How to Find Space in Your Day

Space is precious! Finding space in our day is a challenge. We are booked with meetings, phone calls, reports to write, and board packets to prepare. We arrive in a hurry in the morning, get our coffee, and go to work. Many of us don’t even bother with lunch. At the end of the day, we cross items off the “To Do List” and head home. Just to start all over again tomorrow.

Good leadership necessitates that we take care of ourselves. Research indicates that a few minutes of self-care throughout our workday improves our cognitive ability, manages our blood sugar levels, and improves our mood. Overall, our daily work and relationships are much easier with a few minutes of self-care.

I interview and coach leaders all over the country and observe how they manage their days. Here are a few tidbits that help them be successful. Maybe these will work for you.

Take breaks: Believe it or not, you will get more work done if you take breaks. Give your mind and body time to renew. Do something different. Get out of your workspace and walk around, find natural lighting and fresh air, drink a glass of water, or eat an apple. In addition to a lunch hour (away from your desk) take at least two 15 minute breaks a day. You will have more energy at the end of the day, be more productive, and in a more positive mood.

Schedule Staff Meetings in mid afternoon: More people say yes to midafternoon meetings because, hopefully, they are better prepared and know the meeting won’t drag on so late in the day close to the end of the workday. Give your day a few minutes of space by changing meetings to 50 minutes in length. Start them at 5 minutes past the hour and complete by 55 minutes past the hour. So, start at 3;05 p.m. and finish by 3:55 pm. Use the last 5 minutes to wrap up agreed to commitments, action, and timeframe. Be on time! If you start late, end on time.

Keep healthy snacks handy: Plan your food ahead and bring healthy snacks so they are readily available. A favorite snack in our office is sliced apples with peanut butter. Mixed nuts are great to keep around as are frozen fruit and protein powder to mix in our kitchen Bullet.

Walk around meetings: Start a new tradition by taking a walk when meeting with one or two others. Moving the body increase blood flow and energy, which feeds our creative juices. Our clients get excited about this new practice of meeting and we constantly hear “These are the best meetings!” Look for space and action that increase the ability to be in better relationship. A simple walk goes a long way!

Control the email urge: On average, we spend 28% of our day on email. That is a lot of time. Turn on the email app twice a day and get in and get out! Take that extra time to develop other leaders or take a break!

Start finding those spaces in your day when you will practice self-care. As a leader, be an effective role model about how others can be as a leader.

The Moment

This blog post is part of the Next Top Credit Union Executive competition originally posted October 24, 2014.

You are ready!  Time to step more into your success as a Top Five!

You are a few days away from the moment you walk on stage to present to some of the finest leaders in the industry.  I can only imagine your excitement, and perhaps a little bit of stage anxiety.  This anxiety is so natural!!  Of course, hearing that doesn’t make it any easier. Great leaders live in the midst of tension . . . and they keep showing up and moving forward.

Here are a few inside tips I’ve picked up over the past competitions and years of presenting.

• You are unique and have a responsibility to be the best you can in those few minutes on stage! The audience appreciates your leadership skills, expertise, and presence.  Start with that thought as you move into the final days of preparation.
• You are exceptional! Every year several CEOs share their admiration and respect for the Top Five.  I often hear how hard the choice was for people to vote.  Think about it, at least 90% of them have never been on stage in front of a similar audience.  They are there to learn and take back the story of your success as a Top Five.
• Stay focused and present in a logical framework.  Be sure the structure of your presentation is in an easy to follow.  Record yourself and listen to where rambling distracts the audience.
• Facts tell, stories sell. Data is great AND you need the compelling narrative, too!  The average listener remembers the story more than the actual data. Stories create an emotional connection and enhance the listeners’ capacity to deepen their attention to what you say and what you mean. Your listeners want to see metrics AND  feel your passion.  Another example of living in the tension.
• Your authenticity will win over the voters! Share your emotional connection and passion need to be front and center, backed by focus and facts.
• Present from the audience perspective.  What do they want to hear?  Who are they?  What is the take away?
• Your media is an enhancement, not the main performer in the presentation. You want the audience to remember you, not just a slide deck.Expert Tip: Practice your presentation without the slide deck, at least twice; to be sure you embody the key points and meanings.
• Remember your purpose. Why you are doing this? Keep this the center of your commitment, practice, and self-accountability for your own version of success.

Each leader has multiple defining moments that shape who they are today and who they are becoming.  This is one of those moments for you.  Be clear what you want on the other side of the moment.

Final Preparation Advice:

1. Practice at least twice before others.
2. Practice before your executives and CEO because they represent the audience.
3. Ask for generative feedback, what works? What is too much and too little?
4. Arrive at the conference, rested.

Now you are ready!  Have fun and enjoy the moment! Best of Luck!

Deedee Myers

P.S.  Check out last years’ blog for more readiness tips:
Sharing your message on stage
A Judge’s Perspective

The Moment

This blog post is part of the 2015 Next Top Credit Union Executive competition originally posted October 24, 2014.

By: Deedee Myers

Becoming an Exemplary Leader: A Lifelong Adventure

This blog post is part of the Next Top Credit Union Executive competition originally posted September 22, 2014.

Adventure is part of my life. I can honestly say that every day uncovers unexpected adventure. Being a mother of a large family, a CEO of a leadership consulting organization, and just completing my doctorate degree this year has been a phenomenal adventure over the last few years.

Many days have been challenging. The tough days require that I go back to the foundation of what it means to be a leader and reflect on how I am living my vision of being a leader. In my professional life, there is an expected perspective of the role of leadership. I must ask myself how others see my role, what others need of me, and wonder how I can generate success for others. These and many more questions are what form the way my day is organized.

There is, however another version of leadership that is foundational before the role of leadership. That is “how we lead our own lives.” During those moments of challenge and of opportunity, I remind myself to pause and assess. How am I leading my own life right now, and more importantly, how am I making a difference?

Being an effective leader of self is requisite to being an exemplary leader in our professional role. Young and emerging leaders have tremendous opportunity to decide and reflect upon how they live their own lives for the sake of making a difference in the world that they want to be a part of.

Leadership of self begins with a declaration, a commitment. The next step is to articulate your conditions of success for that commitment; how you and others know that you are successful. The next important piece is to practice being that type of leader you declared. Generative practice requires that you have good practice partners, receive rigorous feedback, and align your practice with a powerful commitment. Those powerful commitments and declarations are opportunities for each of us to delve more into our untapped potential.

My commitment is to be present for others. In those moments of pure chaos, my practice is to remember whom I am with and what is needed of me. My practice is being present. This practice does not mean I ignore everything and everyone else; it means better self-care in the midst of numerous competing commitments. Giving a speech, doing executive coaching, or facilitating board development all require that I be fully present. Outcomes are more effective coordination and action with others and a deeper capacity for listening.

Young leaders have tremendous potential for their career and making a difference. Make powerful commitments that fully utilize your expertise and potential. Be exemplary leaders.

Deedee Myers

Choice: Taking Risks or Playing it Safe?

This blog post is part of the 2014 Next Top Credit Union Executive competition originally posted July 1, 2014.

Credit unions are prime for the next generation of leaders who move with agility, flexibility, and a strong commitment to what they care about.  The work we do with people who have been in long time leadership roles, and those who are emerging into their potential leadership, has taught me the same thing over and over.

The fundamental source of  ‘power’ as a leader is the self, who you are as a person, the shape of your identity, and how you take effective action in coordination and collaboration with others. There are two other sources that inform leadership – technical skills and your intellect.  Yet, without the fundamental knowledge of who you are as a leader, your technical skills and intellect are underutilized.

Understanding yourself as a leader is not easy.  It is a lifelong journey that starts the day you make a commitment to uncover, reveal, and access your true potential, which can be intimidating and scary.  Yet, accessing the value you are as a leader is the ultimate step to being seen as an exemplary leader. Without stepping up and taking risks to explore your potential, you will remain status quo as the world changes around you.  Wouldn’t you rather be making the change in the world?

Making the commitment to be an exemplary leader means changing your behavior and adopting new practices in alignment with your personal vision.  You might feel vulnerable and cause a stir amongst peers and others.  And, yet, you will feel more aligned, able to manage multiple commitments with greater ease, be seen as a valued resource while you shape your identity as an exemplary leader.

Submitting your application for the Next Top Credit Union Executive might be a new phenomenon, an unfamiliar action that puts you in the spotlight.  Tremendous! I see this competition, for all contestants win or lose, as a unique opportunity to reflect on how you came you be in your current leadership role and to envision what’s next in your learning.   This is an opportunity for you to step out and up into your potential.

Being effective in taking risks requires:

•  A personal declaration of how you want to be or be seen as a leader.
• Practices that support your leadership growth.
• Practice partners who support you on your leadership journey.
• Commitment to something you care about.
• Rigorous self-accountability to your commitment.

Look for opportunity in your credit union and step into it.  Use your talents, skills, expertise, and education to make an offer that will expand your capacity as a leader.  Does this feel risky?  Maybe so, yet consider the alternative . . . . status quo for life!

Deedee Myers

A Perspective from the Judges

This blog post is part of the Next Top Credit Union Executive competition originally posted August 15, 2014.

The top 15 are writing their blogs this weekend, and here is a quick peek at the judges’ perspective. Some contestants say that they have so many thoughts and are unsure how to construct them into a few short pages, 750 words or so. Read below for helpful hints and ideas!

Write out what you have without self-editing. Step back and take a look at your flow, content, and how a judge may develop a certain perspective from what you wrote. The final product needs to be a balance of your own personal voice in a narrative blended with tangible, cogent thoughts that compel your reader to move forward and become engaged in your idea.

Judges assess your project based upon the value it creates in support of the overall credit union strategy. Years ago, I borrowed a couple of acronyms from unknown sources that help me in developing ideas into reality. The first one is SUCCESS:

Scale of economy: How does your project increase the capacity of the credit union to expand or create a product or service without increasing net expenses?

Uniqueness: What is unique about your product, service, or movement that is not already provided by another organization?

Culture: How will you positively shift the culture (of a community, organization, etc.)?

Channels of distribution: What are the various channels used to distribute this product or service? How does this channel add value to the member?

Externalities: How will you improve the external environment, such as the underserved population, youth, young adults, retirees, lobbying government, investing in industry associations, etc.?

Segmentation and differentiation: What is the value proposition, segmentation, or differentiation of your product or service from others that are similar?

Skill set: How will launching or improving this product or service leverage and/or evolve your current competency and skill set or those of your peers? What new core competencies will be developed as a result?  You can include the external environment, too—for example, improving financial literacy in youth.

Another acronym you might have heard of is SMART. In your objective statement, look for these five pieces. And, by the way, your objective statement should be right up front, in one of the first couple of sentences or the first paragraph, and definitely be connected to your organization’s strategic objective.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attributable
• Realistic
• Timely

After you’ve written your blog, go back and review to see if you can easily pick out these four items.

• The business reasons for the project/service/product
• Where the value will come from
• An obvious strategic link
• An obvious personal voice – your interest and passion

Enjoy the thought process and the writing. When you’re done writing, reflect on what you learned about yourself and what new information these formulas helped surface.

I look forward to reading your blogs next week!

Deedee Myers