STEP UP COACHING
Rachel Adams
- Stop following, start leading
- Increase your presence in meetings
- Express your point of view
- Increase your self-belief
Lack the Confidence to Lead?
Do you lack confidence in your own ideas? Do you resist showing initiative in case it's wrong or criticised? Is it just easier to let others lead?
Especially when in the presence of people who seem to have more experience than us it's easy just to let them run with things
But unfortunately, that's not helpful for anyone.
Especially as women, many of us are happy to defer to others who may have more knowledge but that limits our progress.
What can we do to change that?
We don't want to make a fool of ourselves!
Struggling to Get Your Ideas Across?
Developing strategic ideas and expressing them to clients is a mark of a senior practitioner who deserves to be taken seriously .
When we fail to get our ideas across we can feel demoralised and it can reduce our confidence.
Others can't see the difference we can make and so don't take us as seriously as we deserve.
As senior professionals we have evidence-based ideas and opinions which we need to get actioned for us to make the difference we're here to make.
However, just because we're senior doesn't mean others will take our ideas and run with them or even build on them.
Not Enough Presence in Client Meetings?
Are you fine with presenting but struggle to hold your own in meetings after that? Do clients look to you for ideas and solutions when you meet? Can you command attention and display gravitas in a room - when not presenting?
Clients will only have as much confidence in you as you appear to have.
Having influence and visibility in the room is even more difficult when we are together in person less often.
The problem is we don't project the right presence and we don't come prepared for the environment.
We need to develop the type of presence that others will give space for and listen to.
Women Sell Themselves Short
Research shows that while women are as capable as men, they can often be less confident at work. For example, while men will apply for jobs when they don't meet all the criteria, women will wait till they meet all the criteria and feel they probably do so more than others before applying.
Women leaders also have a tendency to want to be liked which can mean they hold back from putting themselves forward or rocking the boat.
And the pandemic and working remotely has had a negative impact on women getting their views heard and even getting promoted.
How Much Influence You Have = How Effective You Are
Where do you sit on the Influence Ladder?
All levels have valid contributions to make. But even if the information provided is critical, and you work long and hard, it's not going to make a big difference unless YOU are influential.
Perhaps you are at LEVEL 1: Technician. Your technical skills are exemplary but this is a passive role and only plays a part when others think to bring you in.
Perhaps you are at LEVEL 2: Expert. Here the quality of what you're providing is higher but your role is the same.
At LEVEL 3: Advisor you are invited for your opinion and ideas, but you're still working to the agenda of others rather than your own. You're facing inwards towards your team instead of outwards and upwards to the bigger arena .
At LEVEL 4: Leader you're able to play a full role in the business and are positioned as someone who has more than technical skills to offer. Your vision, relationships and skill at communicating ensure the business wants you to play a greater role.
So where are you now and how does it feel to be there? What are your frustrations?
How would it be to be at LEVEL 4? What could you get done and how would it feel?
Take a look at this Venn diagram. This is how you're going to get there.
POSITIONING
Identifying our purpose and hence our positioning and identity is central to how we behave and how others see and respond to us.
For example, we need to position ourselves 'business leaders' rather than solely 'functional leaders' and we want to be seen as successful.
When our purpose and identity align with our destination, our outcomes change.
VISION
Research leaders need to not only be able to see the results but have a vision for solutions and opportunities, in which they can engage others.
This involves taking a leap forward in our thinking using not just a research but a marketing/commercial lens.
Having and successfully inspiring the audience with your vision is a mark of a research leader.
COMMUNICATION
It's what you say and how you say it that matters. This will vary according to context and who you're communicating with.
It includes meeting behaviour and communicating with different audiences, adapting pace, style, content and body-language.
Developing a voice of authority is something women need to stop resisting.
RELATIONSHIPS
Research shows women tend to build relationships with people below them - facing inwards towards their team.
Men network outward and upward and it serves them well.
We need to have strong relationships with key individuals who can help get initiatives actioned.
Our influence is only ever as strong as our relationships - our technical work is not enough, no matter how good it is.
BIANCA DOYLE
GILBERT & TOBIN
I chose the program because I felt I needed to challenge my current working style and thoughts.
I struggled with self-belief and with the way I was perceiving situations that was not helpful.
At first, I felt nervous and confronted – especially coming to terms with being a people-pleaser and putting my worth in other people's hands. But now I feel confident in the change in direction of my thoughts and behaviours.
My constant need to people please has changed immensely.
I was on Level 2 of the Influence ladder, now I am at the top on Level 4. A lot has changed.
I love DISC and understanding how to communicate with the different behaviour styles.
I also liked talking with Sara about real-life scenarios at work and how to approach them differently and that usually involved challenging my perception of the situation.
I really embraced and enjoyed the program.
To anyone else considering doing this program I'd say absolutely do it if you want to expand yourself and become more self-aware.
It would be great for anyone who wants to be more valuable and have a voice at the table.
Don't Let Low Influence Levels Hold You Back!
Book Your Spot
This Coaching is Right for you if ....
- Lead or need to lead significant projects for the company
- You know you could make more of a difference you had more confidence.
- You get talked over in meetings
- You've tried presentation skills training but it's not changed your influence overall
- You're not always invited to the meetings you need to be in to lead
- You have expert opinions you wish would have more of an impact on decision-making with the client
This Coaching is not Right for You if ...
- You don't want to cultivate ideas or opinions to share
- You are not prepared to change some of your behaviours and try something new
- You want others to change but are not prepared to change yourself
- You want to stay in your current position
- You're not prepared to be honest about what scares you
- You are not prepared to engage with others
- You are already leading the decision-making on major issues in your organisation
What You'll Walk Away with
(6 month program)
- A refined definition of your identity and role in the organisation and amongst your peers putting leadership front and centre
- A way of operating that communicates your vital role in the business and to your clients
- An ability to create a persuasive vision beyond recommendations which others can engage with
- Tips and tricks for increasing your presence in meetings and your gravitas overall
- A rehearsed framework for identifying a way to communicate effectively with everyone
- Techniques for managing imposter syndrome
- Energy and vocabulary which enable you to engage others
- A way to increase trust and rapport with others so you can build powerful relationships
- Improved collaboration skills
REBECCA HARRISON
FOUNDER: MOSAIK CONSULTING
"I could not recommend Sara’s coaching highly enough."
It has helped me enormously both to grow as a person, as well as build the necessary resilience and positivity for my new venture, with lots of great frameworks and tips and tricks to fall back on should I waiver!
It's a brilliant mix of carefully curated and thought-provoking sessions, combined with personal check-ins and the flexibility to ensure it is very much tailored to your individual needs and where you want to get to.
There is discipline to ensure you are always building on your learning and can constantly envision and monitor your end goal.
Yet, there is also the ability to spark off Sara’s own diverse career and life experiences.
And it is huge fun too, as Sara makes it all the more enriching with her fantastic sense of humour and making it feel ‘real’ and applicable rather than theoretical and pie in the sky!
Don’t miss out, there are golden nuggets to draw on for a lifetime. Thank you Sara!
MARGO CASHMAN
CEO: BREAD & BUTTER
Let me tell you, I did.
Sara Garcia
Sara is a leadership coach and speaker specialising in empowering women leaders and increasing their influence in organisations.
She works one-to-one with leaders to increase influence, help them be more effective in their organisations and get the roles they want. She also works with teams to increase their impact on the business.
She lives to help others discover the fold-out page of their lives in which they discover how much more they have to offer and enjoy, and what they can achieve when they increase their courage and remove their blinkers.
Sara has a background in psychology, a government accreditation for management in the UK, she's built businesses in London and Sydney, influenced global brand strategy for companies including Coca-Cola and Nike and performed on the London stage.
She loves labradors and hates tinned tuna.
