Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership’s Josh Ayers, shares how he prioritizes his mornings, managing crises and his love of podcasts.
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St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership)
- An economic development organization serving St. Louis City and County to attract, retain and facilitate growth of businesses. Also works collaboratively with public and private partners on regional projects.
- Year founded: 2013
- Number of employees: 52
- Annual revenue: In fiscal year 2023, STL Partnership had more than $7.6 million in revenue. The Partnership’s staff also oversees the operations and accounting for several affiliated organizations that, including STL Partnership, total more than $23 million in revenue.
MORNING ROUTINE
Normal workday morning routine: My normal workday morning routine is probably pretty typical for others with kids. I have to make sure the coffee is brewed, the dog is fed and the wife and I are coordinating the necessary morning (and planning the evening) logistics.
Since that generally devolves into chaos with three kids running around, particularly during the school year, my morning pick-me-up is my drive into the office where I listen to one of many podcasts that keep me either informed or motivated depending on my selection and generally embrace the (relative) peace and quiet.
Tell us about a recent morning where things didn’t go according to plan: Like most organizations, we were recently affected by the Microsoft/Crowdstrike IT outage. While we were lucky to have a minority of team members affected, as the IT liaison with our IT service provider, it was an unplanned and hectic start to the day.
However, as with most emergencies or crises, it was more about assessing the impact, prioritizing the resolution(s), and communicating the status and what we knew — so that everyone stayed informed and understood what they had to do. Thankfully, we made it through with little disruption in this instance.
How do you structure your first few hours after you log on at work? What do you prioritize? I do not think I have a novel approach to this, but certainly wish I could find a more balanced relationship with email. With that said, I always start my day with a clean out of the inbox.
I am a Post-It Note list maker, so I compare and contrast what I did not cross off my list from the day before and the email inbox to make my list of priorities for the day. I do have a folder system for how to organize action items in email, although I still need to continue to improve how I apply it, but it generally allows me to prioritize what might need to be done and when. Usually, that process is followed up by a quick meeting or call with my controller to make sure we are aligned with all things going on.
LEADERSHIP AND INSPIRATION
Favorite quote or mantra: Be curious, not judgmental – many attribute the saying to Walt Whitman, but that has been disputed, so I’ll attribute it to the modern-day poet I heard it from – Ted Lasso.
More importantly, it helps remind me that there is always a number of perspectives that something can be seen from, and when the first instinct is to rush to judgment, we should instead ask questions to make sure we understand and appreciate the perspective it was communicated from before passing judgment.
Favorite leadership lesson: I am a big believer in the servant leadership model. Any success I have achieved is certainly primarily the result of the help and support of many people who have helped me, and I hope I can do the same for all those who look to me as a leader.
While there is always a balance between strategy and execution, I have always believed you have to be in the trenches on a regular basis to truly appreciate how to set the appropriate strategy.
Something important to know about you that you wouldn’t know from your business bio: I think throughout both my professional and personal life, I enjoy learning new things. Early in my career, I wanted as many designations as I could (which is a little embarrassing in hindsight) and recently began the pursuit of a Doctor of Business Administration through a local university.
My oldest daughter has played ice hockey for a while and my youngest started to pick it up, but I have never been a skater, much less a hockey player. Yet a few years ago, at age 42, I decided to learn to play ice hockey and give it a shot. It was pretty much an unmitigated disaster, and I still rank as one of the worst skaters and players anytime I am on the ice, but have enjoyed the process and at least can stay on my feet now when skating with the kids.
The last job you did at your company fell outside your traditional scope of work: I hit the nail on the head by mentioning IT issues. While I have some IT audit background that does help in working with our IT services partner, some of those duties are tediously in the weeds. But on the bright side, it has helped me connect with others in the organization I may not have otherwise, and I am thankful for that, even if those interactions are usually because they are upset something is broken.
What is one way you have learned to manage work-induced stress? I would like to tell you that I channel my stress in the most productive way possible (like exercise), but I am consistently working to try to do so. I am a big believer in getting up and taking a walk and separating yourself from the source of the stress if you can, even if just briefly. I do try to walk or to get outside or change my surroundings in some way when the day’s stress seems to build up. And while the chaos of our house (with three teenage and pre-teen daughters and the aforementioned dog) sometimes is stressful, disconnecting from work and spending time with my family always helps lower any work-induced stress.
Favorite number: 38 – old high school football memories mostly. It was more assigned than chosen as a freshman since I did not really have a favorite number I latched onto at that time, but it continued to grow on me, particularly because very few famous players from any of the major sports wore the number.
The most noteworthy items in your workspace: Hopefully acceptable for publishing, but I am pretty fond of my Dammit Doll. While in public accounting, I had a client going through a system implementation and our audit at the same time. She shared that she had gotten the dolls for her team for when frustration might boil over and asked that we use them too just in case we had any frustrations with her team. I thought the gesture was great (protecting her team) and have used it subsequently to acknowledge that it is ok to get frustrated sometimes, and we all just need to work to channel in the best way possible.
Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? I don’t, and I’m thankful. Our 4-year-old yellow lab adds a good bit to the chaos of our mornings (and the rest of the day). He’s a COVID dog, so we are still trying to settle him down when meeting people.
Favorite phone app that is unrelated to work: As I mentioned, I need my podcasts to get my morning started right and my podcast app is important. Unfortunately, I recently had to change apps, and I am not getting along with my current app. I probably stress more about keeping up with my podcasts than my inbox, and I have been challenged in keeping organized with my new app.
The most important book you’ve recently read: Think Like a Freak – I am a huge fan of Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner and their series of Freakonomics books (not to mention, the #1 podcast I listen to and keep up with). They have changed the way I think about questions, they have changed the way I ask questions, and they have been one of the primary resources I have used to live curious and not judgmental.
