Nice Work: Popsicles > people-pleasing

Hey there,

How’s your July been? I’m not going to lie—I’ve spent a lot of this month itching to get out of the office. And that’s even after we shut down Active Voice for the first week in July and I spent a week learning to scuba dive (I saw a sea turtle, it was the best)! Part of me just wants to be lying on a beach lounger eating popsicles at all times right now.

But there’s another part of me that’s also in the mix, and she’s super hyped about the research we’re doing at Active Voice this summer. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been interviewing design, content, and research leaders who’ve broken out of the “justify your role” cycle that’s exhausting so many people I know. They’ve stopped people-pleasing, stopped creating endless “evangelism” decks, stopped focusing so much on being helpful 24/7. So what are they doing instead? That’ll be the subject of a new talk and essay I’m working on, all about building a more sustainable approach to your work—one that’s a lot less about “proving value” and “fighting” for space, and a lot more about being bold, setting boundaries, and finding some peace. Look for that next month.

We’ve also been scheming with a very cool research leader and coach about a big event for later this summer, focused on reconnecting with your career goals—in a conscious, sustainable way (instead of just climbing the ladder because it seems like what you’re supposed to do). I can’t wait to introduce you to her—details very soon!

In the meantime, we’ve got a few things coming up that I want to make sure are on your radar:

1. We’ve got a brand-new, two-part workshop coming up on August 8 and 10 called Create Your Leadership Canvas.

It’s all about uncovering your leadership values, gaining confidence in your strengths, and establishing the growth areas that are most meaningful to you right now. We created this workshop because we’ve had so many people tell us they’re not sure who they are or want to be as a leader—no matter how many personality tests and strength assessments they’ve filled out. Our approach is different—it’s about tapping into the real-life moments that define you, and getting real about where it’s hard to actually live your values at work. We’d love to see you there—get tickets here.

2. Registration for the next Courageous Leadership Program opens August 10. Get on the waitlist now for a discount.

This is our flagship 12-week group program focused on breaking out of self-doubt and showing up boldly for yourself at work, and sessions start September 21. Waitlisters get a discount code when registration opens—so if you’re thinking even a little bit about joining, get on the list now.

3. We’re planning new episodes of Per My Last Email, and we need your dilemmas!

Have you been listening to our new podcast? I can’t believe we’re already on episode 8—and I also can’t believe how many people have shared their wildest work dilemmas with us. It’s been a treat to answer them. If you have a work situation that’s keeping you up at night, we’d love to help you with it. Here are the topics we’re working on right now:

1. Mission-driven careers
   We want to hear from people with questions about aligning their work with their values. Maybe you’ve been wondering if you should quit tech to work in government. Or maybe you joined a mission-driven organization that’s doing great things in the world—but the reality of working there isn’t as rosy as you’d hoped.

2. People-pleasing and “proving yourself”
   We’re looking for dilemmas from folks who want to stop overworking and people-pleasing, but they’re afraid of what might happen if they do.

Sound like you? Submit your work dilemma here.

That’s it from me for now! Hope that wherever you are, you’re taking some time to rest and recharge this summer (or winter, for all you in the Southern Hemisphere!). It’s been a rollercoaster year in a rollercoaster decade so far, and all of us deserve a break. Be kind to yourselves.

—Sara

EPISODE 8

Why you gotta be so rude? 

This episode’s got it all: entitled clients, angry executives, and a whole lotta avoidant behavior. 

On the reading list

2023 Content Design & UX Writing Survey Results
I worked with a team of badass volunteers to analyze and explore data from 240+ content folks, and all our findings are out now. You can also catch the video from our June event talking through what we found. 

When Your Boss Gives You Bad Feedback, Badly
Receiving feedback is always hard. But when that feedback is aggressive, obnoxious, or manipulative, it can feel impossible. This guide helps you slow down, choose how to respond, and know when it’s time to step away.

Ways of Working
So many of us get trapped in the idea that we have to spend our lives working toward one singular goal in one singular career. I love this post from Stéphanie Krus about her journey through disciplines—education, software, UX, and service design—and employment setups—self-employed, staff member, consultant, contractor. 

Preorder You Deserve a Tech Union
Ethan Marcotte (whom you might know from that whole “responsive design” thing) wrote a book all about unionizing workers in the tech industry, and it’s coming out very, very soon. If you’re even 1% as interested in labor politics and worker exploitation as I am, preorder it—it makes a huge difference for an indie press like A Book Apart.

If you’re still reading, I have one last thing for you: here’s me with my partner, Will, somewhere off the coast of Roatan, Honduras. ❤️