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AGNES GEORGE

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SUE MAISANO

SUE MAISANO

POWERHOUSE GLOBAL MAGAZINE (PGMAG) INTERVIEW WITH:

AGNES GEORGE (AG)

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PGMAG: Agnes, welcome to today's interview.

AG: Thank you for the opportunity to be featured in Powerhouse Global Magazine.

PGMAG: Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

AG: I am an entrepreneur, a mother of one son and I have two beautiful grandchildren. I was educated in the Caribbean and attended the University of the West Indies where I became a certified, qualified teacher. I taught for three years but my passion was nursing so following my dream I travelled to the United Kingdom to fulfil the dream and help sick people. My passions are personal development and helping people, so firstly I obtained a certificate in management studies, followed by a first degree in nursing with higher degree, then a Masters degree in the Art of Midwifery. I was promoted to midwifery management, commissioned and managed a neonatal unit, which was highly rewarded and successful. I specialised in training of special care babies born to mothers with diabetes. I had a desire to learn about sickle cell and thalassaemia disease, and I'm now a certified specialist in this area. I have always felt a great calling to serve and reach people globally, having seen the devastation that diabetes causes. I found my purpose and trained to become a certified world class speaker, a certified Neuro Linguistic Practitioner (NLP), a Transformation Coach, a Diabetes Health Strategist, an Empowerment Mentor and certified leadership trainer. As an entrepreneur I founded the Health & Mental Well Being Company: Preventing Type 2 Diabetes with Agnes George. I believe that everyone has a right to be healthy, and that everyone can achieve and maintain good health through health education and with support from a coach. I believe that we can achieve anything with the right mindset and never allowing our past to influence our future choices.

PGMAG: As a leader, what are some of the steps required to remotely support our team at these challenged times?

AG: In today's society with the changing climate and so much uncertainty placed before us in the world of a pandemic, we can better manage the unpredictability with structured rituals whenever feasible. Schedule open meetings by having everyone share one word to describe their current state of mind, followed by an elaborate sentence. An open dialogue will help people to share their feelings, frustrations, fear of the unknown, uncertainty of financial status with loss of jobs and financial security. People need recognition and good news is exacerbated in these trying times. Leaders must reserve time at the end of each day to provide specific, positive feedback for the good work of their staff. For many employees working at home and communicating through the digital mediums like Zoom, virtual work is necessary to accommodate employees to social distancing government guidelines. One should take into consideration that it is important to be aware of factors that make working virtually a challenge for some people. For many of us adults that didn't grow up with technology, it can still be quite enabling.

As a leader, and as a teacher, I like to ask great questions that inspire people to think, and to think deeply. My job is to remove as many barriers to forward momentum as possible.

PGMAG: How would you describe your style of leadership?

AG: As a leader, and as a teacher, I like to ask great questions that inspire people to think, and to think deeply. My job is to remove as many barriers to forward momentum as possible. I like to communicate clearly and help team members feel better connected. I feel as a great leader one must inspire curiosity, creativity and deep thinking in employees. I find it useful to remember the statement often spuriously attributed to Albert Einstein “what if he had an hour to solve a problem and his life depended on it, he would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask”. It is not my job as a leader to have all the right answers, but to ask the right questions. Asking good questions is not an easy task. It requires courage and tact to generate hard questions without sparking defensiveness as well as being open to new ideas. It requires a willingness to listen and follow up.

PGMAG: What could be done to support those living with serious health conditions?

AG: General support is advised through the government, by using logos, marketing, posters, social media highlighting the importance of social distancing, shielding the people who are at risk to make them COVID secure and enable them to maintain a healthy life. We need to work with the government guidelines to maintain vigilance in hand washing, the mandatory wearing of masks in public and keeping the nation informed through written information, government bulletins and this needs to be driven by information and research from medical scientists.

PGMAG: What is your view on diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

AG: Diversity and inclusion go hand in hand and this in turn leads to happier, more productive employee. Diversity and inclusion in the workforce lead to a plethora of benefits, both from an internal and external perspective. By hiring people from diverse backgrounds, nationality's and cultures this brings a fresh array of perspectives to the table and can lead to benefits like better problem solving and increased productivity. Employees and no longer simply looking for a 9-5 job that pays well, they are looking for an organisation where they can grow, feel accepted, challenged and respected with management paying their worth. There should be equal responsibility and personal development as well as promotions in line with everyone else. A company that embraces diversity will always attract a wide range of candidates who are looking for a progressive place to work. As a result of being sensitive and enabling equal values to staff, companies are more likely to be a cut above the rest with improved reputation. Diversity refers to the trait and characteristics that make people unique whilst exclusion refers to the behaviours and social norms that exclude people and that ensure people feel excluded. If we look at the McKinsey report 2020 it found that companies with greater gender diversity were 25% more likely to have experienced above average profitability as compared to their counterparts. It is important to invest in management training to help the workforce understand what the companies diversity goals are, why they are important and what is expected of them when they interact with employees. As a leader it is important to make an effort to constantly educate their employees about the efforts of diversity moving people towards understanding and focusing on those people who do not understand why it is important.

PGMAG: What is your message for women who are struggling with low selfesteem?

AG: I would like to start with a quote by Shannon Alder: “There will always be someone willing to hurt you, put you down, gossip about you, belittle your accomplishments and judge your soul. It is a fact that we all must face. However, if you realise that God is a best friend that stands beside you when others cast stones you will never be afraid, never feel worthless, and never feel alone.” Low self-esteem is characterised by lack of confidence and feeling badly about oneself. People with low self-esteem often feel unlovable, nervous or incompetent according to researchers Morris Rosenberg and Timothy J Owens, authors of ‘Low Self-Esteem People: A Collective Portrait’. The book demonstrates that people with low self-esteem tend to be hypersensitive. Those people have a fragile sense of self that can easily be wounded by others. In today's changing society researchers show that women are believed to find it difficult to maintain their mental and physical health and to keep it in check. We need to stop listening to the inner critic - the critical inner voice that continuously nags us with a barrage of negative thoughts about ourselves and the people around us. In order to overcome low self-esteem, it is essential that you challenge negative thoughts and stand up to your inner critic - this is a wonderful way to build more confidence in yourself. When we evaluate ourselves based on external achievements, other people’s perceptions and competitions are none of our business. Social media only exacerbates this problem; as people post pictures of perfect moments and shiny achievement, we compare to our tarnished, flawed everyday life. Think of yourself as beautiful and stop comparing yourself to others and think about the type of person you want to be. Be consistent, set goals and take actions that are consistent with your own values. To feel good about yourself it is important to have integrity and to make sure that your actions match your words.

PGMAG: What are the top three books that changed your life?

AG: The books that I have read that have made a difference to me, are:

1. Unfair Advantage by Robert T. Kiyosaki

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

PGMAG: What would you say to your younger self?

AG: Listen to your heart, respect other people's views, help to enrich other people's lives, and to allocate time to have your daily self-care. Stop and take time to smell the Roses.

PGMAG: Thank you so very much for sharing your brilliance with us.

AG: My pleasure.

PGMAG: Please share your links with us.

AG: https://www. facebook.com/ preventing-diabeteswith- Agnes-george-106471797857068/

https://www.facebook.com/agnestgeorge332

https://www.instagram.com/agnestgeorge

Twitter: @Rodd99George

https://linkedin.com/in/agnestgeorge/

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