Executive Club Newsletter

March 2008

The Aging Mind and Brain

Bring a Guest for Free This Month

by Jeannette Beck

Thursday
March 27 Champaign Country Club
11:30 a.m.:  Registration and Networking
11:45 a.m.:  Buffet Opens
12:15 p.m.:  Mtg/Program

Dr. Art Kramer, UIUC Psychology Professor, and a full-time faculty member in the Beckman Institute will be our speaker this month.

According to his website Dr. Kramer’s research focuses on several different topics. First, he and his students are interested in understanding changes in various aspects of cognition, and the supporting brain structure and function, across the adult lifespan. For example, he has been examining the manner in which executive control processes (e.g. planning, scheduling, working memory, inhibition, task coordination) change from early to late adulthood and has discovered that contrary to the modal view changes in these processes are selective rather than general in nature. Furthermore, he has found substantial individual differences in the rate of change in these processes across the adult lifespan and is currently examining the source of these differences.

Second, Kramer and his students are interested in interventions that can capitalize on the cognitive and brain plasticity of older adults in an effort to enhance cognitive vitality throughout the lifespan. To that end, they have conducted, and are in the process of conducting, a series of randomized clinical trials exploring the effects of aerobic fitness training and cognitive training on brain function and selective aspects of cognition of older adults. In recent cross-sectional and longitudinal studies they have discovered substantial sparing of selective regions of cortical gray and white matter for lifetime exercisers and have also observed that older individuals who are aerobically trained show interesting changes, potentially reflecting more efficient processing, in patterns of cortical activation (as reflected through fMRI), as they perform a series of cognitive tasks. Ongoing research is following up these intriguing findings and examining the influence of multi-task training on regional changes in patterns of brain activation of old and young adults.

You are invited to bring someone who might be a prospective ECCC member to the March lunch meeting at no cost. Members can register guests on the website or by contacting the Treasurer as usual (limit one free guest per member).

ECCC membership is open to full-time active professionals, including owners/partners or employees whose occupations include setting broad policies, exercising overall responsibility for supervision, budgeting, hiring and termination, or comparable executive responsibilities; and whose work requires a college education or experience to provide a comparable background.

Registrations are due by noon on Monday, March 24. Please indicate if you are bringing a guest. Contact the Treasurer with questions about registration.

Register online now!
Send a check for $15 to ECCC, P.O. Box 61, Champaign, IL 61824-0061 or pay on day of luncheon (if paying on day of luncheon you must still pre-register for the luncheon)

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LAUGH, SMILE & ENJOY THE RIDE!

President’s Message

by Jayne DeLuce

Many people experience burnout at some point in their lives. You find yourself having a hard time finding joy at everyday tasks, projects or sitting through a meeting (work, volunteer organizations, etc.) To avoid burnout, take some advice from Susan Martin, Business Sanity © 2001-2004:

1. Take care of #1. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat right, exercise and de-stress on a regular basis.

2. Make the time to do nothing! Take time to relax, refresh and replenish. Don’t keep pushing yourself. Schedule time off and vacations on a regular basis. You’ll come back with a fresh outlook and perspective.

3. Get back in touch with the things you value. Is your work fulfilling? If not, check in with your values. What’s missing? Where are you compromising? What needs to be eliminated? Re-assess and re-adjust your priorities. Make the choices you want to make by honoring what’s important for you.

4. Think out of the box and challenge yourself consistently. If work has become a chore or you’re in a rut, try spicing things up a bit! Find innovative ways to do mundane tasks, to improve performance, or tweak what you do best and make it even better.

5. Establish realistic expectations for what you can and cannot accomplish. If you find that you’re driving yourself or your employees too hard it may be time to let go of unrealistic expectations and readjust. Shorten your to-do list, give yourself some slack when needed and know when to let up on yourself and others.

6. Learn how to communicate clearly. Resolve conflicts, don’t run from them. Let people know what you expect from them, and ask them what they expect from you. Be clear and concise with what you say, and how you say it. Listen closely to the people around you, it will teach them to listen closely to you.

7. Manage your time. Poor time management is another thing we do that leads to burnout. Make appointments with yourself to get things done – and keep them! Being on time counts, show up promptly for appointments and expect others to do the same.

8. Stop blaming yourself or others. If you’re playing the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” game, re-evaluate your attitude. Blaming yourself or others for things that have gone wrong doesn’t help. Learn from your experiences and make changes to ensure that you get the results you want the next time.

9. Value yourself by establishing boundaries and limits. Do it in a way that’s clear and consistent. Don’t give away too much of your time. Let people know your policies and procedures. Be upfront with what’s acceptable and what’s not. Learn how to say “no.”

10. Deal with your emotions. Keeping your feelings inside usually leads to trouble. If you are feeling any kind of negative emotion, don’t deny it. Instead, learn how to acknowledge your feelings, be up front with them; and deal with the underlying causes.

11. Laugh, smile and enjoy the ride! Life is too short to worry and be serious all the time. Find ways to make your work fun and enjoyable.

12. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask for help. Everybody needs a little help once in a while. You can’t do everything yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask friends or associates for help, or hire a professional when needed.

And I’ll add one more, take time to enjoy ECCC and the many benefits offered by networking with colleagues. It’s a great way to maintain perspective! Have a good week!

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Jane Hays, 2008 Athena Award Winner

by Jeannette Garinger Beck

Next time you see Jane please congratulate her on being the 2008 Athena Award winner! She joins a prestigious list of other ECCC members who have been honored with this award. The following is an excerpt from the story on February 21st by Don Doddson, News Gazette.

Jane Hays, managing director of The Downey Group, received the 20th annual Athena Award sponsored by the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and Worden-Martin on February 21st. The award is given annually to someone who excels professionally, devotes time to the community and encourages women to become leaders.

Fellow ECCC member and nominator Donna Greene said Hays expressed confidence in her when Greene was unsure of her capabilities. "Her inspiration has allowed me to reach further than I ever thought I could," said Greene, president and CEO of Busey Wealth Management who won the Athena Award last year. Lyn Jones, president and CEO of the United Way of Champaign County and the 2001 Athena winner, said Hays was a "role model" for her.

Hays helped organize a working mothers’ special interest group and commiserated with other members about the difficulties of balancing work and motherhood.

Hays grew up in Champaign as the eldest of three children of Dr. Edward Hays, a Carle Clinic doctor, and Mary Hays. Upon graduating from University High School in Urbana at age 16, she enrolled in the University of Illinois and in 1976 received a bachelor’s degree in English literature, with a minor in history. Hays received her law degree from the UI in 1979.

"I definitely did not feel the discrimination and mistreatment that the previous generation felt," she said. "In some ways, I thought it was an asset to be a woman. If you did a good job, you would be noticed."

This year Hays is United Way board president and in 2006 she was campaign co-chair. Last fall she joined the board of the Carle Foundation. Hays also is a past president of the Champaign County Freedom Celebration, a former member of the Champaign Public Library board of directors and a past member of the UI Alumni Association board of trustees. In 1994, Hays was appointed by former Gov. Jim Edgar to the State Universities Retirement System board of trustees and served until 2004.

Hays has three children: Rachel Henneman, a junior at the University of Arizona at Tucson; Laura Henneman, a sophomore at the University of Colorado at Boulder; and Mike Henneman Jr., a junior at Central High School.

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Experience Japanese Tea Ceremony

Bring a Prospective ECCC Member for Free!

by Laura Frerichs

On April 24, 2008 3:00-5:00 p.m. come with us to the The Japan House on the University of Illinois campus, and experience Chado, a formal Japanese tea ceremony followed by a seminar on Asian business protocol and etiquette.

Chado is one of the most time honored Japanese traditional arts. It encompasses all of the different Japanese art forms, aesthetics, and philosophy. Codified almost four hundred years ago by Sen Rikyu, the greatest tea master, the four spirits of tea signify the highest ideals of the Way of Tea: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. The Way of Tea takes such ordinary everyday activities as arranging, cleaning, serving, drinking, and sharing by elevating them, through aesthetic ritualization, into a high art form that fosters spiritual enrichment, and forms the foundation of a way of life.

Following the tea ceremony Carolyn Pribble, International Education Consultant, and Virginia Waaler, Executive Director of the China Executive Leadership Program will discuss proper International business protocol and etiquette with a focus on Asian business.

Japan House is located at 2000 South Lincoln Avenue in the University Arboretum by the President’s house, flanked by two beautiful Japanese gardens. It offers a serene and peaceful atmosphere. Parking is available in the north lot and on Lincoln Avenue (just south of Florida/Kirby).

The cost is $5 and you may bring prospective Executive Club members for free. Please contact Laura Frerichs at lauraf@fox-companies.com or (217) 493-8007 with questions.

Participants are asked to bring white socks to wear at the tea ceremony.

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Attention: Two Changes in ECCC Reservation System

by Debra Reardanz

Due to unresolved issues with Pay Pal, the ECCC Board voted on March 4th to discontinue the use of Pay Pal, effective April 1st. Reservations for meetings and events will continue to be made online, with payment mailed to ECCC, P.O. Box 61, Champaign, IL 61820. Cash, and checks will be accepted at the door if you forget to mail your payment prior to the meeting. If you have made a reservation, payment is due whether or not you attend (Champaign Country Club bills ECCC based on the reservations it receives).

Starting in April, there will be a $5 late fee for reservations received after the Monday Noon deadline. Attendees with late or no reservations will be permitted to attend as seating is available.

Thank you for your consideration in making the reservation/check-in process run as smoothly as possible! If you have any questions please contact treasurer@executiveclubcc.org.

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Free Leighton Lecture March 26

Business Ethics

by Amy Fruehling

Mary Kay Haben, Group Vice President and Managing Director, North America, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, will be speaking on the Ethics in Business on Wednesday, March 26 at 4 p.m. in 114 David Kinley Hall (1407 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana). Ms. Haben is responsible for the growth and development of Wrigley’s U.S. and Canadian businesses. Before moving to Wrigley in April 2007, Mary Kay worked for 27 years at Kraft Foods, Inc. in various marketing and general management roles.

ECCC will have a group of seats together for anyone interested in attending. This is a chance to network with fellow ECCC members before and after the lecture.

Please email Amy Fruehling afruehli@uiuc.edu if you are interested or have questions about attending this free lecture. Metered street parking is available along 6th Street or in the Main Library lot on the corner of 6th and Gregory.