Smalley Consulting

The people on our teams carry many strengths. According to my friend Joanna Wiesinger, Ph.D., a strength is something someone can do with ease, excellence, and enjoyment. When we find ways to create roles or opportunities that highlight the strengths of our people, they find a great deal more satisfaction in their work, and the result is a better work product and morale for the organization. It's a win-win! Think about your team. Is there someone who has a strength that isn't being put to use? Not only is your organization missing out on all they bring to the table, but it's possible that team member is feeling the draining effects of not operating in their giftedness. Now the real question: if you have unlocked potential on your team, what will you do about it?

For the last two years, we have been the sponsors for the Emerging Leaders of the Metroport Chamber (ELM), and it has been a richer blessing than expected. Not only have we learned something at every single meeting, but we have met some really great people along the way. In fact, ELM has become our favorite Metroport networking opportunity because of intimate group size. This quarter's speaker, Tonya Spence Telesco, was such a treat! Her presentation inspired a room full of people to live lives of purpose and passion, and that is a message that Smalley Consulting can get behind! Thank you Metroport Chamber for creating these opportunities for networking coupled with personal and professional growth and thank you for letting SC be part of it!

I think I speak for all of the employees at Smalley Consulting (it's just me. I'm the only one.) that we have the best boss around ?? She leads by example, she practices what she preaches, she pushes me to be the best creative I can be and believes in me when I don't believe in myself! If you've ever sat through a Smalley Consulting presentation on any topic, know that you're not just getting lip service. What you see is what she is living out. She will be the first to tell you that everything that makes Smalley Consulting successful comes from God. And I agree. But it's an honor to get to be behind the scenes and watch her use her gift to transform individuals and teams in real time. I learn something new every time I hear a presentation, and every time she challenges me past my comfort zone. I'm proud to be one half of Smalley Consulting, and I'm thankful to have the best boss (and mom) to work alongside. Happy boss appreciation day! -KDS

?? New content alert! ?? Does your organization need a lesson on loosening up? Laughter has incredible benefits to our workplaces. Implementing humor in our leadership can transform the way your team functions... in the best way!

Our small town has a really cool event coming up on October 20! Seven different churches of all different denominations are coming together to host a community-wide worship service in the hopes of seeing revival in our own hearts and congregations and in the lives of those with whom we share this town. I was asked to coordinate the event and its volunteers, and I am thrilled to get to do it! We have around 75 volunteers from seven different churches. There are tons of moving parts, many things to remember, and a variety of personalities to navigate; however, I'm seeing the concept of unity play out in a very special way. When all the pastors of all the churches are unified around a common goal and are intentional to treat each other with genuine care, it is incredible what can be accomplished in a short period of time! If even one of them were to show with an ego or alternative agenda, it would be incredibly difficult to stay the course with an unhindered focus. If you want to see the product of a united team, join us at the Hub on Halsell in Bridgeport on October 20 at 10:00 am. In the meantime, I'll keep looking like this until October 20 gets here, but every moment of it will be worth it when revival comes!

I had this realization the other day. Smalley Consulting is a family business. Every member of our family plays an integral role in the way we are able to serve and minister to others through the work we do. Without all five of us, this thing doesn’t work right. Just like the human body, all of the parts make the whole what it is. Some of the parts are always activated, and some of the parts are only activated as needed, but when they are needed, they are REALLY necessary. My part is the most obvious. I build and deliver content for clients to help them strengthen unity on their teams, and I look for opportunities to mentor, encourage, and strengthen people wherever they need it. Karleigh is here full-time, and her part is the second-most obvious. She makes sure that the business is visible and accessible, increasing opportunities for service and ministry. She also manages a lot of daily tasks so that I can focus on the primary objectives of the business. Dustin’s part is supportive in nature. He is the business brain of the family, so he guides me, answers questions, and celebrates victories with me. The rest of his role is one that he created for himself long before Smalley Consulting existed. He ministers to and serves me well so that I have gas left in the tank to serve others well. Aubrey’s part is on an as needed basis, but when it is needed, it is crucial. She is gifted with children. Every once in a while, a ministry opportunity comes up where childcare is needed. Maybe a mom needs encouragement or we need help with an event and have friends who are willing to help if someone can keep their kids. Aubrey makes it happen, and in such a way that both mama and kids are blessed! Linzi’s part is a special one and a part of the business that I look forward to seeing grow as she ages. She is naturally gifted at connecting with people and making them feel special. When we are hosting an event, I can count on her to jump in the fray and make people feel welcome while the introverted parts of the family are content to do their behind-the-scenes jobs. Do you have a similar thing working on your team or in your business? The smoothest running teams usually do. I’d love to hear what your people bring to the table.

Years ago, when I started Smalley Consulting, I got a couple of pieces of advice about how to handle my business that contains both ministry-centered speaking and corporate training. One person who had been in my industry for a long time quickly advised me to take all faith-related content off of my website, because corporate America would never want to work with me if I had an open-handed display of Jesus in my marketing. I immediately rejected that advice, but honestly, I wondered if she was right and what impact that would have on my success. Another piece of advice was much more palatable and understandable to me. It was suggested that I be sure to keep the two very separate on my website so that prospective clients could see that I am able to speak in a business without pushing my faith on people. I can understand from an HR standpoint why a business would not want to bring me in and start a wildfire with those who take exception to Jesus, so that's basically how I've I operated since 2022. But this year, I had a new revelation. If a potential client doesn't want to hire me because of my relationship with Jesus, they were probably not going to be pleased with my work anyway, since I am not able to separate my relationship with Him from any part of my life. My faith in Him is so embedded in what I do and who I am, it radiates out of me whether I say His name or not. To not be forthright with that information began to feel inauthentic and nearly like false advertising. When I came to that realization, I found freedom in just being who I am in this business. No one is for everyone, me included. I'm good with that, because for those clients with whom there is an alignment of values, the relationship we share is mutually beneficial and incredibly rich.?

Today was a really cool milestone day for Smalley Consulting...I got to conduct a webinar for Aetna's Regional Women's Council. Aetna International. The insurance company. One of the four largest insurance companies in the US. Aetna. Maybe you've heard of them. Are you kidding me??? A couple of months ago, I got a call saying that I'd been referred by one of their partners who had heard me facilitate a training. What??? I was in shock. Here is really the cool part. I can trace that referral back to my very first business-centered speaking engagement. Ready to go on a trip down memory lane? ??Aetna heard about me from HUB International Dallas. ??The person at HUB Dallas saw me speak at either a HUB Fort Worth event or at the HUB Texas leadership cohort. (That detail is fuzzy, but either way, the HUB Texas thing happened because of HUB Fort Worth.) ??HUB Fort Worth learned about SC because one of their employees heard me speak at a Fort Worth Junior League leadership training. ??The Junior League of Fort Worth, Inc. had me speak because one of their presidents heard my first ever unity presentation at the Metroport Chamber of Commerce Women in Business conference. That's only five referrals between a small-town girl and one of the largest insurance organizations in the world! I'm amazed at that. I could pen a post about how you should work hard so that these incredible things happen or about building relationships because knowing people is how you get ahead. There would be validity to both the hard work and relationship posts. But the foundational truth underlying both of those is this: Every success I have and everything I get to do is because the Lord is making my path straight as I trust in Him! To Him be the glory!

Today concluded the process of helping HUB Fort Worth identify the reason why they exist, their core values, and their strategy for excellence. I consider my expertise to be more relational health than organizational health, but when a client you dearly love asks you to facilitate something a little outside of your comfort zone, you happily do so, finding the resources to make it valuable to them. The process ended up being exactly what they needed! We didn’t fabricate anything new, but we found language to articulate what is already happening in such a wonderful way in their office. It was a meaningful day of work, full of laughter, accountability, and transparency. Every time I do a session like this one with a small team, I realize that I love consulting work just as much as keynote speaking, just in a very different way

Last night was homecoming night in Bridgeport! My middle schoolers were thrilled. The 8th grader had a date for the first time, and there was all the anticipation of mums, garters, pictures, and maybe even holding hands. The 6th grader was stoked about her first ever school dance. There has been so much planning and prep. Picking out dresses. Coordinating shoes. Our house was the hub for a gaggle of middle school girls who curled their hair, glossed their lips, and checked the mirror twice to make sure everything was just right. Right before kickoff, the stadium was filled with anticipation about the game, the homecoming court, and the dance. Graduates of all ages showed up with the anticipation of seeing old friends, old flames, and reminiscing of old times. There really is nothing quite like going home. Today, that got me to thinking about Heaven, and the anticipation I have of going to my permanent home and being reunited with friends and family, especially my dad. It made me think about being in person with Jesus and so many people from the Bible that I feel like I know already. Man...it makes me want to curl my hair, put on some lip gloss, and make sure everything is just right. It makes my heart beat fast and my eyes fill with tears. No, there really isn't anything in this world like going home!