The Growth of Leadership and the Inspiration I Witnessed as a Business Coach
As a Business Coach for women, I see my role as taking you from being someone who is stuck to being a business success. Coaching women means providing a mix of services. These include mentoring, educating, collaborating and ensuring that your business model is sustainable, that your strategies are well thought out and researched.
Business ownership is more than just providing a product or service, it is a responsibility for quality, deliverance and profitability. As the leader of your organisation, whether you are solo or not, having a business that embraces your values and demonstrates your leadership qualities enables you to create something sustainable. Being true to who you are is always the better, easier choice.
The year 2020 was full of lessons for business owners across the world. From my perspective, it was the year of learning. Being unable to leave home for months, having my family around 24/7, and watching the misery unfold on the television; you might think that we were all headed for disaster. Yet my experience hasn’t been this. I coached over 50 women in small business in 2020 in one on one sessions and here is what I have observed.
Fempire Business Coaching is About Supporting Women In Business
In the face of fear there are many who are ready to stand up and lead. With so many people having their work life disrupted you may be left questioning many aspects of your life. This saw a number of women seek out Fempire because we are female focused. The small fire that has been waiting to burn inside had been fanned into becoming something that is warm and bright.
“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” Sara Blakely
Qualities of My Ideal Client
It isn’t that I was actively sitting there with a checklist, but my observation was that these are the business women I find myself working with.
Having a client avatar and ensuring that your marketing message speaks directly to her means that you WILL attract the right clients.
Imagination was unleashed
Rather than sitting on our hands, it has been inspiring to see the number of women who have been assessing how they can continue to serve not only their existing client base, but dipping their toes into new waters. We have seen bricks and mortar businesses step up and start their online journey. One of my clients, who is a myotherapist, set up her online retail business using the products that were sitting in her rooms collecting dust. She enlisted the resources of other local suppliers to create gift baskets that deliver self help and self care products. This is one example of not letting a lock down see your business hands tied. There are options.
The time is right for change. It has long been the cry of women that we are not given a level playing field in business. From rights, to payroll, to opportunity, women are playing catch up. It is slow going but this past year is making us sit up and say “let’s get this sorted out now!”.
The movement of women who have been waiting for a catalyst to take a chance on themselves and start their business – or change the one they have into what they want it to be – has arrived. It has been eye opening that so many have a new determination.
Being Vulnerable in Business is Empowering
We have given ourselves permission to be better. Second best is so far behind that we aren’t accepting it anymore. I love the work of Brene Brown, and I have observed an abundance of women willing to let their vulnerability lead them towards creating impactful and heartfelt businesses. Women want more not only for themselves, but for their partner, their children, their family, their community, and the world. I am seeing an influx of sustainable ideas in motion, of entrepreneurs who are seeking meaning behind their products and services.
Women are actively looking for role models. After spending time looking for inspirational quotes and top of industry leaders and I am left asking – where are the women? I know we are out there, but we aren’t there in numbers that are sufficient to be noticed. I had to actively look for women who I could align my values and feel encouraged by. Women are not singularly minded and we want to be a part of a community, and those communities need leaders who are present and public. Personal branding has been a hot topic for my clients and it has been an emotional journey for some to accept that we all need to be front and centre in business.
We are recognising our vulnerability and seeing our strengths rise up from a place where idealism lives. As women we have decided that we cannot wait for the slow wheels of tradition to change the systems and culture that keep us one step back from where we should be standing. We are seeing that our proactive attitude starts to crack that glass ceiling. I aspire to not only help break that wretched glass ceiling, but smash the frame that holds it up.
Business Coaching That Makes You Feel Like You Can Conquer the World
Courage to Strive for Business Success
We associate courage with the Lion – what an amazing and impressive animal they are. But let’s think about the role of the lesser thought of Lioness. It is the Lioness that works collaboratively in a pride to hunt for food to feed the pride, and to raise the cubs. I find that interesting that we don’t think of the Lioness as courageous. A lion sleeps for about 21 hours a day – wouldn’t that be a great life! But as women we have great courage to keep striving for more.
Women seem to fall into one of two categories. You are either “too” something or “not enough” something.
“Being a successful woman in business means you get your power from within as a woman, not from what others think, approve or expect from you.” Melis Sawerschel
Women are renowned for not tooting their own proverbial horn. We are conditioned to accept bravado from our male contemporaries, yet we suffer from Tall Poppy Syndrome when it comes to women.
Creativity Comes in Many Forms
If you think about it, we are creative in so many ways that we do not recognise. Any woman who has stood in front of the fridge or panty and had to pull together a three ingredient dinner is creative. Any woman who has had to make the last few dollars somehow last until the next payday is creative. Any woman who has had to make a childs costume the night before a parade using nothing but what you have in the cupboards at home is creative.
Showing People You Care
The care we show others in our community is not something we should do subtly, ever. The cultivation of caring for others is in our nature. I have seen this side of humanity bloom in recent times. In so many small ways women are going about their day and at night helping those who need it. So many of my clients have it in their business plan to include some kind of philanthropic contribution.
Always Be Willing to Learn
Like all things in life, business does not stay the same. The only guarantee’s in business is that the challenges will come at you and if you let them teach you, your growth as a business leader can bring you the success you are looking for.
The ongoing changes can get some people down – but not me. I love learning, and as a coach I feel it is my responsibility to always learn. Offering knowledge and expertise for a living means making sure I have the most up to date pearls of wisdom to share. But I am not talking about academic learning exclusively. Learning to be emotionally intelligent is just as important, if not more so for leadership.
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” Sheryl Sandberg
Business Coaching is About Giving You Perspective
Keeping things in check and not getting ahead of ourselves. It is hard work but rewarding. Being a coach means offering a different perspective to people who are embedded body and soul in their business.
Playing devil’s advocate with someone isn’t a sport, it is a necessary exercise to ensure that my clients will have the courage of their convictions.
Offering perspective means that as a business owner you are able to better see what is coming and anticipate what outcomes you can expect.
Business owners have had to adopt a prismatic view of their business which has enabled richer product and service offerings. The customer experience needs to be considered for its entire lifecycle rather than the old style of isolating transactional experiences.
Does Business Coaching Really Work?
The rest of that question should read “for me”. The reality of the Business Coaching industry is that anyone can TRY and do it. Selling a secret formula for instant success isn’t my style. I have built businesses myself, so I have walked the path. I studied for my degree in business, so I have the education, but most importantly, is my belief in the ability of women to excel in business holds true now more than ever.
The ability of any coach lies in inspiring business owners to take the action they are afraid to take, to help them see what they won’t look at, and to teach them what they need to know as they need to know it. I have some great tips to help you find a Business Coach in my article How to Find the Perfect Business Coach to Achieve Amazing ResultsandCalculating the Value of a Business Coach.
We are the rolling stone that gathers no moss and our momentum needs to grow. My part in that is what I consider to be the true worth of my work. Knowing that I can help women to stand up and be true to themselves in new ways inspires me to continue.
What did you learn about yourself over the past year? If you think that there is something calling you and you would like to explore that, I would love to explore this with you.