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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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Pursuing Outcomes vs Chasing Outputs Can Bring You Peace of Mind

Society distills what we do down to agendas, action items and report outs; leaving very little to the human element. While we talk about change management, stakeholder engagement and team building are vehicles to help humans move through a project, they fall short of making a deep connection needed for sustainable results. I’m talking about the difference between Outcomes and Outputs for which we need to dig deeper and why we need to shift our focus achieve a Strategic Advantage in your work.

To illustrate this point, I had an opportunity to engage with a senior leader and get a particular result for my initiative; aka the output. I had my agenda and prepped what I wanted to achieve. Through our engagement, I got what I needed, but not before I realized there was something deeper that needed to be achieved. This leader was struggling with their messaging to move forward their strategic initiative. I realized they needed my superpower of deep listening to reframe what they said into something that was concise and messaged what needed to be said.

We took a moment to discover the disconnected thoughts and after they spoke at length, I played back what I heard and the enrichment that was needed to present a strong message. As soon as I delivered this to the leader, I immediately saw calm in their face and body. I was able to say what he’s been needing to say in a way that made sense. The outcome of this interaction was Peace of Mind for this individual. I also became a trusted partner for them in the future; for tasks unknown.

I could have stopped at the output of my agenda to get their support on my initiative. Instead, I carved out enough time to build a trusting relationship for which that outcome is far more important and may now be a strategic advantage for me for the next initiative or to support this leader.

The point is that we are rewarded daily for results, transactions and executing on an agenda. This behavior is short sighted and while necessary does not achieve sustainable results nor achieve outcomes that pay higher rewards. How do we balance the two and evolve our behavior and leadership? Ultimately, aren’t we in pursuit of Peace of Mind? The image on this article should be what we’re striving for through these insights both for ourselves and those we serve.

Actionable Tips for Strategic Advantage and Achieve Peace of Mind

Start with the outcome you want to achieve. Could it be to build a relationship, establish trust, or finding ways to build a long term partnership. This is the ultimate focus of your efforts and success criteria

Continue with your tactical agenda, but be open to not completing it in favor of achieving your Outcomes

Change your mindset on what does success look like. No one will remember you for the action item you completed. You will be memorable the relationships you establish and outcomes you achieve. Think about it.

I hope you found this article helpful. If you have a situation that is unique that you want a better outcome, I’m happy to talk you through it in a complimentary 15 minute conversation to help you to achieve a better outcome!

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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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‘We were afraid you would be like most other consultants…’

I’m laughing inside as a recent client of mine commented during our debrief, ‘We were afraid you would be like most other consultants…’ to which I am grateful I was excluded from that demographic!

As the Drop In CEO, I don’t come in to cause chaos, but to take a business through the crisis scale from Crisis->Chaos->Control->Continuous Improvement->Competitive Advantage, while elevating their team’s capabilities for a lasting impact.

Then I wonder why so may (not all) consulting experiences leave a bad taste in ones’ mouth? Don’t blame it on the consultant; they were just doing their job. Could it be how they were introduced to the organization and how they were deployed? It goes to leadership practiced that could be responsible for the havoc they cause an organization. It could be how we set the expectation for what we want consultants to do. Is it to achieve a business transaction and / or is it to bring people along for a change? Again, go ask leadership what the expectation should be.

To avoid creating chaos for you, I’m offering a few tips to help you navigate the changing landscape for you and your team:

Ask what do we hope to achieve?

If we want to implement a new system for better efficiency, that is the wrong answer. A better outcome statement may be: want to help our people realize efficiency gains while making they’re lives easier. With a better outcome in mind, the consultants might create a workstream that engages the people in how best to deploy the new platform. Simply deploying a new platform will bring an organization to a screeching halt if the people don’t realize the gains.

How do we prepare the team for a consultant?

Often, they show up on your doorstep with little notice leaving a very awkward moment when the consultant starts reaching out to people. Your team does not have context nor know their role in the change you are hoping for. Leadership needs to communicate in advance why is the change needed, how the change will impact them and how they consultant will engage with them. Oh, most important during this period is to let people know how much their valued and maintain constant communications. An information void will damage what you are trying to achieve.

Find the right consultant; they’re not all created equal.

I propose you find someone who becomes integrated into the day to day operations of your business and is seen as a business partner. When they become one with your team while on a mission, people will trust the resources more and move as one. When you hire someone that promises a result and then complains how the team is not supporting the work, you may have mis-represented what you wanted from the consultant. It always goes back to leadership to set the expectations. Some consultants are just think tanks and want to give you their expertise and simply execute. They are note as interested in working with the teams from a change management perspective. The want to get in and get out. You then have to determine if you have the capacity for change management or do you want to hire someone that has both the technical and change experience?

The choice is yours. If the consultant fails at the outcome, you may want to look inside and see what it was you asked for.

Shameless plug here, I’m the Drop In CEO and I drop into organizations and partner with you to assess what is needed in the changing landscape and also elevate the people in the process. I love that work and would love to be “that consultant” who is memorable.

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