Be the Duck!

Last week I was asked how I manage conflicting priorities, aggressive deadlines and daily firedrills and remain successful.

I have not mastered time management, but I have routines that allow planning and prioritization especially important when dealing with aggressive deadlines, conflicting priorities and daily fire drills.

After I stopped laughing, I realized her question was genuine and for a brief moment I felt quite the fraud.  But then I typed,"Be the duck."  There it is.  Quick.  Concise.  Visual.

For those of you who have not heard me talk about my mom, let me introduce you to a Sandyism.

For years, my mom would tell my brother, sister and I to "be the duck".  It became humorous as our friends would ask, "why be a duck?" or "whats up with your mom and the duck?"  At one point, she even cut out a cartoon and put it on our refrigerator.  Not quite like below, but same message.

I remember the day, at a local pond, when she pointed out the cool composure of the duck.  Just gliding across the water.  From the surface, duck is calm and collected.  But underneath the water, the duck's feet are paddling, working with the water to move in the intended direction.  She extended this to people and those that always appear to have their stuff together compared to those that appear to always be in a state of chaos. 

My siblings and I knew that when Mom said, "Be the duck" it meant to demonstrate composure and grace through steady control over emotion. 
Daily I am challenged with all the above and daily I remind myself to be "the duck". 

To help me "be the duck" I have implemented three simple productivity tools into my daily routines:   1) Years ago, I started using a Personal Kanban to organize my work.  Kanban is so simple to implement.  It allows me to prioritize my work and ensure my work in progress stays in balance.   I love that our Architecture Oversight team has embraced Kanban using Jira and has rolled it out for the Patterns Development work as well as our transformation work.  Check it out here.
2) Another technique I use is the Pomodoro Technique which is a simple way to focus exclusively on one task / project for a set amount of time (traditionally 25 minutes) and then take a break (traditionally 5 minutes) and then going back in for another 25 minutes.  I use this in the mornings and lunch for email.  Basically, I turn off distractions (IM, text, and other), set my cell phone timer for 25 minutes and open up email and hyper focus.  When the timer goes off, I stop, save what I was working on to draft and take a break.  After the break, I repeat.  It is amazing how many emails I can respond to without distractions and with a time limit. 

3) Finally, I am a firm believer in setting intentions with agendas for meetings.  When asked to attend a meeting, I will ask for the intention and the agenda.  This helps me ensure I am ready for the meeting or in some cases address the need without having a meeting.

Happy Thursday!

Purposeful Innovation: The Key to Future Growth and Competitive Advantage

Happy Thursday!

I was recently tasked with introducing a colleague who was presenting on the concept of Purposeful Innovation. As I reviewed the presentation and reflected on the content, I was struck by how much it resonated with me. The idea of purposeful innovation is not just an interesting concept; it’s a transformative approach that can redefine how organizations approach growth, competition, and sustainability.

In the industry, we often hear the word "innovation" used to describe things like product development, new product rollouts, or even how an organization conducts research and development.

While I agree that innovative thinking is crucial for all of the above, I believe that calling innovation simply the act of creating a product or process is like picking up a single leaf in the forest and calling it a tree. It’s an incomplete view of what true innovation is.

Innovation isn’t just about product development, research, or even the process of discovery. It encompasses all of the above—but it also includes the broader ecosystem needed to support and sustain these innovations. And when you have this complete picture, that’s when you enter the realm of world-class innovation.

World-Class Innovation: A Deep, Enduring Capability

World-class innovation is more than a one-time spark or a flash of creativity. It’s a deep, enduring capability that is both purposeful and driven by intention. It drives revenue, delivers a competitive advantage, and excites team members to think not just about today, but about the future—the tomorrow after that.

At its core, innovation should be about competitive advantage. It’s about differentiating yourself from the competition, standing out, and discovering what makes you unique. This is where purposeful innovation truly shines—when purpose and intention align, something remarkable happens. Purpose-driven innovators are born.

Purpose-Driven Innovation: The Magic of Intentionality

Take a look around. Purpose-driven innovators are easy to spot. They are the ones who are laser-focused on the real needs of their partners, shareholders, and the team as a whole. They lead with intention, staying grounded in history while actively seeking out new opportunities and capabilities. They are visionaries who don’t just dream but are also practical in their approach. They set the course, lead fearlessly, and light the way through passion and commitment.

When purpose drives innovation, it allows for a true customer-centric experience—one that is not just about meeting immediate needs but is intentionally service-based. This approach naturally promotes operational excellence by ensuring that every innovation is aligned with delivering real value to those who matter most.

Purposeful Innovation in Action

As we think about the future, we must ask ourselves:

• How are we going to create growth and shareholder value in the future?
• How are we going to create our competitive advantage?

The answer, quite simply, is innovation. But not just any innovation—purposeful innovation. Innovation that is designed with creative intention and a clear vision.

Purposeful innovation is what sets successful companies apart from the pack. It’s the driving force that turns a good idea into something transformational. By aligning innovation with purpose, you create an ecosystem that sustains long-term growth, fosters a culture of creativity, and positions your company for lasting success.

The Path to Competitive Advantage

Purpose-driven innovation isn’t just a buzzword or a passing trend. It’s the foundation for building a sustainable future, and it’s something every organization should strive for. It’s about more than just new products—it’s about creating a mindset and a culture that sees innovation as an ongoing, purposeful process.

When purpose meets intention, you unlock the power of true innovation. You build an organization that doesn’t just respond to changes in the market, but anticipates them and leads the charge. And in doing so, you create lasting value for your customers, your team, and your stakeholders.

In other words, purposeful innovation is the key to your company’s competitive advantage—and it’s what will set you apart in the years to come.

Happy Thursday lovely ones,

-srt

Blasted Question #2

Interesting admission, this week I was asked to answer five questions for The Architect Newsletter.

The questions came to me in email, so I decided to use the Pomodoro Technique to quickly answer and meet the deadline.

The Pomodoro Technique is a simple way to focus exclusively on one task / project for a set amount of time (traditionally 25 minutes) and then take a break (traditionally 5 minutes) and then going back in for another 25 minutes. I use it every mornings and lunch for email.

Basically, I turn off distractions (IM, text, and other), set my cell phone timer for 25 minutes and open up email and hyper focus. When the timer goes off, I stop, save what I was working on to draft and take a break. After the break, I repeat.

So, anyway, I decided to use the Pomodoro Technique to answer the questions which I successfully did sans one question. My first pass, I answered question one then skipped two and went on to answer three, four and five hoping to circle around to the question. But my 25 minute timer went off as I stared blankly on question number two. Break time.

Five minutes later, I stared at question number two:

  2. What are the top competencies necessary for you to be effective in this role?

Several attempts, finally at the deadline I recalled one of my first managers at Wells Fargo telling me that social intelligence, emotional leadership and prudence are competencies that differentiate leaders from managers.

• Social intelligence is the ability to successfully build relationships and navigate social environments. Think for a moment about your protoconversation. You know, the micro expressions, voice intonations, gestures and pheromones that our brain is “taking in” for every conversation. These impact how we respond to others (social awareness) and how we have effective interactions (social facility). Both are instrumental and often show up when triggered (and think about them triggered when blindsided!).

• Emotional leadership (or emotional intelligence) is the ability to accurately perceive your own (an others) emotions in order to see the signals and how they impact relationships. Essential when influencing towards a common goal, individuals with this competency can create an “emotional contagion” that sets the tone for group level dynamics.

• Prudence is wisdom or common sense. Prudence as described in the Cardinal Virtues is the ability to discern the appropriate course of action to be taken in a given situation at the appropriate time.

These three are, in my opinion, the most critical competences to have in business regardless of role.

So my response was: One of my first managers at Wells Fargo told me that social intelligence, emotional leadership and prudence were the most critical competences to have in business regardless of role.

If those are foundational, then I would add to be successful as an architect, additional competencies include:
• Communicate - to describe technology to your audience whether it be someone highly technical or in layman’s terms.
• Inquire – to probe and ask questions to get to the “facts”
• Conceptualize – to take all that you have heard and pull it together into a consumable artifact whether that be a diagram, design, model, or something else.
• Execute – ability to take what you have designed and make it a reality.

Do you agree? Disagree?

What would have been your response to question number two? Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Thursday!

How Do You Show Up?

My friend, Sherrie Littlejohn, is a life coach and speaker.

She also is my previous manager, a wife, mother and beautiful human being.

She is an avid blogger and I find motivation each time I read her thoughtful reflections.

In today's blog, she writes, "Success in life is more about how you show up than what you know or even who you know. Yes, each is important. However, would you agree that the foundation for success starts with you? Your attitude, your behavior, your mindset, your commitment, your passion, your enthusiasm, your courage, your confidence, your conscious awareness of yourself provides this foundation. When we start with ourselves, then and only then, can we learn, attract, and be our very best for ourselves… and then for others."

There is so much truth in this paragraph!
My attitude
My Behavior
My Mindset
My Committment
My Passion
My Enthusiasm
My Courage
My Confidence
My Awareness

How I choose to show up and behave allows me to be my best self.

Powerful reminder that I am in control.

Take a visit to Sherrie's site at https://littlejohnleadershipcoaching.com/ and tell her Stacy says hello!

Happy Thursday!