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Jenny is committed to Helping Women Rock their Roles for Greater Success
(December 25, 2012) | Jenny is committed to Helping Women Rock their Roles for Greater Successby Sonia Brown |
About Reflexion Associates
We are a leadership coaching and development consultancy, which aims to evoke the best in individuals, teams and organisations with depth, personalisation and meaning.
We help professional working women move from juggling & struggling to rocking their many roles in life, using the process I have developed from over 10 years experience of executive coaching and research outlined in my book Rocking Your Role.
We also support and challenge leaders at all levels to maximise their staff performance and reduce staff dependency on them to free up time for the work they're meant to do. We engage a range of programmes and services accredited by the Institute & Management (ILM) to make this happen.
What was the catalyst that made you decide to go into business?
Engaging in a number of University accredited coaching training programmes and starting to coach leaders that attended training programmes within my employer Ashridge Business School was the catalyst that made me go into business. I realised that the transformation in others and myself through coaching, was not something I wanted to do just a little of. Working on a one to one to consider how you lead and manage, how you pursue your dreams, how you become the person you are meant to be. It had the power to transform lives and I needed to do more of it. The only way to do this was to become freelance.
What was holding you back from being an entrepreneur at the time?
I didn’t jump straight into running my business because I wanted to make sure that coaching could be financially lucrative as well as a transformational career. Instead, I went part-time in my role while I built my client base, I had a target to earn more working less, within a year I was completely freelance and earning more, but probably haven't worked less because there is always something to do when running your own business.
What was the best business advice you were given?
An old boss gave me the best business advice, he said that if I shared my vision, that others would help me make it happen. He was right, whenever I put my vision out there, it materialises!
What is the most exciting thing happening in your sector right now?
Two really exciting things are happening in the sector I work in right now:
1. If I focus on women, the world is our oyster. The movement of women entrepreneurs and women deciding to smash through that glass ceiling is growing at a phenomenal rate. I am proud to be a woman and think that if we are united there are no limits to our achievement.
2. If we talk about coaching, then: ethics, accreditation and quality have become increasingly important which I am delighted about. All coaches should have regular supervision, have been trained and adhere to the code of ethics of the newly merged coaching and mentoring body. This means that clients are safe and receive the best quality support.
What are your customers demanding more from you at the moment?
I have noticed an increasing demand for my programmes and services internationally in the last few months. I am providing more coaching via Skype to meet this demand and I am developing online programmes, so that my international clients don’t miss out.
What social media tool are you using at the moment?
I utilize social media daily, but find twitter the most valuable. I have made so many valuable connections with people who I would now call friends. Twitter enables anyone to find you wherever they are in the world and reach you directly; it’s a great tool, for sharing knowledge, connecting people and keeping up to date. I think that it’s amazing. I have also noticed increasingly that the media use it to find me. It has removed barriers that may have been previously in place to reach people directly, and in only 140 characters!
What is your take on personal business failure?
This quote from Sophia Lauren sums up my view on personal business failures: ‘Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life’, so I use them as stepping-stones to success.
What is difference that is making the difference for success in business at the moment?
Writing my book Rocking Your Role has made the biggest difference in my business this year. It has enabled me to help many more women than I would have done otherwise. I wrote it because I am the main earner in my family and after researching I found that a fifth of women in the UK earn more than their partner or spouse, if we add into that single and divorced women, the number goes up to 50% of women being responsible for bringing home the bacon. I want to support women worldwide to find ways to make their life work and celebrate their success together.
Rocking Your Role has opened doors, helped me make connections and given me license to share what’s really important to me.
Who are you following on Twitter and why?
I follow many people on twitter, because they: inspire, make me laugh, I like them or they intrigue me. You never know who is behind the avatar so I don’t discriminate too much.
What book would you recommend for entrepreneurs?
I would recommend any book on time management for my fellow entrepreneurs; it’s what we typically struggle with.
What is your favourite quote and how are you applying this in your business?
One of my favourite business quotes is from Warren Bennis;he said that ‘Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult’. I apply this to myself daily, working on my self-awareness and remembering what my values are so not to be swayed by others.
What next for your business?
The next step for my business is to grow the team internationally. We want to make a positive difference in the lives of women on a larger scale and to remove the stigma around women's success. I believe that if women are happy so is society!
For further information visit http://www.rockingyourrole.com and http://www.reflexion-uk.co.uk