Recently I had the opportunity to volunteer as a mentor/coach to a group of business
women. The event provided that various coaches address different topics and the women could choose three of the 30 minute topic discussions to join.
My topic was “Accelerate Performance”; a topic that could be defined in many ways leaving the conversation to be shaped by the needs of the participants. Of the nine women I had the pleasure to meet that evening, one was an entrepreneur, one worked for a small business and the remaining seven worked in large corporations.
What I observed was the entrepreneur and the employee of a small business had a mindset that pulled them into curiosity and exploration. The employee had started out in a professional administrative role yet had catapulted herself into a director position through curiosity, asking questions about how the business worked. Her focus now is to reinvigorate a group of long-tenured employees.
The entrepreneur of three years now has thirteen employees, growth that had surprised the entrepreneur and had resulted from a focus of working only with great clients doing difficult projects. Her objective was to develop her team, helping them grow in confidence in order to continue to develop professionally.
The seven employees of large corporations were eager to grow. Getting visibility within a large organization was the primary challenge. The entrepreneur and small business employee had more “visibility” and encouraged the other women to think more entrepreneurially, specifically when it came to promoting themselves. It was not about “self-promotion” rather thinking beyond the role. Network within your own company and with colleagues outside the organization. Share your interest in working with other groups in the company and talk about your strengths with your higher-ups.
The roles shifted in the conversation when it came to the requests of the entrepreneur and small business owner. As both were in charge of teams of people, the corporate employees emphasized the importance of understanding the vision and mission of the business. Where was it headed and what was the game plan? This type of knowledge would help the team members identify how they could contribute, developing their confidence, as well as being witness to leadership in action, another confidence builder.
Simply being a passenger would not lead to the level of success each of these women desired.
I share these interactions with you as they echo many of the things I share here and with my clients. The evening was a microcosm of large and small organizations, of employees and leaders searching to accelerate performance, personally and for a team. What resonated throughout the conversations is that simply being a passenger would not lead to the level of success each of these women desired. Curiosity, a willingness to risk and move outside the comfort zone and to continue to develop would take these women where they want to go.