Heather Eldred » business

Learn to say “no” to achieve your dreams

Heather — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 15:59:13 +0000

I had a great conversation with a friend yesterday that inspired me to share her story and great tips. Barbara (all names have been changed to protect the innocent) is a young professional that would like to get involved in management and be a leader in her company. She’s felt frustrated in the past because while her co-workers genuinely value her “get it done attitude”, teamwork and appreciate that she’ll jump in and help with anything – she doesn’t think they see her as a leader. At first she was upset that no one really took her seriously, but now she has taken her career growth into her own hands. One of the hardest (and maybe not intuitive) things she had to do was to quit saying “yes” all the time. In my experience most of us are either “yes” or “no” people. By this I mean our first impulse when asked to do something is to either say yes or no. This instant answer (regardless of if you are the yes guy or the no guy) should be tempered. If you generally say “no” (particularly if it “isn’t my job”) to requests, you will rarely have an opportunity to try new things, grow or work with new people. You won’t have the opportunity to discover some of your own hidden talents and passions. And from your peer’s and supervisor’s perspective, at a minimum you’ll get pigeon holed – people won’t even consider you for new assignments. But even worse, they’ll feel you aren’t a team player. You aren’t someone they can depend on. I think most of us understand the pitfalls in being the “no” guy. And probably if you are a “no” guy, you already recognize it and are working on it. But I bet most of us don’t get and maybe some of you won’t even buy into the fact that being the “yes” guy can have pitfalls as well. Barbara realized that while she was well liked and everyone wanted her on their team, she wasn’t standing out as a leader or a real expert. But instead of blaming others for not giving her opportunities, she took it on herself to develop the skills and experience that is needed to become a leader – and this started with knowing when to say NO. Barbara knew that she needed to work hard to become a leader – she needed to gain skills but also needed opportunities where her co-workers could see her in a leadership role. But she knows that just adding more hours in her workday wasn’t the answer either. Barbara has already seen the benefits of work-life balance. She needed to find ways to spend more of her time on the tasks that will get her to her goals without adding hours to her day. These are the tips she shared with me: 1) Track and review where you spend your time. If you don’t know what you are spending time on now, you can’t make […]

The post Learn to say “no” to achieve your dreams appeared first on Heather Eldred.

I deserve to be the boss! Try running your own race..

Heather — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 20:47:47 +0000

“I am in competition with no one. I run my own race. I have no desire to play the game of being better than anyone, in any way, shape or form. I just aim to improve, to be better than I was before. That’s me and I am free.” ~ Jenny G. Perry One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make in trying to get ahead in business is to have this attitude. Because I have a MBA, 20 years’ experience, my Dad owns the company, etc., I should already be running the place. This attitude won’t get you anywhere. First of all, actions speak louder than words and I don’t care how impressive your resume is, you have to prove yourself. Second, you are robbing yourself of your life because you are preoccupied with the future and what you “should” be getting. Finally, when you have this attitude, you project negativity, arrogance and do not endear yourself to those around you – which is a needed ingredient to long term success in any organization. From my experience, I certainly never had any plan to “climb the corporate ladder”. I don’t have any fancy degrees and my Dad definitely did not own the company. What I did was give everything to the current project at hand. I sought out and volunteered for opportunities that I found challenging and could be passionate about (not because I thought they’d get me ahead). I helped out and ask for help of folks in all levels of the organization that had an equal degree of passion in the project. And I did keep escalating, getting many promotions but more importantly, many more opportunities to stretch my wings and find my passions. The side effects were nice sounding titles and increasingly good salaries. So if you feel you are deserving of something that you haven’t achieved yet, try out these tips (give it a solid six months). Trust me they work. 1) First of all, get over yourself. Believe it or not, you are not the smartest person alive and God’s gift to the world. Yes, you really have been sounding that way. Every single person has a gift to share, right down to the lady answering the phone and the guy taking out the trash. More times than not, these are the folks that saved my ass. When you have a thought or feelings of superiority over anyone – in any situation – observe in yourself that your EGO induced that thought, do not judge, just watch it and let it go. There is no need to beat yourself up, instead, take a look at the person or the circumstance and try and find value in it. Not what they can do for you, just value in general. By not focusing on yourself all the time, you’ll have your eyes open for the value in others and you’ll also be looking up when an opportunity presents itself. 2) Next, start doing, quit talking. […]

The post I deserve to be the boss! Try running your own race.. appeared first on Heather Eldred.

Communicate for success- a/k/a catch up, connect, chat

Heather — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 04:28:04 +0000

Today I learned (or maybe remembered) a truly critical element to being successful in business (and everywhere) – communication! I’m not talking about formal communication or a communication plan or any other type of structured meetings, emails, newsbreaks, etc. Those are all very important. But today I remembered about just plain ole’ pick up the phone, stop by the office, go out for a drink catching up with your co-worker communication. I had about nine of these conversations with folks over the last two days and admittedly got very little “real” work done. As you can imagine for someone whose work week is 32 hours, this could be a problem. But alas, I am not freaking out (well maybe tomorrow when I have seven of those structured communications (aka meetings) and still have the to-do list. And yet, I know that the “work” I did through connecting these last two days was more valuable than anything else I had on my very long to-do list. These discussions were not structured and they had no purpose except to connect on a personal level (how’s the kids?) and catch up on work related topics. Through this materialized some incredible impromptu brainstorming which gave birth to so many epiphanies that I can’t figure out what I want to get started on first! I am invigorated, passionate and I think the folks I talked to probably feel the same. Lesson of the day: stopping to chat for a few moments or picking up the phone for an unplanned, no agenda discussion is an important, no an essential – element of being successful in business.

The post Communicate for success- a/k/a catch up, connect, chat appeared first on Heather Eldred.

Live a Happier Life – apply 80/20 Law to Life

Heather — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 20:50:52 +0000

Short as life is, we make it still shorter by the careless waste of time. -Victor Hugo Check out this arctile by Billy Shall: http://billyshall.com/blog/post/paretos-principle Here are the higlights. With Pareto’s Principle you can: Accomplish More in Less Time By focusing on activities that produce the most results and eliminating or outsourcing trivial activities, you can free more of your time while accomlishing more. Reason: 20% of activities produce 80% of results. Improve your Finances Everyone’s budget is different, but most major expenses are from debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans). By attacking prior debts and not acquiring new debt, you can improve your finances dramatically. Reason: 20% of financial decisions result in 80% financial results. Make more Money With increased production resulting from more time spent on vital activities, you will have more time to focus on providing more value. The more value you produce, the more money you make. Reason: 80% of income is derived from 20% of sources. Eliminate Stress Find the small portion of activities that produce the most stress and eliminate them. Reason: 20% of stressful activities produce 80% of the stress. Purge the Clutter How many dust collectors do you really need? Try to donate or sell the possessions that you hardly use. They are contributing to 80% of the dust. Reason: 80% of the space on shelves hold clutter. Loose Weight If you cut out the small percentage of foods that contributes the most to weight gain, (fatty foods, fried foods, sweets). And exercise regularly, not only will you loose weight, you’ll have more energy and feel much better. Reason: 20% of foods contribute to 80% of weight gain. Improve Relationships Focus on nurturing the small percentage of relationships that provide the most value (spouse, family, close friends). Moments spent and memories made improve the quality of your relationships. Reason: 20% of relationships provide 80% of value. Travel Lighter Most luggage is not necessary, By traveling light, you eliminate most of the hassles of carrying extra baggage. I personally travel with extremely minimal luggage, (one carry on bag). If you think you might need it, leave it. If you can’t live without it, bring it. Reason: 80% of luggage is excess 20% is essential. Eliminate Information Overload Constant bombardment from news, emails, advertisements, and articles are taking up time and head space. Cut down on the information consumption to the small percentage that is necessary. Reason: 80% of information useless is 20% is crucial. Live a Happier Life More Free Time + Improved Finances + More Money + Eliminated Stress + Less Clutter + Weight Loss + Improved Relationships + Lighter Luggage + Information Elimination = Happier Life!

The post Live a Happier Life – apply 80/20 Law to Life appeared first on Heather Eldred.

The 80/20 Principal

Heather — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 01:35:26 +0000

One of the biggest challenges people face is how to balance work, family, friends, spirituality, obligations and play. As you become more successful, learning how to do this juggling act is even more critical. Let’s face it, most C-level business execs are not happy people. They are stressed, unhealthy and increasingly frazzled keeping up in the ever increasing frenzy of the “rat race”. Even if they have time to stop and realize that they are these things, most figure it is just part of the job or don’t really know how to do un-do it. Historically, achieving the ‘American Dream’ has involved working your ass off, making sacrifices and ultimately choosing career as a priority over the rest of the areas of your life. I’m living proof that there is a better way. I’m an executive of a large company and I work 32 hours a week. I’ve come a long way from 60 hour a week burn out, plugged in 24/7. While it has been work in progress (and still is), the principal below started me moving in the right direction. Ironically I researched the principal in order to become more successful in running the business and ultimately became more successful in running myself. The 80/20 principal is my go-to theory on how to live a balanced life. What is the 80/20 principal? The 80/20 Rule means that in anything a few (20 percent) are vital and many (80 percent) are trivial. In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. Pareto’s Principle or Pareto’s Law, as it is sometimes called, can be a very effective tool to help you manage your business and life effectively. The main premise behind the theory is that if you focus on the 20 percent that matters (and only pay minor attention to the 80 percent that is trivial), you can do a lot less and achieve the highest results. Before I even knew anything about this theory, I started unconsciously applying this is my business life. I remember being a fresh analyst and working with a guy that had multiple MBAs and seemed brilliant (just ask him!). He worked 12-15 hour days for weeks, developing a rate development model that he would later need to defend in court. He spent so much time on the minutiae and then ran out of time and spent very little time on the two variables that greatly impacted the resulting rates. I remember thinking (although I was new and really didn’t know much about the subject matter) that there was something wrong with this picture. Sure enough, in court, he got torn apart on the two major variables and very little time was spent all the elements that he had spent so much time on (because they really didn’t have much impact on the overall result!). After that, I started looking at my business cases from a view of […]

The post The 80/20 Principal appeared first on Heather Eldred.

Hang Your Ass Over the Edge

Heather — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 18:35:50 +0000

I get asked often by frustrated, hard-working, high achieving business people what they are doing wrong that they haven’t achieved the success that they feel should be theirs. They desire to move up the corporate ladder but seem to have moved up as far as they can go. Maybe they are stereotyped as a “finance guy” or “salesperson” or the “ops type”. Nothing wrong with any of these but getting to the top requires knowledge & experience in many facets of the organization. Often times, I think it has to do with many people’s tendency to stay in their comfort zone. We all get pigeon holed to a certain extent and when we excel in one area, we are less likely to branch out and take a risk on something that we could fail at. Our co-workers and managers may see us as the “go-to” for one area but may not see our potential in other areas. The key to success (in all areas of life I think) is to constantly grow, take on new challenges and expand not only our abilities, but also how people see us. So what to do? Hang your ass over the edge. Just a bit. Or a lot. For my own and my employee’s personal growth, I always encourage half the ass on and half the ass off. Meaning; stay half way in your comfort zone – an area that you are confident you can be successful, but the other half needs to be hanging out there. Here are some ideas: 1) Special Project: The easiest way to get out there is to volunteer to work on a project that isn’t in your particular area. An example could be a financial analyst or accountant that volunteers to collect market data for a new product offering. As an analyst, you likely have the fundamental skills of collecting and analyzing data, but chances are you haven’t looked at data this way and peers likely don’t envision you beyond your number crunching self. To be successful, you’ll need to be a bit vulnerable and humble and realize that you don’t know everything (it would be like an engineer doing a business case!). Do your research (Google baby!) and ask for advice or mentoring from someone that does have this experience. This method shows a great deal of respect for the individual you seek out, it creates new business (and sometimes personal) relationships that will be fruitful for your future success and you get to see a part of the business through someone else’s eyes. Maybe you are a consumer or retail sales manager that wants to take a shot at the business side of things. Discuss your desire to dip your toe in that end of the pool with your boss or peers that are in the business sales world. Find a project you can team up with someone already successful in this area. An operations guy that thinks he could have a future in management. Volunteer […]

The post Hang Your Ass Over the Edge appeared first on Heather Eldred.

Reclaim your life and become successful in business

Heather — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 01:53:07 +0000

Ok, so why read a blog from me about being successful in business and having a balanced, passionate life? Well, I’d say it’s because I’ve pulled it off. I am a 39 year old COO of a large company. I’m a single Mom of two kids (one of which is a teenager). AND.. I work 4 days a week. Not 60 hours crammed into 4 days, I mean 32 hours a week – really. I run a large company, run a family and have a life. I haven’t gotten it all figured out but certainly have achieved what few have – become successful in business and still have a balanced, passionate life. Since this is my first entry, I’ll tell you a bit about me. I have been an executive working at multiple large businesses for 5 years and owned an Executive Consulting firm for three years. I started in business as an accounting clerk before I had a degree. I swear to you that I had absolutely no grand plan to climb the corporate ladder – it sort of just happened to me. By the time I was 33, I was a vice president working for a large telecommunications company. Growing up in a small town in Idaho where most folks are below the poverty level, this was the American dream. I made it. I wasn’t just making six figures; I was make 2x six figures plus some. I had it all… or so you would have thought. I loved my job but I finally got so burned out from working 60+ hours a week and trying to be a good mom, friend, daughter, etc. that I never had a second for myself. So I got my bonus in 2010, went off the deep end and quit my job. People thought I was crazy! I didn’t have a spouse with a job, had no other income and not very much in the nest egg department. What I did have was a mortgage, 2 small children to care for and a sense that if I didn’t get out now, I would screw up my kids and never recover. So I did it and it all worked out, because I knew deep down that it would. I was to the point, where I had my Acura MDX and my Harley Davidson and all the other toys on Craig’s list. I started figuring out where we could cut down and get by on a lot less money. I took a 3 month sabbatical. I spent time with my kids (real engaged time, not the kind you have after working 12 hours and you see their lips moving but really can’t muster the energy to care about the girl in his class that was such a pain). I started going to the gym, worked in my flower beds, climbed mountains, went to see my family in Idaho, rode my motorcycle, sat on my back deck with a cup of coffee or wine– every […]

The post Reclaim your life and become successful in business appeared first on Heather Eldred.