Jenn Lofgren Offers Practical Advice & Resources for Leaders Navigating Through COVID-19

Transcript

Full transcript page · Interactive episode

============================================================
TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
============================================================

[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's Calgary's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: Hello, this is Bonnie LG coming to you today with Calgary's podcast, a member of the Canada's
[00:11] SPEAKER_00: podcast network.
[00:13] SPEAKER_00: In today's special COVID-19 interview series, we are talking with Jen Lawgren, who is
[00:19] SPEAKER_00: the founder of Enzaito, an executive leadership coaching firm in Calgary.
[00:24] SPEAKER_00: For the last 15 years, Jen has been coaching leaders and executives to be the bold, daring,
[00:30] SPEAKER_00: and magnetic leaders they know they can be.
[00:33] SPEAKER_00: She is a master's certified coach, a dare to lead facilitator, and recently received
[00:39] SPEAKER_00: a top 100 most powerful women award from the Women's Executive Network.
[00:44] SPEAKER_00: So welcome Jen, and thank you for joining us today.
[00:48] SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Bonnie, for having me.
[00:49] SPEAKER_00: So before we start talking about the strange world that we're living in right now, why
[00:55] SPEAKER_00: do you spend just a couple minutes telling our listeners a little bit about yourself
[01:00] SPEAKER_00: and your business?
[01:02] SPEAKER_01: Well, I was a HR professional that was drawn from a high tech career into a second career
[01:10] SPEAKER_01: in given resources because I had a lead interest in leadership culture and teams, and I started
[01:15] SPEAKER_01: inside of executive and leadership development in the 2009 downturn wanting to specialize
[01:21] SPEAKER_01: in this niche area of human resources and people development.
[01:24] SPEAKER_01: And I think something else that's important about my journey is that we lost 70% of our
[01:30] SPEAKER_01: clients in the 2015 downturn, and by early 2016, we were growing leaps and bounds, and 2016
[01:38] SPEAKER_01: was our biggest year in business.
[01:40] SPEAKER_01: So as a business, I've seen this through building in a downturn through a couple of other
[01:46] SPEAKER_01: downturns, and here we go again.
[01:50] SPEAKER_00: Here we go again.
[01:51] SPEAKER_00: Well, and I'd love to latch on to that a bit.
[01:54] SPEAKER_00: How were you able to rebuild after losing 70% of your clients?
[01:58] SPEAKER_00: What were some of the things that you did?
[02:01] SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, I have to say, I have no crystal ball.
[02:04] SPEAKER_01: There were some things that I was seeing earlier in 2015, just seeing the ups and downs of
[02:09] SPEAKER_01: the energy industry and tailoring in the past and having a husband that was in that industry.
[02:14] SPEAKER_01: It looked like there were some signs that there might be another slowdown, and 70% of our
[02:19] SPEAKER_01: clients were in energy and energy services, and was spending more time earlier in the
[02:23] SPEAKER_01: year building relationships in the other industries that we were serving.
[02:27] SPEAKER_01: And then the fall of 2015, within two months, we lost 70% of our clients which leads to
[02:32] SPEAKER_01: September and November.
[02:34] SPEAKER_01: And come January, a lot of those people that we had talked to, and January February, March
[02:42] SPEAKER_01: of the year before, sort of coming and asking for a conversation.
[02:45] SPEAKER_01: And it was a year-long building process to develop those relationships and then to continue
[02:51] SPEAKER_01: giving into the business community and developing those relationships through the fall of 2015
[02:57] SPEAKER_01: when things were going down for us and all of our clients.
[03:01] SPEAKER_01: And through Christmas and into January, it was really continuing to get involved in the
[03:06] SPEAKER_01: business community through our local chamber of commerce, through reaching out to clients,
[03:10] SPEAKER_01: and developing new relationships.
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: Well, and here we're now in something that I don't think anyone has ever truly experienced
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: to this degree. So how are you managing now? What are you doing to keep your business
[03:26] SPEAKER_00: going and maybe even some of the lessons that you're learning along the way?
[03:32] SPEAKER_01: I think we've been all hit a lot less hard than a lot of our clients and a lot of other members
[03:37] SPEAKER_01: of the business community. We have worked remotely with our clients across North America that are
[03:44] SPEAKER_01: outside Calgary for many, many years. So to be using video conference technology to do coaching
[03:50] SPEAKER_01: sessions with clients is not new for us. It is new for our clients in Calgary and making that
[03:56] SPEAKER_01: transition. For them, our clients in Calgary used to having a quiet, confidential
[04:03] SPEAKER_01: space with big whiteboards to think about their thinking. We're not able to offer that to
[04:08] SPEAKER_01: clients anymore that are struggling with managing distractions at home and it's not a quiet,
[04:14] SPEAKER_01: confidential space. And that's new, but where our business has really been impacted is working
[04:20] SPEAKER_01: with leadership teams and running workshops. That business for us, we've seen cancellations or
[04:27] SPEAKER_01: we've seen them be put on hold and don't know when or if doing that work with clients can resume.
[04:33] SPEAKER_01: We've been fortunate to be able to move some of that online and then there's been the technology
[04:38] SPEAKER_01: learning curve for us to go from working one-on-one with clients online for an hour, an hour,
[04:43] SPEAKER_01: and a half to two hours to doing full-day workshops with 20 people from 8 to 5, which is very
[04:53] SPEAKER_01: different use of the technology and having to ramp up our use of technology in new ways.
[04:58] SPEAKER_01: And ways that we're shifting and looking at keeping things moving forward for us is doing a lot
[05:06] SPEAKER_01: more of business development. We're doing a lot more, getting into the community, we're doing
[05:11] SPEAKER_01: webinars and pro bono coaching offerings to support leaders as they navigate through this challenge
[05:18] SPEAKER_01: to talk about and have webinars on some of the timely challenges whether it's managing triggers
[05:24] SPEAKER_01: under stress or navigating. How do we do strategic planning at a time like this or do we even do
[05:29] SPEAKER_01: strategic planning? And how do we make some of these tough decisions where there's really no right
[05:33] SPEAKER_01: answers, nobody's been here before and then how do we communicate this tough news? And so we've
[05:38] SPEAKER_01: been spending a lot of time having conversations supporting our clients but also members in the
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: business community and navigating these challenges of leadership that they're encountering.
[05:47] SPEAKER_01: And this is how the business was built from the very beginning, was giving into the business
[05:51] SPEAKER_01: community and trusting that the people we give to may not become our clients, but there'll be
[05:57] SPEAKER_01: the ones that refer us to work with the leaders that they see or fit to work with us in the future.
[06:04] SPEAKER_01: And so those are those are the things that we're doing to find our way through.
[06:08] SPEAKER_00: Well, and it's no secret that Calgary's in a very difficult place, arguably the most
[06:15] SPEAKER_00: impacted out of any major city in Canada by not only having to change the way we work, but then
[06:22] SPEAKER_00: what's happening with the energy markets as well. And I'm curious, what are you saying to those
[06:29] SPEAKER_00: clients that you have in your coaching practice who maybe are leaders in those energy companies
[06:36] SPEAKER_00: where they really are faced with probably the most difficult situations they've ever encountered.
[06:42] SPEAKER_01: This isn't 2008 and it's not 2015. I'm doing a lot of listening and a lot less talking. I have to
[06:49] SPEAKER_01: tell you, it's a really hard place for those leaders to be. There's a lot of emotion that comes up
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: in there in a role where they're putting on the brave face for others. They're the ones delivering
[07:02] SPEAKER_01: the hard news and there's a lot of people for them to talk to you about how they're feeling.
[07:08] SPEAKER_01: And so I've been doing a lot of listening and acknowledging that that's really hard and that
[07:14] SPEAKER_01: it's okay for this to be hard and got wrenching right now and it's okay to not be the
[07:20] SPEAKER_01: ray of sunshine and focus only on the optimism because for us to embrace the good things ahead,
[07:29] SPEAKER_01: we need to acknowledge what's really hard or it doesn't come from an authentic place and
[07:33] SPEAKER_01: we have to be able to process the grief that we're going through and so it's spending a lot of
[07:38] SPEAKER_01: time with leaders really listening to what's really hard right now and that it's okay to be hard
[07:45] SPEAKER_01: so that they can move through it and be able to then start to process the grief and the loss
[07:52] SPEAKER_01: and the challenges for themselves and that brings up the creative thinking and what they're going to
[07:57] SPEAKER_00: create for the future. And Jen are there resources or helpful tools that you've been recommending that
[08:05] SPEAKER_00: maybe would be of use to our listeners who are entrepreneurs across the country so obviously
[08:12] SPEAKER_00: experiencing many of the same things but also different depending on their geography.
[08:18] SPEAKER_01: You know one of the resources that we've been sharing out there that I see has been picked out
[08:24] SPEAKER_01: more than any other resource is a tool that comes from a thought leader named Kristen Neth.
[08:31] SPEAKER_01: She is a self-compassion researcher and she's got a few free websites, resources on self-compassion.org
[08:42] SPEAKER_01: and her guided self-compassion meditations and every time we share out after a webinar
[08:49] SPEAKER_01: we've been sharing this out and we're able to see which links people are clicking on more than
[08:53] SPEAKER_01: others and the self-guided or the guided self-compassion meditations have been clicked on way more than
[08:59] SPEAKER_01: any other so that website is self-compassion.org and you're looking for guided meditations.
[09:07] SPEAKER_01: I think that goes back to that helping leaders process what they're going through and not just
[09:13] SPEAKER_01: pushing it aside and being there for mediaeels but being able to navigate through it yourself so
[09:18] SPEAKER_01: that you do have the energy to be able to support those around you.
[09:22] SPEAKER_00: Yeah that's a very very difficult spot to be in and at the same time I'm imagining as your coaching
[09:29] SPEAKER_00: you have also had to make some adjustments with your own business you've touched on them a bit
[09:34] SPEAKER_00: but how is your team doing like how have you had to pivot in this current work environment that we're in?
[09:43] SPEAKER_01: Well all of our team they're all working from home and some of them have always worked from home
[09:48] SPEAKER_01: and some of them are used to working in the office here in Calgary and they're navigating
[09:56] SPEAKER_01: being on Zoom all day long working with clients and that's that's exhausting to be on Zoom all day long
[10:03] SPEAKER_01: and then some of them have children and some of them don't so then some of them are dealing with
[10:09] SPEAKER_01: trying to manage like a lot of other parents homeschooling their children and then others are
[10:14] SPEAKER_01: dealing a little bit more with the belowliness of being isolated and socially disconnected from a
[10:22] SPEAKER_01: broader community including a community of peers and then there's the adjustment too as I said
[10:28] SPEAKER_01: the technology and ran the learning of technology and how to work with some leadership teams and
[10:34] SPEAKER_01: with groups and running some workshops and doing so in an online platform that goes well beyond
[10:41] SPEAKER_01: one-to-one meetings or even team meetings to being able to bring in other technologies to be
[10:47] SPEAKER_01: able to navigate how do we have an effective experience together in helping a team navigate some
[10:53] SPEAKER_01: hard conversations to learning some new leadership concepts and navigate
[10:59] SPEAKER_01: appointments of themselves that's been a state learning curve for us even though we've been immersed
[11:05] SPEAKER_01: in this technology for years and gives us a new insight into what our clients are dealing with
[11:11] SPEAKER_01: as they just start to use some of this technology and I think when it comes to our team the other
[11:20] SPEAKER_01: challenge is we're actually been super super busy so it's harder for us to stay connected with
[11:26] SPEAKER_00: with one another and what are you doing to to help yourself manage these challenging stressful times
[11:34] SPEAKER_00: do you have some some hacks or some tips that you could offer? I think some of the things that
[11:41] SPEAKER_01: I would suggest is I have a dedicated home office and that's not possible for everyone
[11:47] SPEAKER_01: what is possible is to set up your space to be your workspace and then to shut it down at the end
[11:54] SPEAKER_01: of your workday one of the things that I've been talking about to a lot of clients to help them
[11:59] SPEAKER_01: create that workspace and allow them to focus and be their work environment during work
[12:05] SPEAKER_01: then to also step away from it is to get away noise machine I've been talking to a lot of clients
[12:10] SPEAKER_01: about them because they're struggling with all the distractions from their their family but then
[12:15] SPEAKER_01: also once they leave their workspace it almost follows with and a white noise machine can give you
[12:20] SPEAKER_01: that quiet privacy but also the environment changes when you step out of it you turn the white
[12:25] SPEAKER_01: noise machine off it actually feels like you've left work or you've left that environment and
[12:30] SPEAKER_01: my favorite one it comes from the 1970s it's old school it doesn't have the speaker it doesn't have
[12:36] SPEAKER_01: whole bunch of different options it's called a Mar-Pag-Dome and it's the same one that psychologists
[12:42] SPEAKER_01: have been using since 1970 the lower tech the better the white noise machine is so I've been
[12:48] SPEAKER_01: suggesting it to a lot of clients over the last decade and working with them to help them with
[12:53] SPEAKER_01: distractions in their work environment and now I've been introducing it to a lot of the clients
[12:58] SPEAKER_01: and now to get in their workspace the other thing I've been talking to clients about is we're
[13:04] SPEAKER_01: finding that people are working way more hours today than they were pre-COVID and they're
[13:12] SPEAKER_01: seeing that for their employees too and making a point of taking a break taking an hour for lunch
[13:19] SPEAKER_01: or half an hour go up for a walk if you can depending on where you are and whether restrictions are
[13:26] SPEAKER_01: taking time to make yourself a real meal and also when it comes to connecting with your
[13:33] SPEAKER_01: coworkers and your team get on video as much as you can instead of a five minute phone call
[13:37] SPEAKER_01: have a five minute video call connect with people to deal with the isolation but also staying
[13:43] SPEAKER_01: connected with your peers and you'll have much more productive conversations than you will on a phone
[13:49] SPEAKER_00: and certainly then you would over a female and so as we look ahead and some of the provinces are now
[13:56] SPEAKER_00: introducing their their reopening plans and most of those are a phased approach how do you see
[14:05] SPEAKER_00: this unfolding or how are you coaching your clients as we start to look ahead to what everyone
[14:11] SPEAKER_01: is calling the new normal I think the number one is don't try and do it alone get out and talk with
[14:18] SPEAKER_01: other leaders or and other entrepreneurs and be honest where you're struggling there is no new
[14:26] SPEAKER_01: normal so you're creating something that's never existed before you're turning your business into
[14:33] SPEAKER_01: a business that's never existed before and no one's no one knows the right answer it's so
[14:39] SPEAKER_01: important to reach out to other business leaders other business owners of their entrepreneurs
[14:45] SPEAKER_01: to hear their perspective to hear what they're struggling with what their ideas are to bounce
[14:50] SPEAKER_01: your ideas off of them so that you first of all you don't feel alone and the second is that the
[14:57] SPEAKER_01: law for you to perspective and the solutions that you put forward will be better than anything that
[15:04] SPEAKER_00: you could possibly do by yourself do you see a silver lining and in anything here that we've
[15:11] SPEAKER_00: gone through and you know so many changes so quickly this year this crisis has devastated businesses
[15:18] SPEAKER_01: and the economy and really the silver lining is we'll appreciate our local small businesses more
[15:26] SPEAKER_01: than ever we're going to see a significant loss of small businesses in our communities I've seen
[15:31] SPEAKER_01: small businesses closing in my community already on the fitness studio to some restaurants to
[15:39] SPEAKER_01: ones that are in some small office buildings that I know are already closing that we can't see
[15:44] SPEAKER_01: because they're not street level that we're going to see a lot of small businesses that are the
[15:50] SPEAKER_01: fabric of our communities close and I think the silver lining is we're going to see how important
[15:57] SPEAKER_01: they are in our community and appreciate them and support them like never before and I think
[16:05] SPEAKER_01: that's good for all of us not just post-COVID I wish we've been doing that alone and I think the
[16:11] SPEAKER_01: silver lining is we're going to see how how pertinent and important to not just business but our
[16:18] SPEAKER_01: communities as a whole those small businesses are do you have any other either thoughts or
[16:25] SPEAKER_00: tips that you would like to share in terms of either discussions that you've been having with
[16:30] SPEAKER_00: your own clients or I know you have a high profile with the Calgary business community is there
[16:36] SPEAKER_00: anything else that you would like to share today you know I think it's maybe coming back to a
[16:42] SPEAKER_01: couple of things that I've already talked about and I think we right now needs to double down
[16:46] SPEAKER_01: our community we need to double down on reaching out and we need to double down on creating for
[16:54] SPEAKER_00: the future those are great thoughts and Calgaryans are very resilient and they will rise to the
[17:00] SPEAKER_00: challenge and we have always had a community here both business and and just personally that
[17:06] SPEAKER_00: rises above great adversity well before we go Jen why don't you share your contact information
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: including your website I sure will have listeners that will be interested if you're offering
[17:18] SPEAKER_00: webinars and coaching opportunities so why don't you let us know where we can find you absolutely
[17:25] SPEAKER_01: you can find me on the web at incito.ca it's i-n-c-i-t-o.ca and I'm also active on LinkedIn and you can
[17:36] SPEAKER_01: also find me on Twitter and on LinkedIn we've been sharing how to get in touch with some of our
[17:41] SPEAKER_01: some of the pro bono coaching we've been offering so you can find us on LinkedIn and we've got
[17:46] SPEAKER_01: some links to jump right into our coaches calendars for some hitch-free real coaching on any topic
[17:54] SPEAKER_01: that you might need to dig into to get some support if you don't already have a coach working with
[17:58] SPEAKER_01: with no expectation just a confidential conversation with a coach that is a
[18:04] SPEAKER_00: incredible service that you're offering to business leaders so thank you for doing that
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: that is so important and thank you for taking time out of a very busy day to chat with me and
[18:17] SPEAKER_00: and to share your insights I think that will really be a benefit to our listeners so really
[18:22] SPEAKER_00: appreciate you being our guest today thank you Bonnie it's my pleasure
[18:26] SPEAKER_00: thanks for taking the time today to listen to Calgary's podcast on the Canada's podcast network
[18:32] SPEAKER_00: we hope you enjoyed the show make sure you sign up for our newsletters and if you have a
[18:37] SPEAKER_00: moment please write a review for us on iTunes you can connect with us on Twitter Facebook
[18:42] SPEAKER_00: Instagram and LinkedIn at Canada's podcast and make sure you check out what other entrepreneurs
[18:48] SPEAKER_00: are doing across the country