In June of 2004, I had given birth to my first son just 8 weeks prior. Six weeks after having him I was forced to return to work in a new role as a Regional Manager; we were young broke parents with no additional paid maternity leave left. The first couple of weeks back to work were a complete blur between night feedings, conference calls, nanny drop offs, bottle cleanings; not to mention the pain and discomfort I was still experiencing after an incredibly long and difficult delivery. The world seemed to be running around me as I stood in a dazed state going through the motions with little idea of when it would all start to get better.
Category Archives: Management Strategies
THE VALUE OF GRATITUDE
In the early morning of January 15, 2004, a heavy snowstorm blew through central New Jersey. Six months pregnant with our first son I laid restless in bed while listening to the howling wind outside of our 3-bedroom ranch home. The baby boy that I was carrying had the hiccups and every minute or so my stomach would pop out with a violent shake.
A DIFFERENT MUSCLE
I was reminded nearly every day this past week that “Management is a different Muscle”; and it is not a muscle that is strong in everyone. It is a muscle that you have to develop and continue to work before it ever becomes toned. Managing people and personalities requires very different skills versus a non-management role. Patience and perseverance come to mind as skills I have repeatedly used recently.
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL; JUST NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME?
This week I am taking my own advice and keeping my life in balance. Please enjoy a repost of the MOST READ Heart of the Middle blog post. Later this week I will have the pleasure of speaking to a group of professionals on “Having it all is not a destination…”; seems appropriate as I prepare for that event to repost this one and keep things in balance!
IT IS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW
Way back in 1994 when I attended college, I studied endless days and nights to cram my brain full of knowledge. Knowledge that I had been told I would need in order to be successful in the business career I was pursuing. At the time, I was under the impression that the knowledge and experience would be the most important factor in my success throughout my career. I now know 29 years later that although knowledge is fundamental and important, a successful and more importantly fulfilling career is not based on what you know but rather who you know.
LEADERS LISTEN
I have decided that the single most underappreciated and yet most difficult skill to develop as a manager is the skill of listening. Listening is more important than speaking, more important than negotiating, more important than leading. Without the ability to listen, none of the other skills truly matter. A leader that does not listen, leads with only their own thoughts and ideas instead of cultivating the needs and inspiration from their team members. It is like an orchestra conductor conducting from a faraway balcony with noise cancelling headphones and a blindfold. The orchestras sound, feeling, speed, noise level and individual contributions just don’t matter. The result is an off key, out of balance, unenjoyable symposium.
WORDS, ACTIONS, RESULTS
I started my career in 1998 at Hormel Foods Corporation. At that time, I listened to a lot of people. I took instructions from managers and colleagues, listened to advice and tried to understand industry terminology along the way. There were a lot of words and acronyms to absorb.
BACK TO THE BASICS
I have recently noticed a trend. It is a trend that is consuming my calendar and filling my email in box. I also have to admit that the trend has become so consuming in my work life that I have been sucked into it at times. It is the trend of copying everyone in the organization on an email and including everyone (and their brother) on conference calls just for the purpose of CC’ing and covering tracks. I will be the first to call out the trend so that I can also be the one that tries to do my part to stop it.
KNOW YOUR MOST VALUABLE TOOL
I was sitting in Panera carefully reviewing the plan for the day as my frustration continued to build. On this day, I was scheduled to work with a graduate from our companies Graduate Program. He was beginning a two-week cycle with the Commercial team and shadowing me for the day followed by shadowing my sales team members the rest of the week. Our scheduled meeting time had come and gone, and he had yet to arrive, text or call.
IT IS ALL IN THE DELIVERY
A good friend recently told me a story she heard in one of her leadership coaching sessions. The man leading the session had gone to dinner the previous evening with his family. His teenage daughter was in a horrible mood. When he inquired on what she was upset about, she reported that her soccer coach had called her out of practice and critiqued her playing. She felt like she was failing and was so upset by the feedback. The wife at the table instantly went into defense mode, promising her daughter that she was going to contact the coach and get this resolved since obviously he was being a “real jerk”. The father in this conversation could not keep a straight face as he witnessed this back and forth. Once the daughter and mother finished, the wife inquired “what are you smiling about”? He stated simply, you are both upset because the coach was coaching.
The Heart of the Middle 