Ep 118: Kerry-Ann T Powell ~ The Power of Multi-Layered Strategic Thinking

Speaker 1 0:02

Truth and Transcendence, brought to you by BeingSpace with Catherine Llewellyn.

Speaker 1 0:18

Truth and Transcendence, episode 118, with special guest Keri-Ann T Powell. Now, if you don't know Keri-Ann, she's a global business strategist, speaker and champion of small and medium-sized businesses. Keri-ann has very varied experience, including over 20 years as a Washington DC attorney, lobbyist and fundraiser, and this positions her as an authority on what it takes to strategically succeed while confronting difficult obstacles. After raising $120 million to build the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, keri-ann launched her strategic business and consulting firm, trafalgar Strategies. She and her team advise business owners from various industries and countries on creating the strategies, systems and mindsets to thrive in business and in life. Over the years, keri-ann's expertise and speaking have been sought after by international brands, organizations and institutions such as Working Room's magazine, dallas Leadership Foundation, ciee, association of Fundraising Professionals, mogul and Philanthropist Russell Simmons Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. That's a mouthful and more, my God. So Keri-Ann is committed to spreading the gospel that running a small and medium-sized business is vital and important to our economies. Yet it doesn't have to feel like trying to manage a chaotic tornado. That's very good news.

Speaker 1 2:00

I should think, for some people and business owners will run their businesses smoothly and feel confident that they will thrive. So before I really welcome Keri-Ann, just to sort of introduce our theme, which is multi-layered strategic thinking, which is something I've been fascinated by and trying to learn about for decades. It's one of those massive topics because I think many of us have a very narrow view of what strategic actually means and that this is really unhelpful and a broader perspective can be so beneficial. So Keri-Ann has been consciously practicing this art, this science, however you call it, for many years. She has a great deal of wisdom to impart. So, keri-ann, thank you so much for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to come on the show.

Speaker 2 2:52

Catherine, thank you for having me. I am looking forward to this conversation so very much.

Speaker 1 2:57

Yeah, me too, I think it's. I was just saying, as we were in the Walmart conversation. I was just saying I've been having a chaotic day, which fits in with your theme, and it's so nice to take a break and have an adult conversation with. Isn't that true? You know, just kind of settle in.

Speaker 1 3:15

You know, anyone listening to this. I hope you found a way to take a break from you know the madness. Possibly Do I just kind of tune in and just kind of settle in and soak up what we're going to talk about. Yeah, keri-ann, when can you remember when you first kind of noticed that strategic thinking was a thing you know and an important thing?

Speaker 2 3:39

Yeah, that's a really good question. I, right out of college, I got a gig. It was a sort of a full-time temporary role to play in the United Way, in our community and for those of our international listeners. The United Way it is an international organization, but I think it's way more popular in the United States than it is in other parts of the world. It is an entity that sort of serves the goal between corporations and their employees philanthropic giving to NGOs, nonprofits that are doing work on the ground. And so the United Way you know it's been around for a good hundred years now that goes in and sort of works with corporations, asks for gifts through corporate giving and also through to create employee campaigns so employees can give through their payroll.

Speaker 2 4:49

Excuse me about that, catherine. So I had this great opportunity, to you know, when I was right out of college, to work there for a number of months during their big campaign period and I realized, oh my gosh, here it is a group of professionals that are doing fantastic work in serving the community, but in a strategic and business like fashion. And you know, when you're young you really don't know what you're doing, but you think you do. So when I was finished with the task, I ran into the VP's office and I said I know that I'm finished with this project and I'm heading out, but I just want you to know that I would be a really great fundraising fundraising director for your company, and so you should hire me. I would be the best director ever.

Speaker 1 5:39

How old were you? How old were you? I was 20 years old.

Speaker 2 5:45

What I was talking about. But you know, you know she didn't. What I loved about her was that she didn't look at me and say little child, you know, you don't know what you're talking about, go learn something. She says, okay, thank you, carrie Ann, for that, and I appreciate you coming in and I'll let you know.

Speaker 2 6:09

Anyway, I moved on and, you know, spent some time sort of. You know, I was working doing some things, and she reached back out to me six months later and she says, carrie Ann, well, we have a director position. So there was like a couple of directors in the fundraising department, and so they came. They range from the folks who managed the very, very large gifts all the way down we call them tiers all the way down to the smaller gifts, and so, you know, we call them the smaller accounts. So she said, well, we've got an opening in sort of the middle, the middle tier, and the good news was that particular tier was broken down into two, so there's another director that was managing some accounts, and then I would like to invite you to come on.

Speaker 2 7:01

I was like, oh my God, I couldn't believe she had so many. But I got the position and you know it, just, you know I, I just melded with it, just like fish to water. It was just, it's my thing. And of course my parents were quite happy because of the time I was supposed to be going on to get a master's and a PhD in neuropsychology and I decided I didn't want to do it and they were a little bit worried about the direction of my life. But when I was there, obviously I thought you know, just looking and observing and acquiring the skills and learning the skills by being paired with the CEOs of various companies, because that's how we operate.

Speaker 2 7:39

We were sort of your peer with the, with the leader in the community business leader, and you basically did the rounds. You had to be very strategic and I had to learn how to research and make sure that we were. What was it that we were actually going to, how we were going to pitch, and what did we think the particular CEO of the company we were going to pitch to was going to be interested in? And what are the directions, what are the ostrichic priorities of that particular company? And so how do we want to position the ask. And that's when I began thinking this is not just going in and you know saying hey, you know want to buy my Girl Scout cookies. This is a bit more strategic. And that's when I began realizing it's a great deal of work that goes along with this. And then we would do annual strategic planning and at first, you know, I was just sort of more like a junior staff observer.

Speaker 2 8:34

But the more I realized how much time and resources and energy was put into our strategic planning processes, I began to sort of be really excited about the idea of wait, this is not just some fly by night. Oh, here's a great idea, let's go with it. It's, there's a way to make, there are ways to make big ideas happen by being strategic. So anything you see out there in the world that has happened and it's been successful, like you know, the recording of this particular podcast, you know the Barbie movie. I mean, my goodness gracious, what they did with that marketing. It was unreal and I still haven't seen the movie. I've heard it was a, you know, an okay movie. But the marketing that went into that, I guarantee you there was a significant amount of strategy that was put into place in order for that to be such a huge marketing success. So that was really where I began to realize strategy was an important aspect to success in any big idea was when I started working at the United.

Speaker 1 9:42

Way. Wow, what a fantastic entry into that. Yes, and that I mean that, also the thing you said about you just walked in and said I would be a fantastic director, fundraising director and you obviously really wanted to do it. Yes, and I think I don't know if you agree. I think that is an important element in strategy, isn't it? But that you've got to actually want to do it.

Speaker 2 10:10

Yes, catherine, I will say this. It's sort of the timing of this conversation Last week was, you know, I'm going into this week with you know, I have some processes that get me mentally and emotionally focused on the week ahead, but sometimes you have a week prior. That kind of is a doozy. You know, you have to kind of do a bit more internal work to sort of get you focused.

Speaker 2 10:38

Last week I spent quite a bit of time, or it just so happened, that a number of my clients that were, you know, I mean, these are, you know, business owners that are doing big things and they're trying to make big things happen in their organizations. And you can imagine it's kind of like, you know, shifting the Titanic a bit when you're trying to make big changes happen in an organization, because it's all these individuals that are part of the organization. How I want to do it. However, it just so happened that last week there were a number of stumbling blocks and a number of my clients, and so I found myself doing a great deal of hands on work, and one of the things that I began to realize I've known this to be true for a very long time, but when I was faced with the big wall of it. Last week I began sort of processing this concept of do you want it bad enough? Yeah.

Speaker 2 11:33

There's. You can do all the things that you say you're going to do to create a good strategy and you can do all the things to create a great execution plan, which, by the way, is, you know, in a very important aspect of strategy. Yeah, but the very, very beginning aspect of that, the foundational things that make something work is how badly do you want it?

Speaker 2 11:56

Yeah help, Because if you don't have the fire within that says I really want this, whatever the thing is, whatever the big idea is, then when time comes and you hit the obstacles, when you begin to either go down into the, into the darkness of despair, right, or how long you stay there really is motivated by, yes, the tools you use to get out of it, but also to help. Badly do you want it? And I think that desire I call it the red hot desire. If you don't have it, it's very difficult to create a good strategy and execute it well. Yeah.

Speaker 1 12:38

Why do you think that is? Why do you think it is that desire is so important? I've got my own thoughts about this, but I just really like to know what do you think is the connection between really wanting it and literally being able to come up with a good strategy?

Speaker 2 12:58

Well, you know, not to get too woo-woo, I think if you look at nature, I think that everything is about desire. Right, there's more humans. We get a chance to kind of be conscious of our desire and, I think, maybe to decide how much we want something. But everything in nature doesn't have that capacity. It's either. It's life, more life. You begin to see, you know, in our driveway at my parents' home it's concrete that's paved right, and the guys that come and do our landscaping, they still have to go through. There's cracks within the concrete driveway where there are weeds coming up out of the concrete. Like how did you get there? I mean, it's concrete, okay, but for the weeds it's all about more life. And you can, those landscapers, they come and they do the weed killer thingy-me-jiggie and they come back in two weeks and it's there again. Right, it's because the weeds desire is about more life. It's like we're gonna grow regardless.

Speaker 1 14:35

Yeah, it's not a discussion.

Speaker 2 14:36

It's kind of a thing, it's a part of their existence, whereas humans, we have the capacity to determine what we want, which I think is great. You know, that's what I guess you know makes us different than the, than other animals and then another species At the same time. It is you can always look to nature to determine why things happen. If you don't want it, you really there's just no way to fake wanting it. There's no way to fake how badly do you want it? The other issue along that. So there's through that, I think, there's sort of a need within to want it in order to get it. The quest, I think, on the other side of it is we have there's one way to do something, there's another way to do something. Now, of course, you're trying to cross the street. It's kind of easy. You kind of just do a thing right, you cross the street, you look both ways and you cross the street. If you're trying to cross a, you know, 10 lane highway, then it requires a bit more strategy, okay, because you don't want to die. So the ideas that come forth from our minds we have a lot of ideas that come forth there could be oh, just run across and hope for the best. Or it could be oh wait, there's like a bridge over the highways. Let's go down there across the bridge and do the thing. Or maybe we could do something kind of funky and be like do these signs that say you know construction ahead? So we stop the traffic and we kind of walk.

Speaker 2 16:19

There's many different ideas that could come cross your head to decide. Come through your mind and decide how you want to move. If you want it bad enough, you will have stronger ideas. It will be like your mind will produce more ideas, better ideas, a flood of ideas and give you the confidence to be able to actually think you could implement the idea because you have this desire attracting to the thing. But if you have a very low energy around it, a low desire around it, you'll come up a couple of ideas, but they probably won't be that great.

Speaker 2 16:55

You know they have the phrase that says necessity is the mother of invention. That's really it. If you make things in your life in need, if the desire is so hot that it's like I will die without achieving this thing, of course it's being dramatic, but it really is if you elevate whatever the thing is you want to a need. Then somehow you're like oh wait, we need to accomplish this, and you have all these great ideas that come forth. So I think there's one.

Speaker 2 17:24

Looking to nature everything in nature is moving towards something, and moving is mainly moving towards life, and the nature is willing to do some crazy things to make that happen. So we're a part of nature. We're not like somehow not in nature. Okay, just in case I'm thinking, oh, I'm going to look to nature, that thing out there, I mean, we're part of nature. And then to the result the cause and then the result. When we have a higher need, a higher desire for whatever the thing is, the big idea or whatever, then somehow our mind cultivates better ideas, a better strategy for us to be able to do the thing. And I've seen, you've seen it happen in in, you've seen it happen in our history of humanity for a long time.

Speaker 1 18:14

Exactly. Thank you, beautifully said. I think that's absolutely right, and I've been involved in situations where we are trying to implement a strategy and it's not working. Sometimes it's because actually we didn't really want the thing, as you're saying, and sometimes because the strategy is not a very good strategy, and I think you're right. It's not a very good strategy because because we didn't want it enough, right, exactly? Isn't it true as well that if you really want something, you will also make more of an effort to ask for help if you need it to come up with the strategy? Yes, because not everyone knows how to make a strategy for, let's say, launching a business, or let's say, right bring out a new product or remodeling a house yeah.

Speaker 1 19:06

You know yeah.

Speaker 2 19:09

You find, I think asking for help, there's two things that go along with that. One is we do sometimes feel like, well, we could do this ourselves. Right, there's a certain amount of ego, it's like we could do this ourselves kind of a concept and it's not that hard. The other aspect is more like, well, I don't wanna put whatever it takes to ask for help. It could be either making yourself vulnerable, whatever, investing the resources, just whatever the thing is that you would need to do to exchange to be able to get the help that you feel like you're giving away the control, whatever. So there's that sort of I can do it ourselves. Or I don't wanna invest the time, energy, money, be embarrassed that I can't do it. But when you want something bad enough and you have the desire for it and you want it to be great, you're like who's the best person that I can get to do this thing?

Speaker 2 20:19

I remembered when I was a teenager and at that time there was this haircut thing, sort of like, that I really liked and the person who I knew, the hairstylist that I knew, could do it, was a bit pricey for a teenager's budget. And I will tell you what. I had all kinds of conversations with my parents to be allowed me to give me the money to be able to go to this celebrity hairstylist. And I was, like, willing to wait on the waiting list to be in that in her chair. And I wanted it because I knew I wanted that look really badly and I knew I couldn't do it myself Because I knew that time I was like when I was a young kid I was like, oh yeah, this is before YouTube channels.

Speaker 2 21:10

I was always experimenting something with my hair, but I knew I couldn't get the look without going, just like I had to convince my parents first of all that they would allow me to do it because it was a little bit weird, plus, invest the money that they thought why would a teenager need to be sitting in someone's celebrity chair and then also to get wait on the waiting list to be able to be in that chair. And of course and it was funny, of course, the hair looks great for like two days, and then it just looked pretty different. But the point is, though, I was willing to do whatever it took to get that hair style, cause that was to me that was gonna be the changing of my entire life Just getting that. Look, I think asking for help or getting the things that are necessary to make whatever the strategy is, or to create the strategy, is motivated by how badly do you want it? Yeah.

Speaker 1 22:04

I think that's absolutely right. Otherwise, I've got an example from when I was much younger. I was in my twenties. So sometimes.

Speaker 1 22:11

I went off and did a transformational weekend. Yes, I didn't know they'd done, but when they came back they'd obviously had a transformational weekend, got amazing results. Yeah, and they said you should do it. I won't know, I can do it by myself and within about three months I so really wanted what they had. I really couldn't do it by myself. I slunk off and secretly went and did this transformational weekend without telling them, Cause I had to really get over ego and everything. But I really wanted it. Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2 22:44

I really wanted it, but it was interesting, catherine, that the whole ego thing around asking for help. I find it to be a very interesting dynamic with humanity. Yes, Absolutely.

The Importance of Asking for Help

Speaker 1 22:57

Did you study it, cause you were thinking of doing a masters in neuropsychology. Had you studied psychology? Yes. In your first degree.

Speaker 2 23:07

Yes, so my focus there was more on how does a brain operate, particularly after it's been injured, sort of this concept of cognitive recognition, but obviously so I spent a great deal of time in neuroscience and that kind of world. My research was around brain activity. However, I do remember when we were talking a lot about and I spent a lot of time in spaces where people are doing practitioner work around helping people kind of address, because really, at the end of the day, I mean, even though I'm a strategist, I've come if you cannot address the mindset things that keep people from doing the thing, if they want to do a big thing, then it's really for naught, to be frank. And so what I have found is we societally I mean there are other there are cultures where asking for help is actually not so, is not a bad thing. So I do think that that it is cultural, not just humanity, that has a bit of a problem with asking for help. There is, there are some cultures that are more, more not willing to ask for help, or asking for help is kind of a you know there's something that it's looked down upon and so there's, you know, obviously more Western cultures than Eastern, you know. That's just to be honest.

Speaker 2 24:39

However, there's also, though, something within us that says we can do a thing, and we should be able to do a thing, because the reality is we have the capacity to do a lot. We're willing more than we think we can. As humans, we are using such a small portion of our capacity mentally, and I'm really personally I'm eager to see how some of the things that keep us from, you know, being very, I don't know, low brow is probably not fair to say, but operating such at such a low capacity as the human race, I'm eager to see those things begin to dissolve so we can really really hit big, big things. I feel like some of the small problems, some of the problems we have that we've perpetually dealing with as a human race, are just, you know, they're just like really, are we still dealing with that? So, sort of like. I just feel like we should be involved in that, but nonetheless so.

Speaker 2 25:51

I think it's the greatness within us that's calling forth our greatness, and when we say we need help, it's almost like it's a distorted version. I don't think it's the real version, but it's a distorted version of us saying but I should be able to do this on my own. It's almost this we have echoes of our greatness out there. We haven't quite interpreted what that really means, but we know that we can do way more things than we think we can, and so the idea of having to ask someone for help, I think, makes us feel a bit like we're coming against what our true nature is. But I think, again, it's a very distorted, not very healthy place. Because, you know, there's a proverb that I often remember it's an African proverb, but I don't know who said it and says if you wanna go fast, go alone, but if you wanna go together, if you wanna go farther, go together.

Speaker 1 26:58

I've heard that, yeah.

Speaker 2 27:00

And that's how I feel we are. So back in our ancestors' days, when you know they were operating in tribes and clans and stuff like that, obviously a part of that was just, you know, the fact that they couldn't survive without it, because there's, you know, wildebeest out there. But I do think that there was something around humanity where going together does get us farther, and that includes asking for help.

Speaker 1 27:28

Yes yes, brilliant, I completely agree with that and I like the way that you framed that as that it's essentially. It's a misunderstanding about our nature, and I think that's right because I've noticed that in myself and in clients and friends and other people. As people have evolved in their own individual lives, they've become better at asking for help. Yes.

Speaker 1 27:56

Without. Sometimes, at the very beginning they're very good at asking for help as a victim you know whining to be rescued, right but then over time it kind of evolves and they get better at recognizing what help they want and better at selecting the right people and better at asking for it. Yes. I've noticed often it's the very, very senior people who have no ego or issue about asking for help because they know they've done it. That's how they got there. Yeah.

Speaker 1 28:25

And now they're doing it selectively, they're doing it strategically and it makes all the difference.

Speaker 2 28:32

That is so wise that it's such a great observation, catherine, because it is a part. Once you do the healing within, you know the ego calms down quite a bit and because you begin to own yourself in a way that you didn't own yourself before. Not you, but you know the proverbial us, I guess, so we, when the person who's the most confident in the room, you could tell when someone is quite confident and they are owning themselves, they have a way of being that is very different than the ones who are putting on as if they are confident or putting on as if they've got it all together. They are so willing. People who have done the work or are very centered and anchored are so much more willing to ask for help.

Speaker 2 29:31

You know, oftentimes you hear junior staff, sometimes in organizations, say well, you know what does the CEO do, you know everyone's doing all of his work and we're just funneling it up at the top and that's a lack of understanding about what it means to be a leader and what it means for someone to rally the troops into be a strategic leader. I was. I don't know if you're familiar, I'm sure, with Outlander the series. I haven't.

Speaker 1 30:00

I tried to watch it. I just couldn't bear it, but I know it exists.

Speaker 2 30:05

You're right, okay, the blood and glory, it's like quite a bit of violence there. But so I was watching it and I think this season, this season is sort of they're now in the United States and it's the Revolutionary War and they have, you know, and, like you know, warfare back then is so much different than warfare today, right, in terms of the way the generals and so forth operate. And the generals are sort of away from the battlefield. They're kind of in the back on the top of a hill somewhere looking down, and they are directing, they're leading the troops in different directions based on what they see from the hill, and they're conveying that leadership to the ground, the leadership that's on the field, and then the leadership on the field is conveying that to the troops. And you know I was watching this, you know scene. Of course, to be truthful, I love Atlanta because of Jamie, but nonetheless. But you know I was fascinated, though it struck me.

Outsourcing and Respecting Others' Skills

Speaker 2 31:19

I'm always looking for gems of things that can help me understand what it is that I do, and I hope it was a really great analogous concept of as you begin to own yourself in your leadership, whether it's your leadership of your life, your leadership of your team, your leadership of your organization, you begin to realize what your role is. There are many things you can outsource. I mean, for the most part, you can outsource the majority of things in your, in your purview. What you cannot outsource is the strategic direction of whether it's your organization, your team, your life. You cannot outsource that, and the only way that you can be able to be good at strategically directing an organization or a big idea is by being on the hilltop and looking, so you're not actually on the ground doing a great deal of the actual work. The work that you're doing is being able to be above and look and see. Ok, this is where we need to move left, move right, stand retreat, do the thing whatever it is that needs to happen and then be able to convey that to whomever it is. That is sort of that you are leading, whether it's the leadership on the field or in your life, and so I really think that, even from from really basic things in our lives, as you get busier and more your life is more complex and the more impact you are having, I will you know one of the things that I have a hard time even just getting you know particularly women, but men as well to do is outsource some things in their lives that need to happen in order for them to be a strategic leader.

Speaker 2 33:11

Basic things like dinner. Can you outsource that? Because you need to eat health, healthfully, okay. However, you're working these number of hours in a day and then you've got a. When you get home, you're on the board of directors of somebody's you know nonprofit charity organization. You taking your kids to you know little league football, whatever it is that they're doing after after school, and so they're.

Speaker 2 33:44

But people got to eat, so you have time to get home and then to prepare a health meal. And is that? Is that what you have the capacity? Let's look at your hours, and so the idea of really bringing in someone who's actually preparing your meals freaks people out of like, well, no, I should be able to feed myself. Why, yes, you are feeding yourself. Your outsourcing and delegating the role of healthy food and, frankly, you don't cook that well. Your food is not that good. But there's someone out there that loves to cook healthy food and will make it and put in the fridge and all you've got to do is warm it up and the whole family is eating a feast Right. Even that idea about what does it mean to ask for help? The people who are on their self and own their, their, their worth and own what it is that they are doing in the world are way more comfortable just saying yeah, the dinner is not my, not my thing, we're going to have someone do that and do that. Well, yeah yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 34:48

I had an example years ago where I discovered that it's possible to get someone to come and take away all your laundry and do all the ironing and bring it back and do it beautifully Right. You have to make the effort to tell them how you want it done Right and they want to do it yes. That's my point.

Speaker 1 35:09

What's my point? I was traveling all over the place the whole time staying in hotels. Yeah, you know, and someone came in, someone did that, someone fed the cats, you know, somebody. You're absolutely right, and there's some people over here in the UK who think that asking people to do things for them that they'd rather not do, is rude, you know, like, and I kind of argue with that because I said, well, these people are doing it, they're doing it because they want to do it and they appreciate the money and they're good at it.

Speaker 1 35:45

Yes so there's a lady who comes and cleans here at my house and she says I love cleaning other people's houses. I hate cleaning my own house.

Speaker 2 35:53

Someone else cleans my house, she says See, and that right there is that because we often, I think it's because we just because you don't like the thing doesn't mean someone else doesn't like the thing. Yeah.

Speaker 2 36:09

And it's just like you're. You know. If you know, obviously I work primarily business owners and I always say, yeah, the business that you do the reason why people hire you to do the thing? Yes, because they actually can do it. They actually don't want to do it, right? So is it being rude to hire you? No, it's not. The reality is there are tasks that make our lives work, and we were. When we were living in tribes and so forth, we all were doing different things and everyone was doing a thing we're not doing. That's not how we live now, but it doesn't mean that the whole idea of going farther together doesn't still exist.

Speaker 2 36:48

Yeah, and so I believe in leaning into your strengths, leaning into the things that make it easier to do. You know, there's a lot of leadership tests now and they're like you. Just, you know, swing your hip and there's one. However, the reason why companies love these sorts of tests is because the thing, for instance, you, I'm a much, I'm a big picture thinker, I can be very granular. Just because it's what I do. I help people become granular, but how I operate in the world is, if there's a big problem, I'm able to strategically think about it and and I like it's like easy for me to do that. It is not a heavy lift, it just is just like breathing. Yeah.

Speaker 2 37:38

However, if I need to sit down, I look, I'm an excellent writer part of my one, because I just from my childhood, but, to you know, I honed it when I was in law school. I'm an excellent writer, but, oh my goodness, the level, like the feeling I have, the heaviness I have when I have to sit down and write a thing I mean, but yet there's people on my team that are like the headphones on, like they're excited, they're like, yes, give me something else, you know. And so the heaviness that I feel versus the lightness and excitement that someone else feels. It means that just because you don't like it doesn't mean that someone else is on my someone actually might find joy and happiness with doing the thing. And so I think it's really important to to break away our own preconceived notions of what's considered a thing that no one wants to do and respect the tasks and the skill sets of everyone that's doing the thing. I think that's where problems arise, where, just because you don't like it, then you decide it's not really important work and that's where the problem arises.

Speaker 2 39:01

I think, for instance, the idea of women's work the reason why women's work became not became lower work or lesser work, was because men who were in charge didn't like doing those things.

Speaker 2 39:14

That would be, you know, considered women's work, and so it was delegated to women, and then it became a women's work thing, and so we're not, we don't pay. We don't pay for jobs that primarily women do, because at the time that we began to develop the society, men were the ones who were deciding well, that's not really valuable work, because I don't really like that work, so it's women's work. However, if you decide to re or reorient your mind, to take away the biases that you have about what's considered good work, bad work or whatever but it is the work of life, the work of moving forward, the work of advancement of humanity Then you begin to respect the people that are doing it and you begin to to respect the fact that, if it's, if you are not, if that you know he always is stoked if that's not your ministry, then you outsource it and you pay people well and you celebrate the fact that they love it and you don't.

Speaker 1 40:17

Yeah, I love that. If that's not your ministry, outsource it. Yes, beautiful, yeah, and I think is this is this part of what you mean by multi layered strategic thinking. Yes.

Speaker 1 40:34

So, we talked about really wanting it. We talked about being grounded enough and having done the work to the point where we're able to ask for help and see that as a powerful thing to do not a failure, yes and to respect the tasks that we don't feel like doing and to respect the people that do want to do those things. So those principles, on their own, it just gold. Yes.

Speaker 2 41:01

I would say, when you start thinking about the bigger picture of multi layers strategic thinking. I like to think of it sort of like a upside well, like a funnel. Okay, so the big part of what we're talking about portion is being very clear about what is the thing that you say you want. So we may have, you know, because of our we're having a great time conversing, catherine and we probably should have started with the biggest thing. The desire is important, but the what is is actually next to the desire. I know that you know you're listening to be saying well, of course, the whole point of this is I want the what. I have a strong desire for the what. I will tell you this in my 20 plus years, I mean, I had a conversation just last week that was absolutely painful. I was a very respectful client and I could not. It took me 30 minutes for me to get out of that person. What exactly was the what that they were trying to do in their organization? You might, you might think you have a very clear vision in your head of what it is that you really want, but it is very easy to have it being a bit muddled and not out there articulated on paper, and that is why I believe writing.

Speaker 2 42:35

You know there's a study that it was. It's been a while it's been on. The study was on a not a long time ago. It was studying a lot. It was a longitudinal study, sociologically longitudinal study, of individuals that graduated from Harvard University and, for those who don't know, harvard University is one of the premier universities in the United States and they studied these individuals over a period of I think it was 20 or 30 years, so quite long, and they had them, you know, sort of tell them what they wanted to do, what the goals they wanted in their careers when they at graduation. They just studied them all the way until, you know, the end of the study was just 20 or 30 years and they found that the key, one of the key drivers of success was actually not how great the goal was or how much, how many people the person knew of course that does help and how much access you have all my good stuff but it was basically whether or not someone wrote down the vision or the goal, versus not the individuals that wrote down what it is that they wanted to do and, in the most much clarity as possible, were more likely to achieve it over that period of time Now. So writing down is a thing, but I'm not telling you this story for the purpose of like oh no, go, let's write it down. However, when I do strategic planning with companies, the what actually ends up taking up a very large portion of the planning day. So sometimes we'll do a full day with the organization, sometimes we'll they'll do like a weekend off site, you know a couple days, and so if it's a full day, half the day is spent figuring out the what you know, particularly if it's a group of people who's kind of determine a what. And so you'd be surprised, catherine, that the what you want is a hindrance, because many people don't have the clarity of that.

Speaker 2 44:55

Now, I also believe in creating the what a bit further down. Like you want to have. I like to think of sort of a core strategic I call it a core strategic goal, that's the. If you're in business, it's like what do you want to look like in, say, 15 years? Once you have that kind of what very clear, then I believe in doing a breakdown of one year year, one meaning this year that you're in, another annual goal of two years out and then one three years out, no more than that, and it's a very, very large organization. I might take them to five years. However, for the most part, you can go from one year to your three year. Once you articulate your one year goal, that is connected to your core strategic goal, which is the 15 years never going to change for kind of a goal. And just so you know.

Speaker 2 45:48

Underneath all of this course, strategic goal part, you do want to be very clear about your, your values, and you want to be very clear about your purpose. And when I say purpose, I don't mean those you know boring statements you see companies have on their website. You know to be, though it's a treatable, but whatever the thing is. When I say purpose, I mean something short, very pithy, but powerful. So, for instance, you know our company. Our purpose statement is where, in the business of helping businesses thrive, it's that short, so having a short, but it's a very powerful for us because the word thrive is important for us. We're in the business of helping businesses thrive. It really is a powerful statement for us. You need to come up with whatever your powerful statement is and be really clear about that as well.

Speaker 2 46:50

So I like to think of business vision if you're looking at a different business has three elements your values, your purpose statement and then the core strategic goal. Once you have that, you start thinking about your core strategic goal. Then you break it out into, say, three years out Year one is now year two and then year three. You want to create strong goals that have very strong characteristics, marked characteristics, right, they're specific, they're measurable. We all know what smart means. And then we know that those three goals, if accomplished, would lead you towards your core strategic goal.

Speaker 2 47:33

So the what is? You know we don't want to make it too complicated for the listeners, but the whole point is that exercise helps you create a very clear what. So you've got the passion and the desire for the what and you're very clear about the what, why that's important. And then you're like well, why the values have to do with anything. The values is what keeps the guardrails going, because you might say I want this what and then, when you start moving towards that, you're willing to do. You know, are you willing to do everything to get the what, even if they violate your values? No, it also allows us for you to know what are the priorities that drive you.

Speaker 2 48:24

So, if you're in business, if you know that. You know I was at a speaking at a conference the other day and it was for the home service industry, and so these are like folks who are like you know your interior designers, your landscapers, your pool people, you know all of those companies that basically make your home fantastic, and one of the values that you know. I did an exercise with a couple with the folks that were in my workshop was a couple hundred folks, and one of them was a gardening, a gardening company, and one of their values was we're always on time, never late, and I was like, praise the Lord, you sit there and you wait for the. You know you have a 12 o'clock appointment for the person that come to your home to do a thing and you're waiting there for you know two hours. And they're like, oh, we're on our way, we're on our way to finish the thing with your neighbor or something.

Speaker 2 49:22

So the idea, so those values are really important. You're like, look, we don't. We, this is how we operate, this is who we are, and this is by this value we will not violate, regardless of what's going on, and that's what creates your brand, that it also keeps you and your people together and if it's just you, if it's a value of your life, it makes you realize OK, these are the things that are important to me. Yes, right, so that's why you know you're like well, I thought we're too much strategic thinking. Yes, and your values are part of that. However, there's a past, there's a desire, and then there's the what. That's really important.

Speaker 1 49:59

Fantastic. Wow, I mean, I feel everything you're saying. I feel like there's so much to think about. It's almost difficult to come up with the next question Because it's so fascinating. I'd love to hear a little bit more about your 20 years that I mentioned in the bio, where you were working as an attorney lobbyist in DC. You haven't talked much about your life as an attorney and as a lobbyist. Now I have a feeling that there are some very interesting stories in there that you're thinking.

Speaker 2 50:37

You know I will tell you this. So my, my desire to so you know, my desire to become an attorney was really motivated by the work that I was doing. You know, obviously, right, we all we go through, we pick a path and we go down that road and then there's some, there's some forks on that road, but we can't see those forks when we're deciding on the current path, and so it's sort of interesting to kind of see. So I had never thought about the law until when I was working with the United Way and I was about three years in by this point. I had really, you know, it was a bit. You know, I look back at it now. I'm like what was I doing? What was I eating? What am I taking back then? Because you know, you're younger, Just have this whole thing. So it's a very meteoric type of rise.

Speaker 2 51:34

And you know, in my place I was Promoted, like quite a bit, and I was eventually training folks on on on strategy, on strategy and fundraising tactics, and I just really thrived there and obviously a part of it is because they were willing to invest in me and I was willing to invest in myself a lot of times, you know, early days when you know you're the junior person on the team, you know I would use my vacation days and I would use my vacation days and use my own personal money to go to conferences or workshops. So I could learn. I knew I had a vision of what it is that I wanted to be, but, but I also felt, like the folks that you know, I want my. My CEO and members of the board and my boss were very good at investing me as well. So, you know, it was sort of two straight street.

Speaker 2 52:24

Nonetheless, by the time I was about three years in, I realized that, even though I really enjoyed raising all this money for these wonderful organizations, I began to sort of be a bit confused because, for instance, one of the organizations that we funded that we would all you know, we would bring out as a big success story of all of the contributions that our city was was supporting, was a domestic violence shelter, and it was a very large domestic violence shelter. It actually had a school on site and you know it's one of the largest ones. If I remember I don't know it feel like it was like one of the largest ones in the southeast part of the United States. It was just was a big one. It kind of had a lot of accolades.

Speaker 2 53:20

And I remember thinking to myself that's why I really love, you know, gen Z, right now because they're at the stage where they're thinking and looking and they're observing and they're like why do we do this? Why are we? Because sometimes, as you get older, you get used to the things in society that make no sense. But younger people have the capacity to look at things and be like that makes no sense. And so at that point I was still at that stage, like why do we have domestic violence in the first place? Like what's going on here, like why is this a thing and why is it so difficult to minimize it? As opposed to expanding the facilities to support the people particularly at that time mainly women that were affected by domestic violence, why aren't we shrinking the problem? And that was when I began. Really, I couldn't. My mind and my energy was more leaning towards how do we create a solution, as opposed to why are we raising all this money to sort of do a thing over here? So that's when I started having conversations with people, you know, who were indifferent, because by that time I had had a larger Rolodex, so I had more people to kind of shoot the breeze with and get insight from, and so I started talking to a lot of different people and one of them was an attorney and who was one of one of our you know, sort of junior volunteers that you know she was moving through the ranks in leadership but was still willing to just sort of chitchat about life, and I said I don't know what is the best way to fix these problems, and she says, well, you know she's like the law is a great way to do it. You don't have to just go and become a lawyer. That's going to, you know, work with an individual family law or something and go to the courthouse every day and work individual problems. The laws is a way to you can use the law to solve problems, and you can. And I was like, really so.

Speaker 2 55:38

Then I went on a rabbit hole there and I began to realize it's so many of our policies in the US were being led by lawyers, and so I started looking into law school and I chose a law school that happened to have a strong reputation around public interest and public policy and as a result, I got a chance to go to Washington. They have what they call co-ops once you get to your second year, and so I got a chance to work with you know four organizations. Well, I worked with a judge one year and then three organizations that were doing some amazing policy work in based you know, national policy work, and I worked with them during the time I was in law school in Washington. So by the time I was finished with law school I had great opportunities because I had kind of leveraged my relationships that way and so I got this great fellowship, very competitive fellowship, working for a law firm that focused on constitutional law.

Speaker 2 56:43

I began to become a big fan of constitutional law my first year because my constitutional law professor was just the best and I kind of became a bit of a geek around that. So I focused on constitutional law and the fellowship that I worked on was basically cases that we were using those cases to be able to shift policy through that policy that came from the Constitution. So my focus was, you know, primarily First Amendment. So my first bit of our first amendment would be our like, free speech, religion, that kind of stuff. Our 14th amendment, which was primarily race and sort of human rights type things, some of our gender rights as well, and then sort of focusing on consumer rights. And so it was really fantastic because the first case that I worked on coming out of law school and working at the fellowship was actually a case that we argued into the Supreme Court. Obviously, I did not stand in arguing this we're a junior attorney at that time but there was one section of the brief that I was responsible. I mean, it was unbelievable right, working on this section of the brief where, you know, our Supreme Court justices were going to read me. So it was kind of very cool.

Speaker 2 58:03

And then, of course, we got a chance to go into the gallery and watch the senior attorneys argue and I think from that experience I realized that you can do a great deal of work as an attorney, doing what we call impact litigation, this concept of large cases. And again, it's very strategic right, because you still have to have a client and you still have to work from the very, very beginning the trial court and you bring the trial court to the appellate court from the appellate court. So you got to be strategic about, you know, do you want to file in the state court? Do you want to file it in the federal court. If you file it in the state court, can you begin to, you know, make some state law and then from the state law you want to then be able to get enough cases in the state law that it becomes a federal issue. Or do you want to file it through the federal courts and it move up towards the Supreme Court? And, of course, not every case gets to the Supreme Court. You have to be granted cert.

Speaker 2 58:59

So you know a part of that which just even that idea of what's the strategy. Is this a good client? Not that the client didn't experience some amount of whatever violation of his constitutional right, but is it enough that it would be good enough for you to be able to bring it to the top? Because the goal here was we were not only about individual rights, we're talking about the rights for all, changing the landscape of what we thought was a better way of doing things. And so it was really interesting, like when people do intake. So as a part of being a junior attorney, I'd have to do intake and we would go through and read these cases and like, but this is a really good case. This client, you know, you know, go to my senior attorney was like okay, carrie Ann, let's talk about this. You know, is this a strategic way for us to get to the issue at hand? And so you have to always be thinking what's the issue at hand? And this is a really good way to think about when you're doing strategy in your business or in your life.

Speaker 2 59:58

There's an issue at hand that you have to be focused on and there will be distracted. There are many distractions around it. You might say, well, I'm going to go over here and do this and over here and do that. You have to always ask yourself what is the issue at hand? What is the purpose of my existence? Why does this business exist? What is the organization trying to do? And are these other things, while they are laudable and good and holy, are they a distraction or are they driving you towards the issue at hand? And I think that's where a lot of people get distracted. It's this concept of, oh, but this is good, yes, but it's not going to get you to it. And I had a whole conversation with someone last week and I was just like it was really interesting conversation because they were like but no, I want to get there and I feel like I need to get here and here but that's not going to get you here.

Speaker 2 1:00:55

So, anyway, so that was really my first real job into law and then I realized there are many other ways that I can be able to address issues, not just as an impact litigator but also as a lobbyist. And people probably say, oh, lobbying is sort of the bad word, you know, kind of gives you. You kind of imagine these kind of backroom deals with whiskey and, you know, cigar, smoke and that kind of thing. It's really more, you know, are you advocating for a policy and being able to educate the legislators around the issues? And I felt during that time, you know, it was really important for me. So I got a chance to get a position where I was a staff attorney for a national organization but also heading up the lobbying arm of that particular issue. It was primarily around consumer rights and fear trade and such, but that was really really cool because I was able to emerge both my litigation part of my experience along with the lobbying part.

Speaker 2 1:02:01

Because I felt that you know, and I guess that's the part of me that's important, like I feel that, if you can think about, just because you know, there's that statement, catherine, that says if you have a hammer, everything's a nail. You've heard that state. So it's like if you you know I'm an attorney to everything it needs to be a case Well, actually, no, you know, I, at that stage of my career, I realized, just because I'm an attorney and I'm a constitutional lawyer, you know the idea of this. It's going to be about litigation. That's how we're going to change policy, this idea of no, there's also another way to do it. And so everything is not a nail just because you have a hammer. So it's good to have two hammers, or three or four or many different tools in your toolbox.

Speaker 2 1:02:42

Remember, the whole point is what's the issue at hand? What are you trying to get to? What's the purpose? What's your core strategic goal? If you can come up with really you know a couple of strong tech tactics and ways to go about doing it, then it's important to do that, to do so. So that's why I really enjoyed being a lobbyist, because it was like, okay, another tool to get to the issue at hand, and that was really fun and exciting as well. And yeah, there are a lot of, there are a lot of stories. You begin to kind of realize that. You know, democracy is one of those things that it's very fragile and we have to all those of us that believe in democracy in its purest sense, need to be very we have to look, we can't ignore, we have to pay attention. It's like a child, you know. If you just, you know, you look away once. The next thing your child is, like, you know, eating glue, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 1:03:46

And so you kind of need to be focused very much on it. And I think those days were times when I, you know so I had this very idealized idea. Of course, we're young, you really want to be idealized. You know to idealize things and I was very idealistic at that time. I had an idealized view of democracy and what it looks like. And then, when you are in it, the challenges, you don't want to swing an ice swung. I swung from idealism because idealism isn't actually helpful, to be honest. I think it's good for different stages of life.

Speaker 2 1:04:18

But I did swing into, you know, into kind of this cynicism, because when you begin to see it for what it is, you're like even your heroes and heroes you're like, well, goodness gracious, look at you, you're a hot mess, aren't you? So I just I did swing a bit to cynicism and then I came back around to pragmatism and I think that's what serves my clients even now, because I'm just like, look, I believe in, in, in what you're doing, your business, your organization and the big idea that you have. Because I don't take clients and I don't believe in what they're doing. I can't be one of those people. I don't have the capacity to do that sort of this cognitive dissonance thing. However, if I, if I believe in something I'm like, I believe in that, I'm with you, I agree. And what's the issue at hand? How do you get there? How do you be strategic? And how do you recognize that not everyone feels the same way you do? And if you can bring people along and, you know, be a leader enough that you can bring people who are excited about something that you can do, excited about something bigger than themselves and what it is that you're trying to do, you can make things happen. But you just saying you're going to do a thing and not being, I guess you know.

Speaker 2 1:05:34

You know we talked to Catherine about the sort of core strategic goal thing and the annual goals and everybody likes that part. Yeah, people love that part. It's like, oh, I'm coming up with a thing. But then when we shift into okay, now, what are your quarterly goals, what are the monthly KPIs, what are the weekly KPIs, what are your daily metrics that are going to judge whether or not you're doing the thing? Oh, my goodness, you would think that you know hell and fire and roomstone have happened, because no one likes to go that granular, even those who are, you know, even the sort of engineer types you do have to get people like on a day to day basis, what are you doing every single day, you and your team? And how are you measuring those things every single day and making sure that you're optimizing every single day so that you can hit that big goal?

Speaker 2 1:06:33

Because strategic thinking is 67% of strategic plans everywhere, not just small and medium-sized companies, not just 67% fail because of the execution, lack of execution, poor execution. And how do you get to the execution? Part of things is by having very clear metrics, very clear KPIs, very clear what happens every single day to get you to that. And that's the part it's not boring, I mean that it's not exciting, it's not sexy, but that is where the magic in the mustard really is. And if you can feel good about the big picture and feel good about the day-to-day activities, you then have a strategy that's worth something. So I think that's one of the things that I began to kind of recognize is that sometimes you have a win and sometimes you don't have a win, but every single day, if we're doing the thing, then you have the big time when that legislation went into play and you're happy, or a new interpretation of a clause on the Constitution has now changed because you had 10 years worth of work to do it. But you can say that it's big and you're like, wow, that's fantastic. And that's where I do think, what Mary's strategy. But those days were great.

Speaker 2 1:08:12

And then, once I was doing that, one of my friends sent me a message. She worked with me she's also a director of a program in the same organization and she said Carrie Ann, did you know they're building a memorial to Martin Luther King on the National Mall? I'm like, no, did not. And she said, well, they are, and they're looking for someone to do corporate fundraising. And I was like, oh Lord, have mercy.

Speaker 2 1:08:40

It just so happened that I happened to have the skill sets. I was in the right place, right, because I developed those skill sets from when I was, you know, the other way. I had now developed a, I was now in Washington, I had developed a great deal of understanding of how the city works and how big ideas come to play on a national level. So I had the. I was, you know, still hopeful about good things, but I had kind of been seasoned. So it was a bit more pragmatic and I think that was probably the best place in my life to then kind of put my hat in the ring and they hired me to do primarily just corporate fundraising and then a year later, just so happened that the director of fundraising left and they asked me to take complete charge over it and that's when I was able to.

Understanding Strategic Thinking and Execution

Speaker 2 1:09:35

I think when we got there probably about 30 million we were at 30 million at the time and when I was finished with it we raised over 120 million. We needed about 120 to build it. Plus we had another 8 million we needed to raise for the, you know, opening of it, because obviously it's an international project, so their heads of state had put up a lot. So it was a kind of a thing. So, and you know, I always said, oh, I was going to do that and then head back to the law. Well, you know, again you go down one path and then another fork happens and then you know that's when I started. So that was my journey there, kind of a long-winded story, but there were some really amazing moments. But I think I definitely had a great deal of growth and seasoning around. What does it mean to be strategic?

Speaker 1 1:10:25

Absolutely. It sounds like you've. It sounds like you put yourself through a very intensive training around strategic thinking under all sorts of different situations of pressure and all sorts of different challenges, so I could imagine you being a fantastic strategic mentor for anyone. Really, I think you must be very, very good at what you do.

Speaker 2 1:10:55

You know baptism by fire there, catherine. Yeah, I'm like I kind of know what I'm talking about, not just because I have ethereal, because there are folks right, this idea of strategies up in the air and you know, people think strategy they think it's all this thing that's up there and only smart people do it. No, no, no, no, no, it is down the ground, it's. Everyone can do it. I think the real issue on the table is recognizing where to start, and we start about that. Do you have a desire? And then what is the thing? Be really, really clear about it. Then bringing yourself down, it's like a funnel. You want to go from the big picture all the way down to the everyday things that you are doing, measuring that out. There's a point in time when vision blends more into, because people almost say, oh well, there's strategy and there's execution. There are two different things. I don't believe that. I think it's just simply the funnel. Think of the funnel. At some point, the vision and more visionary things blend into the action, and the bridge between the visionary and the action is and the execution is sort of like the concept of we call playbooks or action plans, and so you can. If you're.

Speaker 2 1:12:32

There's always, you know, people think sports and they think everyone is a playbook. If you're watching a sports, you're like wonder what the coach's playbook is. On this, you've got to hear the commentators say that we all have a playbook, whether it's in our heads or written it down. It's the, it's the, it's the everyday things that we do. That will get us to the thing. So it's really really clear to figure out what is the thing that you know, like, what are the, what are the actual behaviors that you do, and then the how you do, the behaviors that make you get you there. You know what I'm saying. And then if you can kind of figure out, okay, then that's your playbook the how, what does it take and how do you do it, and then how do you measure it. And that way you can teach that to, so that if it's about your life, you're like okay, this is how I get from being having a life changing spiritual experience to from from from being focused on ego to focused on on impact. Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:13:38

How do you get there? So it's so. It's not just in business, it's happens in life. It's just that we don't know we have a playbook and we start doing other things. But if you know, you have a playbook, articulating the playbook, so you can teach the playbook to other people, whether it's your kids.

Speaker 1 1:13:54

Yeah, so, for example, if you want to be fit and healthy, you sign up for a yoga class that happens every Wednesday morning. Yes, that automatically is a piece of strategic activity.

Speaker 2 1:14:04

Yeah, yes, and Catherine, you know what else is a part of that playbook. So you go into the yoga class every Wednesday morning, you're also putting your mat by the door, you're putting your your tennis shoes by the door, or you're picking at your clothing the next, like the night before, or you fill your water bottle already and it's in your bag, or right. It's all of those things that are boring and the steps we don't always think about. You know, when I used to, when I used to run marathons, I would even try to have my sneakers tied a certain way, so, like at four am, I would run at four am, just like, just put my shoe, put my foot in. Yeah, right.

Speaker 2 1:14:52

Or I would have. At that time I used to drink weak, weak grass and I remember that used to be a thing at one point. So I literally put the little weak grass things in the glass so they would melt, so that when I would wake up I just grab the glass, do a swig, put the shoes on, head out the door. That's the playbook. It's not just I'm going to yoga every Wednesday, it's what. All of the steps that require you. And then, if you know you've got to, you know, say, you have a couple of yoga pants and a couple of yoga tops that you wear. So you've got five of those. You know you got to wash them, yeah, yeah, because they, they, they get sweaty. And so if you know you don't have time to wash them, then you outsource the washing part.

Speaker 2 1:15:31

Yeah, someone come and pick up that's a part of the playbook. Who washes the socks and the yoga pants and the tops? And then even to the point when how long does a yoga mat last? You know, okay, after a while it's not as squishy as it once was, so you got to buy it, I don't know. So you have to buy a new yoga mat once every two years. So you have that. That's a part of the playbook. Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:15:55

And all these.

Speaker 1 1:15:57

As the seasons change, what you're going to wear changes. Yes, you have to constantly. So that's the other thing in a good strategy, isn't it, that you have to be able to adapt to the changing seasons and other environmental aspects around it Exactly, exactly.

Speaker 2 1:16:13

And then what happens if your yoga student goes out of business? So maybe you want to have a couple of yoga studios, all you know, in your back pocket. So you know that and you can, maybe you would go to a couple of them to test it out. And maybe if depending upon if you're going to yoga on Wednesdays, but sometimes, like every couple of Wednesdays, you have to go pick up your daughter from ballet lessons. So then maybe you time it and say, oh, can I get to this yoga studio? Can I get to my yoga studio? Based on traffic and the fact that her class ends at five, can I get there?

Speaker 2 1:16:51

So you do a couple of different ways, you know, like, okay, well, what we're going to do is we'll, we'll, we'll, maybe we'll take the public transportation that day because it's easier for me to get. And then, if she's with me, do I drop her home first, be you know, with her dad, or am I going to go straight? And then there's like, is there childcare in that area that I could? So there's, all of these things are part of the playbook.

Speaker 1 1:17:13

Absolutely right, amazing. Well, I feel like I could just pick your brains for hours and that would be. That would be a bit cheeky. Just to kind of move into a slightly different part of the conversation, because obviously, with everything going on in the world at the moment, there are a lot of people in leadership positions and that includes people who are simply trying to be better leaders in their own lives, and obviously everyone's been listening to this and taking it all in and, you know, I hope some of the people listening will actually contact you, because I'm sure that some of these people could really benefit from your very, very expert and experienced help. But is there something?

Speaker 1 1:17:54

if you could say something now to people who are trying to be better leaders, trying to be more strategic is, and particularly those people who are thinking this sounds fantastic, but I don't even know how to even start, how to even get myself in the right mindset to even think about this. You know, what might you like to say to those people?

Speaker 2 1:18:19

Um. So we're not alone. You're, probably the majority of people one, because, no, no time in history has been Um, so we've been, we are, we are to the brink of, of busyness, and we are bombarded with information, way more information than than any other time in human history. Therefore, we feel the sense of overwhelm and guilt about not being better than we are or not having the time to do the thing um, or be a better leader, be more strategic. You're not alone. Most people are feeling that way.

Speaker 2 1:19:05

I often say that for you to start would be just to pause a bit. I know that it sounds more difficult than it than it than it. It sounds difficult because you're thinking, you're telling me, carrie Ann, that all this is busy, we're busier than we were before, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But now you want me to pause. The thing is, you can't really, you can't really get there without a pause and without some time of of of reflection, of what it is that you actually want.

Speaker 2 1:19:42

And the other thing, too, is around to pausing and reflecting on what are the, what is the most important things to you, the, what are the most important priorities to you? And it goes back to you. You may say I want to be a better leader or I want to be more strategic, but maybe that's what you think you should say. Maybe the reality is you know, I always think of leadership, catherine is three prongs leadership of oneself, leadership of one's team and leadership of one's organization or business or whatever entity. So you may be saying I want to be better leader of our organization. However, it could be that what you really desire and what's deep inside of you, and maybe what's the most tender, most young places of you, are saying I just need for you to lead me a bit more. Can you? If you're promising that we're going to go to yoga, can we actually do that please?

Speaker 2 1:20:43

You know, or if you want to be more strategic around your health. You know, you told me that you would. I'm saying me and your inner self. You told me that you were going to start drinking some water, but really, if it's true, you've been chugging a bunch of coffee and tea, so can we just get some water please? So just listening to yourself so that because if you're feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, oftentimes there are some fundamental things that support our well-being that we're skipping over. That's why I always like to say leadership of oneself, leadership of one's team, leadership of one's organization, so just being still and understanding what it is that you actually need to be leading. And then the more you build up the foundational things, the more you can come up with more bandwidth, because then you're not as tired, not as exhausted, you're hydrated, you're eating good greens and you're you know, you're moving your body, so then you can kind of have more energy, more life to give towards the idea of big ideas. You can't be talking about big ideas and big strategy when you're slipping through the door and like plopping on the sofa. You know microwaving dinner, you know for the family or for yourself, and there's a hierarchy of needs, and so I want to just say that. So there's a pausing a bit, stealing the brain, really understanding what you truly need, and then how do you lead?

Speaker 2 1:22:12

Also, around strategic leadership, particularly if you're leading your team or leading, a lot of folks often say, oh you know my team, I just can't get my team to do the thing, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I think oftentimes it means because you're not leading well, because you don't have a very clear vision for the team, you're not inspiring people to do things, and sometimes because you're not providing them with the tools they need to do the thing. So it's not when I say that strategy is not some up in the sky thing, it's really down on the ground. That's what I mean is sort of pausing and understanding what is really missing. And we often misdiagnose that quite a bit. And oftentimes when I'm called in and they're like oh, you know what we really think. You know, we have this big strategy, been trying to implement it for a number of years, we can't get it to work. And it's because we think that, you know, you know, I don't know whatever the thing is that they think it is.

Speaker 2 1:23:07

You know, I was talking to a client and they're like, we think they have this really fantastic restaurant and you know, they had this great patio and they weren't getting enough customers in and they thought it was because they didn't have a covering and a very expensive covering that was going to be able to, they were going to be able to purchase, to kind of cover the patio when it was very cold, when the winters were months, were there, or if it was raining, and I was like, okay, yes, let me tell you that would be great If you could have this wonderful thing. It would be fantastic. However, you also have an inside restaurant and it's still not full. You don't like. You still have tables that are empty. So maybe that's not the covering, that's the problem, okay, but they were going to invest all those thousands and thousands of dollars so that someone can read you know, custom fit, this covering and the thing and the thing and the thing. So you want to.

Speaker 2 1:23:59

There's lots of misdiagnosing, so I want to just say to you, leader out there, who's thinking you want to be more strategic, I get it, you're not alone, okay. So no shame, don't internalize any shame, that's not a thing. Just be still and it'll be still might be. Just, you know, block off a couple hours on your calendar for you know, the next, you know next week, thursday, where no one can put a meeting on your calendar and it's just you and you're able to kind of still your brain. Whatever still in your brain looks like Some of us still our minds by listening to some music, some people need to be out in nature, some people need to just breathe and people just need to have some sense. Whatever it is that you can do to still your mind and then start just jotting down brain dumping.

Speaker 2 1:24:48

What are the things that you really truly need to be able to do that? Maybe you have supported yourself enough, maybe your team is working well and maybe now it's really about strategic organization on building. And if that's the case, then you want to just first think about what is the core strategic goal, what do you want and how bad do you want it? And be honest with yourself. And if that is, if you have, if you think you're at a 10 for how badly do you want it and you have a very clear vision of what it is that you want, then start the process that Catherine and I talked about earlier.

Speaker 2 1:25:23

Or strategic goal meaning, with your business vision, what your values are, three years out. Once you get the first year, start creating objectives for the first year. Don't go more than four. Then those four, those four objectives coming out of the first year, you come up with tactics for that. Then you add measurements around it. What are your metrics, what are your KPIs, what are your quarterly, monthly goals? And then you go to your annual, your daily things, and just start from there.

Speaker 1 1:25:52

Beautiful. Wow, well, this has just been such an amazing conversation. Has there been a favourite part of our conversation today for you, carrie Ann?

Speaker 2 1:26:02

Wow, I think the concept of really the delegating part, the outsourcing, I felt like that was a good thing that we don't you know a lot of hosts don't like to we don't really talk about that much, right? This concept of what does it look like on a day to day? Because you know, it sort of feels like a thing that oh wait, that's not strategic. But I love that we dive a bit into that because it's a practical thing and it gives people permission to say, yeah, you can hire someone to do that.

Speaker 1 1:26:33

Yeah, absolutely yeah, and it can be a quick fix to a whole number of things, can't it? You just get someone to take over a whole section of what you're trying to deal with. Yeah, suddenly you can breathe.

Speaker 2 1:26:46

One of my mentors always says sometimes the question is not what, sometimes the question is not how, sometimes the answer is not what or how, sometimes the answer is who. Yeah. So you may be thinking you as a leader, how can I be more strategic? Maybe the question is who do I need to help to become more strategic? Yeah, and that could simply be hiring someone to take some loads off your plate so you can become a more strategic leader, or it might need someone to help you develop a strategic plan.

Speaker 1 1:27:17

Absolutely. I've had so many clients where they wanted to be more strategic and they've then put a lot of work into basically delegating as much of their job as possible, like you were saying and then suddenly they've got space and they've said to me but do I have all that space?

Speaker 1 1:27:32

What am I going to be doing? I'm still putting a salary. That's when you start looking at the future. That's when you look at the interface with the rest of the market. That's where you look at all those other things, because you can't look at at the moment and that you really want to look at. Oh my, God, that would be fantastic.

Speaker 2 1:27:48

Catherine that, right there, that's the nugget. That's the nugget, that is it. I think it's difficult for people because, particularly if people were brought up in the middle class, in the middle class, it's this concept of you have to earn your work. There's this work ethic concept that doesn't serve us in the capacity of making big things happen. You feel a bit of a way of you're like, well, work hard and do the thing, or whatever. It's a difficult concept to break away because it's a value-based belief. When we have value-based beliefs, that is connected to our identity, you're like, well, that's not how we do it and who's the we? Can we just identify what the we is? And then, who told you that's not how we do it? Whose voice is it? Are there people who are now dead and gone that told you that's not how we do it? They're not living in the current world, so maybe you can change that. This is how we do it. So this is how we do it now, but it's hard because of identity and tradition and class. That's a big part of it. We don't have time to go into that.

Speaker 2 1:29:15

However, I do think if you're having some resistance in delegating so that you can have capacity within your time, your calendar, to think strategically. It might be because of the beliefs that you were taught around. What does it mean to be? And I always say question those beliefs. Question those beliefs. And if people are like, well, if we question our beliefs and go against the things of tradition, then the whole world is going to go to pot. I would say this Thomas Jefferson used to say this one quote and I believe it In matters of style and trend, go with that.

Speaker 2 1:29:58

In matters of principle, stand like a rock, but there are some principled things that you don't want to leave behind the ideas of respecting people, being kind not nice, but kind Principled things. But if there's a movement towards a trend or a style, go with that. Now, obviously, the question is what's the difference between style and principle? That isn't that you have to work out on your own. However, just because we are saying that right now, this is how we do, it is no longer the way you were taught. This is how we do it and that's not how we can do it now. So you can disobey your ancestors beliefs around that and own your beliefs today At the same time, you might feel well, you might think that that is actually a principle but it's not.

Speaker 2 1:31:04

So we are unable to understand what's considered a principle, an enduring value, versus that's how they did it then, because that's all they had to do it. So I think a part of that is that part making sure that if you're having resistance in clearing your calendar and your capacity, your mental and emotional capacity to be able to think strategically because then you're not working in the business, you're not doing the actual thing, you're up on the mountain top a bit looking down then that is really, if you're having some resistance with that concept, then it might be because you were taught that you carry the load and you work hard and that's what you're supposed to do and that, I'm saying, is no longer necessary and you can question that belief.

Speaker 1 1:32:01

Yeah, beautiful Amen to that, I agree Fantastic. Thank you so much, carrie Ann. You really do have an enormous amount of wisdom and experience, and so if people want to find you, where would you like them to go?

Speaker 2 1:32:17

Well, I always say I'm a human being and I love meeting people, so I hang out on LinkedIn. If you're on LinkedIn, send me a message so you have a part of Catherine's crew. I heard you. I want to connect and let's just say hi and let's chat. I really do love that. Just don't just don't follow me and be like lurking in the background. Let's connect, let's be real.

Speaker 2 1:32:43

If you feel that you, if you're running a business, and you're feeling as if some of the things we talked about are resonating and you're feeling like, oh wait, there are some me. Not being strategic in the business is causing me to have some chaos, I have a really great tool for you. It's a book that I wrote, took a download of my brain a bit. It's a very short read. It's called A True Culbrits Causing Chaos in your Business, and in that I talk a great deal about strategy. You can download that as my gift to you and you can find that on knowbusinesschaoscom. And if you just want to find out more about my business and what we do, you can hit me at TrafalgarStrategiesco, but find me on LinkedIn, say hello. I'm on Instagram too, but I spend more time on LinkedIn. Beautiful, excellent.

Speaker 1 1:33:30

So it sounds like you're actually using LinkedIn like what it's supposed to be used for, unlike most of us, so good for you. Well, I will put those links in the show notes so that people can actually find those really, really easily. Yes, thank you, karyanna, it's been so fascinating. Thank you, and I picked up all sorts of hints that I'm going to go off and use myself.

Speaker 2 1:33:50

And that makes me happy, fantastic.

Speaker 1 1:33:53

Thank you so much and have yourself a beautiful, beautiful day. You did the same. Thank you for listening to Truth and Transcendence and thank you for supporting the show by rating, reviewing, subscribing, buying me a coffee and telling a friend. If you'd like to know more about my work, you can find out about mentoring, workshops and energy treatments on beingspaceworld. Have a wonderful week and I'll see you next time.