Critical Success Factors

Success to me is reaching my personal best in anything I do.  However, sometimes I take on too much, which greatly impacts my ability to deliver.  I am keenly aware of this weakness and do not view it as a negative but as something I can consciously correct.  In my defense, I have been taking on too much in order to prove myself at my job.  This has worked out to my benefit because I have received numerous promotions throughout the years.  I am hardest on myself and what I mean by deliver is a final product.  Now that I have reached what I consider the pinnacle of my career, I can now step back a bit and focus on exactly what priorities I need to pay attention to and how I am going to develop plans to execute these priorities.

To begin with, in my recent promotion as Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer at the College, I am in a better position to write these plans since I will no longer be the individual in charge of manning the "weeds."  I will now rely more heavily on my staff to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's."

I am excited to take on these new roles; both of these roles rely heavily on my project management skills; one relies heavily on my organizational skills while the other relies heavily on my visual and personal affinity to all things digital.

There is another factor, however, that I need to remember.  I am now more responsible for producing results on time and on budget so my ability to pay close attention to the priorities of both of these jobs is important and I cannot let myself be interrupted by "shiny" things that interest me.

Critical success factors that will need to be considered as I move forward include:

1. Delivering relevant content on the web, digital and social platforms
2. Delivering relevant information and policies to employees in a timely manner
3. Hiring or promoting the right individuals and empowering them to do their best
4. Continuing my efforts regarding process improvement and innovation

The Balanced Scorecard and Me

I have wondered for many years if I should open my own business.  The thought of it is daunting but as I move through this master's degree program, I learn more and more how important it is to have a plan before you embark on any business.

That said, I am going to identify below, what I feel the key factors would be if I were to open up my own consulting business.

The Balanced Scorecard will help me plan and proceed with my business in organizational consulting:

1. Knowledge, Education and Growth Perspective:  I will need to make sure I employ and retain talented and good people allowing for professional development and personal growth while on the job
2. Internal Business Process Perspective:  I will be committed to ensuring the internal processes are maintained, upgraded and/or updated as necessary as this will be the most critical piece of my business
3. Customer Perspective:   I will provide the best customer service ensuring customer satisfaction every step of the way
4. Financial Perspective:  I will hire the best CPA I know (and I know a few) to help me budget, stay on budget and invest in the future of the company.

I will keep my employees informed and will provide feedback as much as possible.  This will only help all of us to grow, which will be my personal commitment to my employees. I would be my own customer. That is how much I am committed to the success of this idea.

Personal Aspirations

If you asked me six months ago what my professional aspirations were, I would be writing a different story.  However, there have been many events that have taken place over the past six months that have begun to pave the way for a potential new direction in my life.  Before this blog post I never considered a strategy toward self-actualization and here I realize at this point in time how utterly important it will be for me to come up with specific strategies to help me chart the course for my future.  Please know that I have no regrets; I have had a very rewarding and wonderful career at Molloy College.  This does not mean I will be leaving my position.  I will be planning for my future while continuing to help the College grow.

Strategy.  What is a strategy and why do I need one now?

Strategy, according to BusinessDictionary.com "is a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem."

I was very involved in the strategic planning process at Molloy College and will apply most of what I learned from that process to my own strategic plan, which will follow a similar timeline (5-10 year plan).

Do I go out on my own and start my own business?

Do I go part-time and stay home with my family?

Do I continue with grad school so I can teach online part-time?

Where do I take my many years of experience with intuitiveness, strong people skills, public relations, marketing, digital and social media, strategic planning, etc.?

I cannot look at this as an end but a beginning...the dawn of a new day...

Actually, today's reality probably began long before now.  Signs have been presenting themselves to me but I thought they were just reminders to have me keep pushing myself forward to make my mark at the College, make more money, have a better job, and more responsibility.  What I don't need now is more responsibility. I will keep things simple, stay focused and take care of myself in the process.

One day at a time.

Strategy for me now is to lay it all out on the table through a SWOT analysis; evaluating my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  First, however, I need to define a marketplace for me to move into - a new industry?  I have long thought of becoming a writer of novels and books on leadership and process improvement.

Strengths:  people, intuitiveness, generosity, trust, friendly, digital, web, social media, reliable, dependable, organized, love of writing, process improvement, innovation, and energetic.

Weaknesses:  taking on too much at once, not delivering on time, burn out, and putting others before myself.

Opportunities:  Teaching online; writing novels - both of these things are within my control to begin.

Threats:  Finishing Grad School, getting an online teaching job; Competition in the publishing business.

It is my hope that my current employer will offer me the opportunity to teach online.  As far as writing books and novels, I need to just start writing.  I will follow these 10 steps:

10 Steps to Writing a Book

References

Business Dictionary

The Three Most Important Characteristics/Qualities of a Globally Minded and Culturally Competent Leader in the 21st Century

1. Charisma
2. Other-Centered Focus (includes Diversity of thought and Inclusion and Good Listening Skills)
3. Day 1 Forever Approach

It is difficult for me to choose three characteristics of a globally minded and culturally competent leader in the 21st Century.  However, once I combined a few into one skill it became apparent to me that there are many facets to each quality.

1. Charisma:  In order to be followed, one must lead.  Without likeability and the trust factor (charisma), leaders of today will not make it past many access points in the global world of today.  
2. Other-Centered Focus:  It's one thing to "Win Friends and Influence People" in our domestic economy but clearly another to do the same with cultures quite different than ours.  It is extremely important for today's leaders to become aware of the culture and backgrounds of each corporation's and country's people.  This will greatly impact on the success of any attempted outcome.
3. Day 1 Forever Approach:  Like Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com, Inc., if you put your customer's needs first, you will stay ahead of the curve, which is extremely important in today's e-commerce industries and digital world.  People are vying for the same consumers.  One must stay ahead of the curve, not simply stay in line with it, in order to survive.  Please click on the photo, below, to hear all about Day 1 Forever and the following link to see just how successful Jeff Bezos really is:  Jeff Bezos Day 1 Forever

As for me, I emerged as a leader at the young age of 12; captain of twirling team and drum majorette.  To that followed captain of Blue and Gold sports night in high school, ski club moderator, mother, grandmother, staff president, and now Chief of Staff.  There are a lot of successes in between but these are the most memorable and rewarding to date.

I have to say my best characteristic is my compassion coupled with my sincerity and honesty.  My least favorite characteristic is my sensitivity, which sometimes gets the best of me.  I have learned through the years to manage my reactions to things and not take them personally but every once in a while, when faced with adversity, I have to remind myself to walk away and not react, which is always the best approach.  I am honored and blessed to have learned many life lessons along the way but one thing I will never change is my willingness to help others - always.  I always strive to be a mentor and build people up rather than putting them down.

References

https://www.recode.net/2017/4/12/15274220/jeff-bezos-amazon-shareholders-letter-day-2-disagree-and-commit

Virtual Global Communications

Despite many cultural differences, global leaders must be able to communicate with employees, customers and the world through a new lens, social media.

Social media allows for creative ways to send messages out to the world; whether a tweet signifying a  success of a recent product launch or a Snapchat encouraging our youth to get involved at a college; social media is very effective in getting messages across.

In my own role as Chief Communications Officer, I am finding that if I refer to tweets or Instagram postings in a positive way, my staff feels motivated to do more.   Social media managers are very creative and take pride in their work.  Recognition of employee success and hard work is something that we Americans use to motivate our employees.  We have to be careful, however, as a global leader, Russian employees are expected to do a good job and do not expect nor receive recognition for it. That is their culture.

In addition to Twitter and Snapchat, YouTube is a great recruiting tool for potential students.  Take a look:

This is more impactful than an email sent directly to the student telling them how wonderful Molloy College is.  This video would motivate me to apply to Molloy College.

Body Language

What does body language say about you?  A lot!  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, body language is "the gestures, movements, and mannerisms by which a person or animal communicates with others.

I have two examples of body language that I would like to share:

1.  Recently, while in a search committee meeting that I was chairing for the hiring of a new position in my office, I sat across the table from the director of Human Resources.  While I pride myself in running efficient and all-inclusive meetings, the director of Human Resources spent the entire meeting looking at me with this look of disdain.  It was rude and interrupted my flow but I forged ahead and completed the tasks that were on the agenda.  However, she distracted me during the meeting and I have now learned that I will not sit across the table from her in meetings.

2.  A second example I would like to share is that I host team meetings every week with our digital communications team.  One of the individuals is from India and I try to appreciate his culture but his lack of appreciating our culture comes out sometimes.  When he speaks to make a point, he bombards the conversation for too long.  I try to gently open up opportunities for others to speak but he is a master of the "pause" and only takes a slight breath between sentences.  However, I have learned to find a way to open up the doors of conversation by timing his pauses since my body language is not read properly by him.  It is my intent through body language that I want him to slow down and listen to what others have to say.  This may be a skill that he needs to master.

Here are some articles on body language for you to read:

Body Language Mistakes

References:

Body Language Image

Body Language Definition

10 Commandments: Communicating with Persons with Disabilities

I have the pleasure of working in an academic environment that fully supports the interaction of communicating with  people with disabilities.  The groups of people range from being:

• my niece (cerebral palsy)
• elderly 
• physically challenged
• autistic 
• sight challenged

These individuals are either:

• students
• faculty
• fellow employees
• high school students from a local "Abilities" chapter who work in the mail room

By being exposed to these types of disabilities or challenges as I like to call them, I find I am fortunate in my experiences with everyone of them I come in contact with.  I appreciate the 10 commandments, some of which I had already known and others I will consider while communicating with others who have disabilities.  

The first of the 10 Commandments for Communicating with Persons with Disabilities are outlined in the following humorous video:

As outlined in Canas and Sondak (2013), the full list of commandments is as follows:

1. When talking with a person with a disability, speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or sign-language interpreter who may be present. I will now practice this.
2. When introduced to a person with a disability, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands.  People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting).  I currently practice this. 
3. When meeting a person with a visual impairment, always identify yourself and others who may be with you.  When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking.  I will now practice this. 
4. If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted.  Then listen to or ask instructions.  I currently practice this. 
5. Treat adults as adults.  Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending that same familiarity to all others present. (Never patronize people who use a wheelchair by patting them on the head or shoulders.  I currently practice this. 
6. Leaning or hanging on a person's wheelchair is similar to leaning or hanging on a person and is generally considered annoying.  The chair is part of the personal body space of the person who uses this.  I don't always practice this but will try to remember to do this.
7. Listen attentively when you are talking with a person who has difficulty speaking.  Be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for that person.  If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod, or a shake of the head.  Never pretend to understand if you are having difficulty doing so.  Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.  The response will clue you in and guide your understanding.  I don't always practice this but will try and remember to do this. 
8. When speaking with a person in a wheelchair or a person who uses crutches, place yourself at eye level in front of the person to facilitate the conversation.  I currently practice this. 
9. To get the attention of a person who is hearing impaired, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand.  Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly, and expressively to establish if the person can read your lips.  Not all people with a hearing impairment can lip-read.  For those who do lip-read, be sensitive to their needs by placing yourself facing the light source and keeping such objects as hands, cigarettes, and food away from your mouth when speaking.  I will now practice this. 
10. Relax.  Don't be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions that seem to relate to the person's disability, such as "see you later" or "did you hear about this?" I will now practice this. 

References

Canas, K. and Sondak, H. (2013).  Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity:  Theory, cases and exercises, (3rd edition), pp. 292-293.