ELEVATE - It's time to rise and shine

It’s been a fascinating week packed with great reminders and mic drop moments, gathered from time spent in active listening to a host of women in leadership roles, their expertise spanning the influence colour plays in all aspects of our lives and the power of coaching to facilitate personal development and growth. Both are topics that I’m passionate about and are close to my heart.

Connect through coaching

It’s not uncommon to have imposter syndrome, even c-suite and people in senior roles have thoughts and feeling that fuel doubt. But we always have a choice, and we also have a voice, so, don’t be afraid to use it.

Recently I helped one of my clients prepare for an in-person chemistry session with a prospect, the ideal outcome to be invited back to pitch. The people are specialists in their industry but the team coming together to present was new. There’s lots to consider in this scenario, from building the right presentation that delivers an informative, insightful and engaging narrative, coupled with empowering a team to deliver a clear, concise and compelling chemistry session that builds credibility and trust.

When it came to presenting, part of the preparation process was helping to make the unconscious conscious, and sharing some feedback after a dry run through. It all starts with awareness, of how we use our voice to speak – is it too loud, is our pace to fast; our hands – are they waving about gesticulating too much and distracting our audience; our stance – are we swaying left to right, are we still and routed to the ground or swaying distractingly; our language – is it precise, natural and engaging; our facial expressions – are we smiling and inviting good energy? Ultimately in this situation we want to convey knowledge, expertise and authority, whilst also conveying our personality, human to human - and as a business. Here’s some key prompts to reflect on:

• Think about every word you’re saying and how you’re delivering it, give your audience time to connect, with their head and their heart
• Take time to breathe and always remember the power of the pause to gather your thoughts, to check in with yourself, to feel grounded and focused, and to centre your energy
• Nerves are good, they show you care - use your nerves and the tension they create to propel you forward and accelerate
• Simply taking a breath will enable you to re-connect physically, mentally and emotionally to being present in the moment

I’m pleased to report they’ve been invited to pitch!

Connect through community

I talk about the importance of community, staying connected and being true to my values all the time. It's one of the reasons I joined the Six Degrees ELEVATE event this week. Focused on supporting entrepreneurial women in business, the host Emily McGuirk, her co-founder Sarah Jepson and guests have delivered inspiring and insightful sessions, packed with wonderful speakers and business leaders who are passionate and love what they do.

Some great reminders and lightbulb moments:

• Thoughts are not facts; we are not what we think
• Move your body to shift emotions
• Comparison is the thief of joy and confidence
• Change your words, change your results
• Growth mindset versus fixed mindset
• Business decisions must align with my own value
• Follow your own road to success
• Our brains make decisions before we consciously think about it
• We are driven by our previous programming, but we can re-programme
• Our brains constantly scan all around us (like > dislike, right > wrong, possible > impossible)
• Taking action builds confidence, follow your intuition

A huge ‘THANK YOU’ to the excellent speakers and leaders for their generosity in sharing structures, frameworks, and approaches that they have implemented in building their businesses and sharing so many pearls of wisdom - Joanna Howes, Faye Elizabeth Whitley, Sarah Matthew, Margarita Giles-Martinez, Jen Maynard, Kate Humpherys , Francesca O’Connor , Roanna Lynch , Rachael Howourth , Courtney K. , Jen Corcoran , Rachel Luke and Natalie Brereton . Plus, thank you to Patricia Bacon for letting me know about this event.

Connect through colour – colour is a language

“85% of all our decisions, of everything that we buy and do in life are influenced by colour.” - Judith Van Vliet

?At all times we are communicating, with words, colour, body language, facial expressions, clothing, movement, but are we always conscious of what we’re communicating? I’m sure there have been many occasions when my face will convey exactly what I’m thinking, without a word being said or an action being made. Has that ever happened to you too? And when it comes to colour, knowingly or unknowingly, the colours we choose to wear will also convey something about our personality, how we’re feeling that day, or indeed how we want to be perceived in any given environment by the people we’re connecting with.

Since my early teens I’ve been fascinated by colour – how it makes me feel, the emotions it brings up in me, the behaviours it elicits, does it make me lean in or lean out, happy or sad, active or passive. Colour is transformational and it has the power to make something that is ordinary into something extraordinary, that’s eye catching, empowering. Colour is used by brands to attract the right audience and capture attention, so it resonates and supports purchasing decisions. Get it wrong and your ideal customer will walk on by.

To be inspired by colour, do watch and listen to Judith Van Vliet. She’s a leading expert in colour intelligence and is the founder of The Colour Authority.

If you’d like to know more about how I apply behavioural colour psychology and use colour to coach and be creative in your business, do get in touch.

Colourful Conversations – Let’s Collaborate ?

Hi, I’m Emma Potter. I work with MDs and founders of scale-ups and SMEs to help them overcome challenges and realise their full potential. With 20+ years industry experience, I build trusted relationships, have a proven track record in driving revenue through digital marketing channels, and building brand awareness through to point of sale.

To stand out from the crowd and distinguish your business for all the right reasons, do get in touch - [email protected]. I’d love to talk with you to understand more about you and your business challenges.

#elevate #leadership #growthmindset #coach #colour #transformation