Many of us YPI, constantly struggle to maintain a positive and healthy work/life balance. It is often a question many of us ask ourselves around that annual seasonal time of year: the Fair (YAY!).
Many of us are fortunate enough to have an environment where we can carefully combine work and home life. As Fair season starts to hit full swing and the working hours per week seem to escalate, keep in mind your overall happiness, health and well being. Technology makes us accessible around the clock to our exhibitors, stakeholders and public. Remember to put limits and prioritize continuously throughout your day.
Some suggestions to help get us through those months, where the to do list never ends:
- Don't be afraid to ask for help. Involve coworkers and family members.
- Managing time appropriately. Set time limits to make you work faster and more efficiently
- Living a well rounded lifestyle. Try not to eat so much fried dough, and exercise, to release those healthy endorphins
- Unplug. Take 10 minutes a day to just be offline if not more.
- Set goals for the day and prioritize continuously.
- Remember, the Fair will come whether we are ready or not. Focus on the things that are most important and continue to pursue excellence in all things.
Convention Scholarships
Zone 1 Application Two scholarships at $1,000
Zone 2 Application Two scholarships at $1,000
Zone 3 Application Five scholarships at $600 (one for each state/province in Zone 3)
Zone 4 Application Five scholarships at $500 (one for each U.S. state and Canadian
provinces in Zone 4)
Zone 5 Application One scholarship at $750
Zone 6 Application One scholarship at $500
Zone 7 Application One scholarship at $500
Zone 8 Application Two scholarships at $500
John Sykes, East Texas State Fair
Chair, IAFE Board Of Directors
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Zone 5 Application One scholarship at $750
Zone 6 Application One scholarship at $500
Zone 7 Application One scholarship at $500
Zone 8 Application Two scholarships at $500
One of the goals of the YPI was to create a “Rising Star Award” to recognize leadership and industry contributions of IAFE members, age 40 and younger. Nominate an outstanding young person leading the way in the IAFE. Rising Star recipients will be awarded at the convention. Nominations are due by August 31, 2015. For more information visit: https://www.fairsandexpos.com/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=IAFE&WebCode=YPI
Mentor Spotlight
John Sykes, East Texas State FairChair, IAFE Board Of Directors
How long have you been in the fair industry?
20 + years
What’s the best lesson you have learned in the industry / or the hardest?
Plan, plan, plan, plan and then execute. Don't execute before you've planned and re-planned at least four times. Fighting fires during the event because the team planned improperly is exhausting. Plan for everything in advance and then execute the plan with a smile.
Also, never be afraid to try something new. Widen your stripes!
What’s your favorite fair food?
Don't really have a favorite. I'm one of those fair people who lose their appetite during the fair (probably due to adrenaline). But, I will always consume at least one corn dog, a smoked meatloaf sandwich and a grilled pepper during the fair. I'm not a big sweet eater so if I get a funnel cake, I make sure I have several people to share it with!
What do you feel is the biggest change / challenge you have faced?
Addressing a stagnant, declining event with a new strategic, contemporary plan that I knew would not make everyone happy. It took a sound plan bought into by a majority of stakeholders, high communication with all parties, consistent enforcement and promises upheld. We now have a 100 year old fair that has returned to being a very family oriented event, very safe and is prospering. The fair is reaching a new audience via a new generation. It has kept its roots, but is appealing to 25-35 year olds as its main audience.
What question would you ask a mentor?
Did you stay too long? Was there a time when you needed to reach higher or move out of the way? Was there a new challenge you missed you wished you could go back and take? Were the boundaries around your career limiting or comforting.........or both?
(I know this is written in past tense, so, understandably, I would change it to present tense for some mentors).
If you could give one piece of advice what would that be?
Stay calm in all cases. Whatever the situation, lead with whatever leadership style(s) you are gifted with, but stay calm. This is the inner core characteristic of a respected leader.
I know you asked for one, but I cannot ignore this one: Don't be afraid to share control. Sharing control can be very good provided you as the leader have set sound, proper goals to achieve. Control too many times is linked to ego and too much of one ego can sink a ship. Just be sure you work closely with the people who areʺhelpingʺ steer the ship.
What’s the one thing during the fair you can’t live without?
Comfortable shoes. (and iced tea)
What’s your advice on handling failure?
In most cases, the word failure does not exist in my vocabulary. Mistakes are possible, but not failure. Mistakes, made while in action trying to succeed and working hard, will get praise. Mistakes made while being inattentive, lazy or disconnected will get you in trouble. So, as long as you're working and trying to achieve your goal, mistakes are going to happen. Just correct your course, learn from them and move on.
Also, read my favorite quote below. It addresses failure in a different perspective.
What’s your favorite quote?
ʺIt is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.ʺ - Theodore Roosevelt from ʺCitizenship in a Republic,ʺ Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Who is your role model / mentor?
I have many. While it is not fair to list them, I can tell you the characteristics of my role models: Dignity. Grace under pressure. Honest. Clear/transparent. Decisive. Inspirational. Strategic. Knows when to fold 'em. Sets goals, writes them down, makes a plan and then works on them every single day. Trustworthy. Confident he/she won't change in mid-course causing catastrophe for the followers.
Announcements
Participate in the new Igniter – IAFE Discussion Board! This is an online member service allowing you to post questions/discussions, reply to topics, post document resources, look up contacts, and to network. This is an incredibly simple way for you to easily interact and communicate online and exchange ideas, experience, knowledge, and wisdom with your peers.For instructions on how to use the board, CLICK HERE. When you're ready to participate or even start a topic, CLICK HERE.
