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Infinity Days: Gifted Time and How to Create the Most of it!

Raise of hands, how may of you have waken up at 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00 am wide away give into the fact you’re not going back to bed?!

I call these “Infinity Days” and in essence creating the “25 hour” day. With my additional hours and clarity of mind, I cherish these days vs. feeling doomed due to lack of sleep. Thus has been my good fortune this last week and wanted to share how I’ve leveraged the treasured Gift of Time!

Full transparency here, I’m going through a major well being journey and between the change in my diet, supplements and well-being focused, I think my body chemistry is evolving for the better. With these changes has come deeper sleep; thus needing less. When I wake, I’m “buzzy” and I can’t create enough lists to keep up with what I wanted to do. Until recently, I never fully committed to my well-being, but I knew it was foundational. Once committed, the side effects of alertness and clarity came with. My advise to you is clear the clutter, focus on what is important to you, trust the process and realize abundant energy.

It goes without saying, I’ve organized every draw & closet that I seamlessly ignored for years. I’m in full baking mode; leaning into my creative endeavors and a need to nourish all who comes across my doorstep. I’ve even endeavored in some home decorating, moving from simple surroundings to creative embellishments. While the home is springing to life again, it’s the purposeful work that is really taking off.

Up until now, there was projects I needed to complete, but I’d often procrastinate to the last minute. With a few extra hours in the day, I now plan the work more methodically and enabled by the removal of clutter from my day. Disciplined in email management, cautious to not overbook, delay what is not important and only focus on value added work has been life changing. The gift of time has allowed me to enter into each day without stress.

Another thing that has come that I’d been long awaiting: the return of my voracious need to create through Speaking, Writing and Podcasting. I’m creating strategies to network with more people to create opportunities to speak more, write more and even start a new Podcast Series called: “Chambers Across America: Elevating the American Dream”. Stay tuned for this new endeavor.

I’d like to now share how I lean into an “Infinity Day” and a few ideas for you to create the same experience.

Caution: I’m not advocating for you to set your alarm to 2:00 am to create an “Infinity Day”. I’m advocating for you to recognize these days where you have the gift of time and how to maximize it!

  • Clear your calendar of all unnecessary events or activities.
  • Only do deep email management 1 time per day. The rest of your day should only be to scan and file for when you have the time do to the deep work.
  • Where passive participation is required in a virtual meeting; stay engaged, but consider doing something that requires no attention and check a personal chore off your list
  • Be sure to balance your “to do” list with career / business and personal tasks. You want to end your day with joy knowing you invested in yourself as much if not more than your work.
  • Take planned breaks. If you have the gift of time and are knocking it out of the ballpark, taking 5-10 minutes to re-energize will allow yourself to keep up the productive pace.
  • Eat & Drink well. The body is a well-oiled machine and needs nourishment as well as for your brain to maintain clarity.

The gift of an “Infinity Day” is not to be taken lightly. It’s a gift and it’s up to you how to leverage it to fulfill yourself and to also give back to others.

Wishing you well and hope you have a pleasant and productive day!-Deb

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Photo by Lukas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-survey-spreadsheet-590022/

“CHASING RESULTS”…Sounds stressful, right?

It is! The State of Chaos within your organization often has a lot to do with misalignment of priorities: are you pursuing short term results or long term peace of mind? Meeting a deadline elicits high-fives around the room, but is your infrastructure sustainable?

Through our work together, you will see the bigger picture ROI, and calm your mind in the process. Sound like a lofty promise? Read on so I can share with you how this is possible…

The common theme I see all the time is that chaos ensues when we don’t have the courage to go after the root cause of what is keeping you up at night. The result is rallying the troops to focus on the effort and at the end of the day after beating the teams until you can claim victory. The result is never sustainable because leaders don’t have the discipline to focus on the issue earlier and to seek peace of mind through sustainable processes, capable resources and continual leadership development.

I dropped in recently into a situation where the leadership was hell bent on getting an immediate result. Then upon the “hurry scurry” of making things happen, the leadership changed direction and expanded the scope and suggesting we get back to examining the process. That should have been the primary focus in parallel with stopping the bleeding of the current situation, but instead, pressure was their guiding principle and blinded them to the greater opportunity and causing havoc in the process.

After a bit of wasted time and effort, the team is back on track in hopes of getting to the root cause and sustainably creating a process that not only results, but long term trusted results… or peace of mind.

I keep using this principle of “peace of mind” over and over again in my writings. I do so because I don’t think most leaders have ever experienced this. When they don’t know what it feels like, they use the same playbook over and over again and artificially gain satisfaction, but often will lose sleep at night. This is not a good result for their health both for them and their team.

I propose leaders do the following going forward:

  • Provide guidance on what the outcome should be and trust the teams to do the work; don’t micro manager, but guide the ship
  • Focus on the real barriers of team dynamics, misaligned organizational goals and in general barrier removal vs. the task at hand.
  • Paint a picture of what the future looks like and also what peace of mind could be. If you can show them the picture or how it will feel, you will Lift up your team to achieve even better results than you envisioned. This is the missing peace I find in most leaders and I hope you can heed this advice.

I’ve been there, done that and I’ve seen a lot of wasted effort and leadership maturity that is needed. If you enjoyed this piece and want to discuss your situation, I’m all ears, heart and mind invested in your story. Until we meet, I wish you well and much success -Deb

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Secrets of the C-Suite: What an MBA Won’t Teach You…

In 2023, I recorded 52 solo episodes on The Drop In CEO™ Podcast for leaders that just want to have a seat at the table, but lack a support system on how to do that. I’ve not yet started writing the book, but I sense there is a strong need for it. I was once told, I needed an MBA on top of my engineering degree form Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to get ahead. While raising three kids and managing a career, I couldn’t do the MBA, but obtained certifications in Quality Engineering, Lean and Six Sigma. While technically those looked good on my resume and gained a few cool skills along the way, none of them prepared me for C-Suite level responsibility. The school of “Hard Knocks” and very little mentorship; somehow I learned what did and did not work. Want to learn more? Read on…

Presence is more than physical attributes; it’s what you stand for…

I asked a trusted colleague what was I missing to have more impact when I presented at my senior leadership meeting. They said technically I was spot on, but I needed presence. I asked if that was a new wardrobe, updated hairstyle and a firm handshake? They said, it was about what I stood for. Every time I walk into a “room”, everyone knew what I stood for. It wasn’t until I started my own business, that I figured it was the topics I was most passionate about and would get up on a soapbox to share what I thought was right.

If you don’t know what your presence is, I suggest you start writing down all your unique idea, things others have praised you for and also what may be contrary to the status quo. Let those ideas simmer a while and then take a chance on yourself to start speaking those words. Look carefully at how people respond and know if you are saying something that matters. Caution however if it does not resonate, you may need help in your messaging or you may be in the wrong environment.

Messaging for impact and it’s not about having a great looking presentation…

Having a presentation that is technically perfect and delivered well won’t get the impact that you want. I know having done many that it’s often met with silence. You are no longer celebrated for having the best content, but for how you articulate the main message. The rest of your content is just back up. Learn how to look at a slide and the key takeaway. Start with that message and the risk or opportunity and your position. You can then enrich it with information on the slide. By doing so, you move from technical expert to influential leader. I’m very good at this work and offer coaching to others to have an impact and get a seat at the table.

Mindset matters and the words you use are key…

When we use words like I “can’t”, “I’ve not” or any other derivative of the “n’t”, you project a persona of backwards or present only thinking. When faced with a challenge, too often people think about the possibility of failure based on uncertainty. When we change our mindset to possibilities and project forward, you’re seen as that “can do” person to trust. Such phrases as “based on past experience, we could”, or we “must” or I “believe” or I “propose” are powerful words for influence. Once we recognize these small nuance in how you communicate, you’ll catch yourself and make the shift. Then watch how the world reacts to you!

I didn’t learn these via an MBA, but through asking well placed questions, reading, studying others who seem to have what I want, I soon gained confidence in how I present myself. If you want to learn more about “Secrets of the C-Suite”, I offer several ways to work with you. Also, some of these lessons may also be found in my 1st book The CEO’s Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track. This was meant for people already with a “seat at the table”, but once think of yourself in that role, people see you in that role.

I’m here for you so you struggle less and if I can be of service, I would be grateful for you to reach out. Until we meet, I wish you well-Deb

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How a disastrous pantry helped clean my soul!

Okay, what do you see in this picture? It’s unfortunately the result of me cleaning out my pantry after a few years and realizing how far I had let it get cluttered. I’m also frustrated with myself because of the neglect. What you don’t also see are the numerous draws and cabinets that followed the same decluttering all in the same July 4th weekend. I’m proud that I did the work and have a clean slate for our family and for my soul. But what else happened that weekend is the real story…

Why did the kitchen get so cluttered? Because there are closed doors. When the doors are closed, the world sees a clean kitchen. I focused on the window dressing for the last few years and quietly ignored the clutter that was building up behind the scenes. I got accustomed to moving things around to find what I needed and was not incentivized to do much more. Sound familiar?

I also was putting on a facade of taking care of myself and my well-being. I know I’ve been on a journey that has made me look better on the outside. Many of you have commented about my transformation. But behind the facade, there was still clutter and a lack of commitment to lose weight. I’m quite healthy, so there was no urgency to change. However, building up inside was clutter that I was not proud of. I’m pleased to say given now the clean kitchen inside and out, I’m also decluttering my body both outside and inside. Stay tuned for more changes.

Turning now to you, I pose a few questions for you to ponder:

  • Do have a great life, but maybe you are still uncertain about the future?
  • Did you recently take a vacation, but really didn’t fully relax and feel renewed?
  • Do you have everything you need, but still worry about financial security?
  • Do you have a closet or draw you’ve been meaning to clean up, but procrastinate?
  • Could it be you’ve worked hard to be a better You, but fall short of fulfilling your soul?

The theme is falling short of truly committing to yourself and until you think about that gap between great and being fulfilled, you may never feel like you’ve decluttered your life.

Take a look at my kitchen again and can you see the clutter that may still hold you back from feeling amazing?

My advice to you: Take one draw, one cabinet, one car, one plant, one pile and clean it up. In the process, your mind will be clear or it might wander. I promise you by the time you clean up the 1st, the 2nd and the 10th thing in your surroundings, you’ll cleanse your soul and maybe find a path to fulfillment in other areas.

Let me know if you tried this and what came to you as a result of the process.

For me, I have a clean kitchen and when I get back from my business trip, the huge pile of photographs may finally get organized! I’m also focused on an evolved branding campaign and an intense weight loss program. I’ll show you pictures of my progress! I’d love to see yours after you take the first step!

Until then, happy cleaning!

-Deb

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The World is Your Stage to Speak Loudly!

When I was 5 years old, I was selected to be the lead of Rosina Dainty-Mouth in an adaptation of Hansel and Gretel. I was chosen because of my great communications skills and singing. I remember how much I loved the stage. In summer school, I would join theatre classes and make puppets and write scripts for plays. In middle school and through high school, I sung in choir and played clarinet and saxophone for various stage performances. The opportunity to perform in multiple media has always been apart of who I am and often not shared with others.

As you look at the image of a stage, on and off I’ve been behind and in front of the curtain depending on the season of my life. I’m currently peaking out through the curtain, because I realize I’ve not been my truest self; yielding to societal norms and situational needs. While I have one foot in the corporate and entrepreneurial world, I have another foot on the stage to share my insights and with the world. I’ve often wondered if both can co-exist for which I’m grateful to have found another guide in my life that said the two personas can exist.

Putting it all out there for everyone to know, I’m in pursuit of that stage with bright lights. I want to be able to share insights to large groups and hopefully inspire them to reach their potential.

As with all my articles, I turn my conversation to you. Do you have a stage for which you can speak and share your insights? While you may / may not be one for bright lights and a stage, metaphorically, I’m asking you how are you leaving your legacy? Do you share your insights with others? Do you mentor people? Have you set up sustainable systems so others can continue in your footsteps? Have you spent time with others to share your wisdom or give back? Do you write down your thoughts and write a blog, publish an article, give a talk, deliver a lunch & learn? This is the stage of life for which everyone should aspire to leave a lasting impact.

Think about your existence and have you walked out onto a “stage” to speak loudly and connect with humanity? Can you recall if you connected with others and lived your fullest day? We’re here for a finite time and when our time is done, it is done… or perhaps not? Our lives live on through the impact we have on others and I ask you to take inventory of how you connect with others? The world is your stage and it’s ours to speak loudly and leave your legacy!

Many wise people have told me that when we put our aspirations out into the world, we manifest them to happen in the future. I do believe in that now for which I’m speaking loudly now to anyone who wishes to partner with me on this journey. I’d love to be on a stage and reach more people can I imagine. Waiting patiently for that opportunity to help me pull back the curtain and claim my stage.

If my story was inspiring, I’d love to hear your stage story!

Be well-Deb

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Playing to Positivity vs Pain Will Win Every Time

Been there, done that! I’ve fallen victim to pain sells. I’ve been conditioned by all the social media that if you identify a pain point and convince your audience they are a victim, they will seek the quick fix that is promised. The problem with that is it fails to build brand loyalty. The product or service looks enticing to begin with, but unless someone is willing to buy, the marketing scheme doesn’t work. For those that believe in the quick fix; they are often disappointed with the result. Why? because they’ve not addressed the root cause of their pain.

Which leads me to an important discovery for myself and a potential pivot in my marketing that may be valuable for you as well. I can market my solutions to a target audience, but unless they’re willing to invest in either themselves or the business, nothing is going to connect. The endless hours & months to create 7+ touch points with the ideal client are empty promises unless the buyer has made the decision to buy.

So why do buyers wait to invest in themselves or the business? Could it be fear they’ve failed and they’ve decided to muscle through with current resources? Is it, they’ve not realized the problem could be their mindset? Could it be, they don’t know how to justify the need to leverage skills outside their domain? What ever the root cause is, it’s for the buyer, manager, leader, founder, CEO to figure out for themselves. I will share my book, The CEO’s Compass as a tool to figure out it may be you that’s holding yourself back and the playbook that has made you successful no longer works. Until the buyer can sort through why they don’t invest, no amount of marketing to them is going to work. That’s my conclusion for which I now have to pivot.

The Drop In CEO is different and I’m a proponent that insights and inspiration sell; or at least build trust faster than pain. I believe by providing you content that is playing to one’s strengths and positivity, will resonate faster. While it may take a long time to be in service, it’s one that will be an easy sell once that individual (or you) wants to invest in support. So let me send some positive vibes your way…

I see you! I know how you’re feeling; a little frustrated. You’ve been an amazing leader up to this point and while the landscape has changed, please know you are still valued and can do amazing work. It may be a small course correction in your playbook or your mindset or the environment, know that you are still valued. Most of you are highly aware of how you feel and the need for a change. Let me be a sounding board for you to talk through your frustration so we can move you back to positivity that has rewarded you for so many years.

I’ve spoken to so many people; Quality, Operations, VP’s, Directors, C-Suite Leaders and every time we meet for 30 minutes, I’m able to impart some insight that makes them feel valued. Could that be you? Taking a few minutes for yourself may be the best 30 minutes to move you from a place of doubt to a place of being the leader you are or were meant to be. I’m hear for you because I believe in you.

So that’s my insight for you! Playing to positivity vs pain will win every time.

The universe must be speaking to me, because I found a similar article on LI on the same topic; check it out!

Wishing you all well and much success!

-Deb

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Leadership Through Crisis Can Cause More Chaos

When sales are down or complaints are up and leaders are given an urgent mandate to turn things around, often they make things worse in the process of trying to do good. Sound familiar?

Yes, there are power points that describe Why there is a sense of urgency, but behaviors such as rapid firing emails and assigning owners in such a short amount of time to show something is being done shows a lack of discipline.

In the process, you have disrupted the organization without consideration of current workload of the tapped resources and you’ve elevated the emotions of those you need to focus on the issue at hand.

What should have been taken care of all along because the issue is most like not a surprise. The waiting to pull the trigger and realize that things are going bad fast should elevate a different set of behaviors in an organization.

So I suggest leaders take a stern look at themselves and ask could the crisis could have been avoided. Also, could you have approached the crisis that you caused a bit differently?

Navigating with calm is the key to chaos management

Now, I could have called this crisis management, but there’s a distinction that I need to make. The drop in sales or the increase in complaints is the crisis that was caused due to lack of earlier action. The effect is amplified because you’ve imparted chaos on top of crisis, making what you are doing less effective.

Is there a better way?

As a leader, you are paid well and have the responsibility to instill confidence in the direction and in the people you lead. Bring them along in conversation so the engagement is two way vs. top down. When people are part of the conversation, their level of understanding is much deeper, you lessen the emotional whiplash and you share the action plan collectively.

Top down directives are the worse way to wear your team out in the process. You may prevail through the crisis and the chaos you created, but your team will think twice if they want to stay in such an environment.

Is this a real scenario that I’ve lived through? Yup! Too many times, so the issue needed to be raised.

While I wrote this in a tone directed to you, it was intentional to get your attention.

If you are one of those leaders, let me partner with you on a calm approach to mitigate crisis and instill confidence without the chaos.

If you know someone who is behaving this way, you have some tools to provide kind feedback to change their approach.

If you are someone who has experienced such an event, you are wiser now because when you are faced with a crisis, you can navigate with confidence and be the leader others will follow.

If you want to vent because of a bad experience, let’s talk. I’m a great listening partner and in the process, you learn the secrets of the C-Suite and become the next “CEO”.

Until we speak, be well

-Deb

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How a chance encounter can change the trajectory of your career.

How often do you take a chance to reach out to someone you don’t know for the pure join of getting to know someone?

Even more important is how deeply do you ask questions and listen to the wisdom they may share with you?

I ask this because forming human connections is the antithesis of networking which can be quite superficial.

Sound familiar? Read on…

I took a chance to speak to a quality professional and they took a chance on me to share their story.

While I was listening to both their backstory, a piece of wisdom came from them that I’d never heard before. They shared that in an organization where compliance requirements need to be met, they set that as their “Ceiling”. Their philosophy is to set the compliance requirement as the “Basement”.

Organizations who only seek to meet compliance requirements will forever be in a place of just seeking results and never take advantage of the power of compliance and how in the end it builds confidence in your customers to buy your products or services.

Organizations who see the compliance requirement as the “Basement” and seek to achieve a higher level of performance are ultimately rewarded with your customers dollars and achieve sustainable peace of mind.

It’s a monumental mindset shift when it comes to true leadership and I ask you to ponder this point. Are you a leader that seeks to simply meet requirements or use them as a platform for achieving excellence?

Because you took a chance to read this article and apply it to your situation, might I / we have changed the trajectory of your career?

I’d love to hear your successes or the battle scares you received while leveraging this wisdom.

I’m forever grateful I took a risk to get to know someone on a deeper level. They were excited I found value in their words and allowed me to share them with my community.

If you have a story or want to form deeper connections as part of building a valuable network, reach out to me and let’s talk.

Be well-Deb

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How Mirrorless Leaders Never Realize Their True Value…

I might sound like a broken record, but time and time again when I meet someone new or perhaps an old colleague who has reconnected, I see them in ways that they cannot see themselves. This is what I call Mirrorless Leadership; when they think they know their value, but can’t really see their true self.

It’s like being the picture of someone else’s narrative. They sound like they’re a leader and their doing leader-like things, but it sounds like an empty recording of what others are saying about themselves. It contains nothing unique and can quickly fade until people don’t really know you.

I will also say that if you’ve been fortunate to have a 360 review of your performance or received actionable feedback, sure you can change your mindset and behaviors, but it’s only a partial mirror. The problem with this is people are measuring you against their expectations for which the bar may be too high or it’s the wrong bar.

Infrequently do people listen to you and find the nuggets of value that you bring to people and your environment. When we can see our unique gifts, it opens up our eyes to greater possibilities and builds confidence in yourself. If we don’t have a mirror, we accept the judgement of others who are not seeing us, but simply telling us what they expect.

So how do we solve this?

Find a trusted partner and do the following:

  • Start sharing with them what gets you excited; tell a few stories.
  • What are the the things that you’re most proud of?
  • How have you helped people either at work, in your family or community?
  • Where have you made an impact and people have thanked you?
  • What environments stifle your creativity?
  • What have you done differently that has changed the lives of others?
  • What frustrates you about your current situation and what would you like to do to change it?

That trusted partner becomes your mirror and if they have the gift of deep listening and can reframe what it is that makes you unique, you start to see yourself differently and regain your confidence to move in the direction you decide.

Sure, I’m offering you a bit of coaching right now and I hope you can go away and do this yourself or find a partner who can work with you. But if you don’t have a support system, let me be your mirror and help see yourself for who you really are.

Until we meet, I wish you well and much success!-Deb

Can I be of further support to you? Could my interview skills help to elevate your impact by providing you an opportunity to share your insights to realize your true value?  Message me for some potential offers that can elevate your impact. Remember my first 30 minutes with you is complimentary because I want to provide you immediate value. If you would like more, I’d be pleased to extend to you these offers:

  • Reinvent Yourself offer: So many of you have asked how did I reinvent myself. Give me an hour with you and I’ll help you to find your value proposition and evolve your 30 second elevator pitch.
  • Promote Yourself: Recorded interview to obtain valuable content to share on social media or use for applying for a new position.
  • Guest on the Drop In CEO Podcast: with numerous assets to promote your brand
  • Message yourself: Help you to find what you stand for and key messaging for when you show up for a presentation or other communications. Two (2) sessions to elevate your impact offered at
  • Sponsor the Drop In CEO Podcast: and gain valuable reach for 4 months.

10% of all proceeds from these offers go into the Drop In CEO Scholarship Fund for Reinventing individuals who cannot afford to Reinvent their Career and a Resume Makeover.  Thank you in advance for your support

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