We Leveling Up in 2025 ✨

2024 is gone. We're leaving that energy in the dust. It's time to level up, to be seen, to make a splash. 

Links:

https://causeyconsultingllc.com/2024/12/02/from-isolation-to-belonging-finding-your-tribe/

Links where I can be found: https://causeyconsultingllc.com/2023/01/30/updates-housekeeping/

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Decoding the Unicorn will go live on Amazon on January 7th!

I am the author of the forthcoming book, Decoding the Unicorn: A New Look at Dag Hammarskjöld, where I explore Dag's leadership style and his personal journey in greater depth. For updates, please visit: https://decodingtheunicorn.com/.

You can also follow my author journey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saracauseyauthor.

Transcript

 Transcription by Otter.ai.  Please forgive any typos!

Welcome to the Causey Consulting Podcast. You can find us online anytime at CauseyConsultingLLC.com, and now here's your host, Sara Causey.

Hello, hello, and thanks for tuning in if you're hearing my voice. Happy. 2025 we made it. We survived the lumps and bumps and dust and dirt in the road of 2024 and Bye, bye. I can't say that. I'm entirely sad to see it go. It gave me some memories. I have to say I remember New Year's Eve slash New Year's Day, going from 2008 to 2009 now, as we know in hindsight, the Great Recession lasted for two and a half three years there. It was a tough period of time, but 2008 really being like, the ah, where everybody had to get used to being in a recession. I just remember that night being like, Goodbye, good riddance. Don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. I hope 2009 is a hell of a lot better. I sort of had the same vibe. I was like, I'm I'm kind of done. I'm over it. It's time to transform. It's time to step into a new era. It's It's time. It's time. So if you're hearing my voice, we made it. We survived. Now. Let us think about brighter days. Let us think about good things ahead, not hot air and hopium and ignoring reality, but just thinking about what we want to accomplish, the goals that are important to us, that which is wanted and not that which is unwanted. On that note, drum roll, please. My book, my biography of Dag Hammarskjöld will go live on Amazon on Tuesday, January the seventh. I would be remiss if I did not do some promotional work here. So before I get into the crux of this episode, which will be a short episode, because, quite frankly, I'm waist deep in things that I have to do, and there are only so many hours in the day, I want to take a few minutes here to read just a few of the comments, some of the wonderful, amazing comments that I have received from my beta readers and my advanced readers. There have been times I've been moved to tears, and I am not a crier. I think if you've listened to this podcast with any frequency. You know that about me, I'm not a real like, ooey gooey, overly emotional, sappy sort it really takes something to get me going. And gosh, I thank you. Thank you so much. Everybody who has taken the time to be a beta reader, to be an advanced reader, and to offer their feedback. But even more than that, people who have genuinely been touched by Dag story, people who had no idea who he was prior to their Beta read, and now they realize how amazing he was. And still is that I'm like that. You can't see me, but it's like that. That's the whole freaking reason for me to do this, to really share this experience. What I know about this incredible human being, like the Scripture about not hiding your light under a bushel, taking that basket off of Dag's light so that it can be seen again. It makes me feel fantastic. So here are a few quotes from the advanced readers and beta readers. I'd never heard of Dag I've never been a big reader of biographies, to be honest. And I expected this to be like a textbook story of some historical figure. I can say it I was wrong. My husband had to tell me to turn off the Kindle and go to bed, but I just had to know how the story ended. Sara's portrayal of Dag is very sensitive and respectful portrayal of a man who was himself very sensitive towards and respectful of other people. This is the one that got me. You guys, there's there were several that moved me, but this one really, really got the old heart strings. I think the best biographies not only give you a sense of who that person was, but also allow you to feel as though that person is talking directly to you, so much so that when you stop reading, it's as though that person has now left your life, and you find yourself missing their thoughts, words and deeds. That's what I get from decoding the unicorn. I found myself missing Dag. So many feels. Sara's portrayal of Dag's anxiety Idlewild was. Masterful showcasing the sacrifices he made and just how far out of his comfort zone he was. I also loved how Sara revealed that Dag's personal discomfort didn't stop him from forging meaningful connections. It was a privilege to read Sara's work compelling and beautifully written. It's clear why she admires Dag so deeply. I think people on Neptune at this point could figure that out. And finally, as someone with ADHD, I often struggle to stay focused, but this book had me hooked. I kept thinking about getting a cup of coffee, but I couldn't put the book down the reading one out, and I still haven't had that coffee. I have many others, but I, you know, I don't want this episode to go in too long, and I really hate anything that makes me feel like I'm bragging on myself. That's just a gross energy for me. But I did want to share those. This book is a labor of love. It's a passion project. So whether you're interested in history, in biographies, if you come into the story the way that I did, which is the backwards way I sort of came in through the back door. I heard about Dag's murder and the bizarre circumstances around it, and I'm like, wait a minute, what this is like? Something out of a movie. It's obviously not a happens plane crash, like this was sabotage. So who did it? And then, well, who was this man? Why would this, you know, shadowy web of power, as he called it, want him to be killed? Like, what? What was he doing? Who was he? And that made all the difference for me. Really, it's, it's changed my life. Dag has changed my life. You sort of feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, where she's like, you've changed all that, and then you don't change back. You start to want a higher a higher calling. You feel like you're stepping into a higher level of purpose. And Dag has done that for me. What a gift it has been here. I thought I was giving him a gift by moving the bushel off of his beam of light. He was moving it off of mine too. I also want to play a clip from a video that I released last week. I don't do a lot of video work as an introvert, I'm sure you can imagine. It's out of my comfort zone. It's not my most favorite fun thing in the world to do. But for Dag, I will, for him, I will do it. I want to play the audio from that, because the reality is, as we go into 2025 in the same way that for me, like this, is an era of transformation, it's an era of elevation, and I want all of that for you too. If that's something you want for yourself, I want it for yourself too. And it's possible. And I think we can also extend this out into arenas of leadership, politics, people, management, etc. We could have it so much better. We don't have to settle for the same old junk and bullcrap that we've been settling for for decades now, for me, being out of corporate America for the length of time that I have been now, owning and operating my own business, calling my own shots, and really like settling in, getting into a rhythm, figuring out what works for me very well and what doesn't I just it's not a wonder I was so miserable when I was stuck in the corporate world, I've said before that I felt like a left foot stuck in a right shoe. Yes, I could walk, yes I could move, but it was really painful and uncomfortable, and I didn't go as far as fast as I could have. It's a bit like when the child is ready to take the training wheels off the bicycle and just go. You don't keep the training wheels on the child's bicycle forever. They get their balance, they figure out what they're doing, and they're ready to take those training wheels off and just go. I felt so hampered and so stifled, and for quite a while, I built this cozy introvert cloister, and I hid inside it in a lot of ways, Dag did that too. He had these positions that he was in, oftentimes more than one at a time, more than one job that he was doing simultaneously, but they were largely out of the public eye. And whenever he would get publicity, it would typically just be some regional publicity or some national publicity in Sweden, but not really on the global level. And then when he was catapulted into global fanfare, when he took the secretary generalship, it was quite a change for him. I don't think I want to be catapulted in that way, but I realize now I was hiding in a cloister, and I published a blog post, actually, about some of this part of my journey where I had a so called teacher, a so called mentor, who said something totally heinous to me, and I carried that with me, and I felt like, well, I should stay hidden. I guess I'm just so. Egregious and so terrible of a person that I should stay hidden. I should stay cloistered away like Quasimodo one should just be hidden in this cathedral, and nobody should get to see me. But a magical thing happens when you go through the aging process because a lot of that junk, you just realize it was junk. That's somebody else's opinion, that's somebody else's projection. And there are people in this world, even your so called friends, who are really more like frenemies and your so called mentors. They want to keep you small. They don't want you to dress a certain way, or they don't want you to carry yourself a certain way. They don't want you to have a nice house or a nice car or a fancy job, or to own your own business, or to have a certain kind of bank account they want you to stay small and to stuff you into a box. I guess I would compare it to shows like Maury or Jerry Springer. You watch these weird train wreck stories that are just cuckoo and then you feel better about yourself where it's like watching an episode of Hoarders, and you're like, Well, okay, the pile of junk mail that I've gotten in one little table on the house suddenly doesn't seem so bad. When I look at somebody that has six feet of trash in their house and there's petrified possums and animal waste everywhere, I don't feel quite as bad about my situation. If I can look at somebody else's situation and they're living in a like a literal dung heap. There are people that will do that to you. They want to keep you small. They want to stuff you in a box. And I'm done with that. Dad took me out of the box and then burn the box in front of me like, No, we're not doing that. It's a new era. So here we go. Let's take that energy into 2025 now, without further ado, I will play the clip I spent the second half of 2024 writing a biography called decoding the unicorn, which profiles an introvert, someone who valued his privacy, solitude, long walks in nature, reading, writing and translating, working behind the scenes, not seeking credit or glory, just content to work and do an amazing job in private, but when he accepted a high profile, very public position, he was thrust into the international spotlight in a way that he never could have imagined, and he was flung way out of his comfort zone, though my spotlight is nothing like that, I can tell you, the process of reading and writing and tracking down research and making phone calls and sending out emails and chasing this and that and now promoting the book, it has pushed this introvert way out of her comfort zone, but it has all been worth it, and then some. In Sweden, Dag Hammarskjöld is still well regarded and well remembered as well he should be. But here in the States, it it was a different reception. Universally, it was like this, oh, Sara, you're writing a book that's fantastic. What's it about Dag hammerschool? Who, what, why? And for some people, it's difficult to understand how a person born in 1905 might still be relevant to us in 2025 especially his management style, the way that he led people, the way that he led the organization. Why would that still be relevant to us? Aren't his ideas archaic and out there no another thing that motivated me to write this book is that not enough introverts get into management positions. They aren't as vocal in the town square. They're not represented in politics as much as they should be. Yet when they are, the results are outstanding. I feel like if we continue to do what we have done, if we continue to just make this western world extrovert ideal a pedestal. We're going to continue to get what we've gotten. And that's just not good enough, not in my opinion. Anyway, if you look around at the status quo and you're happy with it, um, good on you, I guess, but I'm certainly not. So I want to take a moment to read an excerpt from decoding the unicorn, and I think I have the font size large enough that I can manage this without having to get my reading glasses, but we shall see. Dag's energy didn't wane, even after meeting with hundreds of employees in a single day, he addressed each person with care and respect, asking questions about their work and their lives, remembering names as best he could. He wanted each employee to feel valued and to know that their contribution mattered. By the time he reached the top floor, his expression was as warm as it had been when he started for his immediate staff and the Secretariat, Dag sought to turn the page on Lee's tenure and establish a more effective leadership style. We need a bit of a palate cleanser. Dag thought, and as usual, he was correct. He invited each person in one at a time, ensuring the conversations remained private. When the first knock came at the door, he stood greeting the staff member with a warm handshake and a genuine smile. Come in, please, and have a seat where you like. As each one entered, Dag adopted the same open, relaxed posture, making it clear this wasn't a formal interrogation, but a calm conversation. He wanted them to feel at ease. He asked about their responsibilities, genuinely interested in hearing about how they viewed their roles within the UN What are your main duties? Dag asked each person and what do you feel you excel at what do you enjoy doing here? Some spoke confidently, outlining their tasks with precision and pride, while others were more hesitant, unsure of how much to reveal. But Dag's encouraging demeanor dispelled any nerves. He nodded thoughtfully as they described their areas of expertise and how do you like to be managed? He would ask next, his tone, gentle, inviting honesty, what works best for you. This question took people by surprise, as if they hadn't expected someone in his position to care about their preferences. But dag did. He believed that understanding how each person worked best, whether they thrived with clear directives or preferred autonomy, was essential to creating a productive and respectful environment. As the conversations unfolded, Dag discovered who was detail oriented, who preferred handling big picture strategy and who needed more feedback to feel confident in their roles. He listened thoughtfully, occasionally offering a suggestion or simply acknowledging their concerns. By the time the meetings concluded, Dag felt a deeper connection with each member of his team. He had a better understanding of their strengths and how he could best support them. For him, these meetings weren't just about managing his staff, they were about building trust and respect from the start. We could have it so much better. We can have it so much better in the political landscape and so much better in the corporate arena. Dag's example is proof of that Decoding the Unicorn will go live on Amazon on on January the seventh, and I encourage you, introverts, creatives, HSPs, people in leadership roles, or even if you just enjoy a good biography or a good history story, check it out. Thank you so much for your support, and I'll see you soon. So another reminder, decoding the unicorn goes live on Amazon on January 7th. If it's something of interest to you, I would humbly ask for you to purchase a copy. Check it out and see what you think. If you enjoy it, please do leave a five star review for me on Amazon, because it does help. Thank you so much for tuning in, and I look forward to seeing the amazing things that we create in 2025 stay safe, stay sane, and I will see you in the next episode.

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