Episode 14:

For this episode of the Intentional Greatness Podcast, I’m joined by Ali Stieglbauer. Ali is the co-author of my book, Chasing Perfection: Shatter the Illusion; Minimize Self-Doubt & Maximize Success. Ali is a remarkable and driven leader, and the Marketing Manager at my company, YESS! Your Extraordinary Success Strategies, Inc. and most importantly, Ali is my daughter.

In this episode, Ali and I discuss why it is important to start with “why” and “what” and not worry about the “how”. Intentionality is so critical for achieving success, and being driven by powerful reasons “why” and “what” will take you much farther than the method of getting there, the “how”. We discuss new practices and major changes we have made to our work lives and the major impact they have made to our time management and general happiness.

What You Will Learn:

• Sue explains why a new path, project or goal should begin with asking yourself “why” and “what”. “Why” are you wanting to take this new course of action? So that “what” will happen? She explains why these questions will get more results than “how”.
• Sue talks about how her first “why” came in the fifth grade when she started her first business because she realized that she wanted to be able to buy gifts for her family. She explains how she and her friend made hundreds of dollars as kids.
• Ali shares her own “why”, helping people run their businesses more effectively and creating a positive ripple effect. She shares why she seeks to use small business to change the world.
• Ali discusses why the opportunity to speak with Intentional Greatness podcast guests from many different industries and backgrounds has been inspiring. She shares the importance of unplugging and experiencing nature.
• Sue discusses being inspired by being a part of the major growth and changes her clients and the guests in their roundtable discussions are experiencing, and the courage it takes to make those changes.
• Sue explains why she is planning on starting to take every Friday off, for time alone, with her husband and family, and self-care. She shares how the universe gave her a wake-up call about reprioritizing her life.
• Ali discusses a new time-management practice she is employing in her life using time-blocking and an email autoresponder, and she shares how it has made a major difference to her productivity.

Resources:

• Intentional Greatness podcast episode #5, featuring Renee Powers: www.sayyess.com/podcasts/renee-powers/
• Chasing Perfection by Sue Hawkes and Ali Stieglbauer: https://amzn.to/2x9DX0S
• “Well-Established Habits” blog: https://www.sayyess.com/articles/well-established-habits-66/
• Ali Stieglbauer’s Email: ali@sayyess.com

Women in Leadership | Start With Why and What

You’re here because you know that learning never ends. You’re the kind of entrepreneur, business owner or leader who realizes that the pursuit of a perfect life, while a worthy goal, is also an impossible one. You know there is no end to the race, and you’re ready to power through anyway. You know that the climb to the top is endless, and you’re going to make the climb anyway. In short, you’re ready to become an unf♥<kwithable leader.

Ali Stieglbauer is my daughter, the Marketing Manager at YESS!, and the co-author of my book, Chasing Perfection: Shatter the Illusion; Minimize Self-Doubt & Maximize Success. For this episode, Ali joins me to discuss why the key thing we should all ask ourselves before beginning anything new isn’t “how” but rather “why” and “what”. We also discuss some of the things we have been working on recently to better manage our time and to find more productivity at work and happiness at home. I hope our conversation is enlightening and offers you some great takeaways and strategies that you can take action on in your own life.

What Questions Are You Asking?

“How?” can be a dangerous question, and it’s one that women in business often ask themselves when doing something new. Any time we start a new project or set a new goal, we’re always tempted to go to that question first. However, asking yourself “how am I going to achieve this?” focuses you on the process rather than the outcome. “How?” is an important question, but before you think about how you should be thinking about “why?” and “what?”

Why are you doing this? Why is this worth your time and effort? What do you hope to achieve? Once you have the motivation crystallized, you can then begin working out how you will get there. But the process shouldn’t drive you, it’s the goal that should be your motivation and encouragement to keep going when things get challenging. By starting out focusing on the “why” and the “what”, you’re starting with your goal in mind and can better work out the steps you need to take to achieve that goal.

Women in Business and the Many Demands on our Time

Here’s a different kind of question to ask yourself: how much time a day do you spend in your email? Do you ever feel like all the million little issues pushing for your attention are slowing you down and keeping you from being as productive as you could be? Ali felt that way until recently, when she began setting aside three times a day where she would dedicate a small block of time to email issues. Once the time was up, she would turn on an autoresponder and get back to work on bigger projects instead of getting stuck in the minutiae of email and small tasks. For Ali, this has been a transformative method that has helped her feel more balanced and more productive.

Likewise, I have begun taking Fridays off to dedicate time to my family and to myself. As an entrepreneur, it can be incredibly challenging to force yourself to unplug, but we all need time to step away and allow our creativity to express itself. I like to journal and I’ve begun painting. Both of these activities give me a chance to stop thinking about work and allow my creative mind to wake up. Believe it or not, taking a step back from your work can actually help make you more creative and productive when you are at work.

I hope you enjoy the conversation Ali and I had and that you find new strategies for tackling problems, managing your time, and setting goals and conquering challenges. You can find more episodes like this one by visiting us at www.sayyess.com/podcast/.

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