Nancy Drew, formerly of Calgary, is now based in California as a management consultant, speaker and corporate trainer.
Management consultant, speaker and corporate trainer Nancy Drew.
Calgary’s Business: Can you explain what you do now?
Drew: I teach, for my own company and UC of San Diego School of Management, time management and work-life balance, leading effective meetings and practice management. I teach and am a keynote speaker under my own company for corporations such as Interpol police, Chevron, Honda, the State of California, the Alzheimer’s Association and many others. My topic is health and happiness, teaching how to create sustainable happiness both personally and professionally.
I was on Wake Up San Diego as their health and fitness coach and now I am on The Wellness Hour as Happy & Healthy with Nancy Drew.
I’m a winner of Ms Bikini Universe, Fitness America and a spokesperson for USANA Health Sciences, NVIE Nutrition and Fabmuscles.
As well, I work with high-risk youth in the high schools teaching healthy life skills.
CB: What’s your connection with Calgary?
Drew: I love Calgary. It was my home, I had a business and I still have good friends there. I had to start over again from nothing when I came to the States. I do come back to Calgary now and speak for conferences and as time passes hope to spend more time in Calgary. Calgary is dynamic with some of the most impressive business people I’ve ever met. I was a business coach to many successful business people in Calgary and a corporate trainer to hundreds. It was a time of fun and success. It was definitely a great experience.
CB: What are the key things businesses have to do to be successful?
Drew: Great question. Beyond a doubt, success is not about a paycheque. It has to be based on passion, commitment, knowing you’d do what you do for free. Ironically, when you work with passion money finds you. You need to know that what you do has meaning that it is truly important and helps others. It’s knowing why you exist and how it impacts others that will get you through the challenges that will arise.
Expect challenges. Don’t be surprised. This is Earth. On Earth there are challenges. It doesn’t mean it’s the end. It means you’re learning. Learning is good. Embrace the failure. It will direct you onto the path you should be on. Surround yourself with role models, spend time with people who are more talented than you are. Don’t let your ego block your success.
Be humble and help others. It’s a universal law. At some point in everyone’s life, someone encouraged us or believed in us. Be that person. As a speaker on happiness, the number one way to increase your level of happiness is to help others. You heal yourself by healing others.
Learn everything you can about what you do. Be a subject matter expert. I live by Steve Martin’s advice: “Be so good that they can’t ignore you.”
CB: What are the most common mistakes that businesses make that hinder their success?
Drew: Another great question. I’ve seen this again and again as I restructured companies as a management consultant. Here’s what I personally see: Status quo will kill you. Meaning, status quo is doing things the same way we always did them. Fear stops us, then that inaction will take what we’ve worked so hard to create.
People resist change and say “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” That attitude will kill you. Artificial intelligence is changing the world, customer expectations are changing the world, employees want different things. If your business plan is business as usual then you’ve got the going-out-of-business business plan.
CB: Anything else?
Drew: Not measuring your progress. You’d be surprised by how many companies are not measuring their key performance indicators and planning their next move. They have no plan to maximize what they are doing well or eliminating what isn’t working; doing an overall assessment of their company. When I come into a company, I look at the staffing levels, accounts payable and receivables, customer satisfaction, competitors, marketplace opportunities, productivity and make plans for improvement in each area. I highly suggest every company gets a third party in yearly to cut the fat, help maximize the opportunity and plan for growth.
– Mario Toneguzzi
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Excellent interview. Thanks Mario.