3 minutes
From the editor
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? I do, though I call them intentions.
I make intentions throughout the year, most often at the beginning of each new season. I like to spend a few minutes with my journal, jotting down what I’d like to accomplish personally or professionally in the coming months, think about what didn’t work so well for me and my family over the past season, and ponder what I want to be different going forward.
My intentions are common enough, such as swim more or spend less. But one month, I wrote simply “less chaos, more calm.”
Therefore it was perfect timing for me when, in the latest issue of CU Management’s online-only publication, Advancing Women, we discussed the elusive work/life balance that most of us—but particularly women—find hard to achieve. I loved the tips that the women interviewed share, from scheduling “productivity time” on your calendar to rethinking who attends before- and after-work events on behalf of your credit union.
Delegating more is a fantastic intention for a new year, and one of the tips that readers shared in response to the article.
“Delegate! Delegate! Delegate!” wrote Donna Roed, a board member at $900 million Noventis Credit Union, Gimli, Manitoba. “I spent two years flying from Winnipeg to Toronto every Sunday evening and returning every Friday evening. I had three teenage kids and they learned to do wash, buy groceries, plan meals and cook meals. When my husband realized [a messy house] was an issue and his work hours did not provide the additional time, he hired someone to clean so I arrived home to a clean house and could relax for the weekend. I think we can all adapt. At the time, my son was only 12. He is now a father with three sons and he and the boys are all great cooks!”
Another reader, Ruby Flicek, director at $1 billion Synergy Credit Union, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, responded: “I honestly don’t find balance. I find it is always an imbalance. I never have enough time for everything that I want to do, so I really find the best thing is to prioritize. If I have 20 minutes, what can I do in this next 20 minutes that will have the best impact on my day and will best benefit my family? In that 20 minutes, I try to be as present as possible and don’t think about the rest of the day until my 20 minutes is up.”
If you haven’t seen our quarterly publication with the mission to provide information and inspiration for current and aspiring female credit union executives and those who support them, visit cumanagement.com/advancing-women. There you’ll find two years’ worth of articles, podcasts and videos devoted to advancing women in the CU industry.
This year, in addition to my normal intention—or priority—setting, I’m looking ahead to the next decade and setting long-term goals. What are your professional goals for the 2020s? What are the top priorities that you want to achieve? Perhaps this is the decade that you will earn your Certified Chief Executive (CCE) or Certified Innovation Executive (CIE) designations by completing CEO Institute or Strategic Innovation Institute™. Visit cues.org to see how CUES can help you advance your career.
Theresa Witham
Managing Editor/Publisher
