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The Trifecta For Business Success
When business owners think about their business, whether it’s large or small, the first thing they often think about the product or service they deliver. Of course, they are also focused on revenue they generate and the expenses that they try hard to control. Most have created a beautifully articulated business plan that details all the in’s and out’s of what they sell and how they’re going to sell it. But what they typically don’t focus on is who they need in their business to make that plan truly come to life, and ignite their growth. Who is going to create and sell that product, or deliver that service, and really drive that revenue? And that, of course, is the employees working there, ‘the people’.
I’ve spent 15 years working in human resources and strategic talent management, and prior to that in business operations for 10 years. What I have come to deeply understand and appreciate through these experiences is what’s critical to the success of any business is the people. Without an inclusive culture and strong people management strategy, success will be at best, fleeting and at worst, unattainable. Without a strong foundation, and a thriving culture, small businesses struggle and often fail.
What I Decided To Do About It
I felt so strongly about small business and their success that I made the decision to become a leadership coach and people strategist for small business owners, in particular for women owned small businesses. I achieved my Certified Professional Coach designation and today I get to live my passion for helping women to become successful in their lives and their business, and to bring people strategy to small organizations. By doing this work together, we create an inspiring culture and ultimately, drive their business plan and their success.
Three years ago, I made the leap, left my corporate job, and started my coaching practice, which I called High Voltage Coaching. If you know me, you know that high voltage isn’t just a catch phrase, it’s who I really am. And it’s also exactly what my clients get when they work with me. High Voltage energy, passion and coaching that inspires them to connect with their own inner brilliance.
Then I Realized It’s More Than Coaching
I believe that every coach should have their own coach — we need to walk the talk. The work I do with my own coach involves examining the work I’m doing and ensuring I’m aligned with my values. One question that has kept coming up in the past year was ‘Who did I really want to serve and what did that look like?’
What we uncovered was that coaching is only one piece of the pie for me. The work I am really driven to do is to help my clients become leaders, but also to help them create inspiring cultures, and be more strategic in their approach to managing the teams.
Introducing High Voltage Leadership
This discovery led me to rebrand my business and become High Voltage Leadership. I’m so excited to be able to offer a service that encompasses all the things that I love to do: working with female leaders, coaching, people strategy, culture creation and helping them find a blend between their work and their personal lives.
Why Is This Important?
As a business owner, if you are not really embracing who you are as a leader in your business and your life, if you’re not really grounded in your own purpose or your own why, if you’re not able to articulate your own values, and how those show up in your business, then you will not be able to bring value to your business. You’re not going to be effective driving your business plan; you’re not going to be effective with your team and with your people.
The leadership and the people strategy must come together to create a culture where people want to come to work, where they invest their very best, where they’re less worried about their compensation because they know they’re being taken care of. This ultimately creates trust and teamwork because there is integrity in how the business operates.
Combining the leadership, particularly for a female small business owner, with the people or talent strategy and the HR execution, is a completely unique offering in the marketplace. Some HR firms offer coaching, but their focus is really on HR practice. There are leadership coaches that really focus on coaching the individual, but they don’t offer the people strategy that I can offer. Ultimately you need to have the trifecta in order for your business to be truly deeply and meaningfully successful.
This is the value that I offer to my clients — helping them to bring that business plan to life to really create a safe and healthy workplace culture for everyone to live and participate in.
Combining the leadership, particularly for a female small business owner, with the people or talent strategy and the HR execution, is a completely unique offering in the marketplace
Why I Do This Work?
I really am a connector at heart. And I love connecting with new people. I really want to connect with the incredible community of female-owned small businesses here in Calgary but also here in Alberta, and in a more general way and ultimately across Canada. I think women, and the businesses that they own and run, are going to be the engine that really underpins some of the recovery for our economy female-run businesses are so important, particularly here in Alberta.
I believe that we all want to do meaningful work; we all want to add value every day. I believe we can do that work, our very best work in workplaces that are absolutely thriving, where there’s trust, where there’s connection, where people are valued for what they bring where, where there’s integrity, where there’s really great leadership. I believe that every person, every leader, every business owner can show up as themselves and so I want to create a leadership brand for each female small business owner that represents who they are, what they value and what their purpose is.
One of my ‘superpowers’ and my best attributes in the business world is my ability to connect with people and create a space where they feel they can be vulnerable and authentic. My greatest achievement to date has been my four incredible children whom I have raised, and are today people with integrity and with strong moral compasses, and who are also kind and funny. Ten years ago, I married my husband and we’ve created this beautiful blended family, along with some incredible highs and lows and through all of that, we’ve kept our love and our connection.
At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about for me. To be authentic. I truly am high voltage. And to connect with people and be a catalyst for a culture of connection and communication.
A Personal Invitation
I am so excited about High Voltage Leadership, and the impact it will have on female led businesses, that I am ready to launch it to the world! I can’t wait to tell you more about who I am and what I do, and over the next several weeks you will see some amazing content and conversations that will do just that. All of this leads up to my Live Launch Event on October 9th, and I would like to extend a personal invitation to have you join me there. You can sign up here. And if you’re one of the first 50 people to sign up I’ll send you a special techie gift to say thank you!
And of course, if you think that leadership coaching or people strategy is something that you are ready to invest in, for yourself and your business, I’m always available for a free no-obligation Inspiration Session so that we can talk more. You can book time with me here.