I was 26-years-old when I held my first major management position. KAYU-TV was just being launched, and I was recruited to Spokane as its business manager. I had technical skills in accounting, but I had never managed people or developed systems. Energy and ignorance were on my side. I was full of ideas and naturally organized but scared out of my wits. I was sure I would screw something up.

I was 26-years-old when I held my first major management position. KAYU-TV was just being launched, and I was recruited to Spokane as its business manager. I had technical skills in accounting, but I had never managed people or developed systems. Energy and ignorance were on my side. I was full of ideas and naturally organized but scared out of my wits. I was sure I would screw something up.

My boss, Bob Hamacher, was great at pushing me to be my best and helped me more than he knows when he said to me one day, “Just remember they can’t kill ya!” That was such a relief, and to this day I remember that statement whenever I am in a tough situation or before a large audience.

I also learned early on not to be intimidated by people. Everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. We need to appreciate and respect each other no matter what a person’s station in life or work. I try to look for the best in everyone.

Collaboration seems to come naturally to me. I always look for the productive community and seek them out to see how we can work together to accomplish more.

I am known for being organized and punctual. My father was trained as an efficiency engineer and served gallantly in World War II. He always taught me to “pull my own weight and polish my shoes.” From experience, I know he meant be productive and tend to the details. 

I have been the director type for years. Give me a cause I believe in and I will organize it and drive it forward. I love working for education. I believe we all need to be life-long learners. 

Being clear about the mission, getting organized, staying focused and following through has been my approach throughout my professional life.

Clarity of mission and purpose doesn’t just happen. It comes from investigation of the issues, information gathering, fact-finding, proper analysis, and good moral reasoning. Once you have honed in on your goal, you can develop your line of attack.

Developing a system that works and working that system brings efficiencies to your efforts.  Being organized eliminates waste and adds to your productivity. I am a strong proponent of checklists. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I feel strongly about thoroughly thinking it through once, documenting the procedure and creating a checklist. Over the years, this has saved me countless hours of rehashing. That’s not to say that one should not remain flexible and open to new strategies. But if you don’t have a plan you can’t improve it.

Once you have your goal in mind and have developed your plan or procedure, then stay focused. This is the key to productivity. Staying focused speaks volumes for your cause. Your focus becomes your messenger. People are willing to follow when they can see a clearly focused purpose.

And what would be the meaning of all this effort if one did not follow through. If you say you are going to do something – do it! Be responsible. People want to be able to trust you. Integrity demands reliability. 

Above all, I put my family first. And that’s what works for me.

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