3 Questions with...

3 Question with Kate Visconti

My friend and former colleague Kate Visconti is an extremely talented and insightful leader. She is the found and CEO of Five to Flow, a global consulting agency pioneering holistic business growth strategies. Kate's journey has wound from education to technical consulting to leading a dynamic organization that specializes in diving deep to drive change from the ground up, utilizing an unconventional approach that generates organizational wellness and sustainable growth by optimizing employee and customer experiences.

Where did you start your career and in what role were you?

Other than babysitting, dog-sitting, and the teenage grind at McDonalds and other restaurants, I started my career as a High School English Teacher in rural Ohio. I taught Freshman (year 9) and Juniors (year 11) - predominantly reading skills and reading comprehension, a deep dive into American and English Literature, general and advanced grammar, vocabulary building, critical thinking, writing/composition skills, communications/public speaking, resume writing, etc. What drew me to this career was my recognition of the importance of education and its influence on childhood development, confidence, and the ability to transcend one's current situation socio-economically. I grew up quite poor in rural America and wanted to dedicate my career to giving back to the community where I grew up, offering a larger view of the world after having returned from University back to my hometown.?

How have mentors and colleagues impacted your personal and professional development?

Mentors and colleagues have been critical in my career development. By surrounding myself with successful people who are much smarter than I am, I was able to stay in a continuous state of learning - not only intellectually, but spiritually and emotionally. By staying curious and attempting to see new viewpoints other than those I grew up with, I have been able to adopt a greater view beyond what I thought possible. I have had several mentors who influenced me and impacted my mindset. The most impactful was a lesson from Tim Kight who taught the lesson that we tend to view the world from a very tiny focus frame that omits much of the true reality. He also taught me the concept of E+R=O (the event plus my response is what equals the outcome).

Since then, I have been very influenced by the Stoics - realizing what we control in life is our response and that is what drives the outcome. Other mentors have guided me to be grateful for what has happened for me, versus a victim mentality of what has happened to me, relating to situations of trauma, lack, etc. I am proud of who I have become and how I leverage my positive and negative experiences in life to help others overcome adversity.

When you look back at where you were and where you are now, what are the things you point others toward in terms of personal and professional development??

When I look back at my life from childhood to today, I am most grateful for the opportunities put before me for personal and professional development to which I almost always said, "Yes." Oftentimes, we have the chance to do things that are good for us and for whatever reason, be it fear, uncertainty, self-doubt, laziness, low self-worth, etc. we say, "No." I used to be terrible at accepting help, free education, learning opportunities, etc. until I learned that others offering development opportunities get a lot out of it as well. I then realized how much more deeply I learn when I teach someone else what I have just learned, carrying on the cycle of growth.

So, said a bit more succinctly, always take the opportunity to learn - even if it's difficult, beyond your skills in the moment, scary, or seemingly irrelevant. Development opportunities fall in our laps when we need them and we need to be able to receive this gift without guilt, shame, fear, or worrying about being bad at something. It's amazing to see how things come together and add up even when they seem unrelated or something we won't use or need in the future. Keeping our brains sharp is the key!

Special follow up question: Any guidance you'd give your younger self?

The guidance I would give my younger self for more growth would be to see more things through to the end. I am an Enneagram 7 and have the propensity to start a lot but finish little - such as books, courses, programs, etc. Those that I did finish had a huge impact on my development. Obviously, saying yes to everything isn't possible, but I think a few things I missed out on when I was younger may have enhanced the path I have been on for the better - maybe getting to where I am a little faster and more confidently.?