Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, York Solutions’ Donna Ebeling shares the importance of being open-minded to change, how she manages work-induced stress, and how she stays engaged with her team.
Be sure to check out the entire 6 a.m. CFO series, and if you’d like to be featured in a future post, please email us here.
York Solutions
- IT and technology consulting firm
- Founded: 1989
- Size: 533 employees and consultants
- Annual revenue: $45 million in 2015 (when Ebeling started) and $110 million today
Morning Routine
Walk us through your normal workday morning routine: My normal [morning] routine starts right before I go to bed when I review my calendar to help mentally prepare me for the next day. I then start my day by opening my calendar once again for a refresh of what is to come and move to my email and open a handful of reports I look at every morning — ranging from cash flow analysis to what is in our sales pipeline.
Maybe it’s because I’m a CFO, but those Excel spreadsheets energize me for the day!
Tell us about a recent morning where things didn’t go according to plan: I was headed to a meeting in downtown Chicago one morning when my brand-new car stopped working as I was driving on a single-lane ramp. It was completely dead — no battery, no lights, nothing. To add to my panic, my phone was about to die. So, after I alerted the dealer, I got off my phone to save the battery.
My trip certainly didn’t go according to plan, but I remember sitting safely in my car, breathing deep, making mental lists, and taking time just to think. It would’ve been so easy to get swallowed up in the panic of this event but refocusing my energy for the four hours saved my sanity until I was sitting in a tow truck.
How do you structure your first few hours after you log on at work and what do you prioritize? My calendar dictates my day. I start by looking at my scheduled meetings and then block out time for projects that need my attention or emails that need to be answered. I treat a block of scheduled time equally important as a meeting. It helps me stay organized and work continually flowing.
Leadership
How do you engage with your teams? Now that we are working in a quasi-remote workspace, engaging with my team does not happen as often as I would like. The entire team is in the office once a month for our team meeting and a select group comes in every Wednesday.
I find you cannot replace face-to-face meeting time. That time is truly priceless. I may overhear an issue happening in real time or the team has an idea they want to bounce off me. Those opportunities do not happen when we are in a remote setting.
Favorite quote or mantra: My favorite quote comes from York Solutions founder, Bill Carr:
“If it’s broke, fix it. If it’s not broken, tear it apart anyway.”
This quote speaks to being open-minded to change and staying relevant in a time when technology changes every day.
Favorite leadership lesson: Try to treat others the way I want to be treated. It promotes compassion, respect, and empathy. The work will work itself out if you have an open-minded, fully transparent relationship with your team.
Something important to know that you wouldn’t know from my business bio: I am a proud mother of three boys.
My first pregnancy was with identical twins. I learned early on how important it is to keep to a schedule and prioritize the day. Life threw me a curveball and my boys were born 10 weeks early. I had to learn to adapt and stay nimble. Those skills carried on with me through life.
The last job you did at your company that fell outside your traditional scope of work: Just this past year, I was tasked with my team to plan our Chicago office holiday party. CFOs may not be known as the party planners, but I have to say we had a great time!
How do you manage work-induced stress? I can feel the stress bubbling. When that happens, I put myself in a 15-minute “time out.” I put down my phone, walk away from my computer, and sit in a quiet space. I shut my brain off and tried not to think about anything during those 15 minutes.
When the 15 minutes are up, it’s like I pressed the reset button. Things look a little different and I am mentally ready to continue my day.
Favorite number: I lost my mom roughly four years ago. It is the craziest thing, but I now see the number 333 all the time. I have recently learned that the frequent appearance of 333 indicates positive energy toward your quest and it is a sign of hope. It also encourages you to believe in yourself (which is another one of my mantras), dream big, and maintain a sense of balance.
Every time I see 333, it reminds me of my mom, and I can hear her words of encouragement.
The most noteworthy items in your workspace: I like to keep an upbeat workspace. I have several signs with positive quotes as well as items my team has purchased for me over the years. I am an avid collector of nutcrackers. My team has purchased several for me. Most of them live at my office.
Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? I have a Shih Tzu named Copper; he is my home office partner. When I am working from home, he is by my side the entire day.
I tell everyone he is like Duke, the Bush’s Baked Beans dog. He knows all of York’s secret ingredients to success!
Favorite phone app not related to work: I must admit I have a secret addiction to Words with Friends. It’s perfect because it’s a way for me to distract myself in the evening when I am starting to wind down.
The most important piece of literature you’ve recently read: York Solutions CEO Richard Walker recently wrote a book titled Relationship Equity.
It’s a great book that highlights how relationships are the foundation of personal and business success.