New Year’s reSOLUTIONS: Mind, Body & Leadership

Lynne Oldham, CHRO at Driscoll’s, shares how in 2015 she hopes to focus her mind and body to better focus her leadership

By Lynne Oldham

As one year comes to a close and another kicks off, it is an ideal time to think about goals and achievements, both personal and professional. This year—in fact, just two weeks ago—I had the honor and the pleasure of spending a whole week working on me at the Center for Creative Leadership’s Leadership at the Peak program in Colorado Springs. It was wonderful and difficult at the same time, but gave me a new and refreshed realization and appreciation of the importance of mind and body to being a good leader.

As part of my experience, I hiked daily, learned about proper nutrition, reviewed blood levels and got in touch with feedback from a variety of tools employed with my peers, boss and team. This experience has well timed for me. I started in my new role as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Driscoll’s just 18 months before, and along with any new role comes a lot of work and a lot of stress.

This experience helped me see what is really critical to success as a leader. It’s not long hours and control over projects and team. So, I shaped my thoughts around what I do need to work on in 2015, falling into the following categories:

Body. I need to take find time to ensure that I am healthy and have the proper energy for the tasks at hand. This means I need to schedule physical activity like I would schedule any other meeting, several times a week. In the past, exercise has actually provided me more stamina, but time generally has been my enemy. In 2015, I will eliminate the excuses and find the time. It will pay dividends!
Mind. Exercise will help with the mind, but I’d also like to take up meditation in 2015. Meditation will actually give me more time by making my mind calmer and more focused.
Leadership. Leadership is about focusing on others, not on yourself. In 2015, I will focus on empowering others and enriching their work lives through career development. I was lucky to have multiple sponsors in my career that did this for me, and I will pay it forward in the new year and beyond.
Personal. Life is too short to work all of the time at the expense of your family. I will balance work and family better in 2015, spending time with the people who love me and who have enabled my success through their tireless support.