Welcome to the latest Coaches Corner, where we feature questions and answers discussed during our “Meet the Career Coaches” panels at Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) events. In today’s installment, our coaches answer a question asked during our WIRLC: On the Road | San Francisco event, which took place on Nov. 7, 2019. The question, which came from an audience member, was, “How do we get more curious about ourselves?”

The coaches on the panel included:

The Meet the Career Coaches panel was moderated by Lizzie Alberga, founder and CEO of Collective Gain, an empowerment platform that connects people searching for life fulfillment with coaches who can help them.

Our coaches’ answers to the question are as follows:

Alyssa Rogers: “I’m a huge fan of journaling. I used to have a massive block around journaling. I thought it was a waste of time. I thought it was boring. But the more that you allow yourself to free write, the more you see about yourself. It unlocks so much. I would just challenge anyone who has previously had an opinion about journaling that’s not positive to give it a shot and to have no expectations. Just allow yourself to write, and you’ll see all kinds of things that show up in that space that you would not have previously seen.”

Brenda van Camp: “There are two things you can start doing. First of all, in leadership, perception is reality. You need to start knowing how people are seeing you. You might be thinking you’re showing up a certain way, but someone else may see it — and interpret it — completely differently. So, get curious about how people are seeing you and hearing you. And that’s all about asking questions. For example, after you have a meeting, ask ‘How did I do?’

“The second thing is to keep a list of when you show up as a bad leader. We all show up every day with the intention to be a good leader, but every now and then we all crack under the pressure of what it means every day to manage and lead. In those moments we do little things — and we think they’re little — but the annoying thing is when somebody else sees them it basically makes people disbelieve you. You’re basically undermining everything you just said by how you show up. So being a good leader isn’t just about doing the things right when they’re big; it’s about the small things, too. Look at how you’re showing up in matters big and small every day.”

Christina McFadden: “For me, I encourage anyone to just place their hand on their heart, take a breath and know that there’s a voice in there that’s always talking to them. And when it talks to you it says things that are really simple and clear. And we very often aren’t listening. I just invite you to start listening, once in a while or once a week. What does your heart really want?”

To hear more from our career coaches, WIRLC members can click here to watch the full panel from the On the Road | San Francisco event.

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