Carol Kauffman on LinkedIn: What a joyous evening to gather with our members, friends, and partners… (2024)

I hope to see many of you there!

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Happy Earth Day! It's a privilege to lead the OEC as we advocate to protect our environment. But it's not something I do alone; if you're interested in joining me in this important work, check out this post.

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As we approach Earth Day, I wanted to remind myself, and maybe you too, of something: Don't let anyone tell you you can't make the world a more vibrant, beautiful place. You can.Have you ever had someone tell you your efforts were being wasted? That your ideas were impractical? That the ROI just wasn't there? It's true that we have to be practical and live in the real world and its constraints. But these statements can also be about fear--the fear of trying and failing and feeling dumb. The fear of caring and being disappointed when things don't work out the way you'd hoped.Don't let fear keep you from caring. From working to make this blue marble, our island home, a more beautiful and welcoming place for us all. Happy Earth Day, friends!

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I’m still here! This has been a strange couple of weeks recovering from surgery and easing back into work mode. A few things I’m learning along the way:1. Slow isn’t bad. I hate slowness, honestly, but I’m learning. I like to work fast, move fast, even talk fast if I’ve had too much coffee. Recovering from surgery has forced me to go slower. This week I managed to admire the crabapple tree in bloom outside my window, celebrate small work accomplishments like taming my inbox and finishing up a nagging project, and give my dog the quantity of head scritches he so richly deserves.2. Collaborative leadership works. I spend a lot of time investing in the leaders in my organization. I’m always trying to help them succeed, empower them to make decisions, and remove obstacles from their path. As a result, my stepping back for a bit has had zero negative impact on the organization as everyone else stepped up seamlessly. Really. These people are awesome.3. People are kind. Really. So many people—even strangers—have gone out of their way to send me good wishes, drop off food and flowers, and pick up the slack while I focus on cancer treatment. A group of women I don’t know and will never meet sent me a quilt they made to keep me company on the couch. A coworker surprised me with soup. All of you—you know who you are—thank you.Surgery results were excellent. Onward to the next stage of treatment!P.S. Special shout out to JD Malone for being an excellent and caring spouse and for not laughing at me too much when I acted weird coming out of anesthesia. 💚

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What a wonderful accomplishment! So many Ohio cities are making real progress towards a sustainable, clean energy future. Power a Clean Future Ohio is an incredible initiative my organization, Ohio Environmental Council, is proud to support.

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A few weeks ago, I was minding my own business when I got a surprise cancer diagnosis. It was caught early and I have a solid treatment plan with excellent prospects. Still, it represents a different path for 2024 than I had envisioned. While cancer is not a gift I would have chosen to receive, I can say I am grateful for the outpouring of support I have received and the insights I am gleaning. I love a good listicle, so I thought I would share a few of those insights with you in case you also find them helpful.1. Prioritize your well-being. Schedule your annual well checks. Snuggle your people. Take a walk at lunchtime. If not now, when?2. Build your network. Some of us have an allergic reaction to the word "networking." But good networking is just building a web of genuine, reciprocal relationships. If you actually care about the people around you, and you put in the time to move beyond transactional relationships, that network will be there for you when you need it most. And you never know when you will need it most.3. Show up for others. Even if it's awkward. Okay, so maybe your year didn't start off with a cancer diagnosis. I guarantee there is someone else around you who is dealing with something big right now. Take five minutes to write the note and leave it on their desk at work. Send the text. Bring in donuts. Say thank you. Don't wait until you know the perfect thing to do. Just do the thing you know how to do.4. Accept the help. Even if it's awkward. Some of us (ahem, me) are much more comfortable giving help than receiving it. Learn how to graciously accept it; remind yourself that it also helps the giver feel better. Accepting help isn't a sign of weakness, no matter what that little voice in your head is telling you.

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So excited to join the crew!

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