KATHY ARCHER
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This is why pausing was good for nonprofit leaders and for me

18/10/2022

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Are you a nonprofit leader who loves learning but doesn't have much time? If so, podcasts are a great way to get snack-sized bites of wisdom during times when it's "ok" to multitask. There are many valuable podcasts for nonprofit leaders. If you have a favourite, comment below so we can all learn from each other!

Did you know that I produce a podcast? I do! However, it's been on hold for a few months, but guess what? The latest episode of the podcast is out 👏🏻

It's been seven months since I released the last podcast episode. I certainly did not expect to take that long of a pause. However:
  • It's been good!
  • And needed!
  • And I learn some lessons from the pause👇🏻

Lessons Learned:
The first lesson I learned is that things often take longer than expected. I, of course, thought it would only take a couple of months, but it did take a little bit longer 😉

There are four other lessons I take away from the extended pause that I share in this week's episode of the podcast.
🎙 To hear those four other lessons, tune in here.

Catch up on the faves
If you are new to my work or have yet to listen to other episodes, below are some that you might be interested in.

Podcast Episode Favourites

One of my favourite conversations was with Elizabeth Bishop
# 45 - How to regain your passion for your nonprofit work

One of the top listened-to episodes is
Episode # 42 - How to have brave board conversations with Heather Terrence

And another favourite of listeners is
Episode # 33 - Permission for Ambition with Anna Gordon

If you are having a crazy day, try this one:
Episode # 26 - Wellness Tips for Overloaded & Overwhelmed Women Leaders

The most listened-to series of episodes:
  • Episode # 1 - Fundamentals of Leadership
  • Episode # 2 - Managing Yours and Your Teams Workload
  • Episode # 3 - Managing Others
  • Episode # 4 - Managing yourself for increased composure

I'd also love to hear what you would like me to share in future podcast episodes. 
  • What do you want to learn more about from me? 
  • Whom do you think I should bring onto the podcast to interview? 
Comment below so I can add your ideas to my list of podcasts to produce. 

And in the meantime, happy listening!

p.s. Don't forget to share your favourite podcasts below
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How to manage your emotions in meetings | A powerful tool for you

29/9/2022

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As a nonprofit leader, you've probably struggled with your emotions during a meeting. And, you know that feeling of being about to lose your composure is not fun! I've been there too, and it sucks!

When we are out of control, we are often reacting to what's going on:
  • The tears are ready to come, and it is soooo NOT the time to cry.
  • A sarcastic comment slips out, and we didn't mean it.
  • We bite someone's head off and then regret it.
  • Our voice quivers, telling the world how nervous we are.
  • That swear word just tumbled out when it shouldn't have!
 
All of these are examples of losing control. In these situations, we feel powerless to hold onto our feelings and behaviours. We simply react.


Are You Playing the Blame Game?
Many of us blame that reaction on other people around us or the situation. Those darn Kleenex commercials always make me cry. My daughter tells me it's my fault that she cries. If I cry, it makes her cry.
 
We do the same in business settings.
  • If she hadn't said that, then I wouldn't feel this.
  • If we weren't so stretched, then I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed.
  • If it weren't for the economy, the weather, the crappy office space, then…I wouldn't be…
 

We Give Our Power Away
When we hand our thoughts and feelings to other people or the bigger "world," we give our power away. So, in essence, you are saying. I am not in control of my emotions, or I am not in control of the way I act. 
It's that belief that makes you feel powerless. 
When you feel powerless, you certainly don't feel confident!


Who's fault is it?
It's not anyone's fault, but we look to lay blame somewhere. Really, is it the rain's fault that you feel sad? No. Nor is it your boss's fault that you feel overwhelmed. And it's not the employee's fault for questioning something in a staff meeting. I know it sure feels like it. But hear me out for a moment.
 
Regain Your Sense of Control
When you gain access to what is going on inside of you, you can regain your sense of control and power.

We can see rain as a pain in the butt or a blessing. We can enjoy the sprinkles as we take out our umbrellas or grumble and groan at how it's wrecking our plans. It's up to us how we see it. In the same way, when we do self-reflective work, we can begin to feel grateful for the disgruntled staff member. They are growing our conflict resolution.


Take Back Your Power With This Tool

​Here is the tool to gain back that control and increase your confidence. Using the Inner Guidance Cycle, you can shift from giving your control away to taking your power back.
 
There are 4 steps to the Inner Guidance Cycle: Pause, Ponder, Pivot and Proceed.
  • PAUSE – Stop what you are doing
  • PONDER – Tune into what's going on inside of you and reflect on why it's happening
  • PIVOT – Shift how you see things and how you are experiencing the situation, thus taking back control
  • PROCEED – Move back into action.
 
Let's use the example from above to see the Inner Guidance Cycle in action.


🛠 The Tool: The Inner Guidance Cycle in Action

PAUSE: Stop and take a deep breath.

When your boss hands you another task, and you begin to feel overwhelmed, then PAUSE. Often, our first reaction is to direct frustration and anger at our boss. That gives power to them. They are in control of how you feel if you let them be.

When a team member asks a pointed question at the staff meeting, you may feel triggered and put on the spot. You know they said it to make you look bad. Your automatic reactionary response is to lash back at them. Before you react, pause!

Take a deep breath and begin to tune into yourself.



PONDER: Reflect on what is going on inside of you.
Take time to check your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. These are the parts of your Inner Guidance System. Just like a compass, they can guide you. Take time to PONDER and reflect. They help you identify your triggers.


1️⃣ Thoughts:
Do you think your boss is a jerk? Perhaps you are wondering how you will ever be able to handle the workload. You might be thinking that you have to do it immediately. But, on the other hand, you could be telling yourself how unfair this is.

Do you believe this employee is trying to get you fired? Do you want to squash them, quiet them or put them in their place? Just notice the thoughts. 
 
2️⃣ Feelings:
Are you experiencing a sense of overwhelm? Anger? Frustration? Despair? Incompetence?
 
3️⃣ Body Sensations:
These are often the clues that tell you what you are feeling. They help you become smarter about emotions and better able to name and tame them in the future.
For example:
  • Is your heart racing?
  • Did your face turn red?
  • Is your stomach in knots? 
  • Are you clenching your fists?
  • Are you feeling that tension headache coming on? 
Consider what feeling that body sensation is connected to.

Start to reflect on what set you off. You're still PONDERING at this stage.
 

🤔 What was the trigger?
Take time to consider what caused you to react strongly and quickly.
  • Was it that the boss gave you this project or how they gave it to you?
  • Was it the timing?
  • Did it bother you because it's really someone else's responsibility? 
  • Are you anxious because you don't know how to do it? 
  • Has that triggered a feeling of incompetence?

When a team member asks you a question at the staff meeting, and you immediately feel your composure slipping, consider the trigger.
  • Did you feel like they were trying to take over?
  • Do you suddenly feel put on the spot and unprepared?
  • Are you feeling incompetent because you don't know the answer?
  • Does the question, and the look, seem to suggest that you don't have the team's support?

Example of triggers 
​
Our triggers are often around "not enoughness."
  • I'm too young/old
  • I am not smart enough
  • I'm not the right color/gender
  • I don't have the right experience
  • I haven't been here as long as them

You may also be triggered by 
  • Criticism
  • Being excluded
  • Being disrespected
  • Being misunderstood
  • Not feeling like you belong
  • Sloppiness / untidy / laziness
  • When people don't take accountability for their actions
  • When you are disregarded/overlooked/invisible


💭 What mistaken beliefs do I have?
"I have to do this now."
Do you really? 
  • Do you have to do it all? 
  • Do you have to do it in the way it was asked? 
  • Can you ask for help? 
  • Can you do a portion now and some later? 
  • Is there an easier way to get the result that you could suggest back?
 
"I have to do it perfectly."
What does good enough look like? What is the real expectation versus my own "perfectionist" expectations?
 
"I can't say no."
  • What would really happen if you said no? 
  • What is the worst-case scenario? 
  • What parts could you say no to?

"I need to have an answer."
  • Do you really need to know the answer?
  • Does the answer need to be right now?

 "They are out to get me."
  • We both want to enjoy our job and work in a place we like.


💜 What values are not being honoured here?
Perhaps your value of family time is being squashed because you will now have to work late. Maybe you feel that you will have to rush this project or another one now, and that impedes your value of doing good work. Perhaps you are not feeling respected or appreciated.
 
This whole reflection piece in the PONDER stage of the Inner Guidance Cycle serves to awaken new insights. This awareness is what allows you to take back control.

As you sift through all of the stuff inside you, you'll see the mess of thoughts, feelings and body sensations begin to settle, and you'll often be left with a clearer picture. It is that clarity that can make you do a bit of a shift in your thoughts and feelings. That is the PIVOT stage. 



PIVOT: Shifting how you see things
When you see things in a new light, you shift your perspective. PIVOTING allows you to head in a different direction. Perhaps instead of feeling out of control and angry with your boss, you take a deep breath and ask if you can have a moment of their time.


PROCEEDING back into action

When you are proceeding, you are taking your finger off the pause button and PROCEEDING back into motion. You might ask if you can renegotiate the deadline. You might suggest splitting the task between you and another person. You might say no. Any of these actions put you back in control and feel an increase in confidence.

By moving through the steps of the Inner Guidance Cycle, Pause, Ponder, Pivot and Proceed, you begin to take back your inner power. Instead of feeling out of control, you begin to regain a sense of power. But this time, it is internal power. 

It isn't your power over the situation or power over another person. Instead, you've found your voice. You've connected to what is truly important and discovered your strength from within. That's the true meaning of being in control. This inner power is your inner confidence.

​To be in control of yourself, do the inner work. Connect to your Inner Guidance System. You'll be glad you did!
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10 questions to help you decide what belongs on your staff meeting agenda

21/9/2022

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We've all been to a nonprofit staff meeting where there are items that shouldn't be on the agenda. And often, it makes for a painful and long-drawn-out meeting. We wonder to ourselves or text our colleagues, "Why are we even talking about this?"

Often that's because nonprofit leaders haven't learned what belongs on a staff meeting agenda. Without training on how to run a staff meeting, we are left to follow what our predecessor did. If they did it for so many meetings, it must be the right way, no?

Not necessarily. 

Learning what goes on your staff meeting agenda will help you feel more confident, competent and in control.

Ask yourself these questions:
  1. Are your staff meetings effective at doing what you want them to do?
  2. Does your team find them valuable?
  3. Do they grow your team?
  4. Are your staff meetings 
    1. engaging
    2. collaborative
    3. productive
    4. worthwhile?
If the answer or answers are no, you may want to rework how you run them. 

Let's start first with what's on your staff meeting agenda.

Your staff meeting agenda should be prepared and provided to those who will be in attendance several days before the meeting. They need to know what to expect. Therefore, they may need to prepare. Additionally, if you are running an engaging and collaborative meeting, your team members may have items to add to the agenda. 

So what should go on a staff meeting agenda? Here are 10 questions you can ask yourself when you prepare for your next staff meeting 


Does this belong on your nonprofit team staff meeting agenda?

1) Does everyone need to know it and discuss it?
If it is an item that only certain people need to discuss, either put it on a different meeting agenda or put it at the end of their agenda so that those people who the topic is not relevant for can leave early 

2) Can it be done as an email update?
If you were providing information, an email update might be fine. If you need a discussion around something, you may want to give the email update first so that people have time to prepare before the meeting. It's important to be clear on the agenda item what the agenda item is. It's not information sharing. 

Instead, the agenda item becomes
  • A decision to be made on A or B
  • Feedback is requested on X. 
    • What's working and what isn't?
    • What can be improved?

3) Is it the right time?
Often we start talking about things before we have all the information, knowledge or information, and it can create anxieties, tension and confusion. Or we talk about things that aren't yet resolved, and really people shouldn't be privy to yet. 
Be cautious and trust your gut when you ask yourself, "Is it the right time to talk about this at this meeting?" Your intuition will know best. 

4) What is the point of sharing it?
Are you sharing information because it's something employees need to know, because it will help them somehow or because they need to prepare for it? If you can't figure out the point is for sharing it, don't share it. 

If you do know the point, be clear on what the point is. Please don't assume that everyone knows why you're sharing it.

5) Is everyone there that needs to be included to discuss this item?
It's annoying to have a discussion that can't be resolved because the key stakeholder isn't at the meeting. When this happens, we often go around and around, but no one can make a decision or answer a question because the person with that power, authority or knowledge isn't at the meeting. 

Be sure the key players are at the meeting for that particular item if you put it on the agenda.  

6) Do we have time for that discussion?
Some discussions take time. When an agenda is crammed full, and we throw a topic in there and expect to brush over it, that often causes frustration for the people in attendance. They won't have time to explore, ask questions, provide suggestions and dig deeper. 

Brainstorming, for example, cannot be done well in three minutes. If an agenda item needs more time, create a separate meeting for it.

7) Is this the most efficient use of our time?
Pulling a team together is costly and takes significant organizational time and resources. So make sure you're using that time and those resources wisely.

8) If this is a sensitive conversation, is it the right time to discuss it?
Even though some topics are relevant for everyone, sometimes those conversations are difficult. It's not always the right time to discuss them. That may have to do with what's going on organizationally, in the world, or someone's family. Remember to be sensitive about the topic you put on your agenda. 

9) Consider the urgency of the matter.
Even though everything may be relevant to the agenda, that doesn't mean it needs to go on the agenda. If it's not an urgent topic and the agenda is already full, hold onto that topic for a future meeting. Give time and attention to the most pressing things, not just for you in the organization but also for your employees. 

10) Is this the right place for this agenda item?
Lastly, once you've decided that it does go on the agenda, be considerate of where you place it on the agenda. 

Things that need more discussion and focus should be done earlier on. 
Additionally, things that need more composure for a difficult conversation should be done earlier. 

You want to end on a positive, uplifting note. Therefore ensure the last item will make people feel good as they leave the meeting. 

Running an effective and engaging staff meeting is much easier when you are more conscious and intentional about creating your staff meeting agenda. 

DO THIS:
1) Schedule a few minutes into your calendar to prepare your agenda.
2) Consider what belongs on your agenda, running potential items through the above list of questions.
3) Feel confident, capable and in control as you run your next team meeting. 

Preparing is one of the first steps to feeling more confident running a staff meeting. When you prepare your staff meeting with intention, you will feel more confident, and your team will find it much more valuable and engaging. ​
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3 leadership things to do this summer to lead your nonprofit organization better

21/7/2022

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Even for nonprofit leaders, summer feels different for most of us. The sun is shining, the weather is warmer, and kids are out of school. That, however, for most of us, doesn't mean we don't have to work.

We still need to get things done. It's just a different pace for most of us, and that slower pace gives opportunities to do other things.

Last week we talked about 4 easy steps to keep your nonprofit productive on projects over summer. This week we are going to cover three things to do this summer that will make you a better leader.

Three things to do this summer that will make you a better leader

​
1 - Clean your desk

Often the clutter gathers, the piles grow taller, and the sticky notes begin to blend together. The physical clutter creates mental clutter. 

👉 DO THIS: Set aside a half hour to sort through what's on your desk.
This time doesn't have to be a deep dive into everything that's there, but we orient yourselves to what is there. You may create piles for these 3 areas:
  • Do it - schedule it in
  • Delegate it - put their name on it asap
  • Ditch it - into the garbage it goes!

Creating physical space will create mental space. If you need more mental space, read this: 3 tips for helping you create thinking moments.


2 - Read a book

Whether you're a regular reader or not, make sure that you set aside some time in summer to read at least one leadership book and one nonwork-related book. Both will help you come up with new ideas, grow yourself and relax. In addition, this list will help you find some books if you're interested.

👉 DO THIS: Schedule a few minutes to order a book, borrow a book or ask for a book recommendation from someone.
Here are some suggestions: Read these 6 impactful books this summer | Feel your leadership confidence grow


3 - Ask for feedback

Sadly, leaders rarely get specific, helpful feedback. Summer, when it is potentially a bit quieter, is a perfect time to set up some one-to-one time with some of your employees to solicit that kind of feedback.

👉 DO THIS: Schedule some time with a few of your employees. Perhaps it's a walk in the park, sitting at the picnic table or an online call where you're both on your decks. When you create the space for a relaxed chat, it's the opportunity to ask for some feedback in a more friendly way. 

Here are three questions you can ask your employee to get valuable feedback:
  1. What's been the most helpful thing I've done for you in the last six months
  2. If you could have a little bit more of my time, what would you use it for?
  3. When we sit down next summer to talk, what do you want to say I've done to help you grow?

If you are looking for more tips for feedback, this webinar may help: Gather input to reach your potential

When you take time this summer to do something different to focus on your leadership development, you'll find yourself growing both personally and professionally. 

What else do you try to get done over the summer to help you be a better nonprofit leader? Add your ideas below so we can all inspire each other!
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4 easy steps to keep your nonprofit productive on projects over summer

14/7/2022

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Are you anxious about losing momentum over the summer on some key projects and initiatives that your team is working on? As employees move into summer mode, the ability to keep things rolling can be challenging and trying for leaders.

Fear not! Here are 5 ways to use summer to gain momentum rather than lose it.

I'm distracted before holiday time
When I am getting ready to go on vacation, the final working days are focused on tying up loose ends so that nothing unravels while I'm gone. My mind is on red flags and potential hotspots. I am not focused enough to be able to sit down and do the deep thinking that is often required on larger projects.

I'm trying to get caught up when I get back
Upon returning from vacation, the following days are dedicated to putting out any fires that arose, catching up on the office happenings and trying to clean out my inbox. Unfortunately, once again, I am not usually in the right frame of mind to be able to dig deep on a project.

The day or two before we leave on holiday and certainly the days after 
we come back are often considered write-offs for most people. Combine everyone's time off, and it seems like a lost few months.

Therefore when someone is away for a week, it feels like you've lost two weeks to focus on a project. Add to that the sunshine, ice cream cones and the kids being out of school as distractions, and it's even harder over summer to get anything done at the office. So it's easy to see how we can lose momentum in team projects as people alternate being away for summer vacation. 

A leader can choose to see summer differently
As the leader in charge, it can be disheartening for you to see a project come to a standstill. However, projects do not have to get derailed over the summer. When you step back and see the gift in this shift of office rhythm over summer, you can put it to good use!

Summer schedules can allow more focused project time
The truth is you can accomplish a lot over summer because there are fewer distractions in many ways. In summer, there are fewer people in the office, fewer meetings and generally a slower pace. Use this to your advantage to get ahead on some of the components of the project.



5 ways to use summer to gain momentum 
rather than lose it




1️⃣ First, break the project down between group
and individual tasks


A meeting between two people can be more effective than a large group meeting. 


👥 A duo can:
  • get ideas rolling
  • outline options 
  • create a starting point for the larger group to work from. 


🙋‍♀️ Individually, you can:
  • Review the material instead of waiting until the meeting and asking someone to explain it to you. 
  • Identify questions and email them to people so they can prepare their answers. 
  • Complete research
  • Prepare statistics
  •  Draft specific written portions of the work
 


2️⃣ Block off time to work on the project


Our role as leaders is often mentoring. Therefore, summer is an excellent time to show how to get things done despite the season. Typically our calendars are less scheduled in the summer. As a result, it's easy almost to get almost lazy as we go through days. 

📆 Schedule time into your calendar
When you block off a set time to work on a project in your agenda, it gives you the ability to focus during those 2 hours. 

🗣 Communicate your intentions
Tell those around you that you are unavailable and not to disrupt you. Treat the time you have identified as if it were a meeting with another person. This not only keeps others from chatting with you but adds in the layer of accountability. By clearly identifying to others that we are working on a project, you tend to feel more motivated to stay on task. After all, if you say you are working on it, you should have something to show for it after. 

🙋‍♀️ Get others to participate
Ask participants on the team also to identify a block of time or times when they are working alone on the project. Have them identify what precisely they will be doing during that time. Ensure they commit to their part by a specific date. 

✅ Keep everyone accountable
Hold each other accountable for what you say you will be working on. Set conversation times with others for the afternoon when it is easier to get derailed. Perhaps meet out at the picnic table or do a walking meeting. Getting outside will infuse creativity and innovation into your conversation and give you some time to enjoy all that summer has to offer.



3️⃣ Set realistic goals for summer



Start by looking at a calendar and people's schedules to determine how much time you have to work on the project over the summer period. 

  • Identify how many hours ⏳ you truly have to work on the project.
 
  • Consider what you can accomplish 🤔 with that amount of time
 
  • Write down your 📈 plans and targets. Be specific about:
  • The smaller project components
  • Who's responsible for which parts
  • Deadlines, due dates and targets


🖥 Put the summer plan and targets in a place everyone has access to. Having identified targets to work on keeps people motivate and on board.



4️⃣ Build in frequent review systems



Review is a critical component of goal achievement. It keeps people aware, engaged and interested. Listed below are some ways to develop a review system for your team.
  • Use online project management software such as Trello, Basecamp, Clickup or Asana to keep track of the parts of the project, persons responsible and deadlines. 
  • Use a Google or Microsoft document that all team members have access to, allowing you to keep track of what parts have been completed and what needs reviewing. 
  • Have weekly 10-minute conference calls for whoever is in attendance to update what is happening. Have them recorded so others can listen to them when they return from holidays to keep up to date. The key is these review sessions need to be very short and entirely on task. 


Get excited and lead your team to a productive summer
Please don't throw up your hands now and say it's useless to get anything done this summer. Instead, give yourself a knowing smile as you:
  1. Set the intention that you will get more done this summer.
  2. Get clear on what you are doing to do, when and who's responsible.
  3. Choose to lead productively through summer rather than give up.
  4. Make sure you and your team set a date for celebration to acknowledge the focused concentration over the summer!

What will you do to keep the momentum going in your summer project? Hit reply and let me know!


Is it time for you to work on you?
Is summer a time when you want to recommit to your learning journey, set your personal and professional goals, and get started on the next steps? You may be interested in this series of training in my membership site The Training Library 
  • COURSE: My Training and Growth Annual Analysis: 
  • WEBINAR: Create Your Quarterly Goal Setting & Planning Strategy
  • WEBINAR: Develop your personalized curriculum for Leadership Development
  • WEBINAR: Quarterly Review
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How To Know If It's Worth Letting Someone Interrupt You - 3 steps

7/7/2022

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"Can I interrupt you for a second – do you have a minute?"

This is the sound of productivity being shot through the roof. However, every day, we need to decide how much time we want to spend focusing on our work and how much time we want to give to our nonprofit staff.

The other morning I had an interruption just as I started my workday. I bet you've had that happen to you. Just as you begin something, there's a knock at the door or a text or phone call. 

How do you know when to deal with or ignore the interruption?
Consciously deciding when to let interruptions in and when not helps you focus on what you need to focus on when you need to, set clear boundaries, and be there for people when they need them. Learning to balance your people and your projects is a balancing act for most leaders.

We need to get stuff done. We have reports to write, emails to send, applications to fill out, preparation for meetings, and all the other stuff that goes along with achieving our mission-driven work. 

Effective leaders learn to balance the "task work" with being in relationship with (aka being there for) the people who do our organization's client and community work. 

The question is: 
How do you know when to let the people side of your work interrupt the task side of your work and, conversely, when to stay focused on the task?

My interruption
My interruption this morning was from my granddaughter. School is out now. When I see my granddaughter's name pop up on my phone, I know that she's likely looking for some attention or that something is wrong. She's ten years old and home alone in the morning for a couple of hours. I answered my phone to discover she wanted to borrow some eggs so she could make herself French toast.

Your interruption
For you, it may be a staff that needs to look over their work, a crisis that has blown up, or somebody who wants to pick your brain. You may have a good idea of who the interruption is from and be able to use that information to help you make a decision. 

How I dealt with my interruption
In addition to wanting to borrow eggs, my granddaughter wanted to know when I was going for a walk, and I could tell she was bored. So I told her to come over and get the eggs, and I would look and let her know when my break was later in the day so we could go on a walk together.

How you can deal with your interruptions
Learning how to deal with interruptions in a way that feels good to you starts when you build a framework around decisions making. Here are 3 steps to consider to help you make decisions about interruptions you can feel good about. 



STEP # 1 - Start by being clear with what's on your agenda

While I didn't have calls scheduled for that early in the morning, I did have a project I was working on slotted into that time frame. Awareness of your agenda items is one of the critical factors in deciding whether to allow yourself to be interrupted. Scheduling in non-meeting tasks creates a meeting with yourself, a commitment and a tool for determining if you will let the interruption in.

🤔 Ask yourself these questions:
  • What did you have planned during that time? 
  • Is it something time-sensitive, or is there some flexibility in it? 
I was working on a project that wasn't due for a few days. So while there was some flexibility, it wasn't something that I could push off for too long. 


STEP # 2 - Set clear boundaries
I told my granddaughter she could come over and get the eggs, but I didn't have time for a long chitchat. However, even though I set that boundary, she lingered when she showed up, and I had to nudge her out the door after about nine hugs! 

You've been there, right? You answer the question or deal with the issue, and then you do the typical nonverbals to suggest that the conversation is over. You even may say something like, ok, I better get back at it and yet they still stand there, ask more questions, hem and haw etc. Here's the tricky part about allowing interruptions. It's creating a time frame boundary around the interruption.

🗣 Try using these phrasesYou will need to be extremely clear on the timelines upfront and continue to communicate those timelines throughout

Here's an example
  • I can only give you 10 minutes this morning, so let's get started right away.
  • We only have two minutes left. What do you need me to really answer before we finish up?
  • I know 10 minutes wasn't a lot of time for you. Do we need to schedule more later when I can give you more time?

The clearer you can be with your boundaries, the easier it is to hang up the phone, end the chat, or shut the door at the end of the interruption.

As much as my granddaughter wanted to linger, I knew it was time for her to go as I walked her to the door. I followed up, ensuring she knew what time I had a break later and that I would message her to go for a walk with her then. I didn't brush her off. Instead, I scheduled time to connect with her when I could give her my undivided attention.


STEP # 3 - Know what's important to you

I had to know what's important to me, what I value
Finally, it's essential to know and understand your values. Family is incredibly important to me. My granddaughters mean the world to me, but I'm also committed very deeply to the work I do for you. Balancing connection to family and deep, meaningful work has been a lifelong challenge. It's not something that comes easily, there is no quick formula, and the parameters will continually change.

You, too, need to be clear on what you value
My advice to you here is to be as transparent in your mind as possible. Try these two questions.
  1. What's important at this moment?
  2. When I look back three years from now, what's the decision I will want to have made?


❤️ Start with verifying your values
Through the Values Verification course exercises, I recognized that my top value is not family. Instead, my top value is excellence. That clarity around what is ultimately important to me helps me make these decisions more clearly. 

How can I provide excellent quality to you and, at the same time, be an excellent grandma? The answer is by giving quality time and attention to the project that I had scheduled for that morning and quality time and attention to my granddaughter.

I had to be "excellent" in both areas
If I had let my granddaughter interrupt my morning for any longer than I did, I would not have been an excellent grandma; I would've been a distracted grandma. Letting her interrupt the time I had scheduled for the project would have made me feel edgy. I would have been thinking about what I "should" be doing. I would have been trying to end the little visit multiple times, but discreetly, so she didn't feel like I was finishing it. It would have come across as icky for both of us.

I honoured my value of excellence in two areas of my life by setting and communicating clear boundaries and scheduling time for both areas. 
  • First, I set the parameters in the morning around how much time I could give my granddaughter (aka enough to provide her with the eggs and nine hugs) and offered time later in the day when I could give her my undivided attention. In this way, I focused on the relationships in my life that are important to me.
  • Then, I completed my task work with a clear mind and in a timely fashion. 


3 questions to help you feel good about the decisions you make

Making decisions about interruptions like this doesn't come easily or quickly.
It takes time to understand how to make these decisions more quickly. That time often comes through after-the-fact self-reflection.


✏️ Take a moment to think about your decisions in the last 24 hours. 
  1. What factors did you use to make those decisions?
  2. What values came into play? 
  3. Would you make the same decision again? 
  4. Would you communicate in the same way?

Engaging in ongoing self-reflection helps you prepare for future decisions, communicate boundaries, and apologize when you get it wrong because we likely will more than once.

Sometimes it is worth letting someone interrupt you, and sometimes it isn't
Time, or lack thereof, is the biggest bottleneck for most nonprofit leaders because there are so many other demands on your time and attention beyond your core mission. There are always more things that you need to do. However, we also learn to balance what time we give time to our people and when to use it for projects.

Being clear with what's on your agenda, knowing what's important to you and communicating clear boundaries will help you be both productive and create engagement with your nonprofit team!

READ THIS NEXT: 
3 Decision-making mistakes you may be making and quick the fixes
Episode # 58 - Learn a decisive decision-making hack and how to use it - For women leaders
Nonprofit Leaders | 10 important questions you must ask before your next decision

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How much time will it take you to be a better thinker?

5/5/2022

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PLAAs a nonprofit leader, you need more time to think! But how much time does it take to be a better thinker and leader? Read this blog post for the surprising answer. HINT: Not very much time!

When I'm talking to clients and suggesting that they book some time in the calendar for thinking, they expect me to tell them it will be an hour or maybe even 30 minutes.

They're often surprised when I suggest anywhere between two in 10 minutes.


Overcome this challenge first
The challenge is that most of us are not present in this moment. Instead of being mindful, we are thinking about either the past or the future. For example:
✦ We may have anxious thoughts circulating in our minds about what's coming up in our schedule.
✦ Alternately we may be ruminating about what happened at the last meeting.


Then you'll be able to be intentional with your thinking quicker
To be intentional with your thinking, you need to be in this moment so you can think about only what you need to think about. When you give yourself the gift of a moment or two, I call them thinking moments often, and the thinking happens really fast.


3 tips for helping you create thinking moments.

ONE: Take your hands off the keyboard when you finish a call, meeting, or dealing with your inbox or project. Put them on your lap and take a deep breath.

TWO: Ask yourself:
  • PROCESS - Is there anything I need to process from this?
  • PURGE - Are there any thoughts I need to purge and let go of to move on?
  • PLAN - Is there any planning I need to do?

When you give yourself the moment to connect to what you need to process, purge and plan, I guarantee thoughts will come into your head. 

THREE: Either in your head or grab a piece of paper and make a quick note.
  • I need to process why I got so worked up when they said that.
  • I need to purge those thoughts of controlling what happens. I'd let go a bit more.
  • I need to plan for that meeting next week.

Then ask yourself 
  1. How much time do I need?
  2. When will I do that?

You may come up with answers like these:
  • I'll take 10 minutes to journal to process what happened at the end of my day.
  • I will take a bathroom break and find some new perspectives to help me move forward.
  • I need to schedule 15 minutes into my calendar to prepare for that meeting: Gather the data, create an outline, and consider how I want to present it.

Once you have been mindful of what you need to think about, you can head on to the next thing on your agenda.

Giving yourself the gift of just a few moments to regroup and identify where you need to plan, process and purge will help you move forward. 

The thing is, I know you spend most of your days running around, chasing fires, dealing with crises and solving everyone else's problems. I know because I did it too for way too many years!

I learned that getting intentional about creating thinking moments made an incredible difference. Will you do it too?


Extra resources to help you think "better."
Over the last few weeks, I've been writing about different kinds of thinking. I've linked those thoughts up below. Each of these links is a blog post with more information about different thinking necessary for leaders.

NOTE: I've added some of the courses inside my membership site, The Training Library, for those of you who are members. 



Creative Thinking
Nonprofit Leaders – Are you doing the right kind of THINKING today?

Possible courses/lessons to look at
  • COURSE: Wellness AT Work
  • WEBINAR: Breath Magic - Breathe your way to being a calm, composed and in control leader!
  • You may think these courses have nothing to do with creative thinking, but when you relax into this moment, that is when you do your best creative thinking!


Strategic Thinking
Nonprofit leaders, you need to stop wasting time rushing your thinking!

Possible courses/lessons to look at
  • WEBINAR: How to prepare for a tough talk
  • WEBINAR: Team Morale: Confidently boost the mood of your team!


Decision Making
Nonprofit Leaders | 10 important questions you must ask before your next decision

Possible courses/lessons to look at
  • WEBINAR: Decisive Decision Making
  • WEBINAR: Quick Journaling for Effective Leadership


Reflective Practice
Be a wise woman leader with these 10 reflective thinking questions
​
Possible courses/lessons to look at
  • COURSE: Develop Your Strength of Character
  • COURSE: Values Verification: Validating What's Important to You
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How to stop trying to do it all and START focusing on priorities

13/7/2018

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Do you find that most days you feel as though time is slipping away and you aren't getting done the projects you know are priorities? I am not talking about the emergencies that pop up. I'm talking about the things you really know you need to get at!
​
What often gets in the way of those priority but not crisis projects is when we try to do it all. 

In this training session, you’ll learn 3 shifts that you can make to stop trying to do it all and start focusing on priorities.
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Watch this session on YouTube here

LINKS from today's session
  • Join the CONFIDENT WOMEN LEADERS COMMUNITY here:
  • My top 7 Productivity Books GUIDE SHEET
  • Productivity Tips and Resources
  • Create your plan to get out of Survival Mode
​
Find MY BOOK - Mastering Confidence: Discover your leadership potential by awakening your inner guidance system
  • On AMAZON → http://amzn.to/2EuMmht
  • Get my book FREE on Audible → https://bit.ly/2wOoSEJ​
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Be More Productive - Remove This From Your TO-DO List

6/7/2016

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NOW YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE BLOG!
I'm testing this out, to see how many of you might like to listen to my blog posts.
Click to link below you can hear this week's post.
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TO-DO lists are typically looked at with angst. We detest the very sight of them. They are distressing and endless! However, for most of us, to-do lists are also indispensable. They keep us on track and ensure we do get things done. If you want your TO-DO list to be a productive tool, though, you need to keep it manageable.
 
The question then becomes: How do you trim your TO-DO list?
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The wrong thing to put on your list
​If you want to tame your TO-DO list, you must remove repetitive items. When you stop entering tasks on your list that you complete on a regular basis, you will see your list shrink dramatically. Culling your list in this way makes your TO-DO list become your welcome friend rather than fearful foe.
 
Removing the routine items
Cyclical tasks happen on a cycle. For example, you might prepare a program schedule every week and review your budget once a month. These intermittent, but regular items do not belong on your to-do list. Routine items should instead be entered into your schedule.
Book appointments with yourself
​Most leaders only use their agenda for meetings and appointments with others. They may list other things they need to do during the day in their agenda, but only as bulleted points. What I am suggesting instead is that you enter routine items into a time slot in your schedule with a beginning and ending time. The routine task should be entered into your schedule as an appointment with yourself.
 
The dreaded monthly stats task
Let me give you an example.  Many managers need to do monthly statistics and quarterly reports. This means that every month you pull together a bunch of charts, forms, and spreadsheets. Laying them all out on your desk, you compile data into a report that goes off to the powers that be.
 
For most leaders, this data compilation is not a fun task.  Leaders put it off and delay doing it until the last moment. I venture to guess that most leaders tend to get it done by either staying late or finishing it on the weekend. 
 

This chore gets done on a manager’s own time because the manager never placed it a priority.  Oh, I know they may put it at the top of their TO-DO list! But that didn’t mean it came before other fires needing put out. Since the monthly statistical collection wasn’t put in as an appointment, it did not get completed during the regular daytime hours.
Move it from TO-DO list to your agenda
​These kinds of routine things need to put into your agenda.  You need to schedule a regular appointment with yourself to get done the things that need to get repeatedly done. 
  • Thursday from 9 am to 11 am – Monthly Stats
 
Set it up as an appointment
  • Appointments with yourself get entered into your agenda and blocked off as busy times.
  • No one else should be able to book an appointment with you during this time.
  • Treat those times just like you would treat any other meeting:
    • When it comes to the time, you do the task.
    • You don’t allow interruptions.
    • You don’t answer the phone, the door or your email.
    • You do the work you said you were going to do.
But what if something more important comes up?
If something else comes up and you can’t do the task during that time, then you need to rebook the time.
 
If you erase it, then you must replace it.
Jay Papasan
 
Rebook it if you can't do it
That means if you cannot do the work when you said you were going to then you must find another time slot in your calendar to replace it with.  Again, routine tasks should not be something that you then take home with you for homework. 
  • Compiling timesheets, writing reports, reviewing budget are all part of your workload. 
  • They are not extras. 
In such, you need to treat them with the same importance as anything else.
​Your TO-DO list taming homework:
  1. During your weekly planning, review your TO-DO list.
  2. Put a check mark beside anything that is a regular or cyclical task.
  3. Take those items and schedule the appropriate amount of time into your agenda.
  4. Stick to those times and complete the task in that time slot.
  5. If you can’t do it, re-book it.
A manageable looking TO-DO list
What this leaves is a manageable TO-DO list for you to prioritize. It won’t be quite as scary to look at the items left. When you have 20 minutes of time, you can scan the list and see what can be done.
 
Remember to schedule routine tasks
Keeping your TO-DO list to a manageable size requires you to be mindful of what you enter on to it. Schedule routine items into your agenda. That way regularly occurring tasks will get done on time. This will also leave your TO-DO list smaller, more inviting to scan and way easier to keep up with. 

QUESTION:
How many items did you move from your TO-DO list to your schedule? Does your TO-DO list look more manageable now?
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Turn Your To-Do List From Your Enemy into Your Friend by Asking These 3 Prioritizing Questions

22/6/2016

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​Lengthy To-Do lists are paralyzing!

The endless list of tasks, all which seem important, blurs in front of us. Flabbergasted at the daunting chore of prioritizing, we play it safe. Many of us then default into checking email one more time. By averting the cursed To-Do list repeatedly, we not only get further behind but more and more disheartened.
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​It's the norm for most of us
Ask any leader and you’ll likely hear a similar response. 
  • My To-Do list never ends. 
  • I’ll never get through it. 
  • Just when I think I get caught up, all hell breaks loose. 
To-Do lists become the enemy. 

Stop fighting with your To-Do list
Rather than your To-Do list being your foe, let me show you how it can be your valuable assistant. By prioritizing your To-Do list into some semblance of order, it can become a tool working for you, instead of a threat against you. Last week  I walked you through a weekly planning session that had you develop a list of tasks for the upcoming week. Take the list you made and prioritize it by asking yourself the following 3 questions.

3 Questions to ask when prioritizing your To-Do list
1. Will this item move my/our annual goals or quarterly projects forward? 

We spent too much time focusing on urgent things. The pressing things are what appear to be dangerous fires. In reality, they are simply decoys. These seemingly critical duties keep us swamped and distracted from the work that is truly going to move us and our organization forward.
"I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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When we zoom out, getting a broader view of our To-Do items we see a different perspective. This refocusing allows us to see that sometimes a To-Do item that doesn't seem as urgent is actually a higher priority. Identify the items on your To-Do list that connect to your annual goals and quarterly projects. These should be moved up in higher on your list

2. Does this To-Do list task need to be done before you can do something else or ahead of someone being able to begin his or her part? 

Some tasks sequentially build upon each other. You may need to do one element before the next. People may be waiting for you to complete your assignment before they can do their chunk. If you don’t do this thing, you become the bottleneck for a project moving forward. It might take you twenty 20 minutes, but it could set in motion a whole bunch of other things. 

Keep your eye out for little things fall into this category of being progressive tasks. You may have to break one task in two to see the full effect. For example, “Part A” might be scheduling a block of time into your agenda next week to work on a project.

Making “Part A" scheduling time a priority this week, you will give yourself the capacity to do “Part B”, working on the project, next week. If you don’t prioritize making an appointment with yourself, you will find that another week we’ll have gone by without finding time to work on the project.
​3. How does this task measure up with the energy and time slots I have available this week? 

Not all jobs are equal and not all segments of time on your calendar are alike. Some tasks require considerably more brainpower and sometimes the open slots in your agenda are times that you will have diminished brainpower. Be cognizant of how you match these two.  

For example, I strongly suggest not spending the first part of your morning on email. The first hour of your day is when you are most refreshed and typically are better able to tackle projects that require a higher degree of focus and concentration. When you are looking at prioritizing your To-Do list, and you notice that have a chunk of time early in your day, schedule the project that requires you have a high level of concentration and energy for it. 

If however, you have an hour at the end of your day available, slot in cleaning out your inbox at that time. Use lower energy times to return phone calls, have quick project update conversations with your team or putting papers or files in order.
​Make use of the questions
Use these 3 questions to prioritize your weekly To-Do list and your accompanying schedule. Look at what you realistically needs to get done this week and move it to the top of your list. The rest can stay on the list perhaps and get it done if you truly have the time. But make sure the top priorities get done first. How do you do that? You get done the priories items by then moving prioritizing your daily To Do’s.  
​3- minute daily prioritizing
At the beginning of each day, spend three minutes identifying the top three priority To Do items for that day. Yes, only three! 

It isn’t that you can only do those three things, rather those are the 3 mandatory things you must get done. 

Make a separate sticky note, highlight the To-Do’s, or in some way identify that they are your top three items for the day. Then, ensure that these things get done to the best of your ability before 11 AM.  

If you truly want to be more productive and successful at getting done the most important things, get your top three done every day.  When you do, you will find things move forward much quicker for you.
Putting it all together
Remember to look at last week’s post on planning.  In it, I walk you through the steps in how to pull out all of the To-Do’s items for in a weekly planning session. Each week, take your list and line it up against the following considerations: 
  1. Will this item move my/our annual goals or quarterly projects forward? 
  2. Does this To Do list task need to be done before I can do something else or ahead of someone being able to begin his or her part? 
  3. How does this task measure up with the energy and time slots I have available this week? 

Follow the plan and find your friend
Use these questions to help you create a weekly To-Do list that assists you. Your To-Do list becomes your friendly reminder of what is truly important. Use it to guide you each day, to pull out your top three To-Do items you need to focus on. Follow these steps and your peers will be wondering how suddenly you are accomplishing so much!

Question: What were your top 3 To-Do items for today?
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    Kathy Archer

    Women leaders often hit a point where they find themselves in over their heads and wondering if they have what it takes to lead.
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    ​In my online courses and coaching I teach them inner and outer tools to restore their lost confidence so they can move from surviving to thriving in both leadership and life.

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