Moxie Consulting Group

02/01/2026

06/13/2024

Sharing insights from the renowned Mara Liasson of NPR at the Maryland Hospital Association annual meeting, a client of

Mara not only presented on the current state of national politics, but shared ideas on preserving the American democracy such as:

👩🏽‍⚖️Supreme court justices having term limits, like 18 years
🫱🏽‍🫲🏼Civic Duty
🗳️Election Day designated as a holiday

what do you think about making Day a full or partial PTO day, and/or advocating to make it a national holiday?

05/01/2024

See you there! More info and Register https://www.richmondshrm.org

12/06/2023

We selected holiday gifts from businesses that identify as diverse-owned, help solve social injustices, or have committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) impact. Because doing good by people and our planet AND making a profit are not mutually exclusive. We hope you find a new favorite brand!

Co-founded by actors Kristen Bell, Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell, and Ravi Patel has a single goal: Feed starving children. Food insecurity and malnourishment are preventable, treatable, and curable. Every time a bar is purchased, the company donates life-saving nutrition to a child in need, both here in our own backyard and in global communities with the highest need. The bar is packed with a full serving of fruits and vegetables and is non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher-dairy-free.

10/05/2023

Celebrating all the cultures and ways people identify for Hispanic/Latiné Heritage Month!

Repost from

Professor Yalidy Matos is a researcher at Rutgers University in the Department of Political Science, “currently working on a book project about identity formation among those who identify as Latina/o/e/x, AfroLatina/o/ex, Black Latina/o/e/x, and/or Afrodescendants from Latin America and the Spanish Caribbean.”

“You can find the consent form, which you should read and sign before signing up for an interview. The interviews will take an hour and will be conducted via zoom. You are required to have your video on at all times. For the interview, you’ll need computer and internet access.

Moving Beyond Panethnicity, asks, what are the boundaries and attributes that demarcate and define the category “Hispanic/Latina/o/e/x”?

Eligibility
- Age 18 or over
- Computer and internet access
- Self-Identifies as any of the following categories: Hispanic, Latina, Latino, Latine, Latinx, AfroLatina/o/x/e, Black Latina/o/x/e
Afrodescendant from Latin American and the Spanish Caribbean
- You can be either U.S.-born or foreign-born BUT must reside/live at least 50% of time in the United States
- Able to devote one hour to a zoom interview with your video on at all times”

08/29/2023

In Episode 13, I share how early in my career a colleague had a one-on-one conversation with me after dinner to explain that referring to people of East Asian descent as Oriental wasn't the best choice of words.

A very short summary of history:
🌅 During the time of Roman power, Orient meant East of Rome. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it comes from the word orīrī, “to rise,” since the sun rises in the East. 

🌏 During British colonialism, the Orient was a construct of countries, at times referring to all countries from the Middle East to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam along with their spices, textiles (rugs), religions, and people.

⚠ By the early 20th century, Oriental was used to describe people of East Asian descent, such as Chinese and Japanese. However, oriental is not a name selected by people of Asian descent, rather it was imposed on them.

Here's what you need to do:
👉🏾 Use Asian or Asian American to describe the broad group of people.
👉🏾 Use East Asian to refer to someone from China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mongolia.
👉🏾 Use specific ethnicities to refer to specific groups of people.
🌊 Listen to Making Waves on Purpose Podcast , Episode 13, Getting it Wrong with Erika McMullen 🔗 Link in Bio

     

08/15/2023

🌎 Our shared humanity is a critical component to live on Earth together.

⚠️Without it, we start to see others as something less then human.

💣 When that happens, it becomes easier to hate, demean, and devalue others because they are perceived as “less than”

💀 It’s the same thread in the tragedies of history - war, genocide, enslavement, human trafficking.

😐You don’t have to like or agree with other humans. Just recognize them as the their “own universe” with hopes, dreams and fears.

07/28/2023

Are some people more likely than others to follow toxic leaders? The answer is YES.

The first group of people fall into the category of CONFORMERS. They typically feel empty, alone, have low self-esteem, and desire belonging to community. As a result, they view the toxic leader as someone with the charisma and power they want. They tend to be emotionally immature and follow along because they are afraid.

The second group are COLLUDERS, often described as opportunists because they have something to gain by aligning with the toxic leader - such as profit, power, or status.

⬇️Comment below
Have you worked with Conformers or Colluders?



Lipman-Blumen, 2005; Northouse, 2019; Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007; Singh, Sengupta, & Dev, 2018

07/22/2023

❓What environmental conditions are needed for toxic and destructive leaders to thrive?

1. Instability - when the environment is unstable. Times of VUCA (😉 for all the MBA grads) volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. This creates fear and panic in many people.

2. Perceived threat - when people are in fear, they are willing to accept a toxic, authoritarian leader because they falsely believe the leader will protect them from their fears. They discount and justify the negative characteristics and red flags the toxic leader displays. Toxic leaders are only concerned about themselves and their power.

3. Alignment of cultural values - people more readily accept a leader who espouses their cultural values, especially when they are afraid. For example, a leader who values achievement will be attractive to people who describe themselves as achievers. Followers may not dig deep enough to know that leader's path to achievement was filled with running over everyone they know.

4. Lack of checks and balances - organizations without a balance of powers, where power can be abused and it goes unchecked. Organizations with a weak governance or whose governance lacks of courage.

5. Ineffective organizations - those with a lack of rules, processes, and systems makes it easier for a toxic leader to rise to power.

When these situations occur, the toxic leader is able to portray themselves as a savior to people's fear.

People feel weak, defenseless, and scared and want to feel strong, protected, and calm.

The toxic leader is then hired, appointed, or elected.

The real hard part is firing them or having them leave willingly.

😱Do you notice the theme of fear and how it leads to multiple bad assumptions and decisions?

⬇️Comment if any of these situations were present when your toxic leader came into power.

Sources:
Lipman-Blumen, 2005. Northouse, 2019
Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007. Singh, Sengupta, & Dev, 2018
 

07/21/2023

It's fascinating how destructive and toxic leaders come into power, the conditions that are needed for them to thrive, and how they maintain power. The next series of posts will explain it.

These are shared toxic characteristics, whether they are working at a Fortune 500, nonprofit, hospital, or civic leadership.

1. Lack of integrity - dishonest and reckless disregard for their actions

2. Erratic behavior – unpredictable and inconsistent behavior

3. Charisma - they have a level of charm & presence that attract others

4. Personalized power - use of their charisma and power for personal gain

5. Narcissism - attention getting and self-absorbed

6. Arrogance - attitude of superiority

7. Insatiable ambition - using coercion to get what they want

8. Negative life themes - can be traced to traumatic childhood events

9. Ideology of hate - playing to people's fears

10. No boundaries -violates the basic human rights of others

Destructive leaders typically leave their followers worse off than they found them and it takes time to heal from such toxic workplace relationshiops and experiences.

Comment below if you can relate or have another characteristic to add.



Moxie Consulting Group, LLC

Sources:

Lipman-Blumen, 2005

Northouse, 2019

Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007

Singh, Sengupta, & Dev, 2018