My boss asked me to attend a meeting as their proxy… HELP!

Has your manager ever asked you to sit in a meeting as their "proxy"?  Read on for some helpful tips on becoming a trusted back up … 

First, don’t panic. 

Step back and take in the compliment.  He or she feels confident that you can cover the topic and adequately represent you.  

Next, don’t let it go to your head.  You aren’t be asked to take his / her job and what you do before the call, during the call and after the call will determine if he/she asks you to do it again.

I recommend the following (in fact I do this everything I am asked to sit in for my boss, their boss or my peers):

Stage	DO	DO NOT
Before	Accept the meeting invite, adjust your calendar to accommodate, and alert organizer that you will be representing your boss/organization.	Miss the meeting because you have not ensured it is on your calendar or you did not confirm with organizer and were missed when an update was made.
Before	Ensure you have a basic understanding of the meeting.  If you do not, ask boss for a pre-meeting meeting.	Show up unprepared for the meeting.   Or treat the meeting like an afterthought.
Before	If it isn’t in the calendar invite, it is acceptable to ask for the agenda from the organizer (or their administrative assistant) ahead of time.	Don’t demand an agenda.  If one doesn’t exist, you can ask about topics that will be discussed?  If a team member hadn’t done this in my past role, I wouldn’t mention this …
During	Show up to the meeting ON TIME both the bridge line, skype session or zoom.  If invited to a video conference, USE the video conference.   Be engaged and be taking active notes.	Don’t be multi-tasking.
During	Follow others lead on whether you announce. If you do announce, ensure you include that you are representing bosses name/organization.
During	Make sure you are on mute when not talking.  Make sure your phone / headset are picking up your voice clearly.  Make sure you are at a location where dogs, kids, T-rexes, and zombies are not loud and distracting in the background.	Make sure when you do talk that you do not cause an echo or that your mic isn’t too close to your mouth (Darth Vadar Syndrome).  Truth – Our CTO, VN, once stopped a call to pin point WHO was causing the echo on a bridge.  It wasn’t someone on my team, but it was SO embarrassing and the $$ it cost the bank due to that individual not being aware.
During	Take in the meeting.  Ask sound questions.  And, remember, if you do not know the answer to a question or how your boss would answer that it is OKAY to say, I don’t know or I will get a response from my boss and back to you.	Do not use meeting for your own agenda.  Do not go down rabbit holes or bring your soapbox.  Seriously, an organizer once asked me not to send an FTE as my proxy because he was a distraction.  Yikes!!
After	Send boss your notes and observations immediately after the meeting.	Don’t wait until formal notes are published.  Giving them immediately allows action to be taken quickly and readies boss to respond to the formal notes / minutes.

I want to wrap up Thursday Thoughts with you thinking about BIG IDEAS.  Here are some quotes to get your brain uncaked:

• Take out your brain and jump on it – it gets all caked up.  Mark Twain.
• Contentment is the SMOTHER of invention.  Ethel Mumford
• Big ideas are so hard to recognize, so fragile, so easy to kill.  Don’t forget that, all of you who don’t have them. – John Elliot, Jr.
• New ideas are like loaves of bread.  They often emerge from the oven looking half-baked, homely and lumpy.  Give them a chance to rise.  Chic Thompson
• Form a habit of saying YES to a good idea.  Then list all the reasons why it will work.  There will always be plenty of people to tell you why it won’t work.  – Gil Atkinson

Think BIG!  Get out of your way, uncake your brains and allow time for your ideas to RISE!

Cheers!

srt

Thoughts of My Dad

I hope everyone is enjoying the change in the weather. I was delighted to see our turtle, Squirtle, and bullfrog, Stump VIII, reemerge and be enjoying the pond.  And, the spring flowers are all blooming so my yard is full of daffodils, irises, freesia and tulips.

I would not be truthful if I did not share that my thoughts today are on my father.  In fact, it has been rough getting him out of my thoughts each and every day.  Because he is on my mind, I thought I would share two things with you all today.  The first, a poem he wrote entitled WIT and the second a photo collage. 

WIT by H. Larry Rea

I only hope when I’ve lost all and memories can’t be recalled

When flesh falls loose and ears grow hair and the top of head goes bald

When eyes see only distant blurs and you are so senile you can spit

I dearly want, Oh please don’t take away my Irish wit.

When tensions grip is loosed by white and yellow pills

White pleated cups filled with amber dew chase away all ills

When drippy tubes intravene and hypo’s come in kits

Let me laugh, yes roar out loud.  Oh please leave me my wit.

When diapers drape my bony hide and my tee shirt looks like a gown

When shirt arm holes disappear and me shorts are upside down

When eyebrows leap from my brow like weeks with no attend

Allow me to laugh at the irony that my legs won’t bend.

Let me cackle at toes that I couldn’t touch with a shepherd’s cane

And hair that holds it curl no more, but hangs like Shetland mane

Let me laugh and see the funny side of growing old and feeble

One last time, for Auld Lang Syne, I’ll joke for all the people.

And, when the final day had come and they carry me away

To some small church by Oceanside with a name like Depoe Bay

And when the last eulogy cries out that my like was too short

Let them hear from faraway one last, long, cackling retort.

 

With his memorial on March 13, we have been going through albums and I found the following photos of him that I just love.  

Top Row:  Dad’s Promotion, Dad and Mom in 1969, Dad and Mom in 2019

Middle Row:  Me and my Dad

Bottom Row:  Dad and Mom at Brandon’s Swim meet (where he broke the district record), with Devon at his graduation, with Justin as his graduation.

I am truly appreciative to each of you for covering during my bereavement and for sending me such lovely thoughts and funny memes. 

Happy Thursday all,

srt

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Team,

First, happy Valentine’s Day!  Wishing each of you lots and lots of chocolate or flowers or whatever makes your heart happy.  J

 

What a wonderful week starting with two days of SAFe Agile Leading Change class followed by the certification.  As I told someone this morning, I have enough knowledge now to be a little dangerous.  More to come with how we will align to the Agile Playbook and roll out agile architecture this year.

 

On a personal note, some of you are aware that my father was released to hospice the last week of January.  It has been a whirlwind of emotions for my family.  We are dealing with our impending loss, but also how we show love and care during this time. 

 

When my father was first hospitalized, we were told he would live 2-3 days.  After a very rough night in the hospital, he woke the next morning and said, “I made it”.  My response was that his next goal was to make it to Valentine’s Day.  Today, I smile, because he made it.  This morning, I told him his next goal is his 59^th Wedding Anniversary (end of February). 

 

My father was an executive, my mother a teacher.  I always talk about my mom as my rock (which she is), but forget to share that my dad taught me invaluable life lessons.  As a corporate executive, every day, he modeled authenticity, integrity, hard work, and amazing communication skills.  He was an amazing orator, speaking to huge audiences, was respected as a thought leader in his field and had an Irish wit that would make you fall out of your seat with laughter. 

 

He once wrote me, “The sky and stars are not a limit for you, Stacy Lynn.  So, set your goals high and fly”.  He was and remains one of my greatest champions.

 

On a rough day last week, a dear friend reminded me that our individual lives are like a book.  Each day has a new page, with adventures to tell, lessons to learn and moments to remember.  The book is our legacy.  What a powerful legacy my father will leave to his children and their children.

 

The experience with my father-in-law in November and now my own father, has reminded me to welcome the new morning with gratitude, a new spirit, a smile, love in my heart and good thoughts in my mind.

 

Happy Friday all,

srt