The Wallace Centers of Iowa leadership and civility lunch series continues this week with the theme of Women in Leadership.
Our guest speaker for the April 13th lunch is Lori Vande Krol. After receiving a BS in Mathematics from Iowa State University, Lori worked 13 years as an Actuary and Risk Manager before leaving the corporate world to found Life Made Simple, LLC in 2005. As a certified productivity consultant, Lori helps individuals and businesses implement and maintain systems to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
Prior to the lunch, The Wallace Centers of Iowa (WCI) reached out to ask Lori (LVK) a few questions:
WCI: When one looks at your background in actuary science and talent for helping businesses, it is easy to see you are a leader because of the impact you make. Which of the eight civility practices, that are taught through Wallace Centers of Iowa programs have helped you in the work you do?
LVK: There are three civility practices that really stand out for me:
Paying attention to detail or noticing things other people might miss yet are important for results to occur is a civility practice I use every day in my career as a Productivity Consultant and business owner, as well as in my position as a board member for my industry’s national association. While being detail-oriented is a large part of organization and productivity, it is important to balance this with a big picture view in order to determine where to place the highest priority for use of time, energy and money.
And listening to others and asking questions to understand his or her perspective. I can’t help my clients, or contribute in a team environment such as a board meeting, without being a very good listener and learning to ask the right questions to lead to the best solutions for all impacted. There is an important piece of risk management involved here as well. I often tell my clients “I am going to play devil’s advocate in order to be sure we are thinking through all potential barrier’s to success.”
In just about everything I do – my work as a Productivity Consultant and business-owner, my volunteer time on committees and boards, and in every-day life as a wife and mom – I am constantly looking for ways to build or model productive routines and processes so others can be effective. My passion is in helping others to lead balanced, productive lives and implementation of effective habits, systems and processes is the basis of this. I’ve also learned how important this is in my own life in order to juggle all of the things I want to do and ultimately, to reach my career and life goals.
WCI: Lori, those are great examples. Thank for taking time to help bring these civility practices to life with practical insight.We look forward to your presentation on Wednesday, April 13th.
The Wallace Centers of Iowa shares tips, tools, and programs for leading with civility in business and the workplace.