the work and you can get out of the details. To be successful as an executive director, you can’t micromanage. You need a strong team, and you need to build trust,” she said. “What’s been really important is learning


[about] my staff and their strengths. It helps me to know what I can hand off,” said Tay- lor, who identifies the person best suited to take on a task. Longstreth also highlights delegation as


a key strategy. “Most executive directors that I work with are by nature ‘doers.’ With that in mind, it is sometimes a challenge to remember to delegate,” she said. But if you’ve created the right kind of trusting environment, you may be lucky enough to have a team—like hers—that reminds her, “Hey, I can do that…stop taking on so much!” If you find it hard to delegate, Longstreth


suggests thinking of delegation as a profes- sional development opportunity for your team. “Looking back over my career, some of my greatest mentors delegated work to me that in hindsight, they must have been thrilled to ‘dump’ on someone else. But, when you are moving up, any task that your boss trusts you with and delegates to you, gives you the opportunity to grow,” she said. “It’s hard to let it go and hold someone


else accountable for something,” said Tay- lor. But these executive directors agree it’s necessary, and worth it.


Rely on Your Network Several of these executive directors also explained how a strong network of colleagues tackling similar issues helps them to be efficient with their time. “I think another key to time manage-


ment is having a network of executive directors that I rely on,” said Longstreth. Having a network of others with similar job responsibilities gives her access to in- formation and best practices that save time and effort. For example, she said, “A good company is always coming up with new initiatives, and while that is so important to growth, it can be confusing and frus- trating while you are going through the change out in the field. Reaching out to my network of executive directors and asking them how they are handling, say, a new report, helps me to get the answer more


quickly and easily than reaching out to the corporate office, where they are likely in- undated with questions.” Boop also reaches out when he has ques- tions or needs advice. “I stay in touch with regulators and maintain good relationships with them. Those relationships help me do my job,” said Boop, explaining how a quick call can save time when he has a question or needs guidance in identifying options to solve a problem. Peer mentors who connect you to re-


sources and coach you through new situ- ations are critical. “It’s important to have someone you can talk to for advice on how to juggle something that just came up," said Taylor. She also highlighted the importance of having someone who can encourage you on difficult days. “It’s also important to just know who’s going to be there for you to vent to or help you with a problem.” That encouragement can also come


in the form of laughter, Longstreth said. “You can never underestimate the power of laughter…the other executive directors always have a knack of making me laugh when I’m feeling stressed and helping me to realize that I’m not alone.”


Don’t Rush There are times when work cannot be delegated and when important decisions and confidential discus-


sions must be handled by the executive director alone. In these cases, both Tay- lor and DeMinico recommended taking it slowly. “Things can come at you so quickly some-


times. I think it’s important to take things in calmly without overreacting,” said Taylor. DeMinico recommends taking a break


before decisions. “Don’t rush to action. It’s ok to not have an answer immediately, and it can save time in the end. Sometimes I feel we think we have to have all the an- swers. I don’t feel that way. I think it’s im- portant to take in the information, take a step back, process it, then thoughtfully respond,” she said.


Find the Balance For Boop, time management in- cludes making sure he also has time with family. “Having that balance


with work, home, and family makes a dif- ference. I need to know my family is happy, so I can focus at work,” he said. Boop is not unique in this way of think-


ing. Work-life balance can contribute to happier employees, and happier employees are often more engaged. Many academic and research organizations have shown a strong correlation between employee en- gagement and productivity. Gallup, a glob- al performance-management consulting company, has “discovered links between employee engagement at the business-unit level and vital performance indicators, including customer ratings; higher prof- itability, productivity and quality (fewer defects); lower turnover; less absenteeism and shrinkage (i.e., theft); and fewer safety incidents.” Boop recognizes that this focus on work- life balance must extend beyond just himself to his team. “We need to be conscious of [the balance] for our team, too,” he said. “We restructure the schedule where we can, so we can all have that balance.” That said, several executive directors,


including Boop, acknowledge that work- life balance doesn’t have to mean equal balance. For example, Taylor accepts that “it’s not a job where you’re ever done.” Something that helps her is acknowledg- ing the “ebb and flow” nature of the job. She knows that sometimes there will be late nights at work, and she can make up for that by taking more time for family on another day. “My work is part of my life, and who I am. I don’t try to divide it. I try to be flexible,” she said.


Keep Working at It Finally, these executive directors ad- vise, keep working at it. Be flexible and adjust as you go. “As an executive


director, you never know what your day is going to bring. I find I have to consistently work at time management and stay aware of my level of stress as an indicator that I’m not doing as well as I could,” said Longstreth. There may be no absolute answer on time


management, but DeMinico offers these en- couraging words: “I don’t think there’s a per- fect system. You will always get pulled away, but if you have a way to always get back to your priorities, you’ll be successful.”


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