Tools For Every Day Leaders & Managers With Leadership Coach Kris Plachy

Countless methods and resources are available to help you grow your business. Courses, programs, systems, outside help, advisors, even business coaches. But should you hire a business coach? What do they do or not do? For that matter, is everyone with the title “business coach” actually a business coach? In this episode, I share many thoughts and insights into what a true business coach does. From my own experience, I can confirm that a really great coach can bring huge value both professionally and personally. However, it is also my opinion that not every person who calls themselves a business coach really is one. That’s not to say they aren’t great at what they do, but rather to delineate between an actual business coach and someone who is more properly defined as an expert in specific aspects of business. Let’s talk about it.  “A coach says, ‘I know you know the right answer for you. And I’m going to help you discover that... But your wisdom is in there and I’m going to help you access it.’ That is coachi

Do your meetings with your team end up off track? Do you avoid scheduling meetings because they’re really not productive? If so, you’re definitely not alone. In this second installment of “Live Coaching with Kris”, I tackle this prevalent problem. As I coach a listener about how to run a productive 1:1 meeting, clarity in business rises to the surface. When you’re running a business, clarity is necessary in every area. Clarity in job descriptions, roles and responsibilities, clarity in expectations and outcomes, and clarity in the direction each team member is headed. With these in place, meetings naturally become more focused. Couple that focus with praise and positive feedback, and you’ll soon be looking forward to meetings, rather than dreading them. Speaking of clarity, if you missed the first installment of “Live Coaching with Kris”, I encourage you to go back and listen to it. In that episode, I advise around the common question: Should I Hire a Friend? Clarity is needed in that situation as well and

All business owners face this dilemma: Should I hire a friend? Of course, there is an added emotional dynamic when employing someone close to you. Those ties do require consideration. However, regardless of who you hire, consistent frameworks need to be in place. Without them, decisions and potential outcomes can become very messy. In this first installment of “Live Coaching with Kris” on my Leadership is Feminine podcast, I address the common question of employing people you know. As I coach a very successful business woman regarding this, we cover guidelines in employing people, clarifying expectations and defining roles, delegating not abdicating, and much more.  By the way, I’m very excited to add these episodes. I’m loving doing these live, anonymous coaching sessions with one of you, my listeners, recording it, and then sharing it so we can all benefit. It’s a blast! I can’t wait to share more of them with you all.  “I think I need to hire someone to support me. Not someone I’m going to support. And th

Has believing you’re not business minded held you back? If so, I have good news to share: That may only be because being business minded may not be as you envision it. There is much more to it than stats, accounting and marketing. Don’t allow behaviors and skills that can be cultivated and activated – even if you weren’t good at them in the past – hold you back any longer! Because how we think about all this can be such a hindrance, I wanted to address it. When I thought about how to approach this topic, my friend Jody Moore immediately came to mind. Jody is a gifted coach and she’s developed a program literally called “Business Minded”. As we recorded this episode, Jody shared how she used to believe she wasn’t business minded but learned differently. She and I go on to discuss several aspects of what it actually means to be business minded, including important metrics, consistent behaviors, sales approaches, and much more. “Without consistent behavior, skills don’t matter. And, the good news is, you don’t

Stress is inevitable. We’re running our businesses, cherishing our personal lives, navigating the changing world around us… No matter where we turn, stressors are present. Simply trying to tell ourselves not to feel stressed, and to just relax or to just suck it up, is unhelpful and often ineffective. I want to offer an approach that helps: acknowledging the stress, identifying what’s going on when we feel stressed and knowing what we can do to mitigate it. As we examine how to manage stress for women business owners, I want to discuss the elements of stress. I believe there are major contributing factors such as resistance to the truth, how we buffer stress, and our personal tipping points. In consideration of stressors, we have countless outside sources but the inner source – that is, our own inner dialogue – is the overpowering one. Therefore, the thoughts you think are the ultimate source of stress, and framing them is key to management. Let’s talk about it. “That inner dialogue that you entertain is rea

Business models, kits, courses, systems and similar flood the marketplace. A simple online search pulls an overwhelming number of options. But finding a model designed for women, with women in mind is trickier. As female entrepreneurs, we possess natural strengths and assets which differ from men. We need a business strategy that leverages those. In this business mastery episode, I address business strategy for women business owners. Before we begin, I want to establish that it’s healthy to periodically adjust and rework your strategy. As your desire for the results of your business changes, your strategy needs to as well. I find I adjust mine about every 24-36 months. “And that is the part that is so dynamic: that your strategy has to be that fluid AND concrete… and fluid and concrete... It’s just an evolving process. It’s a breathing process. And I think that’s what so many models don’t account for.” – Kris Plachy What You’ll Learn Set a clear result Leading a heart-centered business Creating the life y

For many leaders, hiring is scary enough but what about when you need to let someone go? As I promised, throughout Season 4 of Leadership Is Feminine, I’m tackling some of the most daunting and critical components of business mastery. And how to fire someone, and do it nicely, ranks right at the top for most leaders.  Knowing how to kindly part ways is an invaluable skill, not only for yourself but for the other person. You are able to soften an already difficult and very uncomfortable situation when you know how to address the problem. In this episode, I teach you some guidelines and share some wisdom on how to cause the least amount of injury and pain to both you and them.  “If I walked into your business today and asked people who worked for you if they knew what their goals were, if they knew what the result was that they’re responsible for, would they know? If your answer is ‘Ummm, maybe?’ or ‘Uh, probably not’, we already know we have a cocktail for confusion when it gets to potentially firing someone.

What exactly is The Founder’s Curse? Of course, it’s not truly a curse but there is a genuine concept here. One that, for lack of a better description, plagues most founders. As we journey together through Season 4 of Leadership Is Feminine, I want to focus on business mastery. You already have mastery of what you do in the world, that is, your subject matter expertise or practitioner expertise. But what about mastery of the necessities of running your business, such as how to lead and manage teams? We can all use more mastery in that area. And one block to building that mastery is overcoming The Founder’s Curse. I want to bring that into the light, discuss it, and help you conquer it. “For as long as you keep believing that you’re the only one, ultimately, who will ever really know how to make it work, you will remain the only one, who really knows – ever – how to make it work. And you will keep working harder.” – Kris Plachy What You’ll Learn What is The Founder’s Curse? 3 ways you create delay Reaffirm

This episode starts Season 4 of Leadership Is Feminine. If you’ve not heard all of the amazing, everyday women I had with me in Season 3, I encourage you to go back and listen to all the episodes. The encouragement, inspiration and wisdom you’ll gain is phenomenal. For Season 4, I want to focus on leadership excellence and mastery for women. In particular, I believe that the characteristic of resilience is a core quality. Embedded in resilience is consistency, and with consistency comes mastery. Mastery isn’t based on complex systems. It’s about basic truths, basic principles. In looking back on my own growth over the past 10 years, I’ve found that the same principles are still true, and they are what work. “I love watching the powerful ability of a women, once she no longer feels helpless to managing and leading people… once she’s no longer helpless to the behaviors and choices of others… once she knows that there’s nothing in her business… she can’t handle… Watching that happen and being witness to women w

Changing your mindset as a leader is a magical gift. It allows you to manage yourself, and therefore, your team, with greater empathy. The beautiful truth about changing yourself is that some change can happen very quickly and it is always worth the investment. In today’s episode, Dr. Camysha Wright and I talk about change as a leader. We discuss how empowering it is to make time for necessary changes, to refill your own tank so you aren’t always depleted, and the value in investing in your own leadership and management skills. We also revisit a very powerful statement Dr. Wright made during a previous discussion, one that has stuck with me ever since: many things can actually be accomplished in a day. And this can  include changing yourself. As you listen to this episode, I hope this truth encourages you as much as it does me. “I think the biggest gift for me has been the change in mindset… learning how to deal with my own mind… managing your team is definitely very important but you also have to manage you

How much do you allow yourself to have in regards to money? As women, we are conditioned to “tuck it in” when it comes to being extremely successful in earnings. Shame often accompanies this conditioning and holds us back from fulfilling our full potential both for ourselves and for those we love. But a woman’s relationship with money is more deeply connected than it appears on the surface. In this episode, I talk about women and money with award-winning leader and creative founder of the #1 business and money certified coach training academy, Kendall Summerhawk. Kendall specializes in and emphasizes putting the power to make money into every woman’s hands. We discuss how critical it is to rewrite our relationship with money, the impact of money stories, choosing to control and not control, and so much more. I hope her wisdom and experiences help you shift into magical CEOing and having an abundant life. “It isn’t selfish at all. If you’re making money through your business… you’re working for it, you’re off

No matter how long we’ve been working at something or how much money we make, doubts will creep in and times of uncertainty will come. But we must learn to listen to that little voice inside that guides us. Tuning into the wisdom of that inner voice, as well as listening to the wisdom of others will fuel us with resolve to carry on. In this episode, I chatted with Deborah Perlman, founder and CEO of Cocus Pocus about listening to that inner voice. We discuss building your own Queendom, dancing with failure, dealing with hires that don’t work out, and more. Deborah shares how she was encouraged to leave corporate America and do for herself what she’d been accomplishing for others. As you listen to her share her experiences and what she’s learned since becoming an entrepreneur, I hope you are emboldened to follow your own little voice. “I look at these people in these high level positions and it looks like a golden cage to me now.” – Deborah Perlman What You’ll Learn  Building your own Queendom Rewriting exp

In our businesses, we all need someone who can help with the books. But we also need someone who can help us think forward. Someone who can help us forecast, not retract, and change our thoughts and habits around money. For me, that is my CFO and the owner of Nice Job, Inc., Emily Sandberg. I wanted to have Emily on an episode to share some of her wisdom and magic, and she delivered. We discussed security, being properly connected to our money, leadership, protecting structures and roles, and much more. As a money genius, Emily gave several powerful statements revolving around how we think about money. She reminded all of us that money does not define us, and neither our businesses nor ourselves are fragile. “One of the problems I see is women who use money to define who they are. They want the money to tell them they’re good enough, they’re smart enough, they’re capable enough. And so they think if they have enough money, then they’ll know that for sure. But when you're a leader, when you take leadership ov

As your business grows, your role as a leader should change and evolve. This includes what you do on a regular basis and what you relinquish to others. As you realign your leadership into co-creation, you’ll face countless challenges, including properly choosing and nurturing a team, letting go of all the things you once personally did, and even breaking old habits. In this episode, I converse with Erika Sinner, founder and CEO of Directorie™ about numerous facets of leadership. We talk about setting healthy standards and expectations both for ourselves as leaders and for our team. Erika shares her wisdom regarding trusting yourself and following what you know, deep down, is the next right thing. As we talked, Erika dropped a truth bomb that even I was challenged by. I hope you’re challenged and encouraged as well.  “When you think about things about your business, you always feel like… ‘We don’t have time to create training’, ‘We don’t have time to hire’... And if you replace that with ‘It’s not important t

With the demands of life and business in our modern times, peace can be elusive. Yet, as female CEOs, we sometimes talk ourselves out of creating that necessary environment of calm. We wrongly believe we’re not worthy or that it’s indulgent or selfish, but it isn’t. It’s truly an investment in yourself and your business. In this episode, I talk with interior designer Tara Fust (Tara Fust Design) about the value of peace. We discuss fostering peace in all endeavors, whether it’s in your surroundings or within relationships. She shares about the joy of finding common ground with other women, the pitfalls of taking on a business partner, and the power of staying present through failure. As you listen to our discussion, I hope you find the inspiration to build beauty and serenity into your life and business. “When you can create those moments of peace and quiet where you can just kinda get back to who you are… So powerful.” – Tara Fust What You’ll Learn Finding common ground with others Contemplating taking on

The power of showing up, rather than serving in sacrifice, cannot be overstated. When we commit, when we are there, even when no one else is, a superpower is released that often comes in no other way.  In this episode, I talk with Bernadette Doyle, owner and CEO of Bernadette Doyle.com about the superpower of showing up. Throughout our conversation, we discuss feminine leadership, thriving through the unknown, the disservice of sacrifice in business, and much more. I hope you receive a fresh perspective on the magic of committing to, and trusting, yourself. “There is nothing, in my experience, that trumps that energy of just showing up, committed. I’m committed to serve. I’m here and I’m showing up, even if… you know, you do a Facebook live and you can see you might have no one on with you. But you just show up and you just give it your all anyway. And I think that is the powerpower.” – Bernadette Doyle What You’ll Learn  Thriving during the unknown Relaxing into tough conversations Embracing the feminine mo

The power of attraction can be magical for a female CEO. Attraction brings clients, connections and even team members. And when building a quality team, in particular, it can be a secret weapon. People naturally want to work for someone they respect and who is generating good within a particular space. This alleviates the need to go looking for high caliber team members. It also allows the CEO to look into someone who expresses interest in working for them, without making any commitment to hire. But what, exactly, is the power of attraction? In this episode, I discuss what it is and what it is not with successful CEO and entrepreneur, Karin Carr. Karin is the real estate team owner and CEO at Georgia Coast Homes, the creator of YouTube for Agents, and a coach for those in the real estate business (Karin Carr Coaching). We talk about creating solutions, learning to delegate, turning mistakes into opportunities, and the superpower of understanding attraction. I hope you’ll be inspired and moved to action by thi

Whatever your individual purpose is, you are designed to make a difference. Finding precisely how, although, can be a winding path. The very focus on making a difference can cause unwelcome detours, typically caused by fear… Fear of failure, lack of knowledge, feelings of inadequacy… But when you settle into being yourself, follow your heart, and trust in that, you will also achieve your goal of making a difference. In this episode, I chatted with Jennifer Krepps, the owner of Kritter Kare’s Howliday Inn and Kritter Kare’s Pet Sitting all about this. We discuss wanting to bring an increase in the level of respect in her industry, the desire to thrive and not simply survive, moments that define your legacy, and much more. During our time together, Jennifer wisely compares scenic stops to enrichments in our life journey and I hope this podcast is a scenic stop for you.    “You’ve got to pursue what’s in your soul, what really matters to you. And, I think, in doing that, you will make a difference at the same t

The mindset of an intrapreneur (an introverted entrepreneur) is one of determination to fix what is wrong, even while it is not in their nature to seek a position of leadership. Rather, intrapreneurs frequently find others inquiring of their wisdom, following their suggestions, and asking them to lead. Insight and depth of caring flourish in the intrapreneur, fueling their innate drive to improve processes and ideals in order to improve the lives of others. In today’s episode, I talked with Dr. Evelyn Hsu, MD, a natural intrapreneur. She discusses how, as a physician, clinician, teacher and researcher, she has found herself in leadership positions without seeking them. She shares at length about pushing past fear and discomfort to achieve worthwhile ends. We discuss the mindset of being an intrapreneur leader, current and necessary paradigm shifts, and how being maladapted (I love this term she uses) can actually be your superpower.  “I can’t accept things just being bad… Accepting the risk to do what’s righ

When life doesn’t go the way we think it will, it can seem like a reason to stop dreaming. Tragedy, especially, drives us into a place of acute grief, followed by days where just putting one foot in front of the other is our limit. Krista St-Germain, Life Coach for Widowed Moms, founder of Mom Goes On and host of The Widowed Mom podcast has lived this. Widowed at age 40, Krista discovered grief recovery through coaching and the ability to dream again. In this podcast installment, Krista shares her warrior coach power and offers her viewpoints and advice regarding business, life and grief coaching. She touches on unexpected grief, unexpected growth, working with a team, the power of failure, and much more. I hope through hearing this episode, you are buoyed and strengthened in your own journey. “‘Wait a minute, what lights me up here? What would just absolutely feel like a dream to do here? And then follow that.’ And then, boom! I solved the problem that I was so stressed out and losing sleep over. And then in