Apr 4, 2018
Summary
LoAnn Ayers learned her early leadership skills from growing up on a North Dakota farm. She is from a family of entrepreneurs. LoAnn worked at WSU Tri-Cities at the Director level before moving to her current position at United Way. Her first, and most influential mentor was a man named Jim Cochran.
LoAnn is a voracious reader and spends much of her free time reading new and inspiring books on leadership. She believes that a tip for success is to seek out and surround yourself with smart people. She considers her role at United Way more of a Intrapreneur rather than an Entrepreneur, which she defines as seeing opportunity within an organization that already exists.
Some of her tips for success include volunteering, observing people and asking good questions. Important skills include finding a way to turn a "no" into a "maybe" and a "maybe" into a "yes".
Ask employees the question, "How can I help you?" and "How can we remove barriers so you can shine?"
LoAnn organizes her day like this:
a. Create a list of the biggest fires that need to be put out today.
b. Prioritize the fires by order of importance
c. Manage by deadlines, what is due by noon today?
It's important to identify how people operate so you can adjust to their style. Understanding others is the key to co-creation. LoAnn is big on clarifying communication so there's no misunderstandings.
Big questions for leaders:
1. How can we make this happen?
2. Is it worth the time?
Question for every meeting, "What do we want to accomplish by the end of this meeting?" and "What are we here for?"
Meetings without an end goal are a waste of time!
Using Meyers Briggs Type Indicator helps direct interactions with people. Focusing on peoples effective communication methods can be a game changer.
Calendar time for stress decompression!
"Delegation is tough for a recovering perfectionist!"
Learning how to let go and equip others to be successful is a really important life skill. Allow others to learn.
Seeing employees move on to other positions shows your investment in them has paid off! When they move on, your personal network expands!
Parting guidance: "Look, listen, lean in and do it!"
LoAnn Contact info: layers@uwbfco.org
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