Category: style

How SafeX Provides a Work-Life Balance with Dianne Grote Adams

September 12, 2022 inspiring-women

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Balancing your professional and personal life can be challenging, but it’s essential.

Often, work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being.

Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, though, to improve not only our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but it’s also important for our career.

My guest is Dianne Grote Adams. She is president of Safex, a health and safety consulting business, who started her company in 1992. As a working mom with a young family, she wanted to create a company that would respect the abilities of people in a technical career while also offering them some flexibility. From its beginning, Safex has offered flexible scheduling and benefits—vacation, insurance, and paid holidays—for anyone who works more than 25 hours.

Did you find that you attracted the right team around you because of that philosophy?

A lot of people, I think, have this myth that part-time workers aren’t committed. And they say, well, they’re not really committed to their careers. And I found the opposite. They have time to do personal things. And guess what? They don’t make doctor’s appointments during work hours. They don’t make personal calls during work hours because they have other days to take care of that. So I find actually they are probably more committed because they knew they have a special opportunity that others might not have.

But there are people who maybe can’t handle flex time and flexibility. They need more structure. Do you find that sometimes that’s a challenge?

I think there are certain people who maybe need more guidance or more coaching to help them learn how to manage flex time. Many of us didn’t grow up with that as an option, right? Can everyone be successful? I don’t know. But you’ve got to be able to manage responsibility and accountability.

What would you tell employers who are starting businesses to get into this mindset today? How do you get started?

It has been a focus on what does that person. What is that person supposed to contribute, what are they supposed to do? And if you can put a good definition around that and they meet that, then why should you care what the exact hour is or whether they rode their bike for an hour at lunch or they left early to catch a concert?

So in your journey, what comes easy for you in the work-life balance?

For me, it’s really easy to tell someone else to go take the time off. I struggle still with that work ethic that I grew up with, that I need to be first in, last out, and yes, I need to on Sunday night to prepare for the upcoming week. I just don’t give myself that same grace.

Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: Authentic Leadership, empowerment, family-owned business, personal motivation, style, values

Keeping Emotion Out Of Difficult Conversations

October 11, 2021 inspiring-women

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:21 — 17.5MB) | Embed

When I think of emotions, I think of passion and drivers. It’s that ‘why’ of something. So, in this episode, I want to talk about when we keep emotions out of something, especially a difficult conversation. Why do we want to do that? With me is Jen Grant. She is the CEO at Appify. She has spent the last 15 years building companies from the ground-up and taking multiple companies to over a billion dollar valuation. Recently, Jen was recognized as one of the Top 100 Princeton Technology leaders in 2021 as well as a Woman of Influence in Silicon Valley from the SVBJ.

When someone says something, you disagree with, ask them to “tell me more” and look for the gold — the thing they say that you CAN agree with. More often than not, you realize that you do actually agree with some of what they are saying and finding that point of connection is all you need to collaborate and move forward together.

Why is this more of a topic for women? Jen goes deep into that. Bottom line. In a difficult situation, keep asking questions to get to the crux of the matter at hand. Keep being curious, and this will help you stop judging. Jen highly recommends this for you to read – Leaders Eat Last By Simon Sinek. This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: authenticity, confidence, insecurity, personal growth, style Tags: Tags: Appify, Jen Grant

Strategies For Success Using Your Own Leadership Style

August 12, 2020 inspiring-women

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:40 — 20.4MB) | Embed

What does successful leadership look like? There’s so many definitions out there, but we’re well aware we’re desperate for good leadership.

When you look at successful leadership, you look at people who are pretty open and honest; good communication skills; they connect with that team member; they encourage personal and professional growth; they don’t just think that they are the only ones that should be learning and doing.

They make others better around them for sure, keeping that positive attitude. Nothing worse than working for a downer, right?

They teach employees instead of giving orders. It’s a huge, huge mindset. Some people just don’t have that ability, but that’s a successful leader. That’s what they look like.

But what about your own style in your leadership? Not everyone should be doing it the same. If you’re going to be a good leader, and you’re trying to be somebody else, you’re probably not going to be effective. You’ve got to find your style in the midst of all of it.

You’ve got to know your values. They’re traits upon which your reputation is built. They affect how you will consciously and subconsciously lead.

You’ve got to know what your strengths are. Chances are, you’re a leader because you have those certain strengths. A lot of times those strengths, too, are your weaknesses, so you have to be careful, but leverage them.

You’ve got to define your uniqueness. What sets you apart? Why are you so special?

What are your true-to-the-core motivations? In fact, what would people say you’re motivated by? When you’re figuring out your style, find out your motivation. Then, you’ve got to observe the leaders and peers around you. Who do you admire right now? Who do you look up to? But you’ve got to be you at the same time. It’s not that impossible.

Successful leadership is all about influence. It’s having followers and getting it done. But doing it on your terms, with your style, is even better. It’s the only way to do it.

This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Insights page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

Categories: Authentic Leadership, confidence, personal motivation, personal strength, style, uniqueness, values Tags: Tags: confidence, leadership, opportunities