Ava DuVernay is providing hope for women and artists of color to promote and showcase their work in film. Her 14,000-square-foot, three-building campus in Los Angeles, which opened in early 2018, includes a new theatre to highlight movies created by these artists.

DuVernay’s collective includes a nonprofit called Array Alliance, which funds programs and educational events that promotes social impact and gives a leg up to women and nonwhite filmmakers; a for-profit distribution company to acquire and release mission-oriented independent movies that might not otherwise be released; and a private production company — whose crew is over 50 percent women — which is already receiving recognition for shows like Netflix’s When They See Us and Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary 13th (about race problems in America) as well as Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar.

Though each entity operates independently, they share a common mission: first, to break down Hollywood legacy systems that make it difficult for women and artists of color to succeed, and second, to provide a creative platform for social justice.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, DuVernay, the first black woman to direct a movie with a $100 million budget (Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time), said, “Every system has roadblocks for people like us, whether it is in acquisition, production, distribution, exhibition, marketing, crewing up… So, what we were looking to do was disrupt those systems so that we create normalcy and momentum.”

DuVernay is no stranger to stirring things up. She was the first African-American woman to spearhead a film (Selma in 2014) nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award — although surprisingly not recognized in the Best Director category. She has been outspoken about Hollywood’s lack of diversity in the Oscars, keeping her 2.6 million followers updated on where, when, and how the movie industry falls short. Her efforts led to the Academy changing membership rules to include more minority voters and continues to spotlight Hollywood’s lack of women and minorities on both sides of the camera. She is one of the most passionate voices calling attention to our nation’s relationship with race.

Her colleagues point out that DuVernay is not trying to push white people out of Hollywood, but rather, to change the system so that everyone gets a chance. Her rise came from nothing but talent, extremely hard work, and a culture that treats everyone equally on the set. “I don’t treat my actors differently than I treat the gaffer or the grip or the craft services manager or hair and makeup, because we’re all making the movie,” she once said. DuVernay is a real leader keeping the spotlight on race and prejudice, providing hope to those whose stories otherwise might never be told, and providing the shoulders for minority artists to stand upon.

In 2019, Bishop T.D. Jakes attended a Black Economic Alliance event in Martha’s Vineyard with top executives from Goldman Sachs and the Ford Foundation. It focused on issues affecting the Black community, including the digital divide, where he learned that the majority of future jobs would require a background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Despite not having a background in STEM, he founded the T.D. Jakes Foundation to help bridge the gap between the powerful and the less powerful. 

 “STEM was not the challenge of my generation,” he explains. “But I believe that leadership sees a problem and then seeks to solve it. I have a responsibility to see how I can leverage my platform to solve it. For me, that platform is the millions of people I interact with on social media, many of whom would not follow events at Martha’s Vineyard. I wanted to be a part of the solution.”  

 Jakes lives at the intersection of two worlds. As a company CEO, bestselling author, and Hollywood movie producer, he rubs shoulders with the business elite. As a senior pastor of a large church, he interacts with community members each Sunday, seeking hope and guidance. This balance of grounded realism and heady idealism has given Jakes the means to identify grassroots problems and leverage big business to solve it.

 “The best way for a leader to leave an indelible impression is not to inspire with a speech but to move forward with action,” he explains. “When I sit down with CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, I’m encouraged that many recognize that profit margins are not the only considerations for remaining relevant in the 21st century. They increasingly understand that their success is intertwined with the betterment of the community. The customer feeds the company, but the company also has to feed the customer. They are interdependent.” 

 At Jakes’s church, even though its doors are closed, the church continues to respond to the needs of members and the surrounding community. “We’ve been able to reinvent ourselves through technology successfully,” he says. “Through digital connections, we have been able to serve more than 7,000 freshly cooked meals to first responders in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and distribute more than 10,000 boxes of fresh food to our community members.

 “We have to be intentional about closing digital divides and other societal gaps,” he continues. “My children are grown, and I’m a grandfather, but I can’t be isolated from these concerns because what affects one of us affects all of us.” The trait that Jakes most admires in a leader can be summed in a line from a Rudyard Kipling poem: “To walk with kings and not lose the common touch.” And another that reads, “To be relatable and engaged rather than to be idolized.” 

 “I admire leaders who are comfortable in any setting,” explains Jakes. “Whether it be among the wealthy and influential or those on the lower rungs of society. These leaders strive to do more for humanity. Randall Stephenson, the former CEO of AT&T, comes to mind. For several years, we’ve been collaborating on how to solve the nation’s criminal justice problems through the Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative (TORI),
a national award-winning program for returning citizens that I founded. I love seeing leaders go the extra mile. As CEO of one of the nation’s largest companies, Randall didn’t have to work with me on this issue.
He could easily have looked the other way.” 

Inspired by the reinvention around him, Jakes is partnering with major companies such as Lifetime and Sony to produce films in conjunction with his for-profit, T.D. Jakes Enterprises. The movies are designed to entertain but also conceived as vehicles for disseminating uplifting messages. “I think such partnerships demonstrate how corporations recognize the need for partnerships with community leaders,” says Jakes. “It shows that they understand the benefits of building alliances with trusted brands
that influence everyday people. For me, it is an opportunity to communicate messages of hope through new platforms.”

Peter Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions. If there’s one thing Diamandis understands about innovation, it’s that it needs to be incentivized.

Since 1994, the XPRIZE has launched over $140 million in prize purses, including the $15 million Global Learning XPRIZE, the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE, the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and the $1.4 million Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XPRIZE. As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started more than 20 companies in longevity, space, venture capital, and education. 

 In mid-March of this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full bloom, Diamandis received a call from two friends, Lou Reese and Mei Mei Hu, co-CEOs of United Biomedical, a synthetic peptide diagnostic and vaccine company. “They reminded me that their company had developed a SARS vaccine 20 years ago, but because SARS did not become a pandemic, it didn’t require production of a vaccine,” recalls Diamandis. “Our discussion quickly turned to COVID-19, and we decided on that call to attempt a COVID-19 vaccine. In early April, we started a company called COVAXX and capitalized it within 45 days.”

 Their proprietary platform has developed 30 different vaccines using synthetic peptide vaccine technology, which is super low cost, safe, and extremely effective, and they’ve entered pre-clinical testing. Currently, they’re conducting human trials and plan to have 100 million doses manufactured in Q1 2021.

 Being so close to the search for a cure, Diamandis feels hopeful at the speed at which they identify and solve problems. “People forget how rapidly we went from identifying a lack of ventilators to having companies and teams around the world design and manufacture ventilators at scale,” he says. “We went from having no vaccines for COVID-19 to more than 150 in development in less than four months. The rate at which entrepreneurs using exponential technologies can address and solve problems is staggering.” 

Diamandis is also moved by how the world responded to the tragic murder of George Floyd. “People are using their voices and platforms to demand justice and equality, educate each other, and listen with an open mind,” he says. It may not be all of society, but the combination of COVID-19, the need for racial and social equality, getting our economy running, and the ability to discuss everything on social media, has awakened many people to no longer be silent. People are now standing up for what’s right.”

 He feels it’s critically important that leaders inspire and guide people toward a compelling future. “For me, it’s about having a bold vision that inspires not only a person’s mind, but also their heart. I admire the ability of leaders to listen and hear the concerns of the people they lead with empathy. And to help those individuals imagine a hopeful and compelling future for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

 Importantly, Diamandis also admires leaders with an ability to create the future, not just let it happen to them. “We need people who can bring the capital, the technology, the people, and the mindset to get results. Real leaders have a massively transformative purpose. They’re not doing something to make money. They’re not doing something just to sell a widget. They have a meaningful purpose in their life that is bigger than themselves, inspiring them to wake up every day with determination. Through that sense of purpose, leaders inspire their teams and their companies to do extraordinary things: dream the biggest dreams to make a dent in the universe.”

Being an author and speaker, and holding seminars with her husband, Tony Robbins, is a large part of what keeps Sage Robbins motivated during tough times. With the external world reeling from the isolation of a global quarantine and everyone’s daily lives disrupted beyond recognition, what gives Robbins hope is knowing that life is always bigger than any problem we will ever face — whether personally, in our families, at work, or collectively. 

 “There are seasons and stages to life,” she says. “No matter what education level we have, where we are from, how we grew up, or the shade of our skin, we will all experience ups-and-downs and the growing pains of different seasons of our life cycle. There are certainly those of us who may prefer summer over winter, or fall to spring, but each season offers us the gift of growth, insight, life experience, and a broader perspective.” 

 If we are metaphorically in winter right now, then Robbins thinks this is a calling to come inside, to go within, to reflect, to slow down. “It’s a time to become more efficient, reconnect to a higher purpose, and prepare for the road ahead,” she explains. Many people innocently believe that if they yell loud and long enough, or perhaps destroy something or someone else, they’ll be seen and heard. In Robbins’ personal life, yelling can sometimes make the people she loves tune out or walk away, or even fight back. “There are parallels to the world stage in our inner world and with our families,” she says. “It’s all a part of the human condition.” 

 “As a business owner and leader, I feel there is power in recognizing our humanness. We are better off recognizing our strengths and also our blind spots.” Robbins points to the strange reality of social media and news platforms that attempt to tear us down for being precisely what we are — human. “There is an unrealistic expectation for people in leadership roles to be ‘perfect’ and not make mistakes, or without errors in the past,” explains Robbins. “In my experience, goodness does not equal perfection. Rather, it’s a trajectory of growth, evolution, a path forward, and a willingness to see one’s whole self and learn from mistakes. There is such a power to stand in our center with nothing to defend. I certainly didn’t get here by being a perfect human, far from it. I’ve failed, I’ve fallen, I’ve missed. The pain of those situations called to me and awakened me to do my part. It made me take responsibility for what I was missing.”

 According to Robbins, as old structures fall away, the process can be painful, messy, clunky, frustrating, and awkward. This is especially true if we focus on what was, rather than switching toward what life has to offer now. “Leaders recognize that new decisions and actions need to be made to serve the present,” says Robbins. “As much as the death of the old can be uncomfortable, we humans are incredibly adaptable, intelligent, and inventive. Understanding the seasons of transformation and cycles of life allows us to acknowledge that what was, may never be again. We often think of transitions in terms
of life and death, the end of a relationship, or loss of a job, but life is usually more nuanced than that.” 

 Robbins doesn’t think we got to where we are today by being perfect and safe. “We got here by having the courage to step into the unknown and take a leap of faith, despite the adversity. If we develop the willingness to embrace the natural seasons of life, we can lead those we love with grit and grace into the next season of growth and re-creation.”

“No one wants to hire you when your resume says ‘served as a monk for three years,’” says Jay Shetty, who at 26 years old, was $25,000 in debt and living with his parents. He was directionless, depressed, and confused about his purpose and working 80-hour weeks. He felt like he wasn’t living up to his potential and knew he had more to offer.

Ten media companies rejected Shetty when he pitched them on his mindfulness-based video ideas. Three media executives told him he was unqualified and too old to have a career in media. Now a highly successful purpose coach with more than 3.5 million followers on YouTube, Shetty believes that self-awareness can change how you see everything.

 Despite the global pandemic, lots of things give him hope. “During my monk training, we learned the importance of perspective and not getting wrapped up in the high emotions of what’s happening at the moment,” he says. “There’s a lot of research on storytelling and the brain — that we create stories to make meaning and sense — but it doesn’t take a scientist to understand that we are storytelling creatures. One thing that’s especially useful right now is that this current global story is still unfolding. As Steve Jobs said: ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.’ It’s easy to try and jump to conclusions or to tell a negative story about what’s happening, but we have the power to shape our narratives. Science also tells us something else we know from experience: Generally, change feels bad, even if it’s for the better. But we can choose to see things differently. We can look at many things that are happening right now and choose to see opportunities.”

 A recent article in Forbes pointed to companies showing primary interest in people over profit right now. The author, Adam Grant, reckoned that these companies would do best when economies around the world start to rebound because people — employees and consumers—will remember how they were treated. “Standing by your people and everyone who makes your business successful isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a smart business decision,” says Shetty.

 Shetty came across some interesting research that shows concrete strategies to perpetuate hope. Brain research from the lab of neuroscientist Andrew Huberman at Stanford University shows that what keeps people engaged in challenging tasks in the long term —whether it’s an extreme endurance sporting event or something like what we are facing now — is to receive little dopamine hits along the way. It balances our adrenaline, which would otherwise have us give up at some point. “What’s fascinating to me from a corporate and from a leadership perspective is that some of the things they’ve identified as helping to administer these dopamine hits are a feeling of teamwork and group cohesion, a feeling of being supported, and a feeling of purpose,” says Shetty. “There are others, including laughter and play, that leaders can
key into, too.” 

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) redefined burnout and added it to the International Classification of Diseases, organizations and individuals have become more open to talking about burnout’s symptoms and potential causes—which, at face value, seem to come solely from the workplace.

Don’t kid yourself. While we can all point the finger at unrealistic workplace demands, difficult managers, and the convergence of work and home life into a not-so-neat bundle, burnout isn’t just “a work thing.” The truth is, all of us can move from burnout to breakthrough if we first recognize common real-world triggers that prompt exhaustion, anxiety, and overwhelm.

Trigger #1: Mental self-talk.

Yes, burnout is a condition that stems from working and doing too much, but ask yourself: why do you push at that pace? In every single case study, I’ve explored, people realize they’re responding to the voices of parents, ancestors, religious teachers, and others who set standards that may no longer be viable or reasonable. Ask yourself:

• What do your voices say to you? Is it true? 
• Is this what you believe and want in your deepest self?
• What is the price you pay? Is it worth it?

Sure, you might be the first one in your family to go to college. You might relish the praise of being a can-do-it-all guy but think again if burnout is the result.

Trigger #2: Tyrannical technology.

Do you jump to answer every text message ping? Do you shift focus as soon as an email pops up on the screen? Do you check email right before falling asleep? If you do these things, you’re now under the control of a technology tyrant, one that’s has persuaded you to believe that multitasking is a skill of only the most intelligent.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Some researchers suggest that multitaskers are 40 percent less productive. Not only will they need to work longer to get “caught up,” but, according to Stanford researcher Clifford Nass, heavy multitaskers have a hard time regaining focus and sorting out relevant information from irrelevant details.

Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, has long been a proponent of deep focus and digital minimalism (both are titles of two of his six books). Specifically, Newport proposes that limited time with our devices and social media is a way to gain control and attain what matters. Ask yourself:

• Do you consider yourself a multitasking genius?
• Do you have a hard time shutting off at the end of the day?
• Are you addicted to your smartphone?
• What would it take to limit all digital devices and social media to only those that are essential?

Trigger #3: Broken personal connections.

Last year, Scientific American revealed that a staggering 47 percent of Americans often feel alone, left out, and lacking any meaningful connection with others. Humans are wired for connection. When loneliness rears its ugly head, emotions of distress, anxiety, and even despair appear. Indeed, one can burn out by thinking no one cares, so work becomes a surrogate for human companionship.

In our work-from-home and socially distant world, loneliness becomes even greater. But there are steps you can take. Whether on Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime, or other platforms, we can see and hear each other. From virtual happy hours, virtual dinners, or candid conversations with a morning cup of java, it’s possible to break this isolation pattern. Now’s the time to ask:

• When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with a friend?
• If not, what’s holding you back?
• Do you know someone who could use a friend?
• Are you willing to challenge yourself and smile at a stranger?
• If you’re sharing a space with others, can you put away all smartphones and talk with one other? Play a game? Share cooking? Connect?

Trigger #4: A caretaking crisis.

Burnout can also flame when juggling the care of a sick family member or aging parents. So much mental anguish, guilt, and even anger can stir up an emotional stew when we’re confronted with the need to care for another. Self-care gets pushed to last on the list. If this situation resonates with you, consider these questions:

• How often are you “on-call”?
• What resources, if any, do you have available?
• Do you ask for help? If not, why not?
• What would it take to allow yourself time for self-care? 
• What will happen if you don’t take care of yourself?

Trigger #5: Uncertainty about your life purpose.

From the horror of a World War II concentration camp, Viktor Frankl wrote his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning. His conclusion was that man (or woman) can survive anything if they have a “why.”

As we face a fast-paced, confusing COVID-19 world filled with economic upheaval and uncertainty, feeling that we don’t matter is a sure-fire way to light the burnout flame. More and more, organizations and individuals are becoming clear that work-life has to be more than a paycheck, a profit margin, or market dominance. Take a moment and think about:

• Who benefits from the work you do? What would happen if you didn’t do it?
• How can you bring a unique talent (that makes your heart happy) into your work or home life? 
• Are you the person who can find humor in anything and make others laugh?
• Are you an artist who can leave drawings for others to find? A baker of cooked goods for those who can’t get out?
• Are you a facilitator who can get a team to speak candidly?
• Are you the type of person who creates understanding and harmony?

The questions that accompany each of these five triggers are there to prompt your thoughts. What helps control burnout is breaking free from beliefs and actions that drain your energy and resources. Find your points of control. Build them. And may the force be with you.

PODCAST PEOPLE: A Summary from the Real Leaders Podcast

“You know, leaders don’t really start out at the front of the lines. Leaders one day have the courage to get out from the back of the line and walk up to the front and lead.”

Devon Still is a former NFL defensive end and now entrepreneur, peak performance coach, and advocate for childhood cancer awareness. More recently, he is the author of Still in the Game and host of the Undefeated Podcast, helping others to overcome adversity and reach their highest potential in life.

The following is a summary of Episode 124 of the Real Leaders Podcast, a conversation with former NFL defensive end and performance coach Devon Still. Watch, read, or listen to the full conversation below.

From Athlete to Advocate

Devon shares the journey full of ups and downs in his athletic career that brought him to the NFL. But he details that the biggest obstacle he ever faced was his daughter Leah’s battle with cancer. At the age of four she was given a 50/50 chance at surviving. Devon wanted to give Leah’s battle a purpose to help her fight as hard as she could. He decided to use his platform as an NFL player to shed light on what it’s like for families facing this situation.

“When I sat in the hospital, a lot of families were going through things that nobody knew about. It was like a hospital full of the voiceless. And I had a chance to use my voice to give those voiceless families a voice to talk about what they were going through.”

As part of their advocacy for childhood cancer, Devon and Leah formed the Still Strong Foundation, which provides assistance to other families whose children are fighting the same fight.

The Playmaker Playbook

Devon offers the playbook that got Leah through as guidance that can help anyone overcome adversity:

Give your battle a purpose.

“When you give any goal or any fight that you’re going through a purpose that’s bigger than yourself, you’re more likely to achieve that goal.”

Fight for four quarters.

“We have something in football where we’re taught that no matter how tired you are, no matter how much pain you’re in, you go out there and give it everything you have for four quarters, because you never know when the game can change.”

Triple A — Anticipate, Adjust, Accelerate.

“You have to anticipate that things may go wrong, you have to plan for things to go wrong. And then once they do, you have to adjust. Sometimes your goal stays the same, but the strategy or the plan to get to goal, it changes.”

Transcript

Connect

Find out more about Devon’s coaching here:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube