Time

Reading my last post, it is crazy to reflect on the speed of life. The last time I posted was two weeks before Matthew was born.....now over 18 months ago.  It seriously feels like yesterday. Now he is my little man...can't believe the first school picture we have of him.  

He smiles and makes all of the worries of the world fade away.  My only wish is for more time with him, and to slow down things a bit so we don't lose these little moments of snuggling before bed, giggling while playing and the mystery of first words. With life so busy, I just want to enjoy the moments and remember them forever. Thus, my return to this blog. To reflect on all of the moments big or small to help my remember the light they are to my world. 

Spring

I love the turn of seasons. Growing up in the Midwest and now living in the mountains in Utah it has always been a time of renewal and change. When we lived in Phoenix it made me realize how much this mattered to me. I look back and have so many memories tied to times of year that the two years in Phoenix just blur together. So what is it about the change that helps me mentally. I like the visual reminder of change. It helps me to not let life go by too quickly which it is prone to do.

I think I am particularly reflective this Spring with baby boy Snavely about to be born. We are about to take on major life change... enter another era for the Snavely's with two kids under three. Excited, scared, overwhelmed yet strangely calm. More than anything ready for it to happen. Ready for Spring.

The Waiting Game

Seems like a fitting post from a 37 week pregnant lady to write... but it was prompted by a great conversation that I had today with my husband.  Sometimes with all the modern niceties, the material things that we have and enjoy, with work, life, etc. I wonder if we are working for something, waiting for something that is in front of us to arrive instead of just living in today.  I know, I know, sounds cliche... live in the moment, or whatever way you may say it.  The "spark" for today is what if we just stopped waiting, as individuals, couples, society?  Would things be just a little happier in this world? On balance the people that I run into are more often than not, working for something, striving for something, worried about the future.  Maybe I just have those type of people around me, but it seems like such a cross section of the world that it is just how people act.  Why is it so hard for us, me included, to just celebrate the moment we are in and not wait for something that lies ahead?  I wish I knew.  But, in preparing for baby #2 at the Snavely house, I have a renewed commitment to stop the waiting.  These times for our family are only here once and I am going to live them versus wait for the next few to come.

Appreciate the little things

Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the simple pleasures in life with everything we have to do. The eyes if a child help in this. Here is Katharine after skiing with Jon enjoying some hot cocoa. The "spark" for today... appreciate the little things.

What to do when I grow up

This morning I attended an event with one of the guys on my team.  The topic was all about getting your brands internet presence to grow, specifically through leveraging social mentions.  It was an event associated with the local YPO chapter, and we got connected through my boss.  It was good to go to the event, as it gave me a look into the content that is being shared with the organization.  To be honest...I didn't have high expectations, but it was even worth than I expected.  It really amazes me the creditability that a speaker can gain by simply being confident, purposeful and a good speaker....even if the content is horrible.  This guy had a good objective outline, and appeared to have some decent tools that he had built for social monitoring....but when it came to conclusions and his true expertise of the "how" for the process of helping build an on-line brand presence it was disturbing that he has a career doing this. 
 
So what to make of this...I think I have a lot to sell, and if I was willing to build a business around selling my ideas, it could really work.  I am not trying to toot my own horn, but the content I could bring is real and credible, and if this guy can get paid for what he is selling, worth something.  Honestly that was where I was headed two years ago, when I thought being in Utah meant working for myself.  Luckily the opportunity at CHG came along at the right time, and I love what I do, the company and my team.  But, what lies ahead?  I can see a great career at CHG, 10-15 years ahead.  After that, what else could I do?  Something more flexible, less work, but fun.  Maybe teaching, speaking, writing, consulting.  I don't know....The flip side of this is a question.  Do I want to be associated with people like this guy who spoke today?  Do I want to be a "speaker" that someone like me criticizes in a blog.  Who knows...for now, I am loving what I am doing today and that is what is important. But, a "spark" for the future.

Weekend Mornings

All week long, I get up and get moving in the morning rushing through the things that must happen.  Me getting ready for work, little Katharine up and about, catching up with my nanny, looking at my calendar wondering how I will make it through a schedule that looks unmanageable, and out the door.  It feels like a race to a race. 

The weekends are another matter.  I love the hour or so I have been getting before anyone is up.  A factor of being 8 months pregnant.  I am up by 6 am these days regardless of the need.  Sitting on the coach, laying in bed, reading and just having a minute to celebrate quiet.  Until I hear the pitter patter of little feet coming up the stairs.  Enough to make anyone smile.  As I sit here and type this, I realize that in eight weeks this moment of silence will likely go away with baby boy Snavely's arrival.  Ah well, celebrate what you have when you have it. 

A hard realization during moments like these are that I have very few of them.  I remember before kids I would read books about becoming a mom, and a working mom, and recognize the change that was coming in my life.  Now change is the reality.   Taking time for myself now in my life is a luxury versus the norm.  And, truthfully I struggle with prioritizing that time ahead of time with my family or my job.  But life is about tradeoffs...I have the most adorable little girl (in my humble opinion), a great husband and a great job.  For that, am I willing to make the tradeoff of a "scheduled" personal break.  For certain!  My only guidance, to anyone who cares, is to think about the choices you make and don't let them feel happenstance.  You are more than capable of doing anything, but being conscious of your choices helps you not to regret or to dwell in the negative side of them. 

I love my choices...however hard giving up my weekend mornings will be eight weeks from now!  Wouldn't change them for the world. 

Ownership

Over the last week, we have been talking a lot about the concept of Ownership on my team.  Ironically, it is a concept that has come up in marketing teams in my last three jobs.  As I sit here after hours, I wonder why this is a consistent theme in my teams and how universal it is to many of you/us. 

It is such a corporate buzz word it is worth taking a step back to think more about about what it means and ultimately what we all mean when we say.."you need to take ownership in this project" or "thanks for taking ownership in this" or "one of your core strengths is the ownership you take in your work".  In looking up the word ownership on wikipedia, it talks about about property ownership, either solo or joint.  A pretty literal definition.

So how does this relate to work, to teams, to our lives beyond work.  Ownership at work is much like property ownership...it is about taking control.  Putting your efforts into working on what you can control, and leading a project/team/task towards a goal.  Just like with property, it can be shared or it can be solo.  The best results seem to come when that ownership is shared on a project...putting multiple people at the table to accomplish the work at hand all with a sense of ownership in the outcome.

So how do you as a leader, help build ownership within a team?  When it comes down to it, it is emotional.  I like this article because it goes to the root of that.  It helps with some practical tips on building ownership.  I think the most important learning that I have had in my time trying to help teams build ownership is that you can't just tell people to "take ownership."  They have to feel it, believe in it, understand why doing so will help them succeed in their own goals.  I love the exercise of going back to thinking about ownership in a practical way.  To have your team think of three things that they are proud to own (think a car, a house, a new pair of amazing shoes!), have them think about given this ownership how they treat those things, and have them translate this to work. 

It seems like the leadership challenge will be constant and persistent in my career...but totally worth it.  Enabling teams to help themselves own or want to own things means helping people succeed.  This makes it personal...witnessing someone learn this at work and translate it to their personal life is pretty amazing.  I have seen it help people take control of their life versus letting their life control them.

So...the idea tonight, the spark....what have you done to help people own something in work or in life?  You may be doing them and yourself a great favor.