Ms. Frizzle – Halloween 2015

Wow – it’s been awhile!

The last several months have been a whirlwind. There’s been extreme loss and sadness, with learning and growth along the way. The good feels guilty in the wake of the loss, but also freeing, as Sharon would want us to celebrate her life.

One of my new adventures has been learning to sew. My crafty abilities were typically only in the crochet realm, so it feels good to branch out. Being a perfectionist is not helpful in my stage of sewing capability though. I took a sewing class offered by an old friend/co worker. Luckily, she’s patient and can dumb it down for me 🙂

I’ve also been forcing myself to get involved in interests outside of my day job…this has meant expanding my knowledge by attending some leadership conferences, reading and listening to podcasts, working out regularly, getting involved in the start up community and playing a more active role in TealSpin. I’ve been happier to find balance, at the realization that we don’t know when that last breath will be, and that focusing my energy outside of work on things that seem selfish has helped me perform better, make better decisions, and strengthen my personal relationships, most importantly marriage. I keep thinking of the James Keller quote: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

So finish your week strong, and don’t just live for those hours on weeknights and weekends. Push yourself to reach further, do more, and give the extra inch. Even when you question whether it’s worth it…it is

Here’s some pics of my costume for tomorrow and Saturday:

Make it an awesome day!

~

AE

Not Yet

It can’t be her time yet. Selfishly, I realize I haven’t learned everything I can from her, or told her how important she is. She hasn’t yet shown me the ropes on motherhood, how to sew, or manage a family and career. Who else will be excited about my crochet happenings and help me make a house a home? Who else will know the joy and frustrations of my most important relationship – with her son?

I can’t understand the agony she’s in, or the prospect of your body not functioning as it should. Or the fear in her eyes that this may not be fixable. 

Here’s to hoping this is a hiccup, and not an ending. 

AE

Your Deam Team

For so long, I’ve wanted to have my own dream team at work. I wanted to get team members who were ready to be dazzling, fabulous and awesome. It took much longer than I would like to admit to realize that I could help do my best to grow them this way by encouraging creative thinking, growth and accountability.

I listened to a voicemail best practice a few weeks ago, and reached out to the author. He was an RVP in another area of the company. He took the time to talk me through what he meant by his point and provided examples of how he does this.

Here is how I have implemented, and seen AMAZING results. His basic idea was to focus on your top folks, because they drive your middle, as well as your bottom. Although this seems to make sense, I was doing exactly the opposite.

What you focus on festers on the team – whether positive or negative. If you are always focusing on the positive, this is what your team will live up to. By focusing on your best folks, you can tap potential that is currently being wasted, reward team member growth and responsibility, and free up time to work on the long term projects you want to – instead of putting out fires. Seems like a better option to me.

I hope this was helpful. What best practices do you use as a Leader, or as a Team Member, what things do you like that your Leader does?

AE

Crochet

I love crocheting. 

It’s relaxing and rewarding. On occasion, I make cool things 🙂

See below:  

Morning Exercise

Working out is underrated. It’s something I would recommend for everyone and even something employers should think about for their teams.

I like to exercise in the morning. It gets me ready for the day and feeling strong. It will take you several weeks of going, but after that you will be waking up naturally ready to go!

There are various things you can do either at home or at the gym. Here are some of my favorites:

Lifting – arms

Cardio: row machine; treadmill; stair climber; bicycle

Yoga class – at my local studio (this is new and I love it!)

It gives you energy, and tones you up. It entices you to eat healthier to see results, and is a great way to spend time with a workout buddy. Mine is my husband, and it makes the time go faster. I take it more serious since I know he’s watching.

It also helps you sleep better.

If if you don’t already do active things, make a new habit. Spring is a great time of year to start. 🙂

AE

Career Fair Day!

Today was awesome!

I volunteered for a career fair at work. The same one I attended 3 years ago, and how I got into the company.

I must admit; my assumption going in was that there would be few qualified folks, and overall I would encounter people who would not be a good fit. I also went into the fair with an attitue of another Saturday at work – which is ridiculous, as I only work a Saturday every 6-8 weeks. I am thrilled to say, boy was I wrong!

Being able to speak to so many talented folks was awesome, as well as humbling. The experience and energy that they brought to the table was infectious and inspiring.

It was wonderful to show off our company, and even more so, our culture. The idea was to have these potential Team Members walk away feeling that this was their best career experiece, regardless of whether they become a part of the team. So many of the people I spoke to were already experiencing this from their visit  before getting to me. I can only hope that I helped enhance their visit, and inspire them to apply.

I did notice some tips, for those who were stronger candidates:

• Dress profesionally. It didn’t need to be flashy, but it did make you stand out
• Bring a resume. Have the resume tell a story in a 30 second scan
• Have a short blurb to talk about yourself. My first question was always, “Tell me a little about yourself.” Those who could comfortably and easily talk about themselves made it much easier for me to engage, as well as giving me topics to help learn what areas they would be a good fit for the company.
• Check out the company and have some position names available. I was shocked by the number of candidates that had not reviewed the website. It was amazing to hear alot of people referred from friends, but you still need to do some legwork.
• SMILE! I know it’s nerve-wracking, and we are a little instense (a room full of Skittles!)
• Shake hands, use eye contact and sit up straight – it was a ten minute interview. Pull it together!

This gives me such great stories to take back to my team as well as give them inches to help grow themselves!

What has worked well for career fairs you have attended or hosted?

What things would you like to see and walk away with when you attend?

Have a great experience, share it!

-AE