Operational Transparency

Operational Transparency 

How sharing behind the scenes content can help you build trust.

One of my favorite community building / marketing strategies is the use of operational transparency. It is the type of content development that makes the most sense to me and feels the most organic. 

Harvard Business School defines Operational Transparency as 

the deliberate design of windows into and out of the organization’s operations to help customers understand and appreciate the value being added. — Source

Here are some examples of how my organization Isabel and the Runaway Train has used operational transparency to create engaging video content. 

1. The Adulting with Anna YouTube Series: This is a window into the way that my brain works as I run my business. In this series I pick a small task from daily life and connect it to both an entrepreneurial concept and a musical concept. This type of communication and connection regularly shows up in my meetings with my team, so we started recording and publicly sharing these moments.

2. The Jennifer Loves Spreadsheets YouTube Series: My technical director Jennifer Crump and I know how to lean on each other and play to our strengths. She helps me make the Isabel spreadsheets, and I help her write emails / other content. This series came from simply hitting record while Jennifer taught me to use google spreadsheets more effectively. 

3. The Isabel Baggage Claim YouTube Series: These videos share a window into my relationships with local mental health professionals. During these videos a mental health professional and I discuss the meaning and usage of one keyword often used in #metoo support. 

These three series help our audience to see that 1) I am a person, not just a professional, 2) I have an effective team and 3) I collaborate with and learn from people outside my industry. 

Each concept came straight from things I was already doing on a regular basis. I believe that is what makes them highly engaging and trust — building to watch. 

What can you do to create Operational Transparency in your marketing? 

Anna Westbrook 

AnnaWestbrook.com

IsabelandtheRunawayTrain.org 

Why I use the term “Sexual Maltreatment.”

My colleague Fernando Velez and I created an online “train” -ing course that teaches people to support survivors of sexual maltreatment.

As a survivor, advocate, speaker, and educator, I often use the term “sexual maltreatment.” I do this because I believe that there is an imaginary spectrum in your mind. On one end you have the word “harassment” and on the other end you have the word “slavery.” In between are a whole bunch of scary words that you may not know how to deal with, although you probably recognize their gravity.

So, when someone shares a direct or indirect experience with you, you consciously or subconsciously try to place it in the appropriate spot on that spectrum.

Your natural human tendency will be to categorize the incident. 

We categorize everything and that isn’t a bad thing. One of the things that makes that categorization process feel safe for you is that you envision little action step boxes above the spectrum. There’s a little action — step flow chart hanging above the scary words that makes you feel like there are solutions to these problems. You hope that if you can categorize the scary event under the correct scary word, then there will be an appropriate and verified course of action to take to fix the scary problem.

Upon reflection you may realize the spectrum is subjective and the flow-chart is flawed. This creates a variety of sub-problems within the overall problem of sexual maltreatment. There are many advocates for survivors, lawmakers, and politicians who are working to clarify that spectrum and re-structure that flowchart. The average person is not a part of that process. 

While they are sorting that out, what can those of us who are not direct responders, wellness professionals and legal representatives do? 

Many of us take to social media to share direct or indirect experiences with our personal community and leave it at that. There are other ways to address the incidents we encounter. 

We can normalize the ability to respond supportively to a survivor. 

As a first step, when referring to the overall problem we are addressing, I use the term “sexual maltreatment.” Not because I see all experiences as the same or because I want to minimize individual experiences, but because I realize defining the experience only matters as much as the survivor says it does and I want to pivot the conversation AWAY from categorization as soon as possible. 

I see the opportunity to practice RESPONSE as a unique skill, with specific goals that are separate from identification of maltreatment or prevention or maltreatment. I believe that a necessary prerequisite for preventing abuse is normalizing the ability to respond to it.

Let’s skip right past our human tendency to try to define other people’s experiences based on our own understanding and get straight to support. 

I started using this term in late 2018. It was the result of months of beta testing the live and online training programs I wrote in collaboration with the original musical I produced. 

You can support survivors by “Isabel Certified.” This means being prepared to talk to a survivor, such as the fictional survivor Isabel.

One of the benefits to using the “sexual maltreatment” term has been that it keeps my listeners engaged with my response-focused message. It empowers them by focusing their energy on what they can do: respond supportively. The umbrella term minimizes emotional risk. If the listener leans in and asks why I used the term, I share that my programs focus on response techniques and that specific categorization isn’t required to respond supportively. 

However, I never use the term “sexual maltreatment” reactively. This is not a correction tool. 

I only ever use the term proactively. This means that if someone else uses a more specific word, I do not correct them or ask them to change their verbiage. That would be reductive. But if I am the one bringing the subject up, I usually use the umbrella term of sexual maltreatment instead of one of the more specific alternatives. 

The risks of using the term are that it white — washes individual experiences and lowers the sense of urgency surrounding the problem. So, be careful to only use it in introductory settings, general discussion settings, or other settings where it is helpful and not harmful. Above all, do not use this term if the survivor(s) you intend to support do not like it. Only take what serves you and what serves them. 

Personally, I like using sexual maltreatment for another reason. As someone with C-PTSD from my own survivorship story, it is so much less triggering for me to say maltreatment than any of the more specific terms. 

Are there times where I use those specific words? Absolutely. But sexual maltreatment is one of many verbiage tools that I use to minimize my own emotional risk as well as help others engage. 

Anna Westbrook

AnnaWestbrook.com

IsabelandtheRunawayTrain.org

I created a creative arts integrated online training program that empowers people to support survivors of sexual maltreatment. Because it is hard. But it can be done. Normalizing the ability to support survivors is a feasible social goal. It can start with simple verbiage changes.

Nonprofit Spotlight: Preventing School Shootings with Sandy Hook Promise

I remember exactly where I was on December 14th, 2012. I was at the gym in my hometown of New London, CT. 

When the story broke, I felt panicked. Before sharing the name of the school, the text at the bottom of the screen said, “Shooting at Connecticut School,” or some similarly vague headline. I didn’t have a smart phone (I was a late accepter of modern technology) so I couldn’t look up any information about the shooting. 

I was frantic. I got off of my machine. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

My mom was (and is) and elementary school teacher in Connecticut. Worry for her overwhelmed me. Professionally, I worked as a contractor for after school programming and had connections with schools throughout the state.

In those few seconds before they announced the name of the school, I was absolutely terrified. 

When I saw that it was a school where I did not, to my knowledge, have any contact, I felt a mix of relief and horror. I felt guilty for thinking of myself and my direct community first; even though that is a basic and understandable response to traumatizing experiences. But once I got past that initial fear for my own community, a larger sorrow welled up. Connecticut is a small place. These were my community members, even if I had not met them. People were grieving their children and loved ones, families were living in terror as they tried to find out who had or had not been hurt. This was a horrific experience for so many people, and it impacted millions of people across the country and the world. 

Every year, the painful memory of that day returns, and I feel ill. Moreover, these school shootings KEEP HAPPENING and I feel overwhelmed with despair and anger every time I hear about them. 

The primary way that I cope with my anger, loss, fear, and sense of powerlessness is by following the lead of an organization called Sandy Hook Promise.

Sandy Hook Promise’s mission is “Protecting America’s children from gun violence in honor of the precious lives that were lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School.” You may have heard of them as a result of their viral PSA “Back to School Essentials.” In case you have not heard of them, I am introducing you to them now. 

“Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. By empowering youth to “know the signs” and uniting all people who value the protection of children, we can take meaningful actions in schools, homes, and communities to prevent gun violence and stop the tragic loss of life.” — SandyHookPromise.org

Whenever I hear news of another school shooting, knowing that I give to this org on a monthly basis helps me to feel that I am fighting. 

In addition to donating, throughout the year, I also respond to campaigns and calls to action sent by the team. I sign cards for loved ones of those lost to school shootings, I contact my local representatives with the info that Sandy Hook Promise shares, and I read about their educational programming and events so as to be able to refer others. These are all small action steps that have hugely positive effects. Just look at their “Say Something” program, for example. 

“Sandy Hook Promise’s no-cost Say Something program teaches middle and high school students to recognize the warning signs of someone at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to say something to a trusted adult to get help.” — SandyHookPromise.org

If you are concerned about gun violence in our schools, I encourage you to connect with Sandy Hook Promise. Whether or not you are able to donate, you ARE able to act and they can help you learn how. Signing up for text and email notifications for them can help you do your part to prevent gun violence and support those who are directly affected by it. 

The stories we hear about gun violence are traumatizing and that trauma can be paralyzing. But there ARE ways that we can act. People are changing our society and they need our support. So please, look into supporting Sandy Hook Promise as you plan your end of year giving and monthly donations for 2022. 

Anna Westbrook

AnnaWestbrook.com

IsabelandtheRunawayTrain.org 

Setting expectations when I don't get enough sleep.

The theme of my day today was “expectation resetting.” Why? I did not sleep well. 

Sleep is crucial to all of us. When I was younger, I found I could function quite well with four hours of sleep. This is no longer the case. 

Ironically, part of the reason sleeplessness wasn’t a barrier for me in my 20s was that I had / have C-PTSD that shows up through both insomnia and workaholism, among other habits. So I just exhausted myself until I collapsed every day, slept a minimal amount, and did it again. 

Since then, I have improved. And I am happy to say that I have been able to sleep much more consistently in the past year than ever before in my life. I do not feel that I have “solved” my sleep issues, but through relying on various psychological, and psychiatric tools…I have seen significant improvement. I am getting better. 

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn about my sleep habits without serving as a primary caretaker. To all of you parents, adult caregivers for parents, and professional caretakers out there, your sleep deprivation is on a different plane. I both applaud you and value your insight. I intend to be a parent one day and hope to learn from the life lessons of others who navigate the sleep deprivation of caregiving. 

For now, despite my overall improvement, there are some nights where everything is just “off.” Last night was one of those nights. 

Here is a list of what I expect from myself when I do not get enough sleep:

1. I have less of an appetite, but I need to eat regularly and above all: hydrate. I am more conscious about water intake when I don’t get enough sleep.

2. My face feels very, very dry. On a good day, my skin is dryer than average. When I don’t sleep enough, I can feel the additional discomfort immediately. This means reinforcing my “water, water, water” plan, using more face lotion, perhaps skipping makeup, and sometimes just expecting to feel a little gross until I get my next night of sleep.

3. I am able to accomplish many of my normal day — to — day tasks, BUT the quality of my execution is different. Sometimes better, sometimes work, sometimes just different. For example, when I sleep poorly, I do much better with administrative work, like uploading and reviewing business receipts, than I do creative production work like video editing. It’s not that I can’t do the creative work; but I am slower than normal, more nitpicky. I waste my own time redoing things that didn’t need redoing, and I don’t describe what I need as clearly if I’m collaborating with someone. Another example: I am able to lead meetings and workshop, but when I’m tired, I go sillier than usual. So, a sleepless day with a business meeting won’t go as well as a sleepless day with a creative workshop. Many participants just think I’m extra engaging and fun when I’m experiencing short term sleep deprivation.

4. People are able and willing to adapt for me. Many people, in my personal and professional life, understand and relate to how my skillset changes based on my access to sleep. For example, today, I led a meeting with our Isabel Online Community Coordinator, Mykkaela Garcia, and was very honest about my lack of sleep and how it would affect the meeting. We did a lot of admin work and postponed some video editing until I have a better night’s rest.

If you regularly experience short — term sleep deprivation, whether in association with chronic insomnia or just as part of your general experience, I am curious to know if you have noticed any differences in your body / skillset based on your access to sleep. 

What expectations do you set with yourself and others based on your sleep needs?

Anna Westbrook 

AnnaWestbrook.com 

IsabelandtheRunawayTrain.org