by Laura Weldy | Jun 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
We all love a weekend away —even more so now that the world has started to reopen and travel is becoming more possible. What I love most about travel is the ability to completely submerge myself in a new environment, and turn off the daily stressors of life back home.
So why don’t we practice this when it comes to one of the most stressful parts of our lives—our career? I’m not talking about not checking email on weekends (even though I agree that you shouldn’t!). I’m talking about gifting yourself the peace of mind of a personal career retreat to reset, rest, get inspired and look up for the to do list long enough to plan for the future.
Before you start yelling “I’m way too busy for that!”—I know. You are! And that’s exactly why you should prioritize it.
When we are burned out, bored, or simply drowning in tasks at work it’s an indication that we need some realignment. If you manage other people, you need one even more to ensure you’re being intentional, considerate, inclusive and supportive.
Remember when you entered your current job all starry eyed and ready to make a difference? That’s how you show up when you’re excited…and a retreat can help you get back in touch with the starry-eyed you of years ago.
The setting, refreshments, and dress code are up to you—but there are a few things all career retreats should incorporate.
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Reflection: Research from 2018 shows that the more leaders of any level practice active reflection like journaling or listing, the more energized they feel. Yes, reflection can prevent burnout and even reverse it! Plus, as your mind is processing, it empties space for you to be more creative—suddenly you’re jotting down more ideas for how you and your team can thrive. I don’t want you to just reflect about anything, though—this research I just mentioned shows that specifically reflecting on who you are as a leader is what will keep you engaged and present in your work (Lanaj,Foulk & Erez 2018). Even if you aren’t someone who feels like a leader yet, it’s never too early to define what you want to be.
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Evaluation: You have to find time to take an honest look at how you’re showing up in the role, not just what your intention is. It’s wonderful if you have a vision for your career, but if you aren’t taking active steps toward that vision each week then it’s a dream, not a plan. I recommend taking quarterly evaluation of your progress toward your goals, your skill growth, and your self-advocacy practice. In a retreat, review your past evaluations for trends and also take stock of ways you can better align your daily work with your values and motivations.
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Stop venting and start communicating: I know that it’s tempting to complain about your boss or coworkers, or to blame a lack of promotion on company policy. But if you desire to be a leader not just in the office, but in your life—you have to be willing to take responsibility for your growth. I love making a complaints list and then analyzing the root issues to start to see where there are real pain points that I can create solutions to. Work with a trusted friend or speaker, (or me!) to take those frustrations and turn them into respectable suggestions. Communicating solutions will always get you ahead.
Other ways to make this process not just impactful but fun? Do it with an expert—like me, the creator of career retreat days! As a top leadership coach and public speaker I can help you go deeper with all of these components of your day, and ensure that you go home with a custom action plan to move you toward your highest leader self.
Powerhouse is my version of your personal career retreat, and it’s built around Reflection, Evaluation and Communication. Over the course of a day, I’ll help you find vocabulary around what you’re excellent at and how that impacts your company for the better. We’ll build out your leadership profile together (your executive presence style, decision making strategy and more) so that you know how to harness your own gifts and self manage your success. Then, we evaluate how much of your daily actions reflect your personal and professional value set. Lastly, we round out the day addressing your unique communication struggles so that you can return to office singing your own praises and being heard (not actually singing, even though the career retreats happen in Nashville!).
Are you ready to start controlling your own career, and leading others with confidence? Click here to apply for a free call where we can discuss your custom Powerhouse set up and get you on the calendar.
Sources:
Lanaj, K., Foulk, T. A., & Erez, A. (2019). Energizing leaders via self-reflection: A within-person field experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000350
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace become confident leaders by tackling their mindset head on so they can think like a leader before they have the job title. I do this through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | Jun 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Something women in the business world know all too well—just because you are a leader doesn’t mean that people will treat you like one. It can be difficult to command authority as a woman. So much of it is about executive presence—charisma, persona, and how you show up in a room. For women, executive presence has to do with the authority you command, but you don’t have to conform to characteristics of a male leader. It’s about showing up as the most powerful, authentic version of yourself.
We’ve all been in a room where people fake it until they make it. Though the advice is given often, this sort of behavior does not command authority or build trust. The best way you can build authority by showing up consistently and predictably. The more predictable you are, the more your people feel at ease and safe—it makes them more willing to trust your decisions. Acting erratically as a leader leaves people unsure how to fulfill your expectations. Creating consistency and stability is especially important as a new leader.
Here are a few questions to help you think about how you’re showing up and how consistently you’re showing up:
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Am I backing up my words with my actions?
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Am I communicating my original thoughts on a regular basis?
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Am I demonstrating leadership or am I waiting for a chance?
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What would I do differently and why?
There is a misconception that it can take a lifetime to become a leader—but that doesn’t have to be true. If you make time for it, you can do a significant amount of personal and professional development in just four hours—that’s what we do in Powerhouse!
We are only booking seven more Powerhouse days from now through the end of 2021. These are full days of in-person VIP coaching to help you develop into the type of leader you want to be. There will be actionable roadmaps, and you’ll be able to come away with action steps that boost your confidence in your career and your personal life. If this sounds like something you need, let’s chat!
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace become confident leaders by tackling their mindset head on so they can think like a leader before they have the job title. I do this through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | May 31, 2021 | Uncategorized
Commanding respect as a leader is all about alignment. Meaning that your mindset, communication and actions are reflections of one another, rather than at odds. Too often, leaders try to spout out all the ‘correct’ answers – but they’re not showing up in alignment with their activity and priorities.
We have to take the time to define your leadership style, priorities and the way you are committed to making others feel. Once you understand those pieces of the puzzle within the greater picture of your values and the impact you desire to have, you can start to realign your actions and words. This is about telling a cohesive story and creating a cohesive identity so that others know what to expect of you. Consistency in leadership builds trust and respect.
A few questions to consider if you feel like you aren’t being heard/taken seriously as a leader at work:
-Am I backing up my words with my actions?
-Am I communicating my original thoughts on a regular basis?
-Am I demonstrating leadership, or waiting for a chance?
-What would I do differently—and why?
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace become confident leaders by tackling their mindset head on so they can think like a leader before they have the job title. I do this through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | May 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
Coaching is a bit of a buzzword right now. Life coaching, career coaching, leadership coaching, professional sports coaching… what are all of these professions about, and why does it feel like every person you meet at a mixer has a coach or is a coach?
Coaching is a profession dedicated to helping people optimize their performance and experience. In sports, that looks like helping people improve their game. Professional coaching, on the other hand, helps individuals to excel and create innovative, positive results in whatever life arena they’re looking for growth in. Life coaching tends to focus on happiness and fulfillment, career coaching is often about career transitions and clarity, and leadership coaching is about developing individuals to an emotional intelligence and clarity of self that allows them to lead their team to greatness.
While coaching may seem like a new fad, it’s not. It’s been growing in popularity since it first originated in the 1980’s, and it’s now a billion dollar industry that spans the world. The reason why is simple: coaching creates undeniable CUSTOM results for individuals by pairing them with a partner (the coach) who is able to help them move past common obstacles to growth.
Leaders in particular do well with individual coaching as a support resource. Executive coaching is fairly standard these days, and is all about helping individuals in the C-Suite manage their roles and the company’s performance. But it’s becoming more and more normal for leaders of every level in a company to seek out an external coach who helps them be the best version of themselves at work—and to go about their work in a way that improves their life overall.
There’s a misconception that coaches are for those who have already achieved a level of success—i.e. executive coaches that work with people AFTER they’ve made it to the executive level. But the truth is that a coach is a powerful ‘fast forward’ feature that allows you to move from your current reality into your desired future state more quickly. If you imagine a sports team winning a title—they don’t win the title and THEN seek out a coach. The coach helps develop them into the team they need to be to win…and the same concepts apply for you as an individual.
Some of the results I have helped my clients create as their leadership coach:
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Define your leadership style and practice utilizing it
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Change your ‘personal branding’ aka the story of who you are at work
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Organize your accomplishments and self advocacy skills to prepare for a promotional opportunity
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Create better results for your team
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Improve your communication skills
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Command respect and be taken seriously as a leader
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Find more fulfillment and joy in your work
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Create and rebalance boundaries that allow you to create more separation between work and life
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Create systems and processes for your work that work for you
The results are endless—it’s all about taking the time to pause and identify with your coach what would make you not only better at your role, but happier in it.
I help women in the workplace become confident leaders by tackling impostor syndrome, creating healthy habits, building career confidence and so much more. I do this through professional coaching, invitation only masterminds and powerful courses. If this sounds like you, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | May 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
According to this study by the ICF, millennials do not want to be managed in the ‘traditional’ top down manner—they and other upcoming working generations prefer to be coached; i.e., involved in the process of their own management. It’s one reason coaching and the coaching industry has exploded—because coaches are skilled at helping individuals come to terms with, take responsibility for situations, and generate new and innovative solutions. If you become a manager who knows how to coach (and you’re able to create a coaching supportive culture), you’ll be an invaluable asset to your company because you’ll always have the tools to make your team successful and engaged.
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So how do you start? If you’re a manager of people, start coaching by taking a step back in your 1:1 check ins with your team. The key difference between coaching and advising is that coaches assume that the person they’re engaging with is capable of solving their situation—so you must assume the same. Don’t be threatened by sharing the reins of responsibility and opportunity with your team member. Instead, make an effort to shift the focus of your conversations from problem solving to curiosity.
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Ask open ended questions—what happened this week? What worked well? What didn’t? Why is that? How is that a problem for you? What ideas do you have for how to do things differently? It might feel unusual at first but the coaching process is designed to help the coachee discover ideas they may have otherwise dismissed. Some managers are afraid to put on the hat of coach because they think they’ll e responsible for all the amazing ideas that their team shares – but that’s not true! Allow the person generating ideas to be responsible for how they’re utilized, and recognize that you’re there to encourage them to greatness.
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You can even practice tough conversations as coach. If I have to share constructive feedback with a client, it’s a coaching-wide best practice to ask them for permission – and the same works with team members. It helps individuals prepare. So start the conversation with something like “I have some insight that I’d like to share with you. I think it will help you —-. Are you open to hearing it?” When the individual says yes, you’ve created an immediate sense of buy in and they’re more likely to take your feedback seriously.
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Work with a coach yourself and you’ll start to see how this process works. When you’re experiencing firsthand the stress management benefits and innovation that’s possible through coaching support, you’ll be eager to share that opportunity with your team—even if it feels unusual at first!
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace become confident leaders through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | May 10, 2021 | Uncategorized
The way you start your morning can make or break the rest of your day. Have you ever noticed that when you wake up and go for a walk or make yourself a nice breakfast, you feel more prepared for your day than when you stay in bed scrolling on your phone for half an hour? If you want to have a productive mindset every morning, it’s important to be intentional and disciplined about your morning routine. If you are new to morning routines, a good place to start is the RISE method.
R: Review. Spend 10-15 minutes reading through your power pages – a collection of 2-3 pages where you’ve written your priorities. List your personal power code, your top 3 goals for the year and for this quarter, and a vision of what you’re working toward. Sections to include on your power pages:
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Yearly goals
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Quarter’s goals
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Why you’re pursuing these goals
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How you being in your power is of service to the world
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Your personal power code results & 1-3 actions you can take to turn your power up when needed
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Opportunities for growth
I: Imagine. Grab a notebook and answer the question – what if everything went right today? What great things could happen? This will help your mind turn from the anxiety or fear it often wakes up with into a tone of purpose and optimism.
S: Step. Take a moment to actively choose to step into your most empowered version of yourself. Now that you remember who she is, and how she leads – decide to embody that version of you today. You can take a physical step forward into your imaginary leadership shoes and use that persona to provide you with structure and resources to show up effectively all day.
E: Energy. Take 10 minutes to practice one of these energy management techniques: meditation, tapping, or listening to solfeggio sounds to balance your personal energy. All of these techniques will help you start the day grounded, rather than frazzled.
I offer professional coaching for rising women leaders in the corporate world, with a focus on helping them build motivated mindsets and create productive habits via professional coaching, virtual coaching, invitation only masterminds and powerful online courses. If your goals for the year include mindset work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | May 3, 2021 | Uncategorized
Still working from home? Many of us are getting sick of staring at our screens at our kitchen table and trying to stay focused. It’s hard to be productive when you’re working from home without getting burnt out! I’ve worked from home for five years since leaving corporate America to create success coaching and leadership coaching resources for women leaders—and here are my fav ways to prevent burnout that you WON’T find listed on Buzzfeed.
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Keep a freestanding water filter in the room to stay hydrated.
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Use a facial mist to perk up when you’re feeling sleepy. Bonus points: screens can dehydrate and age your skin, and this keeps your face moisturized.
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Use the Pomodoro method to break your work flow into manageable chunks of focusing and breaking.
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Keep a notebook next to you to capture any thought that distracts you from your work.
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Create a success manual for yourself—imagine explaining to someone else what you need to do your best work. When do you go to sleep, wake up, what kind of attitude do you have, what working conditions help you thrive?
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Process your work stressors through journaling. Research shows if you take this one step further and journal on how your work is connected to your personal values, even if it’s distant—this can help to rebuild your energetic stores and actually prevent future burnout.
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Move throughout the day. Take your lunch in a different room than where you’re working and switch up your location anytime you hit a lull. It keeps your brain awake and alert.
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Use the power of scent—using the same essential oils when it’s work time each day in a diffuser can help jog your brain into workmode. Switch scents when work is done!
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Conquer the boredom. Consider working with a leadership coach or career coach to address what’s burning you out—do you need better boundaries? Or are you burnt out because you’re bored with your role? Coaching can be transformational for your work experience, and it’s so worth investing when over 50 hours a week are spent in that environment.
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Work less. When we get burnt out, we tend to buckle down and think we need to work harder—because our guilt is eating away at us for not giving it our all. The opposite is true. Take some time off to do nothing but rest and seek out activity that gets your brain moving—reading a good book or writing can do some wonders for unlocking your brain!
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace say goodbye to burnout and get their spark back through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | Apr 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
I get asked about 3 times a week which books I recommend for rising women leaders in the workplace. I love this question because I’m an avid reader and because it shows me how curious these individuals are about becoming the best leader they can be. Here’s my short list:
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Radical candor by Kim Scott: This book is full of tangible ways you can practice brave communication skills, and why that’s important for women who are leading teams. Communication is often a big struggle for women in the workplace, and this is one of the most approachable books I’ve found. I recommend it to all of my leadership coaching clients!
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The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier: Coaching is one of the most highly valued skills a new manager or veteran manager can have – it’s the managerial style of the future. Coaching is all about leading your team toward being more independent, and feeling empowered to generate their own solutions and opportunities. This book is a quick read and teaches you the basic art of a coaching conversation so that your one on ones with your team can go from boring and repetitive into action packed conversations.
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How To Be an Anti Racist by Ibram X. Kendi: If we consider ourselves leaders, we must be tuned into the dynamics of power and privilege in the workplace and our world. Use this book as an opportunity to examine your own personal biases and learn more about the systemic racism that exists in America, so you can support changes that make everyone feel supported and valued in the workplace and in the world.
I offer professional coaching for rising women leaders in the corporate world, with a focus on helping them develop a holistic mindset as leaders via professional coaching, virtual coaching, invitation only masterminds and powerful online courses. If your goals for the year include becoming a more dynamic and thoughtful leader, let’s connect! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | Apr 19, 2021 | Uncategorized
I’ve been talking to dozens of high performing career women over the past few weeks about their career fears, frustrations, and challenges—and I’ve learned a lot. The bad news? Many of these women feel unmotivated and disillusioned about their companies and their careers. The good news? There are some easy solutions to some of these challenges.
Three themes emerged from my conversations with rising women leaders in the workplace:
Feeling overcommitted
The tendency to pile more duties on top of already overwhelmed employees hasn’t stopped during this global pandemic—in fact, for many it’s increased. Nearly every woman I spoke with felt like she was stretched too thin at work, and like she was constantly racking her brain to remember which project she was dropping the ball on.
The constant Slack notifications, emails coming at all hours of the day and night, a lack of boundaries because they’re working from home paired with the real limits on relaxing extracurricular activities that are possible right now is leading to many of these women feeling like they’re incapable of taking on more work—but also incapable of saying no without fear of losing their job during a period of economic instability or being reprimanded.
Lack of transparency
Many women I spoke with said they wished there was more transparency from their companies during this unusual time. Now that many have been ‘temporarily’ working from home for more than 12 months, workers wish they had more insight into what comes next. Of course, it could be that companies don’t have all the answers—but complete silence on company timelines and priorities or secretive conversations among leadership led to increased feelings of anxiety and frustration for those women I connected with.
An inability to focus, engage, & stay motivated when working from home
Many women struggle with working from home, and some are anxious about when going back to the office will be expected. Working from home isn’t just an issue because it’s remote—add in complicated childcare situations, multiple adults working from home at the same time, internet issues, a lack of dedicated workspace and the mental exhaustion of working and living in the same space for a year, and work from home isn’t exactly a treat. Many women in leadership are feeling burnt out unable to perform to the best of their abilities, let alone feel motivated and capable of motivating and engaging others.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of possible solutions to help support the women in your company as we enter into this new quarter:
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Burnout resolution and prevention: Offer all employees resources on preventing burnout ,and also encourage upper management to model taking advantage of these resources. Free tools to help combat burnout include journaling and long term goal setting, and paid opportunities may include working with a leadership coach to help employees develop individual boundaries and clarify their success expectations.
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Childcare support: Consider how you can support employees struggling with childcare costs and/or logistics. If you’ll be returning to office, is there a way to provide benefits that support the cost of full time childcare? If you’ll continue to see employees working from home, ask them for input on how you can support them as they juggle both responsibilities (for example: more flexible scheduling, not requiring video on during meetings, etc.)
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Practice transparency with consistency: Establish a regular weekly discourse to keep everyone updated on news, changes, and timelines. This can even be transparency around small decisions—but consistency will build trust within the team.
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Lower output expectations: This one might sound like the toughest, but consider stating to employees that you see their struggle and want to re-establish your expectations between now and the future time when you’re able to fully return to office. Stating this on a company wide level gives permission for these conversations to happen between managers and their teams.
I offer professional coaching for rising women leaders in the corporate world, with a focus on helping them overcome challenges in the workplace via professional coaching, virtual coaching, invitation only masterminds and powerful online courses. If your goals for the year include beating burnout, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
by Laura Weldy | Mar 11, 2021 | Uncategorized
If you’re reading this, odds are that you want more from your career. Many professional working women find great fulfillment from chasing the next role or next project, and that’s a healthy & normal part of career growth. Actually making career changes though – that can feel a bit intimidating. Sometimes it can even feel like the HR team at your company are the tight lipped gatekeepers to your future success. Ever wished you could look into their brains and find out the secrets to really crafting a long term successful career at your company in the right way? Well – now you can.
I’m sharing some of the best kept secrets I’ve learned from HR professionals & from my years as a career success coach that I want all my community members to know if they’re looking to grow in their company or establish themselves as a leader and high potential candidate for development!
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Personal responsibility is key – YOU have to take charge of your career growth plan, first. Many of us become passive in our career, waiting until a new position opens up before we start considering whether we’d be a good fit. This is a quick recipe to feel like you’re always chasing roles and feeling discouraged. Instead, take it upon yourself to determine what you want out of your career, what your long term goals are in the company, and the unique value only you can provide. An HR team member can’t be a bigger champion for your career than you are!
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There’s always money in the banana stand – aka HR often has money they’re willing to share with you! Most companies have money set aside for employee development, and all you need to do to access it is to make a clear case for how it will make you better at your role AND what type of ripple effect it will create for those around you. For example: if working with a leadership coach would make you more confident, great! They want you to feel confident in your role. But if you’re able to share how working with a leadership coach will help you support each member of your team and their ability to perform with excellence, the argument becomes stronger as the impact grows. And funds aren’t just for things like conferences. Coaching and courses are sound investments your HR team is likely familiar with!
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Communicate, communicate, communicate! HR professionals are incredible and often highly intuitive people – but they can’t read minds. Instead of getting your feelings hurt because you weren’t considered for a role, make sure you’ve clearly communicated the types of roles you’d love to be considered for or given a heads up about.
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Build relationships proactively, not just when you want a promotion. Look around you and recognize who might have say in your career path. Are you intentionally building relationships, excellent communication and mutual respect with those individuals? Do it now, before you have a career ask. You can build both peer & mentor style relationships, but regardless of who the person is, be curious. Use those opportunities to understand their role better and what it takes for them to be successful.
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Investing in yourself shows them you’re in it to win it. Whether you access professional development funds or use your own money to invest in outside support that helps you show up and create more results, the HR team is likely to take notice. Share that initiative with them when it’s appropriate. There’s a misconception that high level coaching is something to be ashamed of, a last ditch effort to improve flailing employee performance that you have to keep hush hush. Nothing is further from the truth! If you’re willing to work with a coach to develop yourself from a high potential into a high performing leader, you’re signaling that you’re available for feedback and able to learn and grow quickly. Those traits are valuable as you continue to grow in your role and pursue new ones!
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Tension is healthy. The company has needs and goals, and you have needs and goals. It’s okay for there to be a healthy tension between the two sometimes.
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Keep trying. Even if you don’t get the role you applied for, or you aren’t approved for professional development funds the first time – keep trying! Everything is a learning process. The HR team will be the first to champion the need for more development resources, and they want you to get the support you need. They just depend on you to communicate those needs.
I offer professional coaching for rising women leaders in the corporate world, with a focus on helping them overcome imposter syndrome via professional coaching, virtual coaching, invitation only masterminds and powerful online courses. If your goals for the year include overcoming imposter syndrome and career mindset work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
