This morning we had a speaker name Scott Stratton. He is a
hilarious Canadian and he recently published a book called Unmarketing.
His advice for marketing is: Do something worth talking about. He really
inspired and made me think about how we view marketing, communication, and
social media.
This year I’ve decided to take a different intention with my
session choices and I’m looking for things to expand my worldview and challenge
me “outside the admissions box”. I have to say, so far, so good.
I attended a session titled: Effective Management Strategies. I am a manager. I’m
also an employee. I hoped this session would share some insight into how to
better effectively manage and engage my colleagues on a daily basis. Boy am I
glad I did. Carmen Canales is the head of Human Resources at Wake Forest
University. She has worked for Wachovia and Pepsi Cola and has been recently
named one of the top women to watch in several polls. I can agree that she is
amazing. She is down–to-earth, matter-of-fact, practical, and real. Her challenge
was: What can you do to rise to occasion?
Some of her tips included: be creative, Kaizen, be an advocate,
show compassion, model inclusiveness, and others; but my favorite of her top 10
was the ever present battle of Priorities v. Balance. Her take on this battle
is to worry less about the boundaries and more about remaining steadfast in the
priorities, and to understand that priorities shift. She had us complete an
exercise where we wrote down our 5 priorities. That was it. No guidelines. No
rules. No distinctions. Was this our 5 priorities for work? 5 priorities for
life? She would not define. So we took 3 minutes and wrote them down. Then she
asked us if that was easy. Only a few people raised their hands. She actually
said that it was good that some of us struggled, but encouraged that with age,
comes clarity. For many, their priorities revolved around their family: spouse,
partner, children, health. For others, especially the younger crowd, we
overlooked one very important priority: our self. Again, she commented that usually,
putting ourselves on the list comes with time. It is interesting, especially as
a woman who is working hard to make her mark in the world, that putting oneself
on the top 5 priority list doesn’t compute. But then, that might be where the
balance comes into the equation. Understanding your priorities, taking steps to
remain steadfast in them, might actually be the key to finding the balance in
life.
One final step. She encouraged us to reevaluate our
priorities on a regular basis. For some this could be monthly, for many it
could be bi-annually. Another great suggestion offered by our fabulous
moderator was to do this exercise with your partner to ensure that your
priorities are in line and you understand what the goals are. They don’t have
to be the same priorities, but you should know how to support and advocate for
your partner’s priorities if only to bring them and your relationship happiness
and balance.
I encourage you to take 3 minutes and write down your
priorities. They can be as broad or as specific as you choose. But write them and
keep them somewhere that encouraged you to remain steadfast in them.
What did I write down?
- Prompt communication
- Make others feel valued
- Be grounded in faith
- Live a life that inspires
- Maintain openness to new opportunities
Will they change? I’m sure. Did I include myself? I think I
meant to in #3. Am I happy with this? ... For now. #Brave
