by Alexia Parks | Jun 26, 2018 | 10 Traits, Article, Inclusion, Leadership, Leadership Opportunity, Training
If you, like me, wake up every day wondering what single action you can take to help solve the problem of the 2,400 migrant children separated from their parent(s), here are three ideas I came up with that are starting to attract attention: IDEA #1: The 3-Meter Tech Solution: Lawyers in collaborate with tech smart what3words and Google Earth, could identify the specific location of each child within 3 meters and give them a wrist band with their own unique three words embossed on it. Take a photo of each child showing their three-word wrist band, then do the same with their parent(s). IDEA #2: The StartUp Village Project: If a safe return to their home country is possible – where poverty, not violence, was the reason for leaving – migrant families could be provided with a 5-year-guaranteed income to live in a new *startup village.* This would require an agreement by the government of the country and skills training. For example, THIS location in Guatemala. The cost would be in the millions, not billions, and recognize America’s role in creating an unnecessary humanitarian crisis and PTSD and separation anxiety that could last a lifetime for these migrant families. IDEA #3: CANADA’S new immigration program. This easy to implement program could also work in America. In the U.S. a reunited family would be released from custody await legal determination in the U.S. if they are able to secure five sponsors, using Matchmaking technology. Alexia Parks, inventor of the Gender Equality Tool and G.E.T. Smarter Together 1-Minute Learning Tool, is Founder and CEO of 10TRAITS Leadership...
by Alexia Parks | Jun 21, 2018 | Article, Inclusion, Leadership Opportunity, Sustainability
It’s time to restore TRUST in our common humanity. It took the collective horror of images of toddlers ripped from the arms of their parents, of caged children sobbing, some even drugged into compliance…, for one tech savvy couple from the San Francisco Bay Area to say BASTA! Enough! The one simple action they took to raise $1,500 to help one family post bond and be reunited with their children has now gone viral. In less than five days, the $4,000-per-minute-Facebook-fundraiser set up by former Facebook employees Charlotte and Dave Willner (who now work at Pininterest and Airbnb, respectively) is about to reach their new goal of $20 million. They money will be given to RAICESTEXAS.org a Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in Texas. Felix Salmon a regular Slate contributor and host of the Slate Money podcast, can vouch for the organization’s capabilities. Salmon says that he donated money to RAICES before the campaign even started and “it’s been amazing to watch as this formerly obscure nonprofit has achieved a level of visibility that thousands of much older and more established organizations can only dream of.” America is good at throwing massive amounts of money away: This year, the federal government gave the Austin-based non-profit Southwest Key Programs almost $500 million to operate its shelters, according to The Dallas Morning News. Could Congress tell the Appropriations Committee to un-fund it? Yes. Should the almost $500 million now directed to Southwest Key Programs be redirected instead toward RAICES? RAICES staff say the money will “provide legal representation to every child” and “ensure every parent has representation and legal counsel.”...
by Alexia Parks | Jun 4, 2018 | Article, Gender, Inclusion, Leadership
Why are powerful Republican men highly susceptible to what Axios calls Trump’s “superpower?” Why are (most) women immune? Does North Korea’s Kim Jong-un share this same power? In today’s lead blog, Axios describes the silence of Trump’s Republican critics and the instant shifts in GOP views this way: “In our lifetime, no president has matched Donald Trump’s ability to summon the power of the pulpit, friendly media, and the tweet-by-tweet power of repetition and persuasion to move minds en masse.” The Reality: This is called the “Janus Effect. This is what happens when a bad decision is made by an Alpha male leader. The bad decision is reinforced by the people in his inner circle, seemingly without judgment. The FIX? We need look no further back than our evolutionary history to a time when male hunting groups were led by a strong alpha male. In the same way that a wolf pack sticks together, members of an alpha male’s inner circle stick together. Their deepest fear is to be told point-blank by someone who is deadly serious: “John, You’re not being a team player!” The deeply internalized fear of the team turning against them, of being isolated or exiled, is too much to bear. So what’s the political fix? When voting people into public office, ignore gender. Instead chose highly empathetic, nurturing, collaborative leaders who have a track record of success. These KEY traits make them immune to the Janus Effect. Alexia Parks is a futurist, UN Mentor and Founder of 10TRAITS...
by Alexia Parks | May 17, 2018 | 10 Traits, Article, Gender, Inclusion, Leadership
How far you rise as a leader – in today’s modern inclusive workplace – now depends upon how free of unconscious bias you are. (You can check out your unconscious bias in 1-Minute for free here.) BIAS is like a mouse-trap, where the cheese is your favorite stereotype. By stereotype, I mean the automatic reaction you have to someone who holds an opinion which differs from yours on any subject, or someone who belongs to a different political group, who comes from a different culture, minority group or “tribe.” According to Psychology Today, everyone has unconscious bias. The unsettling truth the magazine reports is that “We have met the enemy of equality and the enemy is us.” Even people who makes friends easily or who are on a fast-track to the C-Suite use stereotypes to instantly categorize (stereotype) what other people think, say, or do. If you’re interested in discovering what your personal bias is, and willing to let it go, then check out these three easy techniques: Journaling. Create an imaginary dialogue with a person who may “trigger” a reaction from you. Start writing in your journal with a simple question such as: “I’m curious why you to (this)” or “I’ve been told (this) what do you think?” Then begin writing the response you imagine they would give. Continue the dialogue until you discover the unconscious bias and resolve to release it. Catch and Release: Make a decision to stay fully present and mindful in the presence of someone you’re talking to who thinks or acts differently than you Ask for their opinion, then listen deeply to their response....
by Alexia Parks | Mar 19, 2018 | 10 Traits, Article, Gender, Inclusion, Leadership Opportunity
Can a GROUP learn a skill together, in 1-Minute. YES. As the inventor of the Gender Equality Tool, I have some insights about how transfer the SKILL of Inclusion to a workforce to create diversity in 1-MINUTE. How is this possible? Recently, I was invited to talk to a group of lawyers in Florida about this instant transfer of knowledge process. I gave a brief description of what happens when the focus shifts from gender and labels to traits and trait balancing. I described how a dynamic synergy can be created by a pairing of these traits. I also gave a brief overview of the 12 fields of science that were used in creating the tool. Then I asked for a volunteer from the audience to experience it in 1-MINUTE while everyone else WATCHED. The tool was displayed on a screen along with his dynamic interaction with it. A group discussion followed. Afterwards he wrote to say: “I think it has tremendous societal and intra company value.” Another responded: “I would recommend it 100% in order to put an end to office conflict.” IMAGINE a workplace where everyone wins! #Gender #Leadership #Training #Inclusion Alexia Parks, inventor of the Gender Equality Tool and G.E.T. Smarter Together 1-Minute Learning Series is Founder 10TRAITS.org She is also an award-winning entrepreneur and UN Mentor to the Goldman Sachs/Fortune #1 Award Winner “Most Powerful Women in the World” (2014), A best selling author and speaker, Alexia is a recognized global expert on gender equality and leadership. She has appeared as an expert on national, international TV news, in TIME magazine, and formerly wrote for the national desk of...