Women in Finishing Webinar Recap: Living & Leading Through the Storms of Life

By now, you may have heard that the Women in Finishing Forum from Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) has been postponed to April 2021. Luckily, Women in Finishing presented a free webinar last Friday, April 24 on best leadership practices to keep us going in this difficult time. If you missed it, don’t worry – Products Finishing attended and we have a summary for you.

Women in Finishing Speakers

Both presenters are development coaches at Lippert Academy of Leadership.

Dr. Amber Selking was a highly rated presenter at the 2019 WiF Forum, and her colleague Kim Lisiak was slated to present at the 2020 forum. Both women plan to present at the 2021 Women in Finishing Forum.

Living & Leading Through the Storms of Life

The presentation began with a message about how important it is to show up during times of uncertainty. Using empathy and recognizing that the pandemic is exacerbating other challenges in people’s lives is essential for leaders in this crisis.

The webinar highlighted how disorienting change can be. The change cycle causes stress and pressure. One way to cope with change and other stressors — during this pandemic and all the time — is to identify what is within your control, and what isn’t. When things are outside of our control, we may feel anxious and afraid. When we feel we have control over our lives, we have a sense of peace.

The first step to feeling a sense of control over a challenge is to direct awareness towards it. Next, identify what is beyond your control — and work to let it go. Finally, pick out what you can control, and focus on that.

The takeaway from this webinar is to, as Dr. Selking says, “control the controllables.” There will always be storms in life — whether they are as universal as a global pandemic, or as personal as relationships struggles. Leadership lies in the ability to support your team through their storms as you are weathering yours.

Stay up to date on CCAI and Women in Finishing events on the calendar page here.