The WISE Mentor Circle Program, now in its fourth year, provides an opportunity for Partner Members to network with a diverse group of industry counterparts.  Our program connects thought leaders from varied positions in the Store Brands industry and provides a forum where diversity and leadership topics are explored. 

“With an ever-changing landscape, now – more than ever – we need diversity of thought, background and perspective,” states Mentor Circle Member Mark Fields of SunMaid. “The benefit of embracing the concept of diversity affords teams the opportunity to rise to new challenges more holistically in ways that opens groups to new ways of thinking, behaving, and addressing hurdles and opportunities, alike. While it may challenge ‘norms’, it is essential in its celebration of evaluating circumstances from all angles and truly brings a fresher, more relevant and more well-informed approach. Most importantly, it elevates the practice of collective empowerment and gives a voice where historically there may have been none.”

In 2020, WISE is hosting seven Circles with 42 members.  Six Circles are all-female while the seventh circle is co-ed.  Each Circle has a volunteer leader that serves as the group adviser and point person.  Virtual meetings are held each month featuring topics chosen by Circle Members and using content from InPower Coaching (www.InPowerCoaching.com), a Partner benefit site.  To further strengthen individual leadership skills, each Circle meeting is led by a Circle Member.  Polly Rowland, one of our Circle leaders, commented “Each time we meet, I am impressed by how our circle shows up and engages.  Each member participates and contributes.  It’s always a productive hour!”

If you are interested in joining a Mentor Circle in 2020, WISE will be hosting a Pop-Up Circle in September.  The Pop-Up Circle will meet four times, once per week and is open to all WISE members, regardless of Partner status.  To sign up for the Pop-Up Circle or get more information on our 2021 full year program, please e-mail Judy Clark, Talent Committee Chair, at Judy.Clark@freshfromtx.com.

The first topic discussed with WISE Connect was “Self Care Isn’t Selfish – Putting YOU First.” A total of 21 people participated in this inaugural event scheduled in three separate time slots. “It’s always both nerve-wracking and exciting to launch a new program, and to my delight, the inaugural WISE Connect Online event turned out to be a smashing success!” states Kara Miencier, WISE Events Committee Chair. “Both the small group format and video feature really helped facilitate open discussion and allowed for true connection. There were so many great ideas shared on how to start taking care of “you” first and making sure to put some time on the calendar and commit to it. One of my biggest takeaways was realizing a lot of us are experiencing the same feelings. Through WISE Connect we are all able to connect on those feelings and grow from it.  I am excited to continue pushing this program forward and allowing more opportunities for the WISE community to connect!

Sheala Tierney, Catania Oils

WISE is a great organization to be a part of and anyone in the industry is likely to benefit from participating in the webinars and presentations that they put on. Recently I joined a ZOOM call that the WISE events committee hosted called “Self Care Isn’t Selfish- Putting YOU First.” This was a great way to connect with other people from the industry and to learn more about how other people are coping during the Pandemic. It was a very relaxed environment.  They kept the group small making it very personal which also helped to avoid people talking over one another. Being able to see everyone as they spoke makes a big difference and the video call in my opinion was far more efficient than conference calls that are done over the phone where you aren’t able to see anyone. It was also more successful than a traditional webinar that are typically more of a lecture format so I am very happy with the events WISE is putting on.  I look forward to participating in more of them as we move forward in our “new normal.” 

Vicki Smith, Treehouse Foods

 Even though logically I know I’m not alone with coping during these times, sharing experiences with others was a tremendous boost for me.   Participating over video provided great conversations. Some of my takeaways were discussing how to balance work & family, blocking calendars for self-care, and coordinating exercise routines with others over Zoom.  I look forward to the next event to connect with our WISE community!

Lindsay Penberthy, Paramount Roasters

I thoroughly enjoyed the WISE Connect event! It was wonderful to see some familiar faces, as well as new ones, especially during these unprecedented times. It was refreshing to get a new take from others as to how they are improving their self care, and I personally felt revitalized and ready to start some new practices! I look forward to the next event!  

Get Motivated to Lead While You #StayAtHome

Where’s your head at right now with everything going on? We are still in the midst of an uncertain time – and in all reality, it’s likely to last longer than any of us probably want to think about. So, like many people, have you defaulted to feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated or demotivated?

I used the word defaulted because no one intentionally works to feel those negative feelings. They just happen; they’re most people’s default in difficult situations.  The fact of the matter is that you DON’T have to accept your default. Let me say it again for those of you who were just skimming up to this point – you don’t have to accept your default; you can flip the script!

“You don’t have to accept your default – you can flip the script!”

During this completely unexpected, once-in-a-lifetime pandemic experience, this is where most people will either crumble or remain static. But, you aren’t called to be most people. Make no mistake, this is your opportunity to either hit home runs or let everything hit the fan. I want to help you get motivated to lead – both yourself and others – to come out from this situation better than you were before it even happened! Whether it’s business as somewhat usual for you, or if your world has been turned upside down for who knows how long going forward, now is your time to shine!

Your Mindset, Your Choice

Because so many people are working from home and practicing social distancing, we are spending a lot more time looking at screens, computers, TVs, phones, etc. I saw a meme this week that made me smile. The meme said something to the extent of Rapunzel was quarantined and she met her husband… so let’s think positive! Although I’m not looking for a husband (I locked down one of those almost ten years ago, ha!), I am a big believer in the thought of purposefully focusing your mind on positivity. Being intentional in that way is incredibly powerful. When you own your power to choose a positive mindset, you create a breeding ground for growth and success!

Here’s what I know – most people are operating off their default mindset. When things get hard, most people default to overwhelm, stress, frustration, and mere survival. Maybe you’re there right now. If you are, I totally get it. This is a tough time for so many. But friend, I don’t want you to stay there!

Significance > Survival

For me, learning to control my mindset has always been the it-factor to crushing my goals. What’s encouraging to me during this pandemic is that it’s been through the struggles in my life that I’ve grown immensely, gained the most value, and skyrocketed my momentum both personally and professionally. Whether it was navigating poverty as a child, overcoming abandonment from my parents, life-altering post-partum depression, etc., it has been in the struggles where normalcy was ripped out from under me that I had the life-changing choice to either spend my days just surviving or fighting to create significance.

Listen up! Isn’t that what we are all experiencing right now with #COVID-19?! We’re in an unexpected hard place where normalcy has been ripped out from under us. So I ask you again – where’s your head at right now? Are you defaulting to just surviving or are you thriving by fighting to work from a place of creating significance?

Here’s the thing, when you operate in survival mode, it’s like you’re treading water. You can’t tread water forever! Eventually you tire out, give up, and go down. However, when you shift your mindset from survival to significance during hard times, you increase the momentum in your life to emerge stronger, smarter, and better than you were before. You choose to make the difficult times mean something positive!

Your success boils down to your mindset. Don’t be deceived.  Shifting your mindset is not a matter of how you feel –it’s a matter of how you take action. The reality is that you may not feel like stepping up to the plate and making this a positive experience in both your life and for the people around you. Do it anyway!

Stand and Serve

In this time when so much feels uncertain, as if the ground is shaking, it’s time for you to

choose to stand, stand and serve.  Most people are looking for ways to take care of themselves right now, not others. Most people are doing what they can to get by instead of doing what they can to create a better tomorrow. Most people will come out of this season of life worse or no better off than they were before. You don’t have to be most people! The steps you should take are steps that anyone could take, everyone should take, but very few will take. Whether you feel like it or not, if you choose to take action and step up during this time, it will all be worth it.

I’m a full-time author, speaker and trainer on leadership. I’m incredibly passionate about developing leaders because leaders have the potential to positively change the trajectory of people’s lives. Leadership is an incredible responsibility and honor! The world needs more great leaders and it simply starts with a person’s choice to say yes to leadership. I want to challenge you to stand up and say yes today.

Regardless of your position within an organization, you have influence with people around you. Up to this point your influence may be good, bad, small, or large. If you choose to take action to SERVE the people around you, your influence will grow in a positive way and you’ll begin blazing a trail for yourself to becoming a great LEADER. It’s during the hard times like we’re experiencing right now that great leaders become easily recognizable. This is your opportunity to shine…to earn increased trust, respect, and loyalty from your people by serving them well. This is your time to crush your goals while helping others crush theirs.

Service Increases Motivation

I mentioned earlier that you may not feel like stepping up and leading right now. I believe to my core that those who want success, fight for it even when they don’t feel like it, even when it’s hard, even when they shouldn’t have to, even when someone else should step up. You need to act the way you want to feel right now. When you do that, eventually the results of your actions will fuel you into a more positively motivated state.

Think about this for a second.  I want you to focus your mind on serving the people around you. Why? Because when you focus your mind on serving other people, suddenly there’s very little space in your mind or time in your day to be worrying about how you’re being negatively affected through hard times. Instead, serving others becomes the action that will steadily increase your motivation!

“Serving others becomes the action that will steadily increase your motivation!”

Because you have influence with the people around you—which means you are a leader– it’s your responsibility to lead yourself and your people well. The people you’re leading may be yourself, your co-workers, your employees, and even your boss. Regardless, it doesn’t matter who you’re leading.  It matters what you do with this opportunity.

Ways You Can Serve Your People

Here are some practical actions you can start taking today to better lead yourself and your people. Anyone can take these actions. All leaders should take these actions, but only the best of-the-best leaders will actually take these positive actions during this difficult time. I believe you are destined to be among the best-of-the best, so let’s dig in!

1- Be the light for your people.

For many, this feels like a dark time. Be the light. Lead your people to the light. How do you do that? First, you have to get your own mind right. You need to limit and purposefully choose what you hear, see, and say right now. Listen to music that has a positive message; only look at social media accounts that will bring positivity into your mind; find one news source you trust and only consume that one source once a day for a very limited time. Turn off and unfollow anything that doesn’t fit that description of what you should be hearing and seeing right now. Once you’ve set those things in place for yourself, share the light with your people. Add appropriate joy and humor to your everyday interactions whether its emails, Zoom, or face-to-face interactions if you’re still having those, etc. Focus on becoming the light to your people. Give yourself and them a reason to smile and laugh. You’ll help yourself and others relieve stress… and while that is great for a person’s mental health, it is also great for a person’s professional performance (I won’t bore you with the science to back that up right now)!

2- Dream for your people.

Many of your people are operating in survival mode where they cannot dream for themselves, but as a leader you can and you should! So where do you start? Think about your team’s goals prior to COVID-19.  Think about your team’s strengths both before COVID-19 and newly emerged strengths amid COVID-19, and then be innovative! What new, more efficient and productive processes can you implement after this is over? What new strategies can you set in motion to escalate performance? The list can go on and on. This is where you as a leader have the opportunity to shine. Think about the things other people aren’t making the choice and taking the time to think about right now! Be the person that takes yourself, your people, and your company to places no one had even imagined before!

3- Be steady for your people.

Your people cannot predict what the company, governor, or president is going to do or decide next. Proper communication is the antidote to the stress that uncertainty brings. As a leader, be the calm in this storm. Schedule regular communication with your people, communication time where you tell them what you know. Schedule enough time where you allow them to ask all of their questions and voice their concerns. People are starving for great leadership right now. You can be the solution they need with steady communication.

This Is Your Time

As WISE members, I’m believing that this is going to be the season of life where you step up in a big way and lead your people to feel and accomplish incredible things. All it takes is a choice from you, a choice to say yes to taking action to serve the people around you. When you do that, whether you’re in the office or working from home, you’ll reignite your motivation and take back control of your success! This is your time.

Alyson Van Hooser |Author, Keynote Speaker, Leadership Trainer

©Van Hooser Associates, Inc. 2020 |www.vanhooser.com

What is WISE Connect Online?

WISE Connect Online is a small group (10 people or fewer) video networking event. Attendees will join the call via video and will have the opportunity to share, learn and connect with industry peers- virtually! There will be a core focus topic for each event. While there will be an informal moderator to begin the call, this will not be a guided networking event. We encourage participants to come to the call with tips on the topic and to ask questions throughout. 

What kind of topics will be covered?

Topics will range from broad topics like personal and professional growth areas to more specific business related niche topics. 

Can I request a topic?

Absolutely! We welcome any and all topics. Our goal is to host events that cover topics that are most important to the WISE community. At the end of each WISE Connect event there will be a survey where you can send your requests in. Additionally, you may always send topics to events@womeninstorebrands.com.

Why is the participation limited?

Participation is limited in order to maintain the integrity of a small group event. Networking is most effective in smaller groups. Since this event will be done through video, we want it to be an open space for communication that doesn’t feel too crowded or distracting.

How often will there be sessions?

Sessions will be held on a monthly basis. There will be multiple time slots to join throughout the week for each topic.

Do I have to be a WISE member to participate?

No. Both WISE members and non-members are welcome to join us for these events.

How will this help my professional development?

WISE Connect Online allows you the opportunity to make connections and network with industry peers on a more regular basis. We understand that not everyone in our WISE community can attend in-person networking events. We wanted to create an opportunity for networking that is not limited by location or travel, and still allows for a “face-to-face” connection. In addition to the connections you will make to help your professional development, our goal is for the topics we discuss to bring you new ideas, insights and information that will help both your business and you, personally. 

Will the sessions be recorded for playback?

Sessions will not be recorded for playback. Each event will be a safe place for open communication and flowing discussion.

Once I’ve joined a session, how can I connect with people I talked to outside of WISE Connect?

After the session is complete, a follow-up email will be sent to attendees which will list the names and email addresses of participants. The purpose of WISE Connect is to foster networking opportunities, so we encourage you to connect with one another post-event! 

Do I need to download a program or app to participate?

WISE Connect Online events will take place through Zoom. You do not need a Zoom account to participate in the meeting. Once you register, there will be a link to click to join the event. Zoom does have an app you may download on your phone if you wish.

Why are you using Zoom as your platform?

While we do understand that some companies are putting limitations on the use of Zoom, at this time, we have found Zoom to be the best option to meet our needs. We do hope that those who have company limitations are still able to join WISE Connect events via cell phone or on a personal computer. As this program grows and evolves, we are certainly open to exploring alternative platform options.

Can I use my cellphone or my PC to participate?

Zoom events can be accessed via cellphone or computer. We do recommend using a computer for fluidity purposes.