Just Say No!

What leadership competency are you currently working on and what purposeful actions are you taking to help build out that competency?

I think that when you are managing so many different aspects of an organization, you need to figure out how to maximize your productivity. And so I've been a lot more conscious about my time management, about saying no to more opportunities. And yes, which is something that you don't get to learn until you're at a different point in your career. Because at the beginning, you want to say yes to everything, you want to be a part of every event, you want to have every conversation, and then you start being a lot more cognizant of how you're utilizing your time. So I would say that's something that I'm working on. I actually brought on a productivity coach to support me in that. I do think that leadership coaching and productivity coaching is essential, especially for leaders, and to finding those folks that can come in, take a look at your life and find those gaps and help you fill them will enable you to be better. If I can be more productive, therefore my organization will be as well.

So what are some of the things that you're doing or what are the criteria that you've put in place for things that you say yes to, things you say no to, to better use your time?

In terms of what criteria I use to select what I say yes and no to, I think about programs that we have at SOA. So if I'm thinking about entrepreneurs or young leaders or fundraising for the organization, I ask myself, will this conversation, will this opportunity advance any of these three items? And if it's a yes, I go for it. And if it's a no, I push it back next year or in different time frame. So it's really about aligning the opportunity to meet the needs of my stakeholders.