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Coatings
Beyond SurFACES – Meet April Ellenburg
"Meditation is a part of my daily routine"
When she isn’t supporting busy executives, April Ellenburg, Executive Assistant for People & Culture at BASF Coatings in Southfield, Michigan, is bringing 20 years of experience teaching safety, meditation and mindfulness to the workplace. We had the opportunity to talk with April, who is a certified spiritual educator and a Reiki practitioner.
Beyond SurFACES – Get to know our winning team
At BASF Coatings, we are driven by passion and science to always go beyond the surface. In our new series, Beyond SurFACES, we introduce you to the talented individuals who make it happen. From developing innovative coatings to creating sustainable solutions, our winning team is at the heart of everything we do. Meet April Ellenburg, Executive Assistant for People & Culture, and discover how she works. Want to be part of the journey?
What brought you to BASF?
A friend of mine referred me to someone who worked at BASF. Thankfully, I was chosen for the position and my first role with the company was with the Dispersion & Resins division. Since then, I’ve had several roles. This July I will celebrate ten years with the company.
Your work is very diverse. What aspects of the job do you enjoy most?
The diversity of my role is what I enjoy most. I love being able to work with people in different roles, and to use a variety of my skills in unique ways. In addition to my primary role supporting members of the Coatings leadership team, I especially enjoy being involved with the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and interest groups, as well as the First Aid Southfield Team (FAST).
If we practice pausing, even briefly – to step away, redirect or just breathe, we allow our brains time to regulate and our mindset to balance so that we can better respond to whatever is before us.
You bring a unique set of skills to your role. Tell us a little about how you’ve bridged your personal passion with work.
Two primary things come to mind. First, being involved with the Mindsets and Behaviors (M&B) interest group, which I currently co-chair, gives me the opportunity to share some of the skills I’ve developed over the years that have made such a positive difference in my life. Whether it has been sharing techniques with small teams or training larger groups, they are skills that people carry with them. I even lead bi-weekly meditation sessions as a part of M&B, which is one of the techniques I use personally to maintain peace of mind. Meditation is a part of my daily routine.
Second, and a bit less formal, I often encourage colleagues to practice self-care and mindfulness, using tools such as gratitude and affirmations. Whether it’s through the candy dish I keep at my desk that allows people a sweet treat and break away from their work, the gratitude journal I have set out for everyone to write in, or the “Emergency Affirmation” button that offers a friendly reminder when needed.
Probably more lasting is how I “show up” at work. We are all very busy, with long lists of action items, and little time. Demonstrating a sense of calm and being intentional about my mindset and my goals for the day are essential to staying engaged and focused. By doing so, it lets people around me know I am actively listening to them and that they are important. For people to feel seen and heard is one of the greatest gifts we can give.
What is one piece of advice you give colleagues to maintain balance?
As I mentioned, I encourage everyone to participate in gratitude. To add to that, a piece of advice I often share is to practice what I call the “power of the pause.” When we are deeply in our emotions our amygdala’s get hijacked (to use a M&B term) and we tend to react. Unfortunately, our split-second reactions can cause unintended consequences. If we practice pausing, even briefly – to step away, redirect or just breathe, we allow our brains time to regulate and our mindset to balance so that we can better respond to whatever is before us. I’ve often used the acronym HALT, which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. You should never make important decisions when you are any of the above.
My last piece of advice is to try our best to be present. In our fast-paced work environment, we are so focused on getting our work done and covering all the bases, that we don’t always take the time to be present in the moment.
I will leave you with a great example that I witnessed in a leader I worked with here at BASF. She was a dynamic leader – she was always running 100 miles per hour in her role. However, when you would have a conversation with her, she put all of that on hold to provide her full attention to you. She was present. That one act, that one practice was the perfect demonstration of being present with others.
Like her, the interpersonal skills and practices I share are aimed at making people feel engaged, focused and valued.
