Photo by insung yoon on Unsplash
By EDGE Women Speaker, Merger and Acquisition Thought Leader, and Published Author Jennifer Fondrevay
“I can’t thank you all enough for being here.”
“It was so wonderful to look out into the audience and see so many faces smiling back at me.”
“I can’t believe you drove all this way to hear me speak, especially with everything you have going on!”
More than anything else we own or have, time has become our most precious commodity. It’s our new form of currency, a form of money that everyone understands (unlike bitcoin ;-). That’s because everybody has time – it’s universal. Whether you are in Paris, France or Chicago, Illinois, an hour there equals an hour here. There is no foreign exchange rate to determine its value.
What is it about time that means so much to people these days?
Since we have so many demands on our time and competing priorities, when you spend your time on someone, the reaction you often get feels like you gave precious gold. That person knows you could have spent your time somewhere else, doing something else. Giving of your time is priceless. How we spend our time is 100% in our control. Every way in which we spend our time is a choice.
Why am I making such a big deal about time and how we use it?
Recently, one of our EDGE Women Speakers, Allecia Harley, spoke at NSA’s Voices of Impact Speaker Showcase. She was one of ten speakers selected to present. She devoted an enormous amount of time preparing that speech. The part that Allecia said made the difference for her in her preparation, was how much time we devoted to support her. We provided feedback and input on her speech. Then we showed up in every way we could. Heart emoji texts and calls of encouragement came from the ladies who couldn’t be there. We clapped and cheered, took photos and videos, and reminded Allecia that we believed in her and her speech.
When we founded EDGE Women Speakers three years ago this month, our mission was to help get more women on bigger speaking platforms. We’d seen the research that men outnumbered women 2 to 1 as event speakers and had experienced this reality ourselves. We collectively committed to changing this trend and it became our purpose. But a funny thing happened along the way. When we crafted our “core values that guide us”, one of the last values we included was “We will contribute our time to support one another however we can as speakers.” While it wasn’t our primary purpose, the impact of adhering to this value has been tremendous.
I think about all the instances when EDGE women have given of their time to help support each other. When our brainy, neuroscientist founder, Debbie Vyskocil, had an Ignite talk to deliver up in Milwaukee, WI, a convoy of us drove up to cheer her from the audience. Then Amy Segami was tapped to run TEDxLakeShoreDrive with limited time. Several of us helped find speakers, run point behind the scenes and be in the audience to cheer her on. When I had a keynote presentation to CEOs for Conscious Capitalism, Suzette Webb, a CEO herself, appeared in my Zoom audience asking questions and engaging the other CEOs around my Leadership through M&A material.
We give our time and show up for each other in many ways by sharing our knowledge. Nancy, who is speaking frequently to senior leaders, asked for my additional insights engaging with the C-Suite based on my years in corporate. When I needed insights to get smarter on running a meeting, Azella, our resident parliamentarian, contributed her precious time. Finally, our superstar Lady Gaga speaker, Lynn, is often on the road as she is increasingly performing live at more events. Yet, she takes the time to provide insights and feedback on our planning.
In every way we can, we show up for each other.
The original mission remains the same, to get more women on bigger stages. We’ve learned over time and through experience, that the best way we can achieve this goal is not by pursuing meeting planners or hosting a speaker event. We achieve this goal by showing up and making each other better. Providing that confidence and encouragement is what makes us each strong speakers and keeps us on task with our mission.
How intentional are you about spending your time? Consider it a precious commodity which can have an impact far beyond any material good you might offer. You may be surprised at what the “giving of your time” buys you.