Amy Sink is the CEO of Interra Credit Union and at the top of her game. She loves sports and it’s a good thing. As a wife and mother of two teenagers, she’s been attending sporting events as a ‘soccer mom’ for many, many years. When Amy writes her book (each chapter will be an inning), it will be about the life lessons evident in softball. For now, she has some work-life lessons as a warm-up to the actual game*:

 

• If You’re Gonna Yell, Know the Game – Amy is an avid reader and a big part of her work-life fulfillment comes from reading all kinds of books, from biography to business. She is always learning. It’s also part of how she integrates work and life. Reading is a way to decompress and a way to learn professionally. Amy’s softball pet peeve? Parents who yell about plays or the game without really knowing it. “If you’re gonna yell at a game,” she says, “you better know the rules.” In work-life, Amy learns constantly and brings all she knows to bear on the direction she sets.

• Play Your Own Game – Amy and her husband have held their children to high standards but they’re not helicopter parents. They’ve put their children in charge of their own results – in terms of activities, grades, and college choices (about her daughter’s college choice she says, “it’s her degree, not mine.”). Work is like that too. Amy holds herself and others accountable. In addition, she appreciates each staff member. At her employee annual meeting, she gave every single team member the opportunity to be part of a video featuring his/her work team. Each person had the chance to share because each team member matters to Amy. Work-life is about appreciating the position each person plays.

• Signal Effectively – As the mother of a star softball catcher, Amy knows how demanding and critical the catcher’s role is. A big part of the team’s effectiveness has everything to do with the plays the catcher relays and the signaling the catcher does to the pitcher. Work is like this as well. In her role as CEO, Amy relays the play, signals the staff, and lets her team run the bases.

• Cheer for Your Kid, Not Against Mine – Amy is positive and always looking forward. Cheering at softball games should be like this too. Booing or negative comments about other players shouldn’t have a place at a game. She’s all for the cheering parents do for their own kids – to encourage them, coach them, or congratulate them. However, Amy doesn’t appreciate the parents who cheer against other players. Amy applies this in her work-life. She brings her best to work and encourages other to do the same. She encourages staff and fosters a culture of appreciation and positivity in her organization.

• Have a Back-Up Plan – Amy notes that some parents at high school softball games are very (very, very) intense about their child’s performance, but in reality, the chances of their child playing professionally are miniscule**. She says that it’s helpful to have perspective and a true sense of reality. “If this is your plan, you’ll need a back-up plan,” she says. And applied to work-life? Know your reality, be realistic about your skills, and have a back-up plan in case things don’t go precisely as you intend.

Amy’s leadership has her organization pursuing growth, but not for its own sake, for the sake of serving members. “Grow to Serve” has become a vision that she has fostered and it’s what winning is all about for her organization. Likewise, for her family, winning will be about seeing her children play out their lives and find plenty of fulfillment along the way.

*The softball metaphor is all Amy’s. This blog is just me taking a swing at the comparisons.

**The percentage of high school athletes who make it professionally ranges from .03% to .5% depending on the sport.

Would you like to tell your story? If so, let me know by emailing me at tbrower108@gmail.com. Why? One of the foundations of Bringing Work to Life is abundance: the idea that it is possible to find fulfillment, have it all, and avoid the trade-offs between work and life. After all, work and life aren’t separate things to be placed in containers, but part of an integrated whole of a satisfying life. Another foundation of Bringing Work to Life is the idea of multiple right answers. As we’re all seeking ways to bring work to life – and bring life to work – we can learn from each other’s unique solutions and stories. I’d love to learn about your story! 

Tracy Brower is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations.