by Caroline Leach | Sep 4, 2023 | Careers, Leadership
What are you celebrating this Labor Day?
Maybe it’s the end of a memorable, or not-so-memorable, summer. Perhaps it’s a peek into a vibrant autumn. My wish for you is exactly what you want.
For me, today marks 5 years of my business, The Carrelle Company.
The name and the business were born on Labor Day 2018. Here’s the origin story: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-name-carrelle-company-born-labor-day-caroline-leach/?trackingId=%2FYVREys1T0irvUPtHkln%2BA%3D%3D
It’s a labor of love, evolving from 3 decades in the Fortune 100. I held corporate leadership roles in communications and marketing.
It’s an ideal foundation to become an executive coach, a communications and personal branding consultant, a keynote speaker, and a university professor.
Here’s what I’ve learned, for corporate careers AND entrepreneurial ventures.
⭐ HAVE A PLAN, AND STAY FLEXIBLE
A viable business or career needs a good plan. Who are you going to serve? How will you meet their needs? How will they know about you? Why will they want to work with you?
And a plan only goes so far. Along the way, there’s feedback about what’s working. For me, executive coaching came later. My calendar showed people wanted to talk about leadership. Being flexible fueled the addition of coaching.
⭐ VIBRANT RELATIONSHIPS ARE EVERYTHING
What we want professionally usually involves getting it from another person. The strength of a network is what helps a business or a career grow and thrive over time.
In my case, some exceptional early introductions led to the establishment of key clients who continue to this day. Nurturing relationships and delivering great work are imperative. So is paying it forward to open doors for others.
⭐ DON’T FALL FOR THE “SUCCESS PORN”
Overnight success doesn’t exist, despite what our social media feeds say. “The slog” isn’t talked about much. That’s the day-to-day action toward a business or career vision. The outreach. The conversations. The proposals. And sometimes the rejection. The silence.
What really matters? Working on a business every weekday, in harmony with an overall life. Identifying opportunities, persisting through obstacles, and building on bright spots. If a door is closed, it’s possible to open a window.
What would YOU add to these lessons?
P.S. In July and August I posted to LinkedIn every day as a content creation experiment. It’s been fun and rewarding, reconnecting with many of you in the process. Going forward, I’ll post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
by Caroline Leach | Jul 30, 2023 | Leadership, Work/Life
As a leader, how do you savor your Sunday?
What are the ways you can be completely in the moment? And why is this important for how you live your life and lead in the coming week?
Savoring is a concept I learned about in the most popular course at Yale University. It’s about happiness, and it’s called “The Science of Well-Being.” Taught by psychologist Dr. Laurie Santos, the free course is available on Coursera.
When you savor something, you are in the moment, fully enjoying the experience.
You are not thinking about last week’s problems, or the coming week’s stuffed calendar, or all the tasks on your to-do list.
Instead, you are fully present. You are stepping outside an experience to fully appreciate it. You are noticing the sights, sounds, and smells of your surroundings. You are completely enjoying what you are doing or how you are simply being.
We live in a world that values doing, doing, doing. All the time.
How about simply BEING for a few minutes or hours? Not DOING anything.
How could simply “being” help you savor today? How could it help you find pleasure in the moment?
And when you return to a “doing” state, here are the savoring tips I learned:
1. Sharing the experience with another person
2. Thinking about how lucky you are to enjoy such an amazing moment
3. Keeping a souvenir or a photo of that activity
4. Making sure you stay in the present moment the entire time
5. Journaling about the experience and your reflections on it
When you feel fulfilled and savor Sunday as time off, a few things happen.
First, you truly enjoy life as it unfolds, which is the best gift of all. Life is a series of moments, and you’re there for all of them.
Second, you start your work week in a calmer and more grounded place, ready to lead people in a more inspirational way.
What experience will YOU savor today?
by Caroline Leach | Jul 21, 2023 | Careers, Leadership, Work/Life
How do you use a time windfall? ⌚
Today my client appointments all rescheduled for future dates. I find myself with a day free of calendar commitments. There’s a lot on my to-do list.
What’s the best use of the time?
The temptation is to focus on what I call “administrivia.” These are tasks that sorta, kinda, haveta (?) get done. Respond to routine emails, reconcile QuickBooks, enter coaching hours into the log, and so on.
It feels good to check them off the list. Like I’m making progress.
Yes, they may need to get done. But they are not the tasks that are going to move me forward in a big way.
What are better uses of time?
👉 Thinking about business strategy
👉 Connecting with people in a meaningful way
👉 Choosing one of the most important tasks to complete
How do you know if a task is important?
Ask: what’s the ONE thing, if you focused on it today, that would make the biggest difference in your career or business?
Not something that’s urgent or that represents other people’s priorities.
What’s YOUR priority?
Singular, as in ONE priority.
(Fun fact: the word “priority” began only in the singular form. Meaning that only one priority could exist at a time. Not the multiple priorities we now attempt to juggle daily and hourly. As if we ever could.)
My priority for today is creating a new program for our most loyal guests at our family restaurant Pacific Standard Prime. This is a team-focused effort, involving collaboration and iteration. The administrivia will wait until that’s done.
What’s YOUR priority today?
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