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| Combating Fear in a Crisis Anita Jenkins, chief executive officer at Howard University Hospital, began her tenure there only two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the nation. Employees at the 150-year-old institution affiliated with a prominent historically black university were fearful, and not unaccountably so. The death rate climbed to 75 percent for African Americans diagnosed with COVID in Washington, D.C., according to the COVID Tracking Project by Atlantic Monthly.
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| Jenkins admits she had never seen fear like this before. The former Kettering Health Network executive had thought her job would be raising the profile of Howard University Hospital, which is managed by Adventist Healthcare in Maryland. Now, she told her executive team that they would need courage, patience and listening skills to navigate this crisis and change the narrative of black Adventist healthcare. “I have always thought of my job as a leader is to create an environment where you as subject matter expert—whether you are a respiratory therapist or a rad tech or a doctor or a housekeeper—where you can do your best,” Jenkins said. For them to do their best, she realized, “it was really about setting a tone where we were not afraid.” That meant hearing beyond the complaints and concerns to what employees were really trying to say. She realized that the concerns about having more personal protective equipment, masks or being overworked were really cries of fear. From executives to janitors, people knew someone with COVID and were concerned about their families’ safety. To help allay fears, she worked to set up testing for employees, find masks and other protective equipment, cheer successes like when their first COVID patient lived and let them know she understood their family concerns because her husband worked directly with COVID patients too. To hear Jenkins share more about leading in a crisis, her experience living two blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C., during the Black Lives Matter protests and her words of encouragement for women leaders, especially women of color, listen to AWL’s podcast, Flourish. |
| | — Michele Joseph, managing editor, Adventist Women Leaders newsletter |
| | Season 2 is Here
Listen to discussions with women leaders who share what makes a good leader, finding and becoming effective mentors, "the divine gift of womanhood" and having difficult conversations in the workplace. Listen on Spotify and iTunes. Please subscribe and give positive reviews and ratings to raise the podcast's visibility and encourage others to listen. Email ideas for future podcasts to co-hosts Natalia López-Thismón and Natalie Boonstra at flourishthepodcast@gmail.com. Follow Flourish on Instagram.
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| | Flourish: Intentional Apologies Bonita Shields, North American Division's vice president for Ministries and author of "Living in a Man's World: Lessons I've Learned (and even some I haven't)," talks about how to re-frame the use of "I'm sorry" to be more intentional. Shields, AWL's chair, shares with us some personal stories of how she learned to be more assertive in the workplace and to access the talents God gave her to best collaborate with her team.
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| | Flourish: Crisis Leadership Anita Jenkins, chief executive officer at Howard University Hospital, talks about leading during crises. She shares the importance of listening and standing firm in your faith. As an African American woman leading a staff, among whom many are people of color, the racial disparities in health care and the racial injustices being protested in the streets have personal meaning.
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| | Maxims—Words of Wisdom for Women Leaders
It is time for the preachers, the rabbis, the priests and pundits, and the professors to believe in the awesome wonder of diversity so that they can teach those who follow them. It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter their color, equal in importance no matter their texture.
— Maya Angelou, from her book Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now |
| | | AWL's Prayer Circle
Loving Father,
Thank you for your grace and mercy as we navigate life as we know it right now. We know it is your desire to dwell with us, so we pray your presence in our hearts. Be in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities, and among our families and friends. Help us to remember you are with us at every turn: before us, behind us and all around us.
Lord, in particular we humbly seek you in this time of turmoil. We pray for the family and friends of George Floyd and of so many other people who have suffered racial injustice in the United States and around the world. Racism is a sin issue and a problem of the human heart. We pray for justice and righteousness to prevail. He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NIV) — Natalia López-Thismón, AWL committee member |
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| Meditations
"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." — Galatians 3:26-29, NIV |
| | Coming Up
Melody Tan, project manager for Mums At The Table, a multimedia ministry for Adventist Media in the South Pacific Division, talks about being relevant and continually learning as a leader. |
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| | AWL is a community of women affirming, encouraging and celebrating God's goodness to those He has called to lead. |
| AWL Committee: Bonita J. Shields, chair; Celeste Ryan Blyden, secretary/director; Natalie Boonstra, Brenda Dickerson, Carolyn R. Forrest, Tamyra Horst, Natalia López-Thismón and Ann Roda AWL Support Team: Michele Joseph, managing editor; Carla Conway, graphic designer; Frenita Buddy Fullwood, event coordinator |
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