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This message is from my heart to the incredible ladies out there - many who play multiple roles and conquer incredible feats weekly, if not daily! I want to talk about the phrase I hear SO often - "I’m Just…" I’m here as someone who has a history of saying this, more often than I would like to admit. AND…l did it AGAIN last week! I have to confess that it was unfortunately not just about me this time. This time I was referring to a whole group of women! After I picked my kiddos up from school, I trammed over to the Novartis campus to grab them a snack (always a necessity). I also was there to check out the Pavilion space where we have an upcoming career development event, geared towards moms! I went up to the counter and introduced myself, asking for the event coordinator we booked the space with. Next, for some CRAZY reason, I introduced myself and the rock-star group of moms as “We are JUST a group of moms doing a little event here…”. After I said that, I felt an alarm go off inside and tried to course correct the intro. The group I referred to as 'just' is an ABSOLUTELY Brillant, talented, accomplished group of moms/professional women. It’s one thing to represent them in a humble way, but “We are JUST...???” Speaking candidly, they are some of the most amazing people I've ever met. Most speak more than 3 languages (some as many as 6+), global mind-set, highest degrees, incredibly driven leaders. From what I have seen, they also happen to be wonderful, humble, loving & kind mothers…who desire continued growth and to make the most of this life! The funny thing is, I actually have it written on a ‘Ground Rules’ slide for this event that we will not say “I’m just…”, or “I’m sorry…" during the session. Yet, I introduce our group this way?? I'm all for apologies, accountability, humbleness (in fact those are great leadership qualities)…but why do we have to go as far as minimize what is true in ourselves? You may hear it too.... ‘I just lead a small team.’ 'I just went to a public University.' 'I'm just a stay-at-home Mom' - (What?! Only arguably the hardest and most rewarding job in the world) 'I just... I just... I just....?!!!' Here are the main issues I see with this. Depending on the situation, when we downplay our value we:
Our words matter. They have power. They deeply impact us and those around us for amazing good ...or can take the wind out from under our wings. I don't know where I picked this "I’m just"/'We're just" habit up. I'm working hard to improve and want to model this better for my kids. I can't wait to do this event next week where we will encourage each other along the way...and hopefully with no more "I'm justs"! Author: Erika Butler, CEO 
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Top Hacks for Impactful Performance Reviews: Many organizations are currently in their performance review season. I can tell stories of extremely impactful review sessions…and some pretty big duds! I see performance reviews as a chance to take more time with your leader to dive deeper and really focus on your development. Celebrating the year and what is going well but also have a few areas to grow. This is a two-way street so the hacks can be used by both team member and leader. Both absolutely have ownership to make this a meaningful, value-added process. I know these sometimes get a bad rap for various reasons (and I can sympathize with this). However, when done intentionally, they can add a TON of value for the leader and team member engaged in the conversation. It can be extremely motivating and fulling and help chart a fantastic course for the coming months! Top Hacks for Impactful Performance Reviews:
The biggest and best hack:
Kudos to several of our clients who have had us update and relaunch their performance review process now and over the past few years! Great job taking care of your team and providing a solid path forward! Author: Erika Butler, CEO Funny Expat Story - I took my daughter to a nail salon for her birthday. Living in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, we interact with the salon team in German - the best we can. There just so happened to be somewhat non-kid friendly music videos playing on a large TV in the center of the salon. We were the only ones in the salon and once we got settled in, my 9 and 5-year-old were locked onto the screen. I politely asked the Salon Team to please turn this off/change the channel, saying it is not great for the kids. Imagine my shock, when I received a funny look. They grabbed the remote and turned the loud music up even louder! I explained again in my sub-par German, but finally left as is while we were in mid nail painting and could not seem to get the result. Conveniently (for him), AFTER we left, my son (who goes to a German and English bi-lingual school) told me that when I said, “Der Musik ist schlect fur die Kinder”….I actually communicated to them that the children can't hear the music…SO they of course thought I wanted them to turn it louder!!! And they made sure to make me a happy customer and turn it up MUCH louder. From that moment, I’ve been more diligent checking for translation with my son! This somewhat ridiculous situation (clearly opposite pages), made me think of what I've learned through the DiSC program. How many times have we left conversations thinking we are on the same page (even with the same language), but we are just not, for various reasons. The more we make a point to learn and understand other’s communication styles, preferences, drivers, behaviors, etc…the more we can ensure communication moves us forward at work and in life. I believe there is great value in this. We should aim to equip people in this area early in their career…not to mention how this can greatly benefit personal relationships. As a certified DiSC practitioner, we are happy to provide access to the DiSC assessment, 360-degree assessment tools, leadership assessments and the list goes on! Through the DiSC Assessment & Tools you can: -Increase your self knowledge - Better understand your preferred communication approach, motivators and stressors -Learn how you may be perceived by the different styles and the pros and cons of this -Better understand different communication preferences and behaviors that differ from yours -Have a common language allowing people to best leverage their DiSC profile and adapt their behaviors with others Strong communication & understanding drives everything from building healthy relationships to successful business deals! This will always be a focus and passion for us. To be sure I don’t make the same mistake at the nail salon, I made sure to learn the phrase, “Kannst do bitte die Musik andern” - meaning, "Can you please change the music?!” Problem solved! :) Author: Erika Butler, CEO  I recently returned from a retreat in Edinburgh, Scotland! What an awesome and dynamic place! The reason I’m sharing is that our amazing partners at Safe Place are adding a personal retreat guide to their service offering! I’m excited to get my hands on this. I know it will be amazing given that my first personal retreat was guided by Safe Place a few years ago - and now i’m hooked. :) As a Mom, there is little down time between my day job in the business and my second (but wonderful) shift that starts right when the kids get home from school! Having this opportunity to retreat is so life giving and really can impact your focus/goals/plans for the coming year. I can’t say enough about it! I’m thankful for my husband and in-laws in town who support this and make it a reality for me! At HIHR we offer full day leadership training programs but seriously urge clients to consider including a retreat element - powerful stuff! Here’s to positive impact and good things in 2023! Author: Erika Butler, CEO  Someone took my spot! I was SO annoyed. I have a very special and beautiful spot I love to run to at a river in Switzerland surrounded by nature, some rapids and even a few waterfalls! I have used this spot to do some of my best thinking, praying, problem-solving, meditating for almost a year now. I have even used it to cool off and get refreshed for the run back. It is a great spot and just an awesome way to start the day! I was at first annoyed and disappointed that someone took my spot. What did I do next?….I asked him to please move (in German) so that I can have my spot back, of course! Kidding... I found another spot! It actually ended up being a fantastic spot and arguably, even better! I realize I would have missed out on this spot had I never had my favorite spot taken in the first place. It reminded me of how I felt when we first started our business consulting organization. I didn’t think there was room for us out in the marketplace. I knew I loved this work and wanted to do this but didn’t initially see a clear path forward on how we would ‘break into’ the industry. I have seen many leaders be first in line, but not selected for the new job, watch peers surpass them in career opportunities in a certain season, lose opportunities, experience what seems to be career set-backs, and the list goes on. It can be easy to get annoyed and frustrated and think ’someone took my spot’…but when you step back and look around, you realize there are MANY more spots that will work and possibly be even better than the spot you initially intended to have. In relation to this, I’ll never forget powerful comments made at a women’s business conference I attended in Nashville. The speaker, Christy Wright, gave example after example that there is room for everyone, and everyone can help someone, everyone can find a spot in the vast and growing marketplace - and you start there! One thing that Christy said that stuck with me is… A RISING TIDE RAISES ALL SHIPS.' We all gain more if we help one another and are for each other. We have received some of our best clients from other HR consulting agencies that offer services in the same space, for various reasons! We do our best to support and help them as well! In reality, I no longer feel in competition with those that ‘play’ in the same space. The world is so big and there are so many in need of help and support - opportunities feel endless! Even if you are in the same business/industry/etc., not everyone has your energy, your approach, your emotional intelligence - YOU bring something unique to the table that will work for some in the marketplace, and they will be truly blessed and better off for having worked with you (and you better off having worked with them, by the way)! I have seen this same initial feeling of opportunity loss aka rip leaders apart and really gnaw at them. The follow-up I always give is stay in your lane, work on the feedback, keep your eyes on the prize and I deeply believe good will come of it and more opportunities (even better) will come! My new 'spot' was on the other side of the river, across the bridge. As I ran back over the bridge, past my usual spot, I saw my ‘spot-robber’ take a sip of his coffee, close his eyes and look back up in a meditation position. It made me really happy to see someone else enjoy and seem to thrive in that spot! It even validated my spot selection abilities. :) When we keep our heads-up, stay open minded and have an abundance vs. scarcity mindset, this opens us up to many other ’spots’ and opportunities! It’s a great time of year to take a look around at all the potential great ‘spots' that may be waiting for you! Author: Erika Butler, CEO Life is so beautiful. It can be SO hard at times….it can also be unbelievable incredible at times, too good to be true even. To get vulnerable, our family has been navigating a massive reorg with my husband’s employer. His job and many others in the corporate function have been impacted. That has brought forth loads of interviews, loads of uncertainty…. and even more challenging - not knowing where we will be living next. It’s easy to choose frustration, fear, anxiety and the list goes on. Thank goodness one of my favorite things to do is read. Recently this quote stopped me in my tracks. “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven’t. - Thomas Edison Instead, we are thinking of this as a time of adventure, of possibilities, of creativity, of options…and mostly I feel energized and excited about the future - I truly believe our next phase has even greener pastures (though Switzerland is pretty darn green and just amazing in general!). I think at times we all can get into a rut or feel stuck. When this happens, one thing that works is baby steps and going after the lowest hanging fruit to take action and move in the right direction. Taking the baby steps towards your goals brings much joy, purpose and excitement and this is what I’m continuing to focus on as we prepare for 2023! In our company, we have a saying we all rally around and it’s ‘Go Higher!’! We are on a mission to ‘Go Higher’ with our own positive growth and take everyone with us (that is whoever wants to be part of the contagious and positive momentum!). I don’t talk a lot about that here…but If you ever feel stuck, one awesome thing you can do is consider partnering with a coach who will provide you with new tools and a real path forward to your goals in life. We offer international career coaching services and absolutely love this body of work: from 360-degree feedback assessments, leadership assessments/reports and the list goes on! So, what am I working on…it’s a little more personal but is a big driver of our organizational purpose for ourselves and our team. I’ve decided I’m kicking Mom Guilt to the curb for 2023. Back in 2018, I completely changed course to ensure I was a very present Mom for my kiddos…it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done and I wouldn’t change it for the world! That being said, some days I still get that Mom guilt creeping up for loads of reasons. The point is, we all have things we want to improve and work on - but what are we doing about it? Small micro improvements make a lifetime of difference and impact for yourself and those around you! Surrounding yourself by people that give you energy instead of taking it, seeking positivity and goodness in your life in what we watch and read, choosing healthy habits each day….so many ways to move forward out of that rut and live life as your best self. Here’s to 2023 - exciting things ahead in this beautiful, challenging and dynamic life! :)  Author: Erika Butler, CEO
I have ALWAYS been passionate about 'Career Development' and brining this to every team I support as a professional in this so-called field of Human Resources.
However, what if we did a small shift and focused on being a life-long learner first? Recently I was happy to be a panel guest for an organization taking ‘Career Development’ a step further for their teams throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia! The program discussion was ALL about what it means to be a life-longer leaner and how to tangibly do this. If we, as leaders can live out being a life-long learner and help grow THIS in the culture, wherever we are…I believe this will make a larger impact on ourselves and the lives of those around us. The learning will not stop at the job (though a huge chunk of learning can happen on the job), but will continue in all areas in life. This spills over to not only better career opportunities/performance…but also to better parenting, finances, being a better dancer, fill in the bank for yourself….and the list goes on! Here are 3 top take-aways I’m running with: 1. Be comfortable, being uncomfortable - Do the next HARD thing! Even if you have to block time on your schedule to move the needle to that bigger goal (typically the one you keep putting off that is sitting outside of your daily emails/tasks/etc.) 2. ‘Feed-FORWARD’ vs.‘Feedback’ – For ourselves and others, focusing on propelling forward in a needed growth area. This means leading with the belief that we can/will grow in this area and how to do it, instead of harping on what we did wrong in the past. 3. Micro improvements – small baby steps that over time lead to exponential growth. For example, making a few intentional swaps. This reminds me of healthy eating – swapping a yogurt for ice cream…same thing - Swapping a Facebook scroll for a few pages of a good book! Thank you again to Marco and Nashlene for the impactful discussion and the key learnings that if put into practice are truly transformational. You are both incredible leaders and embody what it means to be a life-long learner! Author: Erika Butler, CEO I decided very early on that I would never start a business! True story! I was very adamant about this. The main reason being about 15 years ago my Business Law Professor told our class, “I don’t want to burst any of your dreams…but launching a business is generally a very dumb thing to do!" He went on to share that only 25% of businesses make it past their 5th year of business and most likely will lose a lot of time and money in their pursuits. From that moment on, coupled with the fear of failure, I was convinced that entrepreneurship was not for me. Fast forward, I learn much more about finances, health, the field of human resources, faith, business, marriage, motherhood and the list goes on! I decided to go for it, despite all my pre-conceived notions. I research a ton about why businesses fail…how to start a business…how to run a business…etc…. for hours and hours. Last week marked 4 years of launching Higher International Human Resources LLC! I opened our business in a hotel room in Nashville, TN at Christy Wright’s Business Boutique Conference, recommended by dear friends and business owners John and Lauren Velarde. A major theme of that conference was “Do it Scared!” So, I followed this motto and haven’t looked back! I’m so excited for the future and the many possibilities we now have with our dynamic, beautiful, impactful organization! That doesn’t mean it’s perfect every day…there are problems to solve, kinks to work out, processes to improve… but the adventure and impact is so worth it. I’m a big believer in taking baby steps towards those dreams and passions on your heart! If you have a goal, most likely it will still be there years later…so you might as well jump in and get started with that first baby step! We don’t take anniversaries lightly. You better believe we will do everything in our power to make it to that milestone 5-year Anniversary AND far beyond. We are very happy to be here working hard on initiatives we love…impacting our clients, community and beyond…and we are just getting started! Happy 4th Year Anniversary to our ‘Go Higher!’ Team! You are some of the most talented, hard-working, trustworthy, result-oriented and KINDEST people I have ever met. We are so thankful for each and every one of you and grateful to be on the journey with you!" Author: Erika Butler, CEO Safe Place Ministry LLC. provides guidance, training, and care to those who serve in any definition of human services. Safe Place Ministry LLC recognizes that your well-being matters too. There are several common experiences when working with high human need, and it's important that you receive support and care. Whether it's space to process, training tools, or personal development Safe Place Ministry LLC is here for you!  |
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