Woman of the Week – Kathy Gatterdam

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Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Kathy Gatterdam


My Name:
Katherine (Kathy) Gatterdam

My Current Job/Company:
CEO, The Columbus Coal & Lime Co.

My Birthdate:
03.21.65….with my brother Erik

My Work:
I run a 125 year old family masonry supply business. We are all family here.

My Passion:
My family, my faith, Rotary Youth Exchange, the Builders Exchange, my community.

My Family:
Rich (Supportive Husband), Kate-18, Emily-17 (2 Amazing Daughters)

My Heroes:
My parents. (Diane and Larry Niermeyer) They are and were simply the BEST.

My Escape:
Chippawa Lodge, Canada……no TV, no cell service…just family.

My Pet Peeve:
Negative people and those who choose to scream instead of speak

My Indulgence:
Old family recipe….blueberry torte.

My Roots:
Started as a swimming instructor. I loved it, then had odd jobs through college. I worked at law firms in Law School and ended up in the family business after five years in the legal field.

My Future:
More time to truly use my talents.

My Love:
Seeing all those I love happy. It brings me great joy.

My Movie:
Too many to list! I love old black and whites….everything from Sargent York and To Catch a Thief…to Christmas in Connecticut

My Motto to Live:
Is it the Truth, Is it Fair, Will it build goodwill and better friendships…will it be beneficial to all concerned….

My Accessory:
Black hairband on my wrist. My hair goes up and down and sideways all day!

My Advice to Young Women:
Live your values and don’t let others define you. Have great faith you are always loved no matter how you feel about yourself or your accomplishments.

How I Balance it All:
Often you need to make choices and say NO or not yet. Balance for me is understanding my commitments and trying very hard not to overload them. I am surrounded by a very strong family at home and work, however, a wrench is always thrown into the mix so I am learning to leave more space for the unexpected.

Woman of the Week – Elisabeth Tavierne

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Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Elisabeth Tavierne

My Current Job/Company:
President and Founder of CHAARG LLC (Changing Health, Attitudes, and Actions to Recreate Girls)

My Birthdate:
8.31.90

My Work:
I create opportunities for college aged women to find their passion in health and fitness, ultimately building a community of women who motivate and support each other not only in the gym, but in life.

My Passion:
I want to inspire people. I am passionate about helping others live a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. Life is BEAUTIFUL. I want everyone to truly enjoy it.

My Family:
My parents, Peg and Randy, and my three awesome younger siblings Michael (19), Maria (15), and Anne (12) + our crazy black lab Stella

My Heroes:
My parents, both for different reasons. My dad for his work ethic, kindness, and optimism. My mom for her dedication to her children and young spirit.

My Escape:
In or by any body of water while the the sun is shining down its summer heat.

My Pet Peeve:
Negativity, cattiness, and unnecessary drama.

My Indulgence:
Wine. Cheese. Vodka and grapefruit with a salted rim. Spicy food.

My Roots:
I come from a big, loving Catholic family with strong morals and Midwestern friendliness. My parent’s wanderlust and passion for food developed my extremely diverse palate and love for traveling. I was born and raised an athlete, learning at an early age the power of drive, determination, and goal setting.

My Future:
Happy, filled with love and adventures around the world.

My Love:
My boyfriend, Peter, who never fails to make me laugh, creatively challenge me, and support me in all that I do.

My Movie:
I don’t watch many movies, but I love documentaries. My current favorite is “Happy” by Roko Belic.

My Quote on Life:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

My Accessory:
My facial expressions, pullovers from the men’s department, and running tights.

My Advice to Young Women:
Love yourself – you are worth it, you are enough. In this day and age, so many young women are plagued with confidence issues, whether it has to do with their body, in their work, or among their peers. Although everyone is bound to have insecurities from time to time, it is important that self love trumps all. Think about it this way: There is absolutely no one in the whole wide world who is YOU. That in and of itself is pretty awesome. Get to know who you are, and own it.

How I Balance it All:
Starting a business in college takes time away from typical college activities, friends, and even family. It’s definitely hard at times, and balance is still something I am working on. What I have found out is that there is always more work that can be done in a day, but the work will be there in the morning. In the beginning I was working from 7 AM to 11 PM, completely running myself down. Now I make sure to end by 7 PM, and let myself unwind the rest of the night. I’ve learned that it is so important to take time for myself, especially to exercise, focus on 3-5 tasks to tackle in a day, and most importantly, to make time for friends and family.

Woman of the Week – Jill Webb

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Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Jill Webb

My Current Job/Company:
Head of Lower School, The Wellington School/Director of Professional Development, Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)

My Work:
I am the Head of a Lower School for children from age 3 through 4th grade, and also serve as the Director of Professional Development for 230+ independent schools in the Midwest.

My Passion:
Family, my spiritual life, friends, art, learning

My Family:
Tom (my endlessly supportive and patient husband), Ty (my kind first born) Katie (his kind and beautiful new wife), Alex (my creative and funny son)

My Heroes:
Anyone who takes the chance to do the right thing

My Escape:
Anywhere with water, family and everyone cooking

My Pet Peeve:
Excuses

My Indulgence:
French fries

My Roots:
Lakes, trees, barefoot, boats

My Future:
Happily busy, busily learning!

My Love:
Any time my family is all together – complete!

My Movie:
Any movie with Diane Keaton

My Quote on Life:
Almost anything Oprah has said

My Accessory:
Boots! I wish I could find a way to wear them in the summer…

My Advice to Young Women:
Find as many mentors as your life will allow – most women are honored to be asked

How I Balance it All:
To be honest, I’m not sure I balance it well. I find it is often like spinning plates on sticks – and I am constantly moving from one initiative to the next to keep them all spinning!

Cathy Elwood

Woman of the Week – Cathy Elwood

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Cathy ElwoodHere at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Catherine Elwood

My Current Job/Company:
State Auto Insurance Companies

My Birthdate:
11/07/64

My Work:
I am responsible for all hiring at State Auto Insurance Companies, as well as the on-boarding, goal setting and development that helps new hires become successful, long-term associates. It’s a great opportunity that I enjoy every day!

My Passion:
My family, work, exercise, and giving back.

My Family:
Doug (loving, supportive Husband), Sammie (Daughter – 23), Chad (Son – 20)

My Heroes:
My husband, Mother and Father, and awesome boss!

My Escape:
Any beach with my husband. The sun and sand rejuvenate my spirit and my soul; and exercise!

My Pet Peeve:
Negative people, “can’t do” attitudes and procrastination

My Indulgence:
Wine

My Roots:
Midwestern, hard-working family who helped me develop a strong work ethic, and who are truly loving and supportive.

My Future:
The world is my oyster – I will work hard to achieve my goals and pay it forward so others can succeed as well.

My Movie:
“Must Love Dogs” and “The King and I” – great love stories.

My Quote about Life:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)

My Accessory:
Everything sparkly and lots of color

My Advice to Young Women:
Listen, learn, be patient and find a great mentor. Don’t think of your career as a ladder, think of it as a jungle gym (you can swing to the next opportunity and broaden your experience base).

How I Balance it All:
I factor in free time and fun to keep me sane and calm. I surround myself with great family and co-workers who I consider my second family. AND, I try to remember that I can’t be all things to all people. I need to be realistic about what’s possible.

Shelley Bird

Woman of the Week – Shelley Bird

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Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Shelley Bird

My Name:
Shelley Bird, most people call me Shell.

My Current Job/Company:
Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Cardinal Health

My Birthdate:
Can I get away with saying you’re only as old as you feel?!

My Work:
Intense and varied. I lead multiple disciplines under the Public Affairs umbrella from corporate marketing and public relations to brand management and community relations.

My Passion:
Leveraging the transformative power of philanthropy.

My Family:
Jerry (my spouse and biggest fan) and Matthew (my son and grounding force)

My Heroes:
My mom – her quiet strength, bountiful kindness and unwavering dignity in spite of hard times have truly inspired me. And Professor Claire Woods – I would not have completed my doctorate journey without her pushing me to go farther and to enjoy the ride.

My Escape:
My art studio and walks in nature.

My Pet Peeve:
Arrogance and “baggage” – just let it go.

My Indulgence:
Champagne and any spicy Asian food; Greek food in Toronto and pepper crab in Singapore.

My Roots:
Hardscrabble, but I always try to bloom where I’m planted.

My Future:
Creative. Full of joy and new adventures.

My Love:
Besides my “boys” (husband and son), making assemblages out of found objects and exploring faraway places and cultures.

My Movie:
Art films and anything with Christopher Walken.

My Quote on Life:
“Adversity doesn’t build character; it reveals it.” (Told to me by my mother; not sure who the original author is.)

My Accessory:
“Host behavior” with a smile. And I love pins!

My Advice to Young Women:
Be courageous. Be honest. Be adaptable. Be curious. And help each other!

How I Balance it All….
Work/life balance suggests that I have two lives. It is work/life integration and feeling “whole” that is important. Some days I’m better at it than others.

Marissa Mayer’s Doing Telecommuters a Favor

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Marissa Mayer’s decision to pull the plug on telecommuting at Yahoo! has sparked worldwide debate over its necessity and wisdom.

Obviously, Marissa is taking measures to turn around a floundering business. She said Yahoo! needs “all hands on deck” to get things going in the right direction again. And, earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the decision was made in part, to boost morale. With more than 200 employees working from home, and plenty of empty cubicles as a result, it’s easy to see how the energy of a workplace could be affected.

But what about the telecommuters themselves? Could this actually be a good thing for their careers? Could getting themselves out of their yoga pants and into the office for some networking and face time help them get ahead?

One of our community members, Tish Hevel, a communications consultant, believes that it could. As a work-at-homer herself, Tish shares her perspective in her post, “The Case for Showing up.”

Tish writes, “As a regular member of the no-commute club, I know there are definite advantages to staying in your own pajamas in your own home and petting your own big black dog while working. It saves time, money and wear and tear – on your car, wardrobe and psyche. For certain functions, it’s possible to be much more productive and focused. But over the long haul, and as a routine arrangement for full-time employees…there’s really no argument. It’s a bad idea.”

Tish continues to explain how valuable face time is to morale, relationships and work.

“Simply put,” Tish says, “the presence of people matters – no matter how imperfect, inconvenient and yes, insensitive they can be. I’m with Marissa. I remind myself of this on the days I grudgingly shower, get dressed, slap on some lipstick and scrape the snow from my car. Sales managers love to say it, and I believe they’re on to something. (Thank you John Potter.) You start differentiating yourself when you show up.”

To read Tish’s entire article, click here.

What do you think? Could this be a good career move for those who work from home? Share in the comments!

Woman of the Week – Jackie Kirby

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Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Jackie Kirby

My Current Job/Company:
Senior Manager, Cisco Inc.

My Birthdate:
03-17-66 (St Patricks Day!)

My Work:
I manage a group of Program Managers at Cisco, globally. I work with many cross functional teams in Supply Chain Management and have held various leadership roles at Motorola, Applied Materials, STM Wireless, and Cisco in the past 20+ years.

My Passion:
My family, my friends, my faith, and philanthropy efforts (such as Board member of Make-A-Wish). I also enjoy being actively involved in activities and leadership forums at Cisco, such as one of my favorite groups, iWISE (Inspiring Women through Information Sharing and Experience)

My Family:
My husband Tom, 3 daughters (Karley-16, Kacey-10 and Katey-9) and 2 dogs (Sadie and Duke).

My Heroes:
I actually have heroes in different aspects of my life- such as my Dad (work ethic, values), my husband Tom (his ability to help me not worry about things I discuss with him & his strength and character), my sister Char (role model as mom & friend), amazing girl friends from all aspects of life (high school, college, Florida, Atlanta, and now Austin), Pastor Tim (inspirational, and dedicates his life to helping others), and role models at work (Sandy Hoffman, Chief Diversity Officer at Cisco – dedicates her life to leading philanthropy efforts and inspiring and helping women).

My Escape:
My parents’ cottage in Indiana, with my husband and kids, sisters and brothers and their families, and my parents.

My Pet Peeve:
Negative people or people that lack empathy. Closed-minded people.

My Indulgence:
Wine, Friday movie nights with my usband, and Karaoke

My Roots:
Family oriented, fun, laughs, “goofiness,” and sports. Love…strong friendships that last from grade school through every stage of my life.

My Future:
Family fun, travel, love, career changes, grandkids, girlfriend “trips,” optimistic!

My Love:
My kids, funny conversations and outlook on life; my dogs; my husband’s jokes (most of the time); My girlfriends’ support and encouragement; my worldwide friends at Cisco

My Movie:
“Forest Gump” (because I love a story where the underdog wins!) and movies that are inspiring and based on a true story, such as “The Blind Side.”

My Quote on Life:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

My Accessory:
My 20 year wedding anniversary ring from my husband

My Advice to Young Women:
Always have a good mentor you can rely on to help you in your career and “pay it forward” by helping to mentor others. If you get married, make sure you continue “date nights.” Never stop spending quality time with your close girlfriends – plan some fun trips and getaways! Never stay in a bad situation for too long at work. Never let a job or a boss change who you are; stay true to yourself. At work and during personal time, prioritize spending more time with those that bring you up and give you energy (vs “energy drainers”).

How I Balance it All:
Some things that seem to help me try my best to balance Family/Friends/Work/Philanthropy:
While maintaining health (1)Block 1 hour every day for exercise or “me time.” If I do not block it out, it will not happen and exercise helps me feel better and perform my best (2) Reduce the daily “long list of to do’s” to a “short priority list” daily. If the list gets too long, move some items to the next day or end of week. This helps me feel a sense of accomplishment vs. failure and reduces my stress (3) Remember the positives at work and outside the home, so that I do not feel “out of balance.” The mind can determine whether we feel balanced.

New Year’s Resolutions for Professional Women

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by Chasity Kuttrus

How many of you have “get in shape” on your New Year’s resolutions list? How about “spend more time with family” or “read more books?”

We most often focus our resolutions on things we want to change in our personal lives, but what about resolutions to make some adjustments in our professional lives?

More often than not, if we can make some changes to our work lives, a lot of our wishes for our personal lives fall into place. Better work-life balance, for example, goes a long way in helping you get to the gym, not have to work as late and have extra time for your family and hobbies. See? I have it all figured out for you.

But, truthfully, our personal resolutions are often stymied by a simple lack of time and by the fact that we always put ourselves last – after our jobs, our families and our communities. Sigh.

Here are 7 resolutions to make in your professional life that will impact your health, happiness and well-being at the office….and most importantly, at home.

Make a Career Plan – We plan everything else, why do so many of us fail to create a plan for our career, one of the biggest parts of our lives? Sit down and consider what you want to be doing this year, next year, in five years, maybe even in 10. Then, make a list of short and long-term action items to get you there. Those short-term goals will likely become your professional New Year’s resolutions!

Delegate More – Once you have your plan in place and your required action items, you need to shift things around so you can focus on those things. Delegate the stuff you don’t need to be doing! Yes, it’s hard to let go of some things but once you begin handing things off to a trusted resource, you’ll become addicted to delegating. It’s freeing. And leaves you much more time for the important things only you can do.

Pay it Forward – Consciously take time to help others, both your superiors and your subordinates. Do it when you can so that when you do have to say “no” you don’t feel bad about it. And, pssst…delegating more will enable you to lend your time and talents more freely.

Say No – Learn to say no. Say “yes” when you can but if the request keeps you from working on your own goals, say no to it. I’m not saying only do things that will further your career. I’m just saying when you’re pressed for time, you need to prioritize. Your advancement is your priority, not doing things because you just can’t say no to requests.

Stay Out of Office Politics – You will never win. Ever. But you know who does win? The person who shows enough self confidence to rise above the fray and focus on getting things done. Gossip, backstabbing and plotting revenge are major time and emotional well being suckers and keep you from important work.

Be Visible – As important as it is to keep your nose to the grindstone, so is showing your face. Go to networking events. Participate in meetings. Have lunch with colleagues. Don’t just hide in your office. Whether that office is a cubicle or the big fancy corner digs, you need to get out, see and be seen.

Keep Normal Hours – Create an environment where your team members understand boundaries – yours and those of your colleagues. If you are sending emails at Midnight, you set a precedent for your employees, or your boss, that you’re open for business at all hours. Leave the office at a decent time each day. If you have to secretly work more at home (and hopefully you won’t) then do it on the sly. You don’t get medals for working 24/7. In fact, you don’t necessarily get promoted either because it can sometimes show that you aren’t smart with your time.

Above all, practice, practice, practice these activities. Habits aren’t easy to change and the important thing is to keep working on them so they do become part of your work life. Over time, you’ll find adhering to these practices will help make you happier and more well-balanced in the workplace – and in all areas of your life.

Happy New Year!

Woman of the Week – Sue Darby

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Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Sue Darby

My Current Job/Company:
Executive Director at the Downtown YMCA

My Birthdate:
11.12.71

My Work:
Through healthy living, youth development and social responsibility, we strengthen our community.

My Passion:
My faith, my family, my Y

My Family:
Jeff (for 21 wonderful years), Bishop (17 ) and Ashton (16)

My Heroes:
My team at the Y. They work long hours to help those in need around us.

My Escape:
My run. I try to run 4 times a week – gives me a chance to be with me.

My Pet Peeve:
Whiners

My Indulgence:
Wine. Sweet Treats.

My Roots:
My God, my husband (we met when I was 16 years old – we grew up together)

My Future:
Exciting – ready to change the world!

My Love:
My family around the dinner table – talking and laughing about their day.

My Movie:
Sister Act – I watched it over and over again when I was in a long hospital stay with my daughter

My Quote on Life:
“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
― Arthur Ashe

My Accessory
Fun necklaces

My Advice to Young Women:
Surround yourself with good people. Purge all the negative thinkers.

How I Balance it All…
Keep what’s first – first – no matter what. A good support system is essential – a wonderful husband, sweet kids and great Y friendships. They all keep me grounded.

Begin Your New Year’s Resolutions Process Now

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By Chasity Kuttrus

It’s mid-December. Has it hit you yet that 2013 is less than three weeks away? I know; it’s hard to believe. But most of us look forward to the new year as a time to refresh, restart and, well, change things.

But don’t wait until December 31st to decide what you want to be different next year. You have three weeks….take some time to think, really think, about what you’d like your 2013 to look like and then start making some progress towards those goals now.

Here are some ways to help you beautifully wrap up 2012 in nice little package and get a head start on resolution success!

1. Make a list of the ups and downs of 2012. Be specific and detailed; no happening is too small or insignificant. Go month by month and recall conversations, successes and challenges or, yes, outright failures. This will be good for you, I promise. And, I am certain you’ll be pleasantly surprised about all you’ve achieved this year. It’s a great way to get energized for next year!

2. Be realistic….and be grandiose…about what you’d like to be different next year. Create goals you know you can achieve (it’s great for your self esteem!) but also make sure you’re stretching yourself and your ambitions. You are capable of much more than you can imagine! How “big” do you really want to play in 2013?

3. Visualize yourself achieving your goals. I know it sounds a little corny but visualization is a very useful and effective technique. It helps you get into the mindset of success and prompts ideas about how to meet – and exceed – your goals.

4. Plan. Planning is the key to success with almost anything. Seriously. Take some time and plot out how you are going to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself. You may not have all of the answers now…they often unfold as they’re happening…..but having some action items against all of your long term resolutions will help you know where to begin.

5. Don’t wait until January 1 to begin making changes. Little changes will get you motivated to make bigger ones once New Year’s day dawns. If you want to network more next year, get out there now! The holidays are a great time to meet people. If you want to lose weight, don’t go hog wild over the next few weeks and then cold turkey in the new year. Start making some better choices now (and counteract some of that holiday indulging!) You’ll feel more motivated once the new year begins. If you want to write your novel in 2013, then start making some notes, outlines and jot down ideas to yourself.

Finally, have some fun with your resolutions! Own them; don’t let them own you. You can do it!