too much information. Many of us were operating at the speed of technology, almost as if we were robots. Then the pandemic swept the globe, and we were collectively frozen in time. The world was on pause. The constant stop and start of the pandemic increased our stress levels. We had to recalibrate, adjust, and change. If we were willing to acknowledge it, the pandemic was the beginning of a collective awakening. Awakening to the awareness of how fast we’d been going. Awakening to the acceptance we all needed to slow down. Awakening to the reality that we were becoming more disconnected from ourselves and each other. Awakening to the realization we were given a wakeup call and a chance to switch gears. Awakening to greater awareness around social issues and racial injustices that were kept in the shadows and now brought to light. Awakening to the negative impact that 24/7 technology access had on our mental well-being. Awakening to the social trend of the ‘great resignation' as workers realized they wanted more of a meaningful life rather than live solely to work. Awakening to the realization that the problems we face must be solved with a 'higher heart intelligence'. Collectively we learned many lessons since the beginning of the pandemic. Lessons learned are only valuable when we integrate what we have learned and from there change our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. It has been and is my privilege to work with leaders and team members all over the world to help positively shift their perspectives, expand their mindsets, and share new future ready skills to create a better future. For over twenty years + it's been my passion to help people excel by helping them to integrate what they have learned from the past, engage fully in the present and embrace change to create a better future. My previous books are focused on communication, leadership, and business. This book is also about communication and personal leadership AND it's about being human. In my previous book, “NextMapping – Anticipate, Navigate & Create the Future of Work” the focus was on a ‘people first’ technology enabled future. The NextMapping book includes research that robots and AI are/will be our new co-workers. I also shared research that even though the pace of automation is increasing we are in a continued worker shortage. What is more apparent than ever is that we need MORE humans in the future of work. The reality with where we’ve been and where we are going is the next needs BETTER humans! WE need to be better humans to create what’s next. It was a humbling process to write this book, it caused me to re-examine my own behaviors and to continually check in to ensure I was walking my talk. I continually asked myself, “Am I doing what I am writing about on a consistent basis?” It is vulnerable process to write a book about being a better human. At the same time, it’s been an inspiring process - it has set an even higher personal standard for me to be better and do better. I do truly believe that as we all individually commit to being a better human, we are creating a better future. This book is structured in four chapters with the last chapter focused on the four super crucial human skills needed to be better human beings. At the end of the book there are questions and exercises to help you map out what's next for yourself, your life, and your work. At the core of my work and in all my books, the theme is: A people first focus AND we all need to be better human beings. It's a very human future in a high technology enabled life -- we must focus on 'people first' to create what's next for ourselves, our lives, and our work. This book is about being human, human beings AND it's about YOU! Now and in the future, everyone is a leader, which means every one of us must rise, elevate, access higher consciousness, and evolve. We must seek to expand our minds and hearts and commit to being the best human we can be. I am excited and inspired for what’s next. Here’s to us humans! Cheryl