Perspectives 3: Finding joy at intersections
This article contains associate links to three books I purchased and read on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
Starting in 2010, I began working for an order of the Catholic Church. My tenure began during the aftermath of the sex abuse scandal, and many parts of the organization were still struggling with the weight of what had happened.
In 2015 my office in Boston closed due to a series of consolidations and mergers. Fortunately, I had been working closely with the organization’s headquarters office in Washington, DC. As a result, I was offered a job as the first-ever IT Director. With the new role came a new boss, Shawn. He was brilliant, funny, and had unique and insightful perspectives.
“Our work is so dark sometimes; we must prioritize joy, so we don’t burn out,” Shawn told me. One of Shawn’s leadership values (and one that I have adopted) is to promote joy in our work.
It’s not always easy to find joy, sometimes our work is taxing, or something is going on at home that makes it hard for us to feel happy. And we’re always so busy trying to achieve...
I find joy in reading, and spend a lot of my time reading non-fiction books with themes of leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI can be a heavy topic; so these books don’t always inspire joy.
An unexpected gift
When I was a kid, my neighbor brought me an unexpected gift. She saw a comic book at our local general store, Daredevil issue 243. The theme was so dark, probably too dark for a 12-year-old to read, but read it I did… the book started to fall apart in my hands because I had read it so many times. Each panel was inspected, and every block of text was reviewed numerous times.
Daredevil 243 was probably the first time I felt significantly moved by anything in my life. And, despite the dark theme, the book ignited my imagination and instilled in me a great sense of joy.
And, as an adult, I still love the mixed media of comic books, the way drawings, and the written word combine to form a story. And I’m still moved by stories of exploration and self-discovery.
Finding joy in your work
A large part of my work over the past several years has revolved around increasing diversity, fostering equity, and creating inclusion in the workplace. These are themes that align with my personal and leadership values.
As I look back at what I read in 2022, I found three publications that created a sense of joy by blending themes of diversity, equity, inclusion, exploration, and self-discovery into the mixed-media method of storytelling.
Imagine a 13-year-old boy who is a first-generation American citizen becoming a member of the galactic police. Well, that’s precisely what happens when Tai Pham’s grandmother, a refugee of the Vietnam war, dies and passes her legacy as a Green Lantern on to her grandson.
Living in a city that is increasingly unwelcoming to minorities and with a multi-billionaire property developer bent on gentrification, Tai struggles to find his place in his family, community, and the universe.
Kind of like Pixar movies, Green Lantern: Legacy is something that can appeal to both kids and adults.
Gender Queer: A Memoir Deluxe Edition
Gender Queer had been on my radar for quite some time. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most banned books for the last couple of years. The graphic novel is an autobiography about the author’s upbringing. Born female, Maia never really associates with being a girl.
If you’ve ever struggled to understand what being transgender is all about, Gender Queer provides some interesting perspectives.
A story that needed to be told, Gender Queer is a book that must be read.
I grew up with Tim Drake as Batman’s trusty sidekick, Robin. While I was in high school, Tim was also in high school, and I got to watch him struggle with making friends, hiding his secret identity, and dating girls. I feel like Tim and I had a lot in common, except for that my secret identity wasn’t being a superhero, it was being gay.
A surprising twist has taken place. After his last breakup, Tim finds himself in love with one of his friends, Bernard.
The art and story in this comic are simply wonderful, and it’s good to see characters we’ve always loved evolve.
How do comic books relate to leadership?
Right now, a major theme in higher education leadership is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI is a massive topic and one that’s infinitely complex. So, keeping on top of current media and understanding DEI trends can help you keep your perspectives broad.
Also, as leaders, we are often too busy trying to lead, be efficient, and get things done. We don’t take time to pursue things that bring us personal joy. So it’s essential to permit ourselves to relax a little bit.
For you, comic books might not be the intersection of joy, work, life, and your values like they are for me. But such intersections exist if you spend some time looking for them.
Reflection
What brings you joy at work and in your personal life? How do these things align with your values? Can you find an opportunity to blend these things?
