Learning to Trust the Process – Letter from Sherrell

Dear Gladiator Community,

For the past four years, I’ve had the privilege to be employed as a Gladiator. Earlier this year, I transitioned to wearing a different hat of contractor to allow myself the opportunity to both start a new adventure while still completing scopes of work that I have been passionate about. I wanted to take a moment to formally acknowledge this transition and say “Thank you”.

To those of you who trusted me to lead you through a strategic planning process, thank you for teaching me to respect and appreciate the stage of ambiguity. I sat with you and considered multiple visions, missions, and values. I watched you wrestle with the implications of word usage and sat through many working sessions to make sure Gantt charts and MOCHA tables were clear. You forced me to “trust the process” and I’m a better facilitator now because of it.

To those of you who welcomed me into your organizations as we explored where your organization was currently in its racial equity journey to inform a plan for progression, thank you for trusting me with your experiences and stories. These conversations often included discomfort and they have taught me to both extend and receive grace.

To those of you who allowed me to facilitate portions of your staff and board retreats, thank you for giving me experience in crafting an agenda responsive to needs and adaptable enough to shift to what the group needed within the moment. These experiences taught me flexibility.

To those of you who asked me to assist with general project management, thank you for reminding me why my true love will always be with operations. You often had lofty goals, constricted timelines, and limited capacity. These experiences taught me that for this mission-driven work, heart and hard work is needed just as much as a project plan.

And to all my fellow Gladiators in this work (past and present), you’ve taught me so much. It’s been a hell of a ride and I wouldn’t have wanted to ride it with anyone else. Thanks for allowing me to learn, grow, excel, and fail. Each of you have played a part in who I am today and I’m forever grateful.

With gratitude,

Sherrell