The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Toronto-Dominion Bank’

This is the second part of my interview with Dennie Theodore, click here to read Part One. I conduct these interviews so that you may learn from them. Please let me know what you think. How do you keep on going, how do you motivate yourself? Most accomplished people are self motivated because they love what they are doing, do you? How do you distinguish yourself from your colleagues and even competitors? What’s unique about the  service you provide? This is important even if you are working for an organization? What kind of life lessons have you learned so far? How do you integrate your personal and professional life? These are some of the questions that Dennie answered.

Avil Beckford: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

Dennie Theodore: I promise myself one day a week to read late in bed and sleep in …. Not necessarily in the same 24 hr period.

Avil Beckford: What’s the most important business (or other) discovery you’ve made in the past year?

Dennie Theodore: The best skill to have is the ability to adapt.

Avil Beckford: What’s one of the biggest advances in your industry over the past five years?

Dennie Theodore: Women seen as necessary in leadership positions to move projects and business forward.

Avil Beckford: What are the three threats to your business, your success, and how are you handling them?

Dennie Theodore: The usual… Similar Circles is run out of my kitchen with no funding, no time and is too GTA-centric. I’m handling them by asking my community to pitch in and they’ve been giving with both hands.

Avil Beckford: What’s unique about the service that you provide?

Dennie Theodore: I’m not trying to offer a 10-step “how to” process, but rather open discussion on “why to”. By creating an emotional/mental comfort zone, folks feel better about mentoring and networking.

Avil Beckford: What do you observe most people in your field doing badly that you think you do well?

Dennie Theodore: It’s easier to point out what others are doing well – because my strength is seeing success in others and helping promote it.

Avil Beckford: Tell me about your big break and who gave you.

Dennie Theodore: I’ve had several careers and many folks to thank in each one. My biggest break was my kid being willing to try anything once with me – from moving around the country to eating cereal for supper if that’s all we had. As one of my top priorities, he could have made my explorations difficult instead of participating as he has.

Avil Beckford: What has been your biggest disappointment in your life – and what are you doing to prevent its re-occurrence?

Dennie Theodore: There isn’t enough time in the day… considering giving up sleep.

Avil Beckford: What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

Dennie Theodore: I learned to speak up, to forgive and to listen more.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Dennie Theodore: I try to be the same person in all circumstances. I don’t hide one from the other. I allow myself to have an emotional response every now and then J

Avil Beckford: What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

Dennie Theodore: I’ll never win an Oscar. But I suppose first I have to write a screenplay.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Dennie Theodore:

1. Speak up
2. Ask questions
3. Speak out
4. Forgive
5. Listen

When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Dennie Theodore: Reading, baking, walking/hiking, doing laundry.

What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Dennie Theodore: I read, read, read. And then I talk about it with friends till I figure out what I’m thinking.  Then I write, write, write.

What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Dennie Theodore: It changes. Today it’s “May you live the life you’ve earned” by TO Jazz singer Julie Michels

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Dennie Theodore: Success is not measured by how many hours you put in or how many projects went in under your watch. It is measured by the legacy you leave and the value you provided along the way through both your influence and achievements.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Dennie Theodore: Walk your talk.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Dennie Theodore: Only 5?? Queen Elizabeth I; Carol Burnett; Katharine Hepburn; Terry Gilliam and Ray Bradbury …  I would ask: “Can I make you dinner?”

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Dennie Theodore: Humour, kindness, whipped cream.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Dennie Theodore: Same but I put the whipped cream on pound cake.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for? Or, if I gave you a magic wand, what would you use it for?

Dennie Theodore: My selfish wish is funding for a webspace…  my unselfish wish is that all children around the world be given love, food and shelter in that order.

About Dennie Theodore

a professional writer, facilitator, strategic planner and business manager, contributing to artistic and business projects across Canada and internationally. She has a long and successful history in many communities and is known as a caring mentor, negotiator and leader.

A business and artistic chameleon, Dennie offers a range of leadership, communication, strategic planning and change management skills. Dennie has brought her many skills to bear for such places as Atlantis Systems International, TD Bank, AT&T, Nortel, and The Citadel Theatre. She served on the boards of Cahoots Theatre Projects and Mixed Company, produced the Peer-to-Peer Conference with CWC and IBM, and currently runs the Similar Circles blog and events.

Recently named to the TIAW Making a Difference roster for 2009 , Dennie is a recognized leader and speaker in many industries.

Related Post

Interview With Dennie Theodore Part One

I met Dennie Theodore  through the Canadian Women in Communications about seven years ago. Though she is somewhat of an introvert, Dennie is great at networking, and goes out of her way to make others feel welcome. Dennie is using the skills that make her a great artist to excel in her corporate role at TD Bank in Canada.

So that you can get the most out of the interview it is quite extensive. For this blog post,  I will extract the career related and mentoring questions for you and I will post the other part of the interview tomorrow. Soon I will conduct the interviews using video and will have transcripts for people to download if that’s there preferred way to consume information.

In this interview, you’ll hear Dennie’s advice for people just starting out in the industry, the toughest decision she had to make, three events that shaped her life, advice from mentors, the books she’d love to have with her if stranded on a deserted island and so much more. A detailed biography is below and you can later visit her blog Similar Circles.

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself

Dennie Theodore: Professional strategic planner, facilitator, writer and business manager, contributing to business and artistic projects across Canada and internationally. A long and successful history in many communities and known as a caring mentor, negotiator, leader and unappreciated parent.

Avil Beckford: What’s a typical day like for you?

Dennie Theodore: Meetings; phone calls; copious amounts of tea; kind words and one good belly laugh.

Avil Beckford: Describe a major business (or other) challenge you had and how you resolved it

Dennie Theodore: I negotiate and facilitate all day. It’s not the tactic or individual challenge but the overall approach which evolves with the needs of those involved.

Avil Beckford: What lessons did you learn in the process?

Dennie Theodore: That everyone needs to feel like they were heard before a decision is made.

Avil Beckford: If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

Dennie Theodore: Pick my battles with more care. Everything isn’t important to solve or soothe.

Avil Beckford: What’s one of the biggest advances in your industry over the past five years?

Dennie Theodore: Women seen as necessary in leadership positions to move projects and business forward.

Avil Beckford: Describe one of your biggest failures. What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success?

Dennie Theodore: I was on a not-for-profit board and I couldn’t make the president or artistic director understand  that my discomfort with a decision wasn’t personal, but that I felt it was going to lead them down a very difficult path. I learned that sometimes you have to let folks make mistakes and then welcome them back without saying “I told you so.” It has made me a better parent, a kind manager and left many bite marks in my tongue.

Avil Beckford: What’s one of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make and how did it impact your life?

Dennie Theodore: To change careers from my heart’s desire to something ‘practical’. I’ve spent the last 10 years learning how to reblend the two and help others do the same.

Avil Beckford: What are three events that helped to shape your life?

Dennie Theodore: I had a kid. I wrote a play. I learned to forgive myself my mistakes (although I still have angst over them).

Avil Beckford: How did mentors influence your life?

Dennie Theodore: By believing in me. That’s the thing you need most when the world is feeling dark.

Avil Beckford: What’s one core message you received from your mentors?

Dennie Theodore: To be yourself, ask questions and be an advocate for yourself and others.

Avil Beckford: As an Invisible Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

Dennie Theodore: Know yourself. Spend some time understanding your style, your fears, your desires and your skills. We all undersell ourselves.

What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Dennie Theodore: Realized it wasn’t enough to dream but the practical bits needed planning. And that nothing succeeds if you don’t have passion – looked to put that back into my daily life.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Dennie Theodore: Have as many cups of coffee/tea as you have time for in a week with people who are willing to sit with you. Don’t make it transactional – simply meet them to enjoy them and see where it leads. By doing so you’re building a personal community that will care with you and for you as you start to put your plans in action or require support to see them through.

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply? Did you have an emotional or intellectual attachment to this book? Why?

Dennie Theodore: Robert Holdstock – Mythago Wood Because our collective unconscious is our most wondrous way to connect.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Dennie Theodore:

1. Artist’s Way because then I’d have time to do the 7 days with no written word exercise.
2. A thesaurus
3. Andrew Lang’s Red Fairy Book – it will never become old
4. Tolkien’s J.R.R. Tolkien Boxed Set (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) – do you really need the summary?
5. Women Who Run with the Wolves because I have yet to have a chance to finish it.

Avil Beckford: Have you read any books that inspired you to start a business, service or invent “something”? If yes, which book?

Dennie Theodore: Ray Bradbury’s short story “To the Chicago Abyss” where the power of story and community can save humanity. I wanted to make a difference after reading that.

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

Dennie Theodore:

Ultra Lounge’s Ultra-Lounge Sampler – it’ll never get old and will always be cheesy

The Agents & Frank Pourcel – Get Smart / Casino Royale

If you cannot view the YouTube click here.

The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc 70th Anniversary Edition) – because magic happens and I might get OFF the darn island

Wizard of Oz

If you cannot view the YouTube video click here.

What can you learn from Dennie? How might your answers to the questions be different from Dennie’s? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please comment.

About Dennie Theodore

a professional writer, facilitator, strategic planner and business manager, contributing to artistic and business projects across Canada and internationally. She has a long and successful history in many communities and is known as a caring mentor, negotiator and leader.

A business and artistic chameleon, Dennie offers a range of leadership, communication, strategic planning and change management skills. Dennie has brought her many skills to bear for such places as Atlantis Systems International, TD Bank, AT&T, Nortel, and The Citadel Theatre. She served on the boards of Cahoots Theatre Projects and Mixed Company, produced the Peer-to-Peer Conference with CWC and IBM, and currently runs the Similar Circles blog and events.

Recently named to the TIAW Making a Difference roster for 2009 , Dennie is a recognized leader and speaker in many industries.

Book links are affiliate links.

YouTube Credit: The Agents & Frank Pourcel – Get Smart / Casino Royale, Uploaded by LittleMissLounge on Apr 14, 2010; Wizard of Oz Uploaded by dreamformore on May 5, 2007

Book List

Mythago Wood

Artist’s Way

Red Fairy Book

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Women Who Run with the Wolves