In this week’s blog, Founder Sara Sweat, answers some of the most common questions we hear about A Life Curated.
Sara Sweat, MA – Founder & CEO, A Life Curated
Question: It seems like a lot of people are shifting to coaching and consulting these days. Why are these services so popular now?
Answer:
We ask more from people in positions of power than we ever have before. Our fast paced, immediate expectation culture has really changed some of the elements of what it means to be in leadership & the pace we’re all expected to run at.
Creatives like musicians or artists are expected to “flip a switch” to perform or create unique and marketable content quickly and in replicable ways. Startup founders need to scale faster and corporate executives have to continue to increase returns for shareholders in a macro economic climate that’s forcing them to do more with less.
The leaders I talk with are looking for every advantage – any tool that can give them an edge; a way to gain a unique perspective & stay ahead of the competition. So, the demand for professionals who specialize in optimizing performance and outcomes in this way continues to rise.
Question: So, why did you decide to start A Life Curated?
Answer:
After 25 years of working with businesses of all sizes and structures, I got tired of seeing good leaders and ideas fail for preventable reasons.
I see talented leaders sacrificing top talent, financial results, or fulfilling lives because they are unsure how to live and lead in a connected way. And, we’re all so focused on achieving our goals that we underinvest in the foundational structures that get us there.
Things like company culture, communication, & process can make or break a business – but there is no line item for them on the budget, so they’re easy to forget. But, when authentic leaders leverage these tools – there is almost nothing that can stop them.
I founded A Life Curated so mission minded leaders could leverage all these tools to amplify their impact.
Question: Why do you focus on Culture, Communication, & Process
Answer:
Because they represent the greatest catalysts for impact. When great ideas don’t get off the ground – usually one of these three reasons are to blame. And, when you get them right they can turn even average ideas into world changers.
Culture is the felt experience of your employees and clients & it’s impacting your business whether you’re paying attention to it or not. Communication is 30% asking the right questions, 60% listening and engaging with the answers, & 10% speaking truth in response. And, process is the key that unlocks everything. It’s where culture really puts its boots on & drives results.
When all three are working together – companies consistently achieve greater financial performance, higher retention rates, & innovation goes through the roof. This is especially true when you have authentic, mission minded leaders navigating the journey.
Question: In addition to Integrative Consultation, you offer Performance Coaching. Is your approach more like life coaching or business coaching? It’s kind of hard to tell.
Answer:
Good! Because, I don’t believe they are separate. Much like mental health and physical health are just components of our overall health – our performance doesn’t come in assemble-able parts.
Have you ever had a bad day at work & then wound up in an argument with your partner over something silly? Or, had an exhausting weekend trip with extended family & then delivered particularly harsh feedback to a colleague at work? Of course you have. Because we bring all of who we are into every environment we inhabit.
But, many high performing executives have gotten really good at compartmentalization. We fall into the trap of trying to create “versions” of ourselves for each environment we’re in. Family self. Leader self. Negotiator. Parent. Volunteer. As though the “me” I am when I’m with my buddies is different than who I am when I’m in the boardroom.
We keep pivoting around the challenges of what we struggle with or are unsure how to handle and end up exhausting ourselves with version control – trying to be the “right” version for each circumstance. But, version control doesn’t work, because there is no such thing as a version of you. There’s you. And, it’s our goal to get you leading and living connected.
So, a truly integrative approach should amplify & enrich you in all areas. That’s why we work together to mine unique life experiences, personality, preferences, & hard won wisdom to create an authentic leadership style that helps you understand your motivations & decision and respond – regardless of where you are.
This is why our clients tell us they don’t just feel like they become better leaders, but better people, too.
Question: How is Coaching different from Counseling?
Answer:
Counseling is an essential tool for the management of mental illness. It’s important to reduce the stigma around mental illness and advocate for counseling and mental health treatment because high quality mental health care saves lives every day. It’s always done with a licensed clinician & helps people suffering with active mental disorders like anxiety, depression, grief, & PTSD that’s creating present distress and life disruption.
Coaching is not a replacement for Counseling & I am not a licensed counselor. Coaching is designed for people who are managing life, but are struggling to accomplish their goals or enhance their performance. Typically, people come to coaching because they’ve run up against something in their life or work that they just can’t see their way around on their own. They want guidance and support from someone who has been where they are professionally and has specialized training to gain insight, help them overcome their blind spots, & see things from a different perspective.
Question: What’s one thing you wish every leader understood?
Answer:
That “having it all” isn’t the goal. We work so hard setting almost impossible goals for ourselves and then when we finally accomplish everything we set out to do – it feels hollow. Because, the way we went about achieving it cost us too much of who we are. Living and leading from an integrated and connected place makes those moments of accomplishment sweeter, and it makes the journey of getting there a whole lot more fun, too.
My wish is for every leader to live that way. To live…A Life Curated.
