Exercise
Helium Hand Exercise
For You: Hand Management Strategy
- The Helium Hand Audit: Reflect on the last ninety days— identify one commitment you wish you hadn’t made. Ask: Why did my hand float up? What was the real cost (time, energy, spaciousness)? What would I have done with that space instead?
- The Pre-Commitment Protocol: Before any meeting where volunteering is a possibility, decide on your response strategy. Write down your go-to phrase: “Let me check my bandwidth and get back to you tomorrow” or “I need to honor my current commitments first.” Practice saying it until it feels natural.
Your Team: Collective Hand Awareness
- Team Helium Hand Assessment: Rate yourselves individually and collectively (1–10) on helium hand tendency. If scores are 6+, discuss: What’s the culture cost of everyone always saying yes? How does constant overcommitment impact our core work quality?
- The Strategic No: Identify one type of request your team consistently says yes to out of habit rather than strategy. Practice saying no as a team to protect collective bandwidth for your most important work. Maybe even role-play it in a meeting. Track what becomes possible when you stop filling every available moment.
I’m Danielle B. Baldwin—coach, facilitator, keynote speaker, and proud firestarter.
I work with curious, courageous leaders who are ready to grow beyond what’s safe and into what’s next. Whether it’s in the boardroom, the backwoods, or the pages of my new book Sparking Greatness, I help people find clarity, ditch burnout, and lead with heart. My job? To make you feel seen, challenged, and just uncomfortable enough to change.