You can hate more but you can never love less. The hope to make the world a better place keeps us all going. In today’s competitive world, helping those in management positions is also crucial so they can make better decisions and have clarity in life. With the same vision, Lisa Anna Palmer is helping people in management positions to love their life as a leader. Lisa is the Founder and CEO of Light Your Leadership Inc.
Lisa is on a purpose roadmap that outlines how to lead effectively in a changing world. Additionally, she and her team at Light Your Leadership Inc. is growing a platform that shines a light on leaders who put people and the planet first. Thus, we at CIO Business World unleash the full potential of Lisa through an interview to learn about the techniques she uses to bring change.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as an entrepreneur. What inspired you to start your own business?
I burned out three times by the age of 38. After spending two decades working within corporate Human Resources & Organizational Development and Organizational Effectiveness roles, both as a management consultant at a Big Six Firm and then within HR roles at two Canadian Crown Corporations, I was inspired to start my own company. As my consulting and coaching practice took off, I realized that I wanted to focus on leadership development because lack of leadership is at the root of every organizational and societal issue. Great leadership is at the heart of every success.
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.
Our vision is to make the world a better workplace for all by helping those in management positions to learn to love their life as a leader. We do this using the principles featured in my international bestselling book, Light A Fire In Their Hearts: The Truth About Leadership and the SCALE approach, which stands for Self-Awareness, Connection, Accountability, Legacy, and Elevating others. These help managers and executives take their leadership to the next level as they learn tools and techniques to unleash potential and forces for good in themselves and others.
In addition, we have the PURPOSE Road Map, which outlines how to lead effectively in a post-pandemic world, including:
1. Putting people and the planet first
2. Understanding the struggle
3. Renewing the culture
4. Psychological safety and physical security
5. Office set-up and technology, including AI
6. Service-minded leadership
7. Evolving and elevating leadership capacity at all levels
We are also dedicated to growing a platform that shines a light on leaders who put people and the planet first.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for your company?
I envision growing Light Your Leadership Inc. by establishing a Fractional Chief Leadership Officer practice. My goal remains to do my part to ease workplace suffering in as many organizations as possible and make work meaningful and joyful so that people want to be, do, and feel their very best. We need to bring back pride in work well done and strive for excellence in healthier ways that bring about good, rather than using methods and approaches that harm people and the environment.
I plan to raise awareness of CEOs and Boards so they see the importance of introducing and prioritizing Chief Leadership Officer roles. With over 50% of managers looking to leave their position (Gallup), 70% of people offered promotions saying “no” (Ivanti), 69% of managers being afraid of speaking to their employees (Harris Poll), and 57% of employees are reporting that they are being disrespected by their manager (Pew Research), we need to focus on leadership development at all levels, all ages, and all backgrounds.
Waiting to send managers to a workshop when they get promoted is insufficient. To steer organizations, society, and our economy in the right direction, we need to elevate leadership so that it is integrated as a way of being from the start. Leadership development needs to start early and to be viewed as lifelong learning.
I am also working on my second book, Leadership In A Post-Pandemic World, to explore a revolutionized post-pandemic workplace and organizational renewal.
In the near future, where do you envision yourself, and how do you plan to accelerate and drive forward the process of change?
I took stock about two months ago about what differentiates me. I had the realization that prior to launching my own company, I had spent most of my time in corporate settings advising and coaching vice presidents and aspiring vice presidents (i.e., directors and senior directors). I also found that coaching managers and helping them become better versions of themselves led them to realize their deep discontent with their current employers. They then beg me to help them leave their company because they don’t have the formal authority to implement change and feel stuck with traditional command and control senior managers.
This pained me, so I’ve decided to focus on coaching vice presidents and aspiring vice presidents (and equivalents) because they have greater authority and access to resources. Therefore, when they transform, they can stay with their current employer and effect real and meaningful changes to their workplace. This benefits their downline and thus helps middle managers in the long run. They are also the CEO feeder group, so when we help them be the best version of themselves, we help the entire organization solidify its future.
Outstanding leadership is contagious as elevated leaders become role models for others. Investing in vice presidents and aspiring vice presidents makes workplaces better. Strong, compassionate, courageous, and competent transformational executives know how to grow and inspire other leaders, which creates a powerful ripple effect at all levels. This is the key to delivering results in healthier and more sustainable ways. Leadership development underscores strategic advantage and underpins excellence. Case in point, a Metrix Global study found that executive coaching can have a 788% return on investment (ROI) based on factors including increases in productivity and employee retention (Forbes, 2023).
Coaching top managers to love their life unleashes their human potential. When leaders can connect with people they work with from this elevated place of purpose, passion, and fulfilment, the potential for their organization’s success grows exponentially.
As a successful Women leader, how do you manage to strike a balance between your professional commitments and personal life?
This is yet another example of lifelong learning because while I strive for balance and have made much progress, I am still not quite where I would like to be. However, I’d like to invite leaders to reframe this whole concept: rather than try to strike a 50/50 balance between work and personal life, perhaps it would be more effective and less frustrating to harmonize our work and personal life.
What I mean by that is that we have different seasons, and life is dynamic, not static. So, rather than strive for balance or a 50/50 split between my work and personal life, I seek to find the right mix that feels good: when life is harmonious, I feel energized, healthier, more aligned, and in flow.
I do this by checking in with myself because sometimes I tend to spread myself too thin. I’ve learned to recognize the signs of burnout earlier; in my case, I get fatigue and joint pain because of fibromyalgia. When I get the first hint, I know it is time to pull back and spread out my appointments to leave more room for self-care and downtime in my calendar. Also, of crucial importance is that I have learned to set boundaries, manage expectations, focus on priorities, to simplify processes, leverage technology and delegate more.
In a male-dominated industry, how have you overcome challenges and stereotypes to succeed as a woman entrepreneur?
I don’t feel that I have overcome it. Rather, it is an ongoing exercise in raising awareness to counteract unconscious biases. As nurturers, women tend to be recognized as solid career and life coaches, human resources managers, and experts in self-leadership or coaches for middle managers. While there have been advances with upcoming generations, when it comes to being considered as thought leaders or coaches for senior managers, we have yet to break through the glass ceiling, particularly with CEOs and VPs who are Gen-Xers or Boomers.
I can see why this happens as mainstream celebrity leadership experts, such as the late Bob Proctor, John C. Maxwell, Patrick Lencioni, Kouzes and Posner, etc., tend to fit the stereotype. Don’t get me wrong, I really admire what these men have done to advance organizational leadership, and I am grateful to have studied their work. However, society must recognize that women can also advise and coach top leaders just as well as any man.
Both men and women in senior management need to check their biases. Men also need to step up as allies, as everybody wins when more women get involved in leadership development at the highest levels of the organization.
What advice would you give to aspiring women entrepreneurs who are looking to make a mark in their respective industries?
I suggest they practice the 8 Ps of Ignition that I introduced in the book Light A Fire In Their Hearts. They are Profundity, Passion, Purpose, Perseverance, Professionalism, Play, Philanthropy, and Prosperity. We also need to support one another and not listen when we are told that we need to ‘play the game’ or ‘be mean’ to get ahead. This is what keeps us down as a collective. We need to stop playing small and get out of our comfort zones to be seen and to share our platform with others so that we can all get an opportunity to shine.
What are your thoughts on the evolving landscape of entrepreneurship and business in the 21st century?
Entrepreneurs play an essential part in shaping the landscape and driving its evolution. My hope is that through our businesses and our life’s work, we influence socio-economic forces toward doing what is good for people and the planet. We need to hold ourselves, politicians, and community leaders accountable for driving the economy to grow and realize profits in healthier and more sustainable ways. We have the power to influence consumer behaviours through our advertising, research, speaking, writing and storytelling. Let’s help the masses make better choices that will help humanity and all living beings stick around a while longer and strive for a better world for all.
