How to lead with a DEI Mindset / August 25, 2021 by Jasmine Tate

DEI conversations often seem hard and heavy. This year during our annual staff retreat at TGR Foundation, we were joined virtually by Farzana Nayani, a recognized Diversity, Equity & Inclusion specialist, Intercultural practitioner and author of Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for nurturing identity in a racialized world. Her presentation was a refreshing look into DEI and her personality made it easier to think about and engage in dialogue around practices that can help us all understand and grow together.

Seeing her passion and smile throughout the session changed the atmosphere even though we were all in separate rooms. I loved how she provided specific examples, personal stories and practical tips that we can implement with ease. While addressing a topic that can be easily be "preached," she opened the door for engagement and encouraged it. I think anyone who did not gain value from the session wasn't paying attention. Although there were several valuable insights, I wanted to share four tips and quotes from Farzana to help you lead with a DEI Mindset.

Real World Read: Mere Christianity Book Review & 15 Key Takeaways / July 28, 2021 by Jasmine Tate

In 2020 I attended a life group training where the facilitators shared our lead pastor, Eric Geiger’s top recommended books for all Christians to read. “Mere Christianity” was one of them; over a year later, my life group and I dove in.

Unlike the studies we've done recently, the book did not provide study guides, discussion questions or assignments to read passages from the Bible, but what it did provide was thought-provoking, vocabulary-building, dialogue-enhancing literature, that took us on an adventure and positioned us to live better Christian lives.

As I read, I felt like I was having a serious yet informal conversation with a very intellectual mentor. Through that conversation we shared laughs, disagreements, truths and more. There were times that I had to re-read a passage, times every word made perfect sense and still times I had to research or save a question to discuss with my group.

Although Lewis shares that “It is a very silly idea that in reading a book you must never skip. All sensible people ‘skip’ freely when they come to a chapter which they find is going to be no use to them,” skipping chapters of a book still feels like cheating to me. Textbooks are the only exception. I’ve read the book cover to cover including the preface, bios and reviews.

It's hard to share quotes out of context, but here are 15 excerpts that remind us of the nature and position of Christianity and how we can and should live it out.

15 Questions to ask yourself before your next performance review / July 14, 2021 by Jasmine Tate

Performance reviews are usually a requirement at every stage of your career. Sometimes they are effective and useful and other times a matter of protocol and waste of time. Because I love giving and receiving feedback, performance reviews are exciting to me. They allow me and my supervisor uninterrupted time to talk about me and how I can be better in my role.

If you haven’t had your mid-year review, answering the following questions will help you prepare. And if you’re reading this after your review, connect with me in the comments or on social media to share what you would add or wish you’d read before it happened.

You should always prepare for your review with your supervisor by assessing your performance honestly through honest self reflection. If there’s a rubric in place that your supervisor will use, it’s best to sit down in advance of the day or week before your review to truly analyze your performance. By doing this you can be proactive in identifying wins and losses, strengths and weaknesses and areas for improvement. It can also prevent you from facing surprises and give you something to compare your scores to. By answering the following questions you can also gauge your overall fulfillment and growth in your role, which I find to be beneficial at any stage in your career and multiple times per year.

Jasmine's Journey: 2021 Q2 Update / July 7, 2021 by Jasmine Tate

As the spread of coronavirus dwindled and the number of people vaccinated increased, so did social gatherings. June has been my favorite month this year, and all the invitations have made my heart smile and received an immediate yes.

As we move forward into the second half of the year, it’s a great time to reflect on the last six months and plan for those ahead. Continuing the tradition from my Q1 Update, I’ve shared some of my highlights so far this year below.