A Word with Sandi Givens

I’ve known Sandi Givens for some years now, and heard her speak many times. If you attended the 2009 AAPO conference in Brisbane you know for sure that she is a fabulous MC. So I thought it would be interesting to hear more from Sandi. I also know that Sandi has a generous spirit, so I asked her a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…

Sandi, how did you find your way to the work you do?  Working as a National Training Manager, one day my patronising male boss asked me when I was going off to have babies – and that fueled the fire in my belly to work independently of the politics and game-playing that is found all too often in the corporate world.

You’re a woman that achieves a lot. How do you stay on top of your to do list?  Like a lot of people, there is always MORE on the list than can humanly be done!  So I have trained myself to follow this system: a sheet of paper with 3 columns, with the headings MUST, SHOULD, COULD.  The MUST items have a deadline, and they ALWAYS get done by the due date.  I schedule time in my diary to chip away at the SHOULD items (these are normally product development and/or business-building actions) … and I accept that most of the COULDS will never get done.  In fact, I’ve found great freedom from recognizing that if these items haven’t moved to the SHOULD or MUST column within a week or two, then I can quite confidently toss them out!

Which tasks do you delegate?  All the stuff I know I’m not good at!  Web site stuff, graphic design, general admin, bookkeeping …

Diary – paper or electronic?  Paper absolutely.  No need to turn something on, hope the battery is charged, wait for something to load.  Plus I keep a lot of papers in my diary that coincide with the appointments scheduled in that week.  All in one place – I love it.

Is there something in your home or office that you do not use, need or love?  Can you share with us why you keep it?  Funny you should ask … I confess to being something of a hoarder at times.  The little voice in my head says ‘well, it’s in good condition … it may come in handy … ‘  My husband and I are currently on an early spring cleaning spree – tackling 1 cupboard at a time.  And I confess we have found embarrassing things like dead batteries, our son’s school assignments (from 4 years ago!) and ski gloves that had holes in them.  Why did we still have this stuff?  Well, your guess is as good as mine!  Actually, my serious answer to that would be that my husband and I are both self employed and life can get really hectic when we both are pressed to meet client deadlines.  Then when the pressure’s off, we just feel like relaxing – or doing what we HAVE to do around the home, like mowing lawns, doing laundry, etc.  So then stuff just gets shoved to the back of cupboards – you know, out of sight, out of mind!  And then, voila!  It appears many moons later and we laugh and ask ourselves ‘why do we still have this?’

I think we can all relate to that, Sandi. We usually are  not motivated to do something about our “stuff” till space becomes tight or uncomfortable.

What’s a favourite organising tool?  The whiteboard we have on the front of our fridge that shows who’s doing what when and where!

Excellent! How do you reward yourself for achievement?  Mug of cappuccino at my favourite coffee place and do a crossword or Sudoku.

And what does your ideal weekend look like?  Friends for long relaxing brunch, lots of time to read in front of our open fire, time wandering around a farmer’s market and buying goodies to eat in front of the fire!

I know you’re a busy lady. Got a mid-week time-saving recipe to share with us?  Cooked chicken from the store, fresh bread rolls, tomato, lettuce, avocado, etc. – make your own healthy chicken roll!

Thanks so much Sandi!

Energetic, light-hearted and down-to earth, Sandi Givens has an authentic, engaging style that is guaranteed to inspire, expand and challenge your thinking.  Rare in her ability to connect with audiences and leave people wanting to take action, Sandi’s credentials as a world-class interactive speaker and successful businesswoman provide clients with a special magic. 

A specialist in Shattering the Glass Ceilings that Limit Success, for more than 25 years, Sandi has catapulted the careers and business success of thousands of people, and provided them with skills that enable them to live their own personal leadership and the life they long for.  She has a natural warmth with people and connects to their ‘real world’ with her artful use of stories, metaphors and masterful debriefing of learning activities.

Sandi is without doubt one of the most skilled communicators and facilitators of change that I have ever encountered in my professional career.  Many participants comment that their learning with Sandi has been a ‘life changing experience’.

Sandi is an award-winning International Speaker, Author, Women’s Executive Coach and MC and her Public Workshops are always a sell-out.

Learning with Sandi is an unforgettable and often life-changing experience.  Her relaxed and pragmatic approach underpin her presentation style.  Rather than ‘prescribe’ what people must do, Sandi believes her best contribution is made by provoking people’s thinking and opening their minds to possibilities.

Sandi’s compelling message moves people to understand that “Everyone’s a leader … it has nothing to do with your title at work”.  Your actions, your beliefs, your future … it’s your choice.

For free tools and resources, visit www.sandigivens.com.au