Written by: Dawn Bates, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
For those of us who thrive on the adrenaline of being in business and doing the deals, we often get so caught up in the party of pushing through the comfort zone barriers, that we risk losing key individuals on our team because they are drowning in fear and overwhelm… whilst smiling sweetly at us.
Our job is, of course, to lead them through the perceived storms they are facing, even though we cannot see the dark clouds they see.
How do we lead others through something we are not aware of?
How do we lead them safely to their shore, whilst we are setting the sails to full, ready to surf those massive waves?
How do we make sure they feel safe, if after we have had those 1:1 ‘quick chats’ or the motivational team meeting, they still wish to remain on land jumping ship or are tentatively wanting to sail the open oceans with us?
And why all the sailing analogies?
Well, because as an open ocean sailor, I have faced the 6 metre waves crashing over the bow of the boat, with the rain pounding in my face, with low visibility and the only thing I can see is either the sky because we are pitched so vertically, or the next wave crashing over the bow.
I have felt the fear from my fellow crew members who are not as ocean ready, and I have felt that fear and used it to make me feel ALIVE!
Our team members joined us for a reason, they stayed for many more, and they will leave if our growth is too fast for them.
Their comfort zones are not as wide open as ours are, hence why they are the employees and we are the employers.
Now, we could hire a motivational speaker who comes in and waxes lyrical about leadership in the corporate world, using anecdotes from their own life of climbing the corporate ladder whilst jumping out of planes and fighting fires.
We can put our teams on various training courses or go off on team building days ‘to energise and harmonise’ the team spirit,
But do they really have the long-term impacts we are looking for?
Do we even know who our team members are outside of the office and what they are dealing with, which could be holding them back or wanting them to be seen by us in a different light – which could ultimately be the saving grace of our companies?
Working with companies as they step change up into the next level of business is not something many people associate with me. Most only see an international bestselling author, author coach and publisher.
Others see my nomadic life and cannot fathom it, whilst also seeing it as risky, reckless and irresponsible, as if I am running from something rather than simply experiencing life in a beautifully curious way of adventuring and ascending.
What my lifestyle of ‘chaos’ represents for others is a mix of inspiration and fear, and this is why I am one of the most powerful change catalysts for you and your team when facing the fear of the unknown growth and scaling of the business.
It has been said many times over that I am more of a badass speaker rather than a motivational speaker, one who is prepared to drop the so-called truth bombs to shatter the fear and break down the illusions of ‘I can’t do this’ turning your teams fears into “I’m ready for this, ALL of this!” with a healthy dose of “Why did I not believe in myself for so long?”
Admittedly, I am not the kind of leadership coach for every organisation, and if you have read any of my books you will know that my life has thrown so many curve balls at me, I could be Ty Cobb reincarnated. (Those who know, know).
Most of us have personal challenges we are working through, and whilst we do our best to not allow those challenges to get in the way of work, we are still human after all.
Our unconscious programming by social media and society tells us what we should be achieving, what we should be dreaming, and how we should and should not be feeling about ourselves.
Being able to switch those off within ourselves is one thing, switching them off in our teams, or harnessing the power of them – which is what I prefer to do – is quite another.
Oftentimes, I use powerful uplifting music and dance around shifting the energy and getting my heart rate up, especially on those days of feeling ‘less than’ – which only tend to happen when my monthly cycle hits and all I want to do is climb under the duvet and sleep a little longer.
I like to nap, and not the power hour or 20-minute kind of naps either. I am talking about the ‘go to bed and let my body tell me when to wake up’ kind of nap.
Yes, I am blessed to work for myself, but imagine if we sent our team into a ‘nap room’ or home for a nap – imagine the feelings of being seen and appreciated that would give them.
Don’t you think they would then give you the 10x effort Grant Cardone bangs on about all the time?
For those who don’t need a nap and can function on 4 hours of sleep per day for 365 days of the year, you may not understand the power of the nap, but you are not meant to. You are not wired that way.
Finding out what our teams need, whether it is an in-house running or spinning club, or perhaps a group of individuals who just love to create beautiful food, so get together at lunch to feed everyone is so vitally important.
We have to give our teams what it is they need to sail with us to the promised lands, not what we think they need.
One of the biggest things I do with my clients when they are either writing their own story or they are allowing me to write their biography, is remove all the blockages of fear and doubt they have about putting themselves out there.
Many entrepreneurs are happy to hide behind their knowledge base in business, but when it comes to showcasing themselves as human, warts and all for the sake of a higher purpose, creating social change as a legacy, or exposing human rights violations and corporate corruption, this takes on a whole new level of bravery which not many of us are capable of.
These same skills I use throughout my author coaching and biography writing are the ones which make me an excellent motivator for companies facing the winds of change; and which have inspired the minds and hearts of some of the most successful entrepreneurs the world over.
Working with clients who have achieved 9 and 10-figure incomes, both personally and in their businesses, is an absolute delight and means I have to know what I am talking about, and have to hold space for some pretty big fears (and sometimes egos).
Their fears are often in the realm of losing everything they have built, not for them, but for the people who they employ around the world by damaging the reputation of the businesses they have cultivated with people who have believed in them.
Speaking out on highly sensitive issues is something not to be taken lightly, and for my clients, knowing they can speak freely without judgement and in the strictest of confidence is what has them refer others to me time and again.
This is the level of confidence we need to build in our teams as we take them through the step changes of our businesses.
And whilst this all seems like the most basic of common sense, it is often the one which is most overlooked.
Without our teams we would be the ones drowning in the late nights and the admin, the tech, the lead gen and the customer service (or lack of it due to the overload of work).
Without our teams standing firm with us as we navigate the course we have set for our business and our ultimate vision; we are the ones lost at sea.
So let’s remember to make sure our teams are not left in our wake and left with sleepless nights because our growth is too fast and scary for them to even comprehend, let alone keep up with.
And if you need a badass to come and support you all through the process, or want someone to guide you in getting your story out into the world, you know where to find me.
Dawn Bates, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
"Dawn Bates is a true international bestselling author multiple times over on five continents. She specialises in developing global leaders into real authorities who wish to give a voice to the voiceless whilst working with them to create brand expansion strategies through activism and authorship.
Profound truths, social justice and human rights underpin everything she does, and at the core of her soul is a passion for being of service to humanity, giving hope, courage and confidence for others to stand in their truth and live a life of conviction.
She writes for various magazines, sails around the world on yachts as a digital nomad and is currently working towards her PhD in Human Rights and Social Justice with the University of Oxford, whilst also hosting her own podcasts The Sacral Series and The Truth Serum.
Her books are powerful and comprise of solo compilations and multiple collaborations of the highest caliber. Dawn brings together the multi-faceted aspects of the world we live in and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, whilst delivering mic dropping inspiration, motivation and awakening. Her work captures life around the world in all its rawness.
Dawn’s expertise and insights will make you rethink your life, whilst harnessing the deepest freedom of all: your own truth. She’s an authority on leading others to create exceptional results by igniting the passions and fires deep within to speak and live powerfully. "
