Ignite (Aired 06-11-2025) One Powerful Question Before Your Next Leap

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. Hi, I'm Vicki Wright Hamilton, and welcome to Ignite. Are you ready to spark your passion and fuel your leadership journey? This is where ambition meets action and transformation truly begins. Let's light the fire and keep it burning. I am so excited about today's episode. We have a phenomenal guest with us, Hilary Bailey, and she is all about freedom, caregivers and companions. Companions. She's a dynamic leader in this caregiving space and she wants. She's one that knows firsthand how hard it is to stay grounded, the challenges that you face. But her heart is what keeps us going and she really understands what stress is all about. So what better way to open up this episode than to talk about how leading hearts in a high stressful industry, how do we deal with it? Welcome, Hilary. [00:01:29] Speaker B: Thank you, Vicki. Thank you for having me. [00:01:32] Speaker A: I am so happy to have you here today with someone who did a lot of years of caregiving. This episode is extremely special to me. But let's start off by asking, how do you lead with compassion and without burning out? [00:01:50] Speaker B: Oh, man. I would say, number one, I have to remember my why, why I started this company. You know, I've worked in geriatrics for probably around 12 years now, and geriatric clients are just my passion. I started out as a physical therapist working in geriatrics, and I just love to take care of people and I want to take care of them well, and that is definitely my passion. I think number two is my community surrounding myself with people that are smarter than me, business owners that have been doing this longer than me, that have been through things that I'm going through right now and reaching out to them for that support, for that knowledge, for that advice, that's been really huge for me. Also having my leadership team and the caregivers that I have on my staff, we all share those same core values and that love for taking care of people. So, you know, we really lean on each other, you know, when times get hard. It's funny that I'm talking about this because the last five weeks, I'll tell you, have been very challenging. And lots of new things have popped up for me as a business owner. And trying to deal with those things has been extremely scary, extremely difficult, draining. And, you know, I just have a great staff. You know, when I have 10%, they've got 90, and they're, you know, and they're there reminding me, like, remember why we're doing this. And they love doing what they do just as much as I love doing it with them. So definitely Community, definitely. Remember, you don't have to do this alone and taking care of yourself. I think taking care of yourself spiritually, mentally, physically is super important. I lost sight of that in the first year and a half of my business. Especially the physical part, you just throw everything into this passion that you have and what you want to build and what you want to do. And so you want to put your hands in everything and make sure that everything is running the way that it's supposed to and you don't want to delegate. And so you kind of throw your whole self into that. And so I had to really take a step back and remember, like, hey, you know, I need to take care of my physical health, my spiritual health, my mental health. So I, you know, I got back into the gym, working out with a trainer and you know, having that time with my creator in the morning is super important to me. So taking that hour before I go to the gym, sitting with him, thanking him, I would say those are the things that really keep my passion going and can really help prevent that burnout. [00:04:23] Speaker A: And yeah, well, you know, that's interesting because having been a caregiver, just a little bit about that background from where I come from, I took care of my mom, my dad, my brother, my cousin and my brother in law and it was over a span of, I took care of my brother in law for 26 years and then took care of the other four over a period of seven years and simultaneously. So I definitely understand and what you're saying is so true if we don't take care of ourselves. And during that time period when I was doing, I wasn't thinking about taking care of myself. I'm thinking about the love for them and caregiving and you don't realize the toll and until later on. And I paid a price for that. So if there's any listener out here today, please take her advice. The physical, the mental and emotional, please take that time out. It is so, so important. And to that point, Hillary, what boundaries have, have helped you to stay strong while caring for other people and moving forward. [00:05:37] Speaker B: Knowing my limits, Ms. Vicki, just knowing my limits. You know, I think we all have that barometer inside us when we know we are getting to a point of burnout or freak out, I like to call it when we just have too much on our plate, right? And we're just like, ah, my freak out moment. I can kind of feel it building. And so I can, I know that for myself, you know, when it gets to about right here, I need to step away and do whatever it is that I need to do, whether that be take a walk, make a phone call, talk to somebody, call my husband, talk to him, call my kids, talk to them, just to, you know, to step away and know what I need to do to bring that back down to where I can focus on others. Because when I'm in that freakout mode, I'm focused on me, right? I'm focused on what's going on inside me, how I'm feeling, and I need to bring that down so I can bring my focus back to. To my clients and my caregivers. Well, I just lost my train of thought there. [00:06:39] Speaker A: That's okay. No problem. But, you know, as we start to talk about keeping that strength and moving forward in this industry, I've always wondered, because you're talking about staying strong in boundaries as you're caring for others, how do you deal with the emotional impact of your clients and the challenges that happen as you do that and keeping strong, how do you deal with that? [00:07:09] Speaker B: Oh, that is such a great question. Again, I think for caregivers, and I speak in general terms of caregivers, because that's what I still, you know, I consider myself. And when people ask me about this, I think about mainly, like, my caregivers and kind of, you know, what they go through. And so with the caregivers on my staff, I think keeping that line of communication open, letting them let us know when things are getting hard. Also, I like to tell my caregivers, like, hey, just because we're getting paid to do this job, we can still experience burnout. We still need to seek out those caregiving support groups. You know, they're all around Houston, and I just don't think people take advantage of them. Like, we need to build up that support and that community around us. You also. I try to validate my caregiver's feelings. Like, I know that this can be extremely hard. And so sometimes, you know, I may take my caregiver, you know, off of a client. That might be a little bit draining for them for a few days just to give them a break. But again, the caregiver, you know, we go back to the caregiver taking care of themselves and being responsible for taking care of themselves, you know, exercising, you know, whatever they do to take care of their mental health and, you know, their spiritual health is super important also. I think we have to not. We can empathize with someone, but we don't have to take it on. We can be compassionate with that person. And what's going on with them. But we don't have to take it on ourselves. There's a way to be compassionate without bringing those feelings inside and taking them on. Because I think in the beginning, I think that was where I went wrong with that. Was not able to kind of set that boundary. If my caregiver called me and was upset, immediately, I got upset. If my client called me and was upset, immediately, I got upset because I just took those feelings on and wasn't able to step back and. And look at the situation and just kind of show compassion without becoming emotionally involved, if that makes sense. [00:09:22] Speaker A: But that's so hard. It's so hard to do, especially when you have such a big, caring heart. And it's like, oh, my God, they're going through it. Their parent or their so and so is going through these challenges or they're dealing with this. And, I mean, it's easier said than done, but I completely understand. I think that was the hardest thing for me, especially as I was caring for a brother and mom and dad and cousins. And, you know, it was one of those things they're so close that it's not just the empathy, it's the feelings of going through it. [00:09:57] Speaker B: And we're fixers, right? We want to fix it, and a lot of times we just need to validate it. Instead of trying to fix it, we just need to validate, especially for, you know, our clients that are speaking to our caregivers and, you know, they're sharing that, you know, that emotional journey, which is, you know, which is what I love. I love when caregivers, they get that. They cultivate that emotional relationships with our clients. And so our clients open up and they feel, you know, like they can talk to them. It's just. We gotta. It's hard to maintain that professional boundary. But you've got to learn how to just validate what's going on in their life and just say, man, I really understand, and thank you for sharing that with me, because what a gift that is, that someone wants to share that personal, emotional information with you. To me, that is just the biggest gift that, you know, you can be given as a caregiver is to be led into that part of someone's life where they want to share that stuff with you, and they want to hear what you have to say about that. And you can offer. You can validate and then offer whatever, you know, experience, strength, and hope you might have regarding that subject. [00:11:04] Speaker A: So how can leaders stay hopeful when every day is hard like that? How do you keep your Hope up. How do you keep the positivity? How do you do that? [00:11:15] Speaker B: Focus on the small wins. You got to focus on those small wins and you got. You have. For me, when things get really hard, sometimes I will just go see a client. Like, I will go and physically take care of a client because, you know, I did that in the beginning. When I first opened my company, it was me. I took care of the clients that we had. And that is what fills my cup and that is what gives me joy. So if I have to clear my schedule and stop being a leader for a day and go and just especially I have one client that I just love. She's my very first client and she is. I just want to cry when I think about her. She is the reason that I have my company and she's the reason why I wanted to do this. And I'll just go visit with her. And she has the most beautiful smile and beaming personality. That helps me the most personally is going out and taking care of people. Because that is what fills my soul and it fills my cup. So that helps me a lot. And I also think again, like I said before, remembering why I'm doing this, and that helps me remember why I'm doing this. It makes me remember, oh, this is what I love to do. Not always so much. The leadership, the management, all of that stuff. It's like, oh, this is why I started this. It was because of her, and it was because of the love I have for her and the love I had for taking care of her. So I think for me, that personally, that's the biggest thing. Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing. For me, I would like to say it would be something else, but no, that's it. [00:12:49] Speaker A: So when people find their passion of what fills their cup, what I hear you saying is to continuously go back to that activity or things. So you're not only is your cup continued to be filled, but it's a reminder of what I thought you said. That's extremely important. What is my why? [00:13:09] Speaker B: Yes. [00:13:11] Speaker A: What is my why? [00:13:12] Speaker B: Yes, ma' am. [00:13:12] Speaker A: And I always say we have a beginning date and an end date. Our dash is our why. And if we can just remember our why, sometimes it can set us back to that. [00:13:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:23] Speaker A: Well, we're going to take a station break and when we come back, I want to change the subject a little bit and talk about personal strength to team Impact. So we'll discuss that when we come back. We'll be right back. Welcome back. If you missed that first part of Our segment, you gotta go back and look at it. Hillary gave some very clear nuggets on how to deal with things. When you're leading with your heart in a high stress industry of caregiving and anybody out there who's listening and has had to deal with caregiving or around that environment, you understand exactly that high stress and what it means. And so you really want to go back and get some of those, those tips that she shared because I think they're extremely helpful. But I want to change the subject a little bit. How do you build a mission minded team that shares your passion and really wants to move forward with supporting your organization? What do you look for when hiring someone for, to care for others and the way, the way that you. [00:14:40] Speaker B: So I think the first thing you know, I have a person that does hiring for me, but I've, I've watched her and in the beginning, of course I did, I did the hiring. But for me, I think in the caregiving realm, and this isn't always true, but in the caregiving realm, usually when you see somebody's resume and they've been doing this for a really long time, it's because of the love of the job. Because caregiving is extremely stressful. So if they've been doing it for a long time, you know that they love it. And when we're interviewing someone, you know, some of the questions that we always ask are, can you tell me about your favorite patient? And normally the caregivers that are in this, because they love it and they want to do it, they don't have to think, I mean, it's just second nature. They're like, oh yes, I had a client, Ms. Smith, and they'll tell us a really awesome story about them. Or we ask them, when's the time you had to tell a client they couldn't have something and you had to like, how did you deal with that? But it just, it beams off of their face when they, when they love what they do, they talk about it with passion. The interview goes long because they just, they want to tell you how much they enjoy what they do and about their skills and what they've done and experiences that they've had. [00:15:55] Speaker C: You know. [00:15:55] Speaker B: But I've also come across a lot of younger caregivers who just have it. They just have it. And it is evident from the time that they want to learn. I also like to look for people who have a passion to further their education and what they're doing. I have some caregivers right now. I have one that's in school to be a crna. I have another one that's going to nursing school. You know, I think it just. They have that passion and that drive to continue caring for people, but just in a different way way. So I always look for the passion to. To better themselves. Goodness. What else? Yeah, I think from the interview standpoint, that's kind of where we can see that. But I also think, like, once they get on our staff, it's more of communication. You have to communicate with your caregivers and you have to, like, let them know what's going on in. In your company. Let them know what the leadership team's up to. What are we doing? How are we trying to make things better? Let them know they can come to you and talk to you about what's going on with them. I ask at every staff meeting that I have, hey, what's something that you have encountered? Is there something that we can do better as a leadership team or something we can do different? Is there anything that would make your job easier? You just have to keep them involved and let them know that this is a team, this is a family. This is not. You are not just an employee whom I put on a schedule that we're getting a paycheck that you're going to get a paycheck for. We want to grow as a family. We promote within. You know, I don't hire people from the outside to do jobs. I promote, you know, my caregivers. My scheduling coordinator has worked for me. She's been a caregiver for 20 something years. I'm looking at another caregiver right now to, you know, promote her. I just think you have to keep it family, you have to keep it team. You have to celebrate all of their small wins. You have to, you know, on our team meetings, again, I try to find, because all of my caregivers get amazing compliments. So I try to pick one compliment that I've gotten during the last 30 days and bring it up in front of everyone. Or we have a group text. I'll say, hey, I just got a call from Mr. Simpson. And he said, you know, he loves Alexis and let everybody know what a great job that they're doing. And again, just keeping that line of communication open, always where I have to set clear expectations about what I want them to do and what it means to be a part of this company. But I also want them to know that their input matters and that the line of communication is always open. If they wanted to discuss something with me that either they Feel we could do better, they feel like might be different. So just keep involving them in as much as I can. [00:18:50] Speaker A: Well, you know, I think that's important, but you're leading into something that is a much bigger picture, and that's culture. [00:18:57] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, right. Yeah. [00:18:59] Speaker A: And defining a culture. [00:19:00] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:01] Speaker A: Creating a culture. All of these behaviors that you're asking for, your expectations, how you're rewarding and all of that. How did you determine the kind of culture you wanted that was going to work in this industry? Understanding all the dynamics that you have to deal with from emotional and mental. And, you know, when you start dealing with clients and family members, there are people who are like, wait a minute, I want my mama to be treated like this, or I want so and so. Or they came in and they didn't do this or they didn't do that. So the question is, is how did you go about that? Because it appears as though you have such a wonderful company and team and environment. I would love to share those successes to help other leaders out there in terms of defining that culture. [00:19:57] Speaker B: Ms. Vicki, for me, it's been the golden rule, treating people the way that I would have wanted to be treated. Thinking back to corporate jobs that I've had before when I was doing physical therapy, like, I ran a rehab department for. For a nursing home, and I just never felt included that what I said mattered, that, you know, I thought, okay, well, I'm here on the ground floor. Why aren't you taking my suggestions? You know what I mean? My caregivers are out there doing the work, right? They. They're in the homes. They're seeing what's going on. I'm gonna. I'm gonna take their suggestions. I always felt. Another thing I always felt was if I needed to call in sick, you know, I was always. It was very frowned upon, you know, to take a mental health day, or if I actually felt bad, you know, it was like, oh, no, I can't take off work. Everything will fall apart without me. I want my caregivers to know I've got their back. If they need a day off, let me know. You know, we're gonna make it happen again. They have to take care of themselves. And that's the way I always wanted to be treated. I always wanted to work in a community that was a team. So I just try to treat people the way I would want to be treated in a job setting, because I want this to be more than a job for, you know, some of these people have been with me, you know, since I Opened. I don't have a high turnover, which is, you know, awesome. And I love that, you know, I really don't. For a caregiving agency, I don't have a very high turnover. And I think, again, with the communication, I think, you know, continuing to make them. I want to continue to make them feel like they are important and that everything that they do is. We appreciate it so much. I never want them not to know that. So again, you know, to round it back to taking my past experiences working at other places and the way that they did things, I just decided to do it completely different. I did. I did the opposite of what they did. [00:22:10] Speaker A: Well, you know, a lot of times they say that's what works because you know what you were in and you didn't like. [00:22:14] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:22:15] Speaker A: And so you adapt, especially as you're going into your own business and moving things forward. [00:22:20] Speaker B: Yes. [00:22:20] Speaker A: So, and, and with that, something you said that I want people to key off of, I have a very low turnover rate and that high stressful job to have a low turnover rate and to get compliments where people care that they're not just doing the task. I'm not just going in and bathing somebody. I'm having compassion. I'm working with them. I care. I have empathy, et cetera. That says a lot about your people, but it says a lot about you as a leader. It says a lot about you as a leader in your organization. And I think that's what leaders have to understand, is that it becomes a reflection of how your team feels about you. So that leads me into the next question. What do you do to keep your team inspired and committed so that they never want to leave? What is it that you think is working the most to help you do that? [00:23:22] Speaker B: I hate, I mean, I hate to bring it up again, but the communication and the togetherness, you know, we. We talk a lot. I, you know, being a business owner, yes, I do have people. I have a scheduler and I have a business development person. And we, we all work really well together as a team communicating with our caregivers. But I, you know, I still, I do all the orientations for my caregivers because although I'm the owner or the boss, which I hate, I hate that terminology, the boss, I can't stand it. It drives me crazy. I don't want to be known as somebody that's too important to talk to them. So again, with that communication, just them being able to reach me when they need to and talk to me about things they know I care about them as Much as I care about the client. I mean, and I'll be honest with you, Ms. Vicki, I've had, you know, some clients that I've had to, you know, let go because of the way that they did treat my caregivers. And I think we have to keep that in mind, especially in this business, is we have to have caregiver care, too. You know, we have to care for the people that are caring for our loved ones. So they know that I don't. That I'm not in this for the paycheck. They know I'm not in this for glory, for myself. I'm in this to take care of the people that we take care of. And I think the way that that comes out of me when I'm talking to them, I think that does help them feel inspired to know that not only do I care about our clients and the care that they are getting, I care about how well we are taking care of them. [00:25:12] Speaker A: And you know what? That is a powerful, powerful statement, because what you're saying is it's not just about the money. Yes, this is a business. We have to make money. [00:25:27] Speaker B: Right. [00:25:28] Speaker A: But I care about you. You are a person, a human, an individual. And I. I think one of the behaviors that you said you do that shows that go because they didn't treat you right. It was more important to me that you were treated fairly than it was for me to get a green dollar to say they paid me. [00:25:55] Speaker B: Yes, ma' am. [00:25:56] Speaker A: That is huge. And if we as leaders continue to do that, we're putting ourselves in a position. We're saying to our people, people do the work. We don't, and we care about you as an individual. I just want to say, Hillary, that is probably one of the most profound leadership principles that, as you talk about, not only allows you to have a low turnover, but at the same time allows your employees to say, I'm committed to. I want to stay. You have been a phenomenal, phenomenal guest. And the thing you know, I thank you so much for joining and for reminding us that leadership isn't just about task. It's about trust and compassion. Now, if you love watching this episode and like watching Ignite, I invite you to download the free NOW Media TV app on Roku and get your instant access not only to this show, but all shows. And guess what? It's also bilingual content. We have English and Spanish. So from business news to lifestyle to culture, all of our streaming is 24 by 7. So you watch it on your clock, not on ours. So if you're interested in watching this show and others, please search for TV on your Roku device and never miss a moment. Well, thank you so much for joining us on this episode of Ignite. And keep your strength going, keep moving forward, but don't forget to let that fire burn. See you next time. Hi, welcome back to Ignite. I am so excited to have my next guest with us. You all are going to hear from an expert. Her name is Kimberly Diamond. Yep, that shiny diamond that we get to see. She is an advocate for authentic leadership and fearless self expression. Expression. And she's going to help us navigate one of the toughest challenges in leadership. How to be heard in a room when it matters the most. Now how many of us can talk about struggling and not being heard when you need to be heard, especially when decisions are being made. Welcome, Kimberly. [00:28:46] Speaker C: Thank you, Vicki. I'm very happy to be here today. Thank you so much. [00:28:49] Speaker A: And I'm so happy to have you because I know you're going to give us some nuggets and tips that the audience going to walk away with. Just truly, truly inspired. Let's start off with what holds people back from speaking up in high stakes rooms. [00:29:08] Speaker C: Well, I did a little statistics on this and 70% of people have anxiety when it comes to speaking in front of people. High stakes situations. So leaders can face that when they're talking to board members or you know, senior leadership when it comes to company performance. And 40 to 50% of the employees who are in meetings with other counterparts or their hiring managers or other leaders are fearful of speaking up as well. And it's, I think a lot of that has to do with being judged. Also the repercussions of their comments. Will there be any kind of retaliation or changes in dynamics because maybe, maybe their, their answers weren't in alignment with the group. So I think the number one thing is fear of judgment though. I think that people are scared that their speaking skills, the way that they present is not going to come across the way they would like. There's various aspects of being judged in that situation. Right. One of them is being unprepared. That can make it a little bit worse. If someone's put on the spot, they're not prepared, it can kind of rattle their confidence. The dynamics of the group can also affect them if they're presenting to a team where they feel intimidated or in some cases some people feel like what they say or how they present is intimidating. So there's a couple there and then repercussions. As I mentioned, you Know again, if what they have to share, if they feel what their, what their value is and what they, what they want to propose isn't in alignment, is that going to change the dynamics in the future when they want to have conversations with the individuals on the team or the leaders or be present in a meeting? So there's a lot of different things that make people uncomfortable when they get into a setting like that. I think we've all been there, but there's ways to prepare for that. But I think that the judgment is probably the number one thing. How will I be judged? How will I be judged on how I'm speaking? How will I be judged in what I have to say and is what I bring to the table, is it, you know, have quality to it, that type of thing. [00:31:18] Speaker A: And I couldn't agree with you more. Having sat in many corporate boardrooms and sat around the table and listened to others speak, there's a certain amount of nervousness, there's that anxiety and really being able to articulate the knowledge that you have that you know and not worried about the things that are going on around you is very hard. It's not like it's easy. That's a safe skill. And it, and in that skill means that you have to build that confidence. Which brings me to my next question. How can someone, in your opinion, build real confidence in their voice, especially in a male dominated space or industry? [00:32:04] Speaker C: Well, I think that the number one thing is to come into this with a strategy and an assertiveness that comes from knowing, knowing the content, you know what you need to come in with knowledge. That's going to be one of the key things. I mean we've all male dominant environment, we've all been in those environments and they're very much data statistic driven individuals. Their minds think more analytically in most cases. I, I'm not trying to say that men do not have feelings or anything like that. [00:32:36] Speaker A: Right. [00:32:37] Speaker C: They just tend to lean towards those. So knowing your content and being confident about what you're bringing into this discussion, practicing in advance, okay. Just you know, getting your bearings with the information that you're bringing. Body language, very important to come in and adopt an open posture. You don't want to, you know, you don't want to come across as closed off or defensive. You want to make eye contact. I think that people want to see that eye contact. They'll feel more engaged and I think you'll have more reception to what you're saying. Learning to speak clearly reinforce with that confidence that what you're saying has value. And I think that what you can start with is self talk. Do affirmations that counteract self doubt. Your insights are valuable. Like what you have to say is important to you. It will come across important. And so if you can you have that self talk before you go in that what I have to say is important, don't doubt it. That will definitely come across and be more receptive in that type of a dominating environment. Again, preparing cannot say that enough. I think that is highly crucial. Your ducks in a row when you go in focus on the value that you bring, the perspective. Is it unique? Is it something that no one's heard of before? You know, if it's, if you're passionate about it, they're going to see that and they're going to dive into that for you. Okay. And they're going to buy into that. Sometimes you do have to address biases respectfully, call out any misconceptions. You don't really want to make any blanket statements relative to, to that environment. You know that's not the place for that consistent practice and self awareness crucial. Yeah. If you practice how you want to speak, how you want to present. Watch yourself in the mirror, look at what we have here today, video, I mean videotape yourself so you can really self critique before you get yourself into that environment. And it'll help you feel more confident about your approach and how you look. And the more you do it, the better you'll get at it. [00:34:48] Speaker A: That's for sure. And I think you know one of the other things from my experience that has truly shown not only do you practice in the mirror and look at your non verbals and what you're saying, but I think it's also important that in your contact in your content that you're using a lot of fact based and not feeling based that people can deny. However, from my perspective, there's one word that you can use, a feeling that no one can deny. And that's the power of I. No one can tell you how I feel. I can tell you my perceptions, my feelings. You can't take that away. You don't have to agree with them, you don't have to say that that's the way it is. But it's my perception. But I think you balance that out exactly with what you said. Nothing that is offensive, nothing that is going to be condescending, nothing that is going to be misunderstood or looked at as a bias. But more importantly it's been my experience. Okay, that's your experience. That's a fact to you, right? I'm not saying it happened to anyone else. And I think those kinds of things just enable us more and more to be authentic. Because that's the other thing going into a room of how do I ensure that I'm authentic so that I'm empowered when I go in this room and I'm talking about what I'm doing, I'd love to get your thoughts about that and any strategies that you have used around that so that you are feeling more comfortable and not like, I'm a fake character. I'm going in here and being an actor, I'm putting a facade, but I'm really being me. [00:36:45] Speaker C: Sometimes that's hard. People aren't comfortable with it, you know, with what they're bringing. And so I would just say, first off, know the content of the meeting. Really get your hands around an agenda. You know, find out what the topics are going to be and then understand the key questions that you want to raise to the meeting. Right. So not just what you think others want, but what's really important to you that's important to, or relative to what this meeting concerns. Okay. Or what the. Or what the topic is. Okay. And like you said, be authentic. Be. Be confident in sharing your thoughts. Okay. Because they're just as, you know, reasonable and, and. And thought, you know, thought through as. As other people's. Right. You know, if you have thoughtful questions early on, then you can establish a presence. You can set the tone of the conversation easily by, by the way that you bring it to the table. Right. You get to set the tone. And this will help boost your confidence, put you more in a relaxed state if you step into it early on and kind of set the tone. That's how I. That's how I like to do it. Like, I want to go in with my questions. Like I want to know what I want to know, and I want to be prepared to ask them, not hold back. You know, if it's, if, if it seems like the individuals are not ready to talk about that, I think that that's going to come through. Right. You know, you'll have to read the room. Okay. That's all I can do. You've got to read the room. Yep. You have to read the room. Absolutely. But it will empower you. It will make you more confident. If you prepare in advance, you have those questions that mean, mean something to you. It's all, you know, like you mentioned, that's you being authentic. You don't want to prepare questions that you Think others want, you know, you will, you know from their perspectives what I'm saying. If you think it's relative to the audience that you're going to take this back to, then yeah, you would prepare questions according to that audience. Right. That you need that information for. But again, all about preparing. I can't say that, you know, do your homework, find out who you're gonna, who's gonna be in the meeting, whatever you might know about their situation or their team or what have you so that you can be comfortable when you're in that space. [00:39:03] Speaker A: And to that point, I think what you're really saying is allowing yourself to control the narrative. You control the narrative by your preparation and the questions you ask and how prepared you are when you go in that room. Such great insights. We're going to take a station break and when we come back, I want to talk about getting ready for that next move and what that looks like. We'll be right back. Hi, welcome back to Ignite. Boy, I hope you get a chance. If you didn't see that last episode, I hope you tune back in because Kimberly was giving us some great, great insights about preparation and being ready and going into a room in male dominated environments and having that confidence and what it really means to be prepared. So go back and listen if you missed it because there was some great information there. But I want to switch the subject a little bit. Kimberly, I really want to get your perspectives. When a person is saying, you know, I'm almost there, I feel like I'm getting there. I feel like I'm ready to get to that next level. How do you know you're ready to level up? But then you say, not really sure how to do that. I'm not sure what that looks like. So I want to get a little bit more into those insights. How can someone tell the difference between a plateau and a pivot point? [00:40:37] Speaker C: That's a good point. I think the difference between plateau and pivot plateau is when you are at that point where you feel like you've done what you can, the role that you are in. You might be feeling limited to the growth based on the organizational structure or just in general. You're stagnant, you're a little bit bored and you're not really sure exactly where this path may go if you stay within this particular environment or role. Pivot point is when someone is deliberately trying to make an adjustment to their career or their industry. They're starting to look at what they would do to make those adjustments. Next steps, goals, what do we need to do to take those next steps? Right. So both are potentially pivotal situations, but one is more, is intentional in creating a new path, while the other is more of a perseverance and current state. Okay. So there's a lot to consider when you pivot again, it can be, it can be a drastic pivot or it can be a minor pivot. It just depends on, you know, where you are in that environment and, or stage. [00:41:58] Speaker A: Okay. Are there certain signs that tell you which one from your perspective or your experience that says this one feels more like a pivot versus, you know, you know, versus a plateau that I'm just stuck. Are there certain behaviors or signs or anything from your experience that you've seen? [00:42:21] Speaker C: Yes. People are afraid sometimes when they're, you know, when they're, you know, in that stage where they're looking at the change, right, Then they get, they get fearful. So what can I do this, can I take this on? Okay. You know, and then they might stay, so then they will stay status quo and then reevaluate again. Right. So that's, it's a timing thing in my perspective, in my point of view. Okay. It's where you are at this stage. If, like you said, if you are ready to make the next step, are you, are there things that you need to do? Do you need to take certain courses? Do you need to have certain experiences behind you to take that next step? Are you ready strengths and gaps that you might have with relative to making that change? If you feel that you aren't there, then you may not pivot. You may stall. Okay. You may stay in that stagnation until you evaluate. But anyway, I, I to your point, I think it's just, it's, it's more of a fear of people not being sure that they have what they need personally or professionally to take that, to take that next step. [00:43:37] Speaker A: And it's also been my experience that especially as you're talking about that is being aware of what it takes to get to that next step and then having self awareness to say do I really have it? But being honest with yourself what you have and what you don't have, because you brought up a very good point. I got to know where my gaps are. And so understanding that allows you to be able to fill them, to say, do I need to do something further to elevate or am I not, or do I already have it, but I'm too afraid or too shy or, you know, too inwardly focused to let it be seen so that others can see that I'm ready to move forward. And then being able to read the tea leaves around the pivot, if you will. Right. Is it the right timing? [00:44:29] Speaker C: It's the timing. Sometimes it is. It's timing and actually having, like you were talking about actionable, actionable goals, a vision, you know, it's, you know, if you, if you create that vision, what are the steps to get you there? Are you there? What needs to be done? Invest in your own learning and development so that you feel more comfortable when you are really ready to, you know, make that pivot. And sometimes, like, you know, sometimes that pivots right where you're within your organization and you're asking for more work or, you know, to expand your skill set. And you're uncomfortable asking for that because you're not 100% sure that's going to be received or what you might still need, right? But, but you're, you're speaking up because you're feeling stagnant. [00:45:12] Speaker A: And, you know, it's interesting when we start talking about pivot and moving forward, the fact that we also have to be able to read the environment around us sometimes. And you know this better than anybody as a business owner, you read the market, you read the trend, you read the things that are your, in your control and outside of your control to say, is it time for me to pivot the service offerings that I have, Is it time for me to pivot on different things that I'm doing? Because people are absorbing information or content differently, or people want, you know, it used to be, oh, we could send things in text and people will read it. Now people don't like to read. They want video. They don't want long video. They want short vignettes. They don't want, you know, long explanation. Just give me the answer. You know, it's all these kinds of things that we talk about, but be having that awareness to know that, you know, these are the things that are also important to talk about. Pivoting is your environmental, things that some are within your control and some are not, some aren't. [00:46:16] Speaker C: You know, you can also surround yourself with people that are like mentors, people that you can use as a sounding board to, to motivate you and to, you know, say, you know, I'm interested and this is my thoughts. What do you think? Do you think I should, I need to do this. Someone who is in that space, right, that can give you that insight that you, you know, could take with you and make you feel a little bit more confident, more comfortable when you are Looking to make that pivot and, and there's a lot of people that I'm sure would be willing to give you an individual, some help and support in that space so that they can make the proper choices. [00:46:48] Speaker A: Well, in your experience in, and, and working with people and, and going down this avenue, what is the one thing that you find that people most often overlook when they're ready to grow and move on? They just overlook it. They don't pay attention to it and say, oh yes, I need to grow, I need to move forward. But they're not paying attention to something that they should to know that they're ready. Anything come to mind? [00:47:20] Speaker C: I would say that their preparedness, okay, some people get excited, they want to make this change. They, they, they innately feel like, I can do this, I know I can. But you really need to take small steps, in my opinion. Don't just go all the way in until you're prepared. And I think that that's where some people get excited. You know, they want to make that and they want to make that next step. They want to, they want to move on and they want that inspiration again. And yet they're not quite there yet. And you may not be, okay, may not be a hundred percent, but you want to feel pretty, pretty, you know, pretty comfortable that this is the direction that you want to go. Because, you know, what are your long term goals and, and how will this affect you personally and professionally? Not just, you know, not just from your day to day. I mean, overall, how will this affect you? But I think people tend to get too excited and not take the steps to prepare. [00:48:20] Speaker A: And you know, that's so important what you just said. We're a total human being and so all aspects of our life, you know, we have to think about. I used to always say to a lot of my mentees is that you're learning whether I need to add another tool to my toolbox so I'm ready for the next construction site that I'm being asked to go and build, right? And so if I need another tool, there's something else I gotta go get. But if I have what I need to go and to move forward, right, I can continue to progress. I can continue to do the things that I'm doing in that arena. And when it gets to the point I've used all my tools, I know how to use them, I've built everything I can build, I can't do anymore, then it may be time to grow and get that next tool. Because there's always the Next thing we can grow and learn, always screwdriver to an electric one. Right. [00:49:15] Speaker C: And pretty soon it'll just materialize by itself. You won't even need a shit. [00:49:20] Speaker A: Exactly. Exactly. Until that point, what's the one powerful question from your perspective as I talk about, you know, moving forward, but that we should ask ourselves before taking the next leap, before we go that next leap? [00:49:41] Speaker C: Well, that's what I, I think that's kind of what I just ended with earlier was how will this affect the professionally and personally? Okay, that is what I say take away. I. You don't want to. I would not look at one component versus the other. Right. Because if this new role is going to be extremely time consuming, maybe you're going to be traveling 75% of the time and now you're not with your family anymore. But it's a great opportunity and you know, those types of things. So balance those out, like really sit down and understand what those are. I think that's my biggest takeaway for anybody making, trying to take that, that, make that pivot into a new industry, a new career path, is to really understand how that's going to affect your environment. [00:50:24] Speaker A: And, and that's so true. I don't know if you agree with this or not, but my philosophy has always been when we make a decision, every decision has a consequence, even if it's good or bad. A good decision can be great for you, but the consequence may be, as you mentioned, less time with family, you know, a bet A not so good decision can have consequences of things that you have to deal with that you know, are ramifications of making that decision when you do it. But every decision has a consequence, good and bad. Would you agree with that? [00:51:01] Speaker C: Absolutely. Absolutely. Whether it's the, whether it's the role you're taking on, you know, directly related to the people you'll be engaging with or how it will affect your personal life. Those are. There's going to be consequences to that decision. [00:51:15] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:51:16] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:51:17] Speaker A: Thanks, Kimberly, for joining us. This has been great. And thanks for reminding us growth doesn't come from knowing all the answers. [00:51:28] Speaker C: That's right. [00:51:28] Speaker A: From being willing to ask the right questions. Thank you so much for that. [00:51:34] Speaker C: Thank you. Thanks for having me on today. I appreciate it. [00:51:37] Speaker A: No problem. And for those of you that are watching, if you love watching Ignite, you can get us on NOW Media TV show, whether it's live or on demand, anytime. Your clock, not ours. Just download your free NOW Media TV app on Roku and get instant access to all bilingual content and that's great. Both English and Spanish. And from we have it. From business to news to lifestyle to cultures. It's available 24 by 7 again at your time, not ours. Just search now. Media TV on Roku device and then you'll never, ever miss a moment. Thanks so much for joining us again on another episode of Ignite. Keep your strength going, keep things happening and keep that fire burning. See you next time.