Heidi Saucier

Reflections on a conference: The sequel

A few weeks ago, I attended the National Management Association’s annual conference in Reno, Nevada. As an officer on the national board of directors and a member of my company’s local chapter, the organization has become central to my professional growth and leadership journey. The week was productive, filled with meetings, networking, and new ideas. In this post, I’ll highlight some of my favorite moments.

The first part of the week focused on board meetings. I always enjoy connecting with board members and collaborating to make key decisions to further the association. In my current role as board treasurer, I am learning about the importance of maintaining organizational budgets and making important recommendations to the NMA staff on where we can reduce costs. I also work with the other officers and the staff to review existing processes and identify opportunities for revisions and improvements. Some decisions are straightforward, such as changing language that reflects our move to more virtual meetings. Others require further discussion that brings recommendations to the full board for a vote. I am honored to be a part of this board and the relationships I’ve built as well as the lessons learned.

After the board meetings, the conference officially kicked off Wednesday night with a mixer. I reunited with people I hadn’t seen in about a year and made some new connections. The next day, professional development sessions began. Here are some insights I gained from the speakers:

Shawn Harper, former NFL player and now CEO of American Services and Protection, talked to us about having the mindset to win. Sharing personal stories and key principles, he encouraged us to think differently and enter a new level of motivation with the belief that we can win and not let our comfort zone and excuses prevent that from happening. One of the most profound things Shawn said that stuck with me was “If you’re not careful, your comfort zone will become your casket.” While that may sound harsh, it said to me that you have to be willing to take risks and not keep doing the things that are easy and normal. That could lead to your own demise.

Ana Larrea-Albert, speaker, author, leadership strategist, and just beginning her doctoral journey, was our next speaker. She engaged us in activities to help us consider a new perspective that points us towards excellence. We were challenged to shift our mindsets to find the positive even in situations that don’t seem that way. While she gave some examples, the session was more hand-on as we explored situations individually and in our table groups to look at challenges through a more positive lens. She brought together the elements of strength, mindsets, values and purpose that lay the foundation for confident leadership and how to identify the self-limiting beliefs that we often go to as a means of protection. One thing Ana shared that stood out to me was that when dealing with those self-limiting beliefs, we should “look at them with kindness and compassion,” which then allows us to give the same to others.

John Di Domenico, keynote speaker, actor, and impressionist gave us two amazing experiences by hosting our annual Recognition brunch and giving a keynote session during the conference. His creativity and spontaneity led to a special moment of some attendees sharing why historical leaders resonated with them. Because of this, many of us learned about leaders we didn’t know before and heard some heartfelt stories of individuals that inspired others to explore leadership. In his keynote, John shared his life journey of discovering his voice and challenged us to embrace the most underrated asset we have in our voice. For leaders, this is an important element that we don’t often think about, so it was great to have John challenge and help us consider ways to bring our voices forth.

A special treat during the conference a session led by They Improv. Several years ago, I participated in a team building activity at Grand Circus. There, we used improv to practice conversations with others and consider the importance of having to use these techniques to confidently present to others and to lead critical and sometimes uncomfortable discussions to point employees and teams to success. I had forgotten about this experience until my son had a school event with Karen and Darrin, a local couple who shared their gift of improv, storytelling, and illustration. Knowing how amazing of an approach this can be for leadership development, I shared the idea with the organization staff, and they were able to get They Improv on the schedule. The group was very hands-on, and we got a lot of practice on how to apply improv to our work conversations and decision making.

We also had the pleasure of learning from two of our NMA members. Larry Kieshnick brought an interactive session on understanding our own and other’s personalities, gleaning on components of Carl Jung’s Four-Color Framework and Don Lowry’s True Colors system. By identifying our primary profiles, we collaborated in groups to confirm how we think and work with others, then gaining understanding on the other colors in an effort to work better together. David Sandhu built on his past webinars on AI and introduced a new series on prompting. It was great to hear a more effective way to have AI assist with requests and the importance of “being more human in the age of AI.” One of my biggest takeaways from the session was reminder of having AI ask questions to help better understand the need. I’ve applied that suggestion to several AI interactions in the past week and have found the results more refined and useful.

In addition to the speakers, we celebrated the accomplishments of our chapters over the past year. Many chapters achieved milestone anniversaries as chapters, recognition for membership growth, and awards for their overall programs and publications. We also honored Dan Gilbert as of Hall of Fame Recipient, Colin Catto as our Member of the Year, and Dr. Tahllee Baynard of Lockheed Martin as our Executive of the Year. I also was sworn in as our 2027 Vice-Chairperson along with our other incoming officers. I’m honored to continue to lead our board of directors next year and beyond.

In a full and productive week, I am grateful for the networking, learning, and celebration that took place in Reno. As we now move forward as the Human Skills Network, I am encouraged by where NMA is going and the potential it will bring to current and upcoming leaders in the years to come. If you are looking for an opportunity to cultivate your leadership development, the National Management Association is an organization to consider joining. If you’re interested, I encourage you to check out the website or reach out to me for more information. What was the most recent conference or workshop that brought new insights on leadership to you? Share in the comments!

Heidi Saucier

Knowing when it’s time to shift

Leaders often want to see something through to the finish line. There are times when the end for that leader isn’t the end for others. A leader may be at the peak of their career, full of success within their team, then realize it’s time for a new chapter. Others may have raised their hand years ago to help lead an event or volunteer for a committee and begin to ponder when the time is right to move on from that role. In both scenarios, it can be hard for the leader to make the proper shift and let go.

I recently experienced one of these scenarios. I have been leading a volunteer effort for 10 years. It happened unexpectedly when someone observed me organizing an outreach event at work and asked me to take on a new endeavor. From the experience I built new relationships, expanded my network, and gained skills I didn’t expect. It has become one of my favorite events to help lead over the years. As my role at work expands, responsibilities in another volunteer area change, and prioritizing my family always at the top of the list, I needed to take a step back and decide if I would continue to serve in this capacity.

I started with self-reflection. I thought about the lessons learned, the things I loved about the role, and how it aligned with my other goals. Through the process, I realized I was at the peak of my experience serving in this capacity. Then I had a random thought that helped me make my decision. In 1997, Seinfeld was one of the top shows among the major networks. Fans tuned in weekly to see what antics Jerry and his friends would encounter as they navigated through life. Instead of continuing the series, a decision was made to end it on a high note and prevent it from becoming stale among its captive audience.

As this thought came to me, I realized I wanted to transition out of this role while I still loved it. I appreciate being asked to take this on 10 years prior and all I have experienced during this time. I wanted to make the decision knowing it was the right time and not get to a point where I disliked what I was doing and have a more difficult exit. I had someone in mind to take over the role with minimal training who would have the support of the group coordinating the full event. I next shared my situation with one of my mentors, who had me look at all factors to help me decide.

With these discoveries, I felt more at peace and ready to share my decision. At the same time, I was nervous about the conversation because I did not want to let the group down but knew it was time to do this. When it came time to discuss, the response to my news was positive. While they were sad to hear it, they understood my reasoning and were open to my recommendation of the person to fill the role.

As you face decisions to shift or stay the course, I encourage you to take the time to reflect and seek the advice of a mentor or trusted peer to gain an outside perspective. It can make a difference in moving in the right direction! Have you been in a similar situation? What things helped you make your decision? Share in the comments!

Heidi Saucier

What’s your mantra?

From Merriam Webster:

Mantra (noun). A word or phrase that is repeated often or expresses the beliefs of a person or group.

I recently finished the book Fear Is My Homeboy by Judi Holler. I enjoyed her perspective of taking on fear and learning about her experiences. Throughout the book, she challenges the reader to take several actions that help with this. One of these is to create life and business mantras as an act of self-love. These sayings can be used to counter fear and doubt when they attempt to be the louder voices.

Mantras can apply to many situations. They can be simple sayings or favorite quotes to motivate you and move you forward to success.  Some people have phrases directed at themselves such as “you are capable and worthy of change.” Others may consider ones to help them through a tough situation. A friend recently posted on social media about a bad experience her family is facing. She specifically shared mantras that they are focusing on to help them get through what’s happening. All of them are positive perspectives despite the challenges they are currently facing. No matter what you choose, mantras should be positioned to encourage and bring positivity to help center you. For leaders, you can also choose mantras with your team to motivate and guide them as they work on projects and key goals.

When I read this section of the book and started considering mantras to use, I immediately thought about one of my favorite quotes. In my early days as a trainer, I discovered one by Wayne Gretzky that is often used when talking about sales. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” While typically shared with salespeople, emphasizing the importance of taking every opportunity to get a deal closed, it also can be used for personal and professional goals. As I’ve shared in other posts, I am continuing to move forward with decisions for better health. If I don’t make the effort, I’m going to miss the benefits. Professionally, I use this quote when thinking about networking and trying new approaches for my team to support our unique audience of learners.

As previously mentioned, you can also make a list of simple statements that you can declare when you’re in a tough situation and need motivation or encouragement. These can be things like “I am a leader,” “I am capable of success,” or “I’ve got this.” Even if you don’t believe the statement in the moment, I’ve found that still declaring your mantras helps you push through the struggle and continue to move forward with the goal or task.

For me, I’m going to continue to take those shots. Because if I don’t, I’ve already missed the opportunity.

What mantras or sayings help you as a leader? Are there quotes that keep you going? Share in the comments!

Heidi Saucier

Incremental change is still change

“Remake the world, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world.”
― Rick Riordan

Throughout our lives, many of us look for ways to improve. There are annual resolutions that come and go, enthusiastic commitments where we bite off more than we can chew, and the all or nothing approach to change that for some becomes nothing.

Big change is needed in certain circumstances. Sometimes, that change needs to come sooner than later because of catastrophic consequences that will happen without the change. Other times, while the big change is the ultimate outcome, tackling it with smaller adjustments makes that change more achievable and sustainable.

I’d like to share two examples of where this applies. Habits are one area where incremental changes are often encouraged. In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, the author emphasizes the importance of making “tiny changes” to better solidify making changes to either start or stop doing something to better oneself.  Clear’s own experience recovering from a serious injury required him to make small changes that eventually brought him to recovery.

I am currently in the middle of incremental change as I work to get back into a consistent exercise routine. Based on past attempts, I knew if I tried to go all in right away I’d have limitations that would become my excuse to not exercise. Instead, I started with five minutes a day of a specific exercise. I am currently 10 days in and have increased from five minutes to 10 minutes. I’ve alternated between a few different types of exercise and am committed to building the right resistance and ability to strive towards better health.

Another area that benefits from incremental change is in workplace learning and development. Even with requirements for a new hire to go through training in a defined timeframe, introducing knowledge and tasks in chunks brings better retention compared to immersing the learner in the entire process right away. In environments where you can build on task learning, this approach is valuable. Many Learning and Development teams, including my own, are moving to microlearning courses and continuous learning models to better integrate employees into the workforce. In a Modern Workplace Learning blog post, Jane Hart argues that continuous learning occurs over time, often as part of on-the-job training, and is an element that companies acknowledge is needed. While there may be some formal training that happens, the employee continues to improve as they apply learning to their day-to-day activities and gain new skills along the way.

As the workplace becomes more agile and fast-paced to keep ahead of the competition, leaders and learning teams need to collectively consider bringing this model into their training plans and pair it with mentors and coaches to help guide employees whether they are new to the organization or are looking to gain new skills for the next step in their career.

Looking at these two examples, how have you seen the benefits of incremental change personally or professionally? I’d love to hear about your experiences!

Heidi Saucier

Your mistakes can help others!

“Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.” ~Morihei Ueshiba

I’m sure you’ve read articles that focus on learning from mistakes. Before you say “Thanks, Heidi, I’ve been down this road,” I encourage you to review the topic again.

We are often told we can learn from our mistakes and that they are an essential part of our development. It’s completely true, and your mistakes can help others grow! When mentoring or coaching someone, it’s easy to only share stories where things have gone well for us. While those are important when you want to encourage people to do something similar,  it’s just as beneficial to share when things have not gone well in your career and how those experiences have helped you.

During a meeting with a leader, she told me about a time she was coached for a similar struggle I was experiencing. She explained how that conversation opened her eyes and allowed her to make changes to her approach. As a result, she became more successful as a trainer. After she shared the experience, it motivated me to make necessary adjustments to improve my facilitation skills. Telling me what she went through showed me I was not the only person to struggle in this way and that I could overcome it.

As leaders, we have made mistakes. It’s part of being willing to take risks. Dede Henry shared in a Forbes Magazine article that while mistakes happen, how we respond to those mistakes is the key difference. I encourage you to check out the article and the strategies shared to change your mindset towards mistakes and failure. Some of the lessons we learn as leaders when things don’t go right have turn into key steps on our development journey. They may also be the experiences that someone needs to hear at just the right moment to redirect their path and achieve their goals.

How has sharing your mistakes with someone helped them grow? I’d love to hear your examples!