1680 – Become Better at Influencing by Understanding Your Reach with Jennifer Myers

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0:58with us right now jennifer myers jennifer you are a certified leadership and business coach a speaker trainer your website is jennifer myers.co.nz so you're an american who found themselves all the way in new zealand and now you are on the thoughtful entrepreneur podcast Jennifer, it's great to have you. I'm happy to be here, Josh. Give us an overview of your work, your impact in the world, who you serve and what you do. Yeah, so yeah, what I call myself is I am a coach and up-leveler of leaders and teams, and my mission in life is to have a positive impact on at least one million business professionals while I'm upright and breathing.

1:43Now, I don't know exactly how that's going to look, but I'm on my way. So that's brilliant. And that mission really got kicked off back in, I think it was around 2007 when I was just a couple hours down the road from you, Josh, in Southwest Florida. And I was running a business which created events and opportunities for professional women in the community to connect with each other. And after one particular event, a woman came up to me and she said, Jen, I just got to let you know this event has changed my life. This organization has changed my life. And that was a goosebump moment for me. I'm like, wow, that's amazing that I can facilitate something that has that much impact.

2:25So that kind of put me on the path I'm on, which yeah, now I work with leaders to help them increase not only their own ability to make an impact in their business, but also with their teams to help them raise their game in really important areas like leadership, communication, which includes sales, right? So really helping to lift the entire organization's performance and achieve business goals. And Jen, I see that one area that you talk about, and you use the example of some notable leaders that we may be all familiar with, but the commonality among great leaders and communicators, you kind of mentioned is this X factor, is this ability to influence.

3:11I want the X factor. How can we be better at influencing in our lives? There's a couple of components to that. And I think the ability to influence is understanding first that it starts with you, And it starts with you understanding that a whole lot of people are watching you. So many that you don't even know are watching you, are watching you. They're looking to you for cues about how to behave, how to interact in certain situations, how to treat other people, how to make decisions. And they're, you know, they're sitting on the sidelines sometimes and they're watching what you're doing. And obviously the team, if you've got a team around you in your business, you're the leader and main influencer of that team.

4:02So they buy your energy. And if you're someone who is conscious of that fact, that is the first realization, I think, that helps people move down the path of, all right, this is just not all about me. This is about who I'm being and what those people around me are picking up. I believe that. And I think today, I think maybe decades and decades ago, I feel like you could probably hide your real intentions and persona a little bit better. Today, I think it's very, very challenging to pull that off. And I think that most people can feel your intention. And I think that that's both from the fact that we have so many inroads into each other through social and so forth.

4:49But as well, I believe that I think that the population just seems pretty savvy. Like we're, you know, your audience, my audience, audiences, they know what's going on. They like, you can't fool them. Like, and so, you know, maybe it's like, you know, we're just, you know, we've, we've had to use these skills much more regularly. And so, or maybe we're all a little bit more cynical and jaded. And so we're kind of looking for that. Maybe we've been burned before. But again, for my fellow Gen Xers in the crowd, that's kind of part of our mantra anyway. Absolutely. I can totally get that. Yep. I'm right there with you.

5:26So I think you're, I think you're right in all of those things. I think, you know, social media and the ability to access so much information has changed the landscape of so many industries and changed the landscape of how we interact. And we talked just a moment ago about the fact that, you know, I'm married to a clinical psychologist. So, you know, when we go to the doctor now, we go to Dr. Google first, and then we then we go to the doctor and say, I think this is what I have. So I encounter the same kind of thing when I work with coaching clients, you know, they'll self diagnose, or they'll tell me what they think they need.

6:02But really, it's a good conversation around, you know, what are what's manifesting for you and in your business that's causing problems, and then we can get to the bottom of that. Yeah. So Jen, how do you work with your clients? Like, what does that typically look like? So on the individual side of things, I've got a client in particular who is a lone wolf, and she's been very successful in the finance industry. But she kind of understood that if she wanted to really scale her business, take some things online, do an online course, those sorts of things she needed to learn how to collaborate and influence so we really worked on taking her from kind of the soloist in the orchestra to the conductor right how do i how do i step from the soloist chair or i'm a star and how do i just kind of set my ego aside for a minute and work on collaborating with other people so that we can create synergy and create something bigger than what I've already got.

7:04So that's the kind of work I do with individuals. With teams, for instance, I've got a client now who is, they have a team of 500, 400, big team, but they're spread geographically. And they're working on how to up-level the team's ability to build relationships and maintain customer relationships over the long term. So it's on connecting, it's on sales, it's on understanding people's personality and their behavior. So I'm a big DISC practitioner, the DISC behavioral model flows through a lot of what I do. So we worked with them. I sat down with the leaders to say, right, where are you people at?

7:46What do they need? And how do we deliver that in the way they're going to hear? So we created a program that was pre-recorded assets that they could watch and put up on their learning management system. We do monthly ask me anything sessions where we hop online like this and have the team log on and ask questions. And then there's written materials as well. And we even did a little podcast style interview. So it's just really customizing what someone needs, pulling that together into a package that works for their team. Yeah. On your LinkedIn, and I'm seeing other areas where you've done some particularly great work among female business leaders, I'm hoping maybe you can give us some insights about what it's like working with female leaders, what trends you may have seen?

8:33Are there any, just, I guess, any observations about working specifically with women that would be valuable for us to be aware of? So the thing that I find most often, that's a great question, the thing that I find most often with women and working with female leaders is their hesitancy to step into their superpowers and to step into what's really awesome about them. And not that they want to necessarily shout it from the rooftops because, you know, even culturally, there are some differences here in New Zealand, but, you know, ensuring that they can embrace all the good stuff that they've done and the things they've accomplished and really try to internalize that so that they feel confident when they step into a meeting or when they, you know, address the team or contribute.

9:29So they contribute more. Does that make sense? Yeah, absolutely. And so are there any trends that you've observed? And by the way, what you just said, I have talked with countless, you know, leadership consultants who would echo that same sentiment. Now, I love that that awareness, I hope, is evoking, like awareness, hopefully that's evoking action, right? Both, I'd say, compassion for ourselves, for each other, but also awareness, am I showing up in that way, right? And so, you know, to consider that when there is an opportunity to own that mantle, which rightly is rightly deserved. Absolutely.

10:20And I think, you know, trends that I would see working with females versus males, and I do work with males too, but it is, it is different. You know, females are much more, tend to be much more concerned about how do I ensure I'm taking care of my people? How do I, they've got much more natural connectedness, I think, than my male clients. clients. So there's an extra piece of working with males there where it's the awareness around many males. It's that awareness around how important the connected piece is, getting a little bit vulnerable. And I've got a story for you around this one. Can I tell you that?

11:02Please. So I've got a client who's an accountant and was asking me, he said, But Jen, we were in a team meeting. We did an all day retreat with his team. And we were in the middle of the day. Things were, they were kind of going okay, but everybody was just a little bit jaded. And he came up, he said, Jen, I don't feel like I'm connecting with the team. Do you think I should tell a story about when I was in high school? And, you know, people always ask me, why do you not like to get up in front of groups and, you know, talk to us and do trainings and things like that? He says, can I tell a story about when I was in high school?

11:40And I got really embarrassed in front of my class. And I said, yeah, I think that would actually be a really good thing because it gives them insight into who you are as a human being. And he did. And it was received really well. And I think it helped to begin to break down that, you know, I'm the boss. Totally, totally. And in fact, I feel like, you know, and I know this from, you know, kind of PR and media consulting is that, you know, you don't want to be too polished because then it's like, Like I don't connect with you because I know I'm not that level of polished if I'm being honest about who I really am.

12:17And so if you are, like there's going to be a disconnect. I don't feel like I'm getting to know the real you unless you're willing to at least share some vulnerability that we're, hey, we're both human here. We make mistakes. We both hope to learn from those mistakes. Like that's endearing. I feel connection with that person because I know that they are just like me. Yeah, it is. And it's right. And I think sometimes women tend to be a bit more open. So going back to the trends of leadership, tend to be a bit more open about what they talk about with their team and that connecting with the teams.

12:52So, and I think that's a brilliant thing, but then I think sometimes it can go a little too far. So it's, yeah, it's finding that balance for those women leaders. It's not easy, but. Yeah, I'm sure. Jen, talk about, you know, like someone that might be listening to our conversation right now, and they're wondering, was Jen someone who could help me? Maybe you could talk a little bit more about kind of what that looks like tactically, you know, what that relationship dynamic typically looks like. So if someone's looking to explore working with me, either individually or for their team, what I always do is say, go find me on LinkedIn.

13:33You know, I do a lot of stuff on LinkedIn. You're going to learn about a lot about me, my personality. There's little videos you can find about me. So Google me, stalk me, right? Not stalk me, but Google me and connect with me. So there's plenty of places where people can connect. And, you know, we have a chat and we'll talk about really what they want to achieve. Where do they see as their biggest blind spot and how do they feel it's manifesting within the team? Then I'll ask some more questions and find out, you know, is that really what the issue is? And dig down to where I think we need to do some work.

14:08And then working with me is pretty simple. It's a fortnightly coaching engagement. And we create, I'll always create a curriculum, if you will, to kind of work through. And I've got screeds of IP and tools and resources that I use with clients. And I can kind of, it's like going into a pantry when you want to make a recipe and going, okay, what ingredients do I need to pull off the shelf for this client so that we get the result that we need? So I go to the pantry and I pull out, you know, a little didactic teaching and pull out some resources for them to read. I pull out a podcast they can listen to.

14:43And, you know, that regular accountability of putting stuff into action is key. Jennifer, your website is jennifermeyers.co.nz. To our friend that's listen to our conversation, click around in your podcast app. We've got a direct link. Open it up right now. Jen, when they go to your website, what would you recommend they do? Once they go to my website, I would recommend that they get in touch. Let's have a conversation. There's a down, I've got actually a freebie download that I think Josh, you're going to share with everyone in the show notes. And that is a brilliant resource around the disc.

15:21It's based around the disc model, but it helps you to kind of understand that we're all wired a little bit differently when it comes to how we view the world and how we connect. And it's just a really quick resource to help you go, hmm, here's how I might be able to connect a little bit better with that person over there who isn't wired like I am. So it's a really cool resource. And if you can connect better, you can increase your influence and your ability to lead. I just want to make sure. Yeah, I just want to make sure we, what do they click on? Where do they go? I mean, we'll have the link in the show notes, but do you know how one gets that?

15:55That is a separate link that I believe is on my resources page. It will be by the time this episode is published. Exactly. I'll go take a look. It should be up there. If it isn't there, it will be there. Yeah, resources to support your development. Some great audio programs that you've got listed here. Great content here. And that, again, that resource will be available. Again, website, jennifermeyers.co.nz. Jennifer, it's been great having you. Again, you're a certified leadership business coach, speaker, trainer, and it's been fabulous having you join us today. Thank you so much, Josh.

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