The evolution of my professional role: CHO—Chief Heart Officer

Posted on 5 March, 2020

Small business is fun…right?

“Small business is fun”. A mantra I repeat often. Every day.

Having a growing business and growing little people is fun…80% of the time.

80% fantastic, 20% a mess. I manage by being flexible with my operational expectations.

Over time I’ve reinvented my job description many times—now referred to as the “success profile”. My role has evolved, depending on how sick I was while pregnant, or if I was two weeks overdue, or if my kids were sleeping at night, or if I’d just had my third c-section, or if I was an “udderly” (see what I did there) depleted breastfeeding machine.

I’ve had the Capital Hydrotherapy business for nearly nine years, and we’ve assessed thousands of people within the Canberra community. Over time, I’ve transformed from full-time Exercise Physiologist to full-time team leader to part-time “spirit manager” to what I now call my role—the CHO. Chief Heart Officer.

The CHO is the most important role I’ve ever held.

I make sure we don’t miss a team member’s birthday and that we always celebrate with cake and a sing-along. This wouldn’t happen if I was up to my ears in patients. I organise our regular professional development and try to be there for the Tuesday Bake Off (unless I’m having a c-section that week).

I make sure we get our regular group meditation scheduled and I check in on our full-time team and keep them fresh, so they can look after the rest of the team. I make sure our team aren’t being overloaded and I encourage holidays “before you need a holiday”.

My youngest is only eight months old, so I’m rarely at the clinic, but my mind rarely switches off either—I’m constantly thinking about how I can make our team’s day more enjoyable and fluent.

This is what I call the CHO.

I make the magic happen behind the scenes. Kind of like a wizard. A breastfeeding, sleep-deprived multitasking wizard.

Having this important role, and supporting a growing team isn’t easy with three little kids. It’s a fantastic mess—but here are a few tips on how I keep my calm in the chaos.

1) Regular walking meetings

Once every couple of weeks I meet with the Capital Hydrotherapy Team Leader, Nina, and we cut laps around Deakin.

This regular meeting allows us to get some much needed Vitamin D, unplug, and experts even believe that walking leads to increases in creative thinking. I agree—and it also allows me to bring the baby in the Ergo (so I usually time the meeting with her sleep!).

I never have an agenda, that’s for another day. Nina has the agenda—and we walk till all our problems are solved. I love this time with her.

2) Regular 30-minute alignment reviews

When do you sit down with your boss and talk to them about your work-life balance and your dreams/wins? Well—you should be doing it often!

It’s when you step away from the chaos and think….

“Am I happy right now”?

“How are my energy levels”?

“Am I on the right track for my future goals”?

“How are my team’s energy levels”?

The alignment review is the glue that holds the team together and they allow me to be one step ahead of the team. It’s a two-page document and they fill it in before we meet.

If someone is struggling with a certain patient/schedule or is concerned about work-life balance, I’m there to solve their problem. The issue never gets out-of-hand.

3) A clean, organised and inspiring desk

“Messy desk, messy mind”.  You wouldn’t know this desk manages 12 staff and three kids!

I can be creative in this space, which is for another article (Fantastic Mess, Part 3: creative in the chaos!)

4) Don’t wait for the perfect moment

The perfect moment is rarely around the corner.

I’d love to do my pays and staffing timetable by myself in peace with a hot lemon drink. Instead, I set my baby up with her toys and I talk to her about who I’m paying and how I’m using Xero. She loves it (I tell myself).

5) The list can wait

There’s only so much one person can achieve in a week.

That darn list will be there tomorrow. Go have fun with your kids, or go meet a friend, or go do that yoga class you think you don’t have time for, or go book a mini-retreat in the Blue Mountains—the list will be waiting. Go live a little.

How do you set yourself up for success? Do you have a system to stay calm in the chaos?

Small business is fun—right?