Ive been tardy in posting my latest column Lather, Rinse, Repeat so here ya go. I was honored to be on a panel last month where a group of professional women actually wanted to hear what I had to say. Go figure. Here was my column prior to the event: ---- In my heart of hearts I know that I am not really a people person. Unless its times that I roll my eyes and say PEOPLE! in response to the exasperating things they do. They, meaning anyone who isnt me. Writers and artists tend to be loners. They sort of have to be or they wouldnt be writers and artists. However, as editor of River Valley Woman Ive had to work on my tendency to duck out, find the nearest exit, or otherwise avoid group situations. Im getting better at it though. Recently I agreed to participate in the Leading Together Womens Leadership Conference hosted by the Mayo Clinic Health System by being on a panel of successful business women. Ive never really looked at myself in that way before and I was very honored to be invited to be among the three guest panelists. If anything, it got me to go out to buy some shoes that are not white Converse tennies. Did I mention I also am not a shoe person? I love the look of shoes, I just dont like how they feel. I am forever getting foot cramps and frantically removing whatever footwear I happen to have on at inopportune moments. I think I ruined my feet by wearing five buck canvas tennis shoes back in the 1980s. By the time you read this, the conference will be over and I will have survived it, hopefully. The organizers were nice enough to send me list of possible questions that I, the successful business woman, may be asked. Phrew! I get a chance to prepare so as to not sit there slack-jawed with brain freeze wishing I would have ducked out when I had the chance. The following is a sample of their Qs and my As. Answers here may vary from what I actually say in real life. • What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today? Is it the same for female leaders? Time management. Leaders tend to be very busy people who take on a lot of things. Being able to say no to things is very hard. We then tend to over-book and risk not being able to follow through. Speaking for myself, but I think this is true for many women. On the other hand I often say yes, and then figure out how I am going to accomplish it afterwards. Its worked for me. Maybe out of sheer desperation not to look like an idiot. For men it could be trust. You have to prove you are trust-worthy these days more than ever in the business world. • What are your beliefs about the unique strengths women can bring to today’s workplace and organizational challenges? Well, for one thing we can find the milk in the refrigerator for our morning cereal so thats a start. We can also multi-task. Girls and women are so used to doing many things at once that it is second nature. We also see the big picture vs. linear thinking. I usually know what I want as the end result of a project before I even start it. My husband and I work together on many projects for our creative services agency and its those team efforts that are the most successful. Its because we think and work differently that makes it all click. • As an organization gets larger, there can be a tendency for the “institution” to dampen the “inspiration.” How do you keep this from happening? By always being true to my personality and maintaining a sense of humor. Dont adjust yourself to fit in to a situation of a group. That only homogenizes things and who wants bland? This doesnt always fly with management. That may explain why I work for myself! • What is one behavior or trait that you have seen derail more leaders’ careers? Lack of follow through and diligence. And whining. Really. Buck up people. • What talents or strengths do you rely on most in your daily life as a leader? My ability to keep a lot of information in my head at one time. And the knowledge that happy hour is just around the corner each day! • As a leader, talk about your views on community involvement. What opportunities have you chosen to participate in, and what opportunities have you turned down? To be honest I am not a joiner but since working with River Valley Woman Ive learned that being part of a community network is very advantageous. I have on occasion to been on committees or business groups but Ive found that for what I do I am best behind the scenes. It comes under the heading of being true to yourself. • If you could teach one thing about “leadership that drives growth” what would it be? Be open to what the people who you are leading have to say. Listen to their ideas. If you are in a leadership position, choose the very best people to be on your team. That takes some time but when you have a great group of like-minded people it is amazing what can be done. • What are your values or beliefs about balancing work and home life? That is an extreme challenge for me as someone in a creative field. What I do is more who I am. Plus when you are married to someone who is the same, your home life and work life blends together. It helps a lot to talk about something totally idiotic such as TV shows, or get out in nature. There is nothing better than watching birds and listening to frogs. Unless they are cicadas. That can get annoying. • What is your philosophy and strategy for horizontal development (growth within a role) versus vertical development (growth out of a role and into another or to higher levels of responsibility)? For me, things change on a regular cycle and that is growth outward and upward. However to be honest, I hate change. I get used to a certain way things are going and if it looks as if it might change I tend to panic, then I get a hold of myself and starting planning how I might deal with it. And every change that has happened to me professionally has been for the better. Even if it didnt seem like it at first. • What is your greatest personal satisfaction? Seeing an idea come to reality in print, whether its a column, or a brochure, advertisement, magazine, etc. and having people or the customer say they enjoyed it or it worked for them. That is what its all about. I also like to make people laugh. That is my purest joy. Now, I know I saw an exit sign around here somewhere...its time to take off my shoes.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 00:19:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015