Shari Storm

Today’s speaker was Shari Storm.  Shari has managed people for over 20 years.  She earned her MBA from Seattle University, with an emphasis on corporate leadership, and now is an executive for a $400 million financial institution.  She teaches at the University of Washington’s Experimental College and mentors graduate students at Seattle University.  Shari writes for the Mom-logic and Working Mother magazine blog.  She lives with her husband and three young daughters near Seattle, WA.

 

In her impressive first book, Motherhood is the New MBA, Shari takes the lessons attributed to parenting and shows how they can be directly applied in the workplace, making you a more effective manager.

 

Human nature is the same whether you are young or old.

 

Fun Theory:  People will do what is fun first.  Fun can change behavior for the better.

 

Articulate:  Understand what people like to do- Ask them!  Most people haven’t really thought about this. Consider “flow time”.  This is when time seems to pass by quickly.  Note these times and what is actually accomplished during this time frame.

 

Orchestrate:  Do more of what they like and less of what they don’t.  Orchestrate a chore.  Shari shared a story about grocery shopping.  She was responsible to do all of the shopping and then taking it home and putting it away.  A task she did not enjoy doing.  The family ended up agreeing that when Shari pulled into the driveway with the groceries, her husband and kids would come out and lug the groceries into the house and put them away.  When they made this change, Shari was okay with the doing the shopping knowing that her time with it would end when she pulled into the driveway at home.

 

Celebrate:  Many people reward the results and not the effort.  Effort must be rewarded but consider how you give that reward.  Some rewards can make or break the moment.  Shari shared a story about Highlights Magazine where the employees were rewarded after receiving 100 consecutive “no” responses.  They would win a prize and then move on to their 101^st call.  How do people feel when they leave the club or your company?

 

Shari read a short paragraph from her book.  There is no such thing as a family secret.  The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers.

 

For more information please visit Shari’s website at www.sharistorm.com

 

Thank you, Shari, for a wonderful presentation!