The following
interview took place over several weeks last summer with Becky J. Frederick,
President of Workplace Strategy. Becky had in the past attended a couple of my journal
writing workshops with the particular focus on “composing” one’s
life. She agreed to let me interview her about how what she learned in those
workshops found their way into her work.
With many thanks to
Becky for her patience in finally seeing our Q&A in print.
1. How long have you
kept a personal journal? And what are the different ways you’ve used it?
On and off, I have kept a journal for about 30 years.
However, it has been spotty for most of that time. I find myself engaging for a
while and then my interest or commitment wavers.
For a while, I kept a personal journal almost as a ledger or
a record of my life – what was happening; what was going on; how I was feeling.
Periodically, as I went through tough times, I would use it as a refuge –
sometimes to vent, sometimes to express the
things that scared me.
As a rule, the only time I find myself totally engaged in
journaling is when I travel. I pick or make dual journals for each trip. In one
journal, I record my thoughts, observations, and feelings, and in another I
keep a record of what I do each day, noting how much I spent and names of
stores and restaurants.
Having said that, there have been several times in my life when
I have used the journal in a more reflective way. For example, during your first
Composing a Life workshop I attended at Women and Children Bookstore, I used it
because I felt unsettled and wanted a place to examine my life and think about
next steps. I believe that was in 2004. Not so coincidentally, I met my current
husband about a year after that workshop.
Then in 2013, I took the workshop again with my friend,
Joan. We were celebrating our 55th birthdays that year and talked
about wanting to look ahead and think about the next five or 10 years of our
lives.
More recently, I have found I use it to help me with my
business and I also suggest to clients journaling as a technique
for reflection.
In my strategic planning sessions, I use several journaling
techniques as moments of individual reflection before participants engage in
group discussion. In the past, I have used the “hot pen” exercise with large
groups who are beginning a strategic thinking process or managing a major
change initiative. It allows every person in the group to record and honor
their feelings and fears before they begin their public discussions.
When I work with senior executives or leadership teams,
often I incorporate journaling as an opportunity for my clients to reflect
personally and professionally on group dynamics, team goals, or aspirations for
the coming year. I find that these techniques work for both introverts and
extroverts, and they have a “take away” to use in their personal and work
lives.
2. In my workshops, I’ve
described journal writing as a skill, one that people can learn in order to get
the most of the practice. Since you’ve
been in some of my workshops, does that ring true for you?
I agree completely, and it is a skill I still want to
refine. I welcome the opportunity to think about different ways to enhance this
skill and feel that workshops have definitely helped me in the past.
3. I suggest that people use their personal
journals in three main ways: to recall the past; observe and record the
present; and imagine the future. Do you do that in your own journal?
Interestingly, when I was younger I did a lot more of the
“observe and record the present.” When I read those journals now, it can be
almost painful…blah, blah, blah. As I get a bit older, I find myself using
personal journals to recall the past and imagine the future ….and frankly, I
find that much more interesting.
4. I also describe
journal writing as a way to think-in-writing, to gain clarity or discover
something significant about our lives. Has that happened to you? If so, can you
describe a particular situation?
During the 2013 workshop, I found myself really imagining
what my life might look like after I stop working full-time. I saw a number of
different roles and opportunities that would allow for more balance between my
personal and professional pursuits. In fact, I was able to imagine ways they could
merge more fully when I’m not responsible for running a business.
I also started a list of things I want to do in my
retirement: become a Master Gardener; volunteer at Fernwood Botanical Garden;
start a book group in Michigan; and learn to knit.
5. Has journal writing
ever helped you make an important decision? Manage stress? Again, can you
describe how?
Absolutely. About four years after the 2004 workshop I
mentioned above, I hit a real bump in my consulting business. Part of it was
the economy, but part of it was due to a really unfocused approach to my
business and my clients. So, I decided to use several techniques I learned in
that workshop, including the
monologue/unsent letter*.
First, I wrote a letter to myself describing my unique
qualities as a strategist. Then, I wrote a letter to a current client telling
her why my services were of value to her company. Finally, I started making a
list of all the things I loved to do as a consultant – the activities and
experiences that made me happy – and would be of value to potential clients.
I spent months looking at what I had written and adding to
it and refining my thoughts, then
used what I’d written as a framework for moving my business forward. Those
journal entries really helped me see what decisions I needed to make for my
business. Within a few months, I dropped two clients and added four new ones. I
changed my fee schedule and became much clearer in my negotiations with
clients. I developed proposal language that reflected my journal entries and
described what I could bring to each engagement in terms of strategic,
business, and relationship value. I still use these entries as screening
criteria for new work and new clients.
6. I like to use
journal writing to help me create goals and especially manage transitions. Have
you found it useful in those ways?
I particularly like the technique of lists; I often use them
to remind me of priorities, goals, what to pay attention to.
Every year, usually in July, I go back and read my journals
from 2004 to the present. I reflect on the prompts and tools as well as my
responses. I circle things I find particularly interesting and enlightening. I
try to note what feels the same and what feels different. It is a way I “take
stock” of my life and allows me to think about the future.
7. I particularly
like the way you’ve incorporated journal writing into your professional work.
From that vantage point, can you think of other professions that might benefit
from its use?
I think that journal writing can be helpful in many
professions, especially in industries and work environments that require a high
level of trust and teamwork. From that perspective, I can see journal writing
being particularly effective in human resources and healthcare.
And to learn more about Becky and her work, including how to contact her, read on:
Becky J. Frederick
In her consulting practice, Becky
works closely with clients to develop high-performance workplaces – and –
employees who are actively engaged and goal-oriented. Her approach is
strategic, values-based, and time-sensitive. Becky’s special expertise includes
strategic planning; organizational assessment and development; leadership development;
and meeting/project facilitation.
Becky started her career as a labor
and employment attorney practicing in both Illinois and Indiana. She served as
an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the City of Chicago’s Law Department for
two years before she accepted the role of General Counsel in the Departments of
Streets and Sanitation. After a decade of practicing law, Becky moved into the
HR arena where she served as a senior leader managing a complex HR function
that included labor relations, employee relations, talent management, payroll,
compensation, and benefits.
In 1996, she left the public sector
to launch her strategy and management consulting business, Workplace Strategy.
As a
seasoned manager, Becky has served in key association management roles
including serving as Interim Executive Director of the American
Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA), a personal
membership group of the American Hospital Association. Her role as Executive
Director was an extension of her previous role as Project Manager for the
ASHHRA HR Leadership Initiative. Her deliverables included the Healthcare HR
Leadership Forum, HR Leader Guidebook, and the development of the ASHHRA
HR Leader Model – a model identifying five key competencies for the HR Leader
in today’s healthcare environment.
Becky’s current volunteer engagements include service as Vice-Chair for the Heartland Human Care Services Board of the Heartland Alliance as well as serving as co-chair of Heartland’s Board Relations Committee. She participated as a Steering Committee member for the Women’s Colloquium of Indiana University for over 15 years. Previously, she served on the board of Chicago Cares for almost 5 years. For over a decade, she volunteered for the Girl Scouts of Chicago as the Nominating Committee Chair, At-Large Board member, Chair of the Building Better Boards Task Force; Chair of the Human Resources Committee; and Secretary of the Board of Directors.
For two
years, Becky served as faculty at Harper College in the Non-Profit Certificate
Program.
With a
collaborator, Becky created Value Reflection Cards, a card deck with 88 values and
meanings, which she frequently uses in her client engagements. The card deck
can be used individually, for meaningful values exploration; with groups as an
interactive experience for value sharing; or organizationally to show a clear
relationship between values and business success.
Becky’s
curiosity about patterns, people, and places has taken her to all seven
continents. Using these diverse experiences – and her personal spirit of wonder
and wander – she started a consulting business headquartered in Chicago.
These
journeys have informed her career choices, volunteer experiences, and most
significantly, the work she does with clients. Becky has a need to know and
understand how things work and don’t work. She sees patterns amidst the
diversity of ideas, actions, and relationships in the workplace. Her engagement
with clients reflects her spirit of adventure; energy and insight; and ability
to craft people solutions that work.
A frequent
speaker at national conferences and employer-sponsored events, Becky’s topics
include strategic planning, personal branding, and managing conflict.
Select clients include:
Age Options
American Hospital
Association (AHA)
American Medical
Association (AMA)
American Society
for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA)
Blue Cross Blue
Shield Association (BCBSA)
Certification of Disability Management Specialists
Commission (CDMSC)
Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC)
Edward-Elmhurst
Health
Hanul Family
Alliance
Healthcare
Financial Management Association (HFMA)
Indiana University, College of Arts and Sciences
Lancaster General
Health
Meals on Wheels
Association of America
Michigan Society of
Hematology and Oncology (MSHO)
Navistar, Inc.
Orthopaedic
Research and Education Foundation (OREF)
PLOWS Council on
Aging
SAIC
For
more information, please contact:
Becky J. Frederick
President
Workplace Strategy, Inc.
400 West Deming Place, Suite 1C
Chicago, Il 60614
(773) 935-0942 (phone)
(773) 289-0440 (fax)
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