72 | How To Be The GOAT: Building Your Personal Brand To Shine In Your Career with Lauren Widrick

This season as we focus on opportunity and confidence, I spoke with my friend, Lauren Widrick, who is also my own life and business coach.  After college, Lauren went into IT within the investment banking world.  While she was very successful in her career, leading a large team, making money and climbing the corporate ladder, she realized she wasn't happy or remaining true to her authentic self and personal brand.  So she hired a coach and then decided to start her own side hustle as a coach herself!  In 2018, she exited corporate life and took the leap into full time entrepreneurship, her business morphed several times but her personal brand remained the same.  Now she helps other people amplify what makes them unique!  Because finding your GOAT statement will give you swagger and help you shine bright.

In this episode, you will specifically learn how to:

• Identify internally your GOAT factor - What you are good at, what do you love, what are your lived experiences?  Also, getting other people's feedback to check and see if your personal brand is authentic or needs to be tuned up.    

• What you want to be known for - What are the core 3 or 4 things you want others to know about you?

• Where to express it - LIVE IT EVERYDAY!  Don't be afraid to infuse those 3 or 4 things into your current job or project.

• Have open conversation with others - Open conversations with others about your own personal brand will help you stay true to your authentic self.  It's also a way to connect and help bond your team.

More about Lauren…

Lauren Widrick is a Life + Business coach, and her mission is to help you Grab Life by the Goals. She helps people at all phases of their entrepreneurial journey, from startup to sales to scaling. She helps people find the swagger to expand and disrupt in all areas of business. She offers courses, coaching masterminds, retreats and speaking/training engagements.

How to connect with Lauren…

Website

Instagram

Helpful tools…

Resume and LinkedIn Best Practices

I’m Karen Weeks, the CEO & Chief Shine Officer (aka transformation coach) at KDW Coaching, the host of the Shine at Work podcast, award winning culture leader (currently leading the People team at Ordergroove), a speaker and published author. My purpose is to help career-oriented humans get unstuck so they can shine bright in business and in life.  And I know how t

Welcome to the Shine at Work Podcast! On this show, your co-hosts Karen and Dan will shine a light on your job search so you can land a role that lets you flex your strengths and progress your career in an environment you actually look forward to working in each day. From creating a stand-out resume, to confidently negotiating your salary, to finding your footing as a new manager, you can expect to hear actionable advice to help you shine your brightest in your role.

Karen D. Weeks is the CEO and Chief Career Coach of Shine at Work Coaching. She has over twenty years of HR experience, including as CPO at Ordergroove.

Dan Carr is a Shine at Work Career Coach with over a decade of recruiting experience helping high-growth startups expand with top talent.

Connect with Us!

• Website
• Instagram
• Karen Weeks on LinkedIn
• Dan Carr on LinkedIn

Transcript

Karen Weeks: 0:02

Hello my friends welcome to the shine network podcast. I'm your host Karen weeks. As a transformation career coach and culture and people leader. My goal is to help career oriented humans get unstuck, so that they can shine brighter in business and in life. I believe that you deserve a career that lights you up. Because spoiler alert, it also impacts how bright you shine in your life. This season. Each week, we will focus on a key skill that you need to shine at work, and inspirational stories on ways to navigate your career. Because I know what it feels like when your light is dim. I made a career change from theater to HR, and now expanded to coaching. And at times in my life, I had to take a look deep inside to see what was most important, what made me shine bright, and make adjustments along the way. It's possible. I did it, my guest did it, and I help others do it every day. I hope you walk away from each episode not just inspired, but with some actionable advice. And I hope that you find it so valuable that you subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and tell your friends because we all deserve to shine bright in our lives, specifically at work. Okay, let's jump in into this week's episode. Before we start today's episode, let me ask you a question. How are those New Year's resolutions going? If you're like me, and lots of other people, I know by the way, you start the year off strong in January with a great plan to hit your goals. You hire the trainer, you sign up for the class, you start journaling, you get up early, you bookmark some job sites, all of the things that we think are going to take us to that place we want to be in the new year, then life starts to get in the way, you slip a little you get distracted, you miss one week, then you really start to miss some of those goals and you don't see the impact you wanted. And your motivation drops and drops and drops, which is natural, you're not seeing the impact because you weren't taking the steps to get there. I've been there. I've been there this year. And like I said, we are not alone. According to a psychological study, 64% of people abandon their resolutions after just one month. Personally, I have not gotten on the peloton as much as I wanted to. It's not because I don't want to I love doing it. But something isn't clicking, I've got a blocker, and I can't figure out what that is. So I actually work with my own wellness coach to figure out what is blocking me from hitting that goal. So you can do the same, you could also be part of that 36% That actually hit their goals. And I can be that person to help you. I work with people one on one to help them get unstuck and shine bright in their career in life. My unstuck framework helps people specifically unshackle yourself from your current mindset, ie let go of the past and remove labels. Nail your new career target, identify where you want to go next, slay your skills. In other words, identifying your transferable skills. Talk to everyone. This is just networking one on one stuff that we'll go through so that you feel more comfortable reaching out to people, then we're going to unlock your new brand. So how do we position yourself through your resume through LinkedIn through telling your story for the thing that you're trying to achieve? Then you're going to crush your interviews, which is just a bunch of prep practice and working through what kind of questions you might get and how to talk through some of the gaps that you might have. So that you can kick butt in your career, you're going to land the gig and set yourself up for success. So do you want to get unstuck sounds like something that you might need a little help with. That's why I'm here. And the amazing thing is that it's not just about your career. It's actually about living the life that you want to live that's right for you in this moment. That's what this is all about. That by working together, you'll gain the tools that you need the support, you need the confidence you need to identify the right career path, and land a new job to shine bright both at work and in life. So if all this sounds good, and you're sitting there going, oh my gosh, I don't want to be part of the two thirds that doesn't hit their goals so soon in their career. You can email me directly at Karen at Karen de weeks.com. Or use any of the links in the podcast to connect with me through my website, on my Instagram or through LinkedIn. Let's connect to help you achieve your goals this year and shine network. Now onto our regularly scheduled programming. Hi everyone. I am so excited to have you back to the shine network Podcast. Today we have Lauren Woodrick on the phone on the phone. No we don't. Today we have Laura not on with us today because some of you may remember her from last year but she is my business and life coach my partner in crime as I think about all of the things are possible. And really an amazing person at helping you feel your best and really identifying what makes you special. So as I thought about the idea of opportunity and confidence for this year's season, I really wanted to bring Lauren back and dig more into that point. Part of how she helps people and how she's thought about it for herself. So please welcome my amazing friend Lauren, welcome back.

Lauren Widrick: 5:08

Erin, thank you so much for having me. I love your podcast. And it's so good to be here with you. And it's for the reasons you just said it helps people shine brighter at work in life. And that all comes down to confidence and how you feel about yourself on the inside. So I'm really excited to go deep into that topic today. Yeah, and it's so

Karen Weeks: 5:27

interesting, because I've had conversations with recruiters on different workshops, and they say, I can feel it when someone isn't feeling confident in their story in their skills in there, whatever. And so let's like remove that blocker for folks and help them feel the best they can feel about themselves. Because people are amazing, and they should feel that way about themselves.

Lauren Widrick: 5:46

And you're right, it is a vibe, confidence is an intangible thing that you get from people and it looks different on different people. For some people, it's very extroverted and extra and out there. For others. It's a quiet confidence. But you're right, it is a vibe that comes from within, it's not necessarily the perfect words that you say are the perfect resume or the perfect job title. It is really how you feel about yourself is it radiates out whether that's good or not so good.

Karen Weeks: 6:12

Yeah. And I'm really glad you brought up sort of the individual piece because I know I talk to a lot of my clients about authenticity, especially when it comes to networking and those sorts of things. You want to do it in a way that's right for you. So we will dive into how to make sure you're choosing your vibe that's right for you, not just the way like maybe Lauren, and I do it because I'm extroverted. So I tend to, you know, kind of just put it out there. So Alright, so before we go into that, for those who didn't hear your episode from last year, can you share a little bit more about just your own background and your own career journey?

Lauren Widrick: 6:44

Sure. So gosh, I could begin back in college, when I really deeply wanted to be a marketing major. And once I declared that somebody in the college of business where I went to school said, Oh, that's not a very high paying career, which by the way, not true guys, not true. So I double majored in Management Information Systems, which is basically like computer science light, and ended up in 2005. That's where all the job offers were. So I ended up going down a path of an IT career in investment banking. So I worked at will cobia bank. So I'm aging myself because that bank no longer exists. It's now Wells Fargo, and I was there for about 1213 years, climbing the corporate ladder, having a really outwardly successful career. Being a young woman in technology, my teams were growing my job physically moved to the trading floor, which is like a wall street environment. So it was very exciting. Also very stressful. Also not completely aligned with who I was. And it's germane to our topic today, Karen because I wasn't fully expressing my personal brand. Mm hmm. I did well, I was successful. However, I did not feel like myself. Yeah. Until I decided to sort of hire a life coach, to be honest with you hired a life coach, and was like, Why aren't I happier? Yeah, I should be you know, I have a husband at the time I had one daughter, we have two now Husband, Daughter, good on paper, a relatively high paying job, why aren't I happier? And what actually came out was like, this isn't necessarily what you want to do. Mm hmm. And so I started a side hustle kind of following in her footsteps as a life coach, which in the world of investment banking technology, left brained people that sounded cray cray, and it was, but I started the side hustle. And then two months later found out I was pregnant with my second daughter, which was a surprise baby, loan, the surprise baby. So had the baby continue the side hustle. And then in 2018, I actually exited corporate life for full time entrepreneurship. And during that time, my business has morphed more than once, as they tend to do, from life coaching, to executive coaching, to corporate training, to coaching entrepreneurs. And what I can say is I've done it all, the thread remains through all of it, whether you're in a corporate job, you're an entrepreneur, you're side hustling, it actually doesn't matter. You have to be doing work that feels authentic to you and feels aligned with who you are. Yes. And that actually starts with you. And this is going to sound kind of crazy, because a lot of times I coach people on how to exit corporate, I don't believe you have to exit corporate to find yourself or to express yourself. There are plenty of ways you can be what I call an intrapreneur. Like bring that entrepreneurial spirit to work, and just bring your full self to work. And I think the the environment and the landscape now maybe having to do with COVID or maybe having to do with the millennial generation. It's more welcome. Now. I think you can be yourself more than maybe even 10 years ago.

Karen Weeks: 9:36

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's a really great point. Because while often even I talk about career changers thinking about oh, I'm going to leave my job. That doesn't have to be the case. You can have lots of opportunities in your current role, your current team and your current company, and it's more about identifying what is feeling off where are you feeling stuck, and that could be I don't feel like I'm being my authentic self. I don't feel like I'm leveraging my skills are the things that I love to do the most. So let's find the path for you for that it could be something internally at your current company, it could be a new job, it could be starting your own new thing, that what the thing is doesn't matter. It's about identifying what you're missing today, and what you want to be doing differently.

Lauren Widrick: 10:17

You said that that really well, I have a career coaching game I like to play called Love It or List It. And it's just like that show on HGTV, right? You have two good options, you can actually renovate the home you're in and fall back in love with it. And one of those renovations can include being you're being yourself at work. Or you can list it, you can move on to something else new and fresh. That also checks the boxes, but one isn't better than the other, like loving it or listing it. They're both excellent options. But they both require work and intention.

Karen Weeks: 10:48

Yes, absolutely. And I love that mention of work, because I think a lot of times people like yeah, this sounds lovely. Sure. I want to be my authentic self. Of course, I want to feel the best about myself. How do I actually do that? And yeah, before we get to the how I want to talk about the why because I think that is actually the inspirational piece. Because if you don't feel the inspiration to do the work, then you're not going to actually do the tools that you're about to share. So for yourself, for example, how has it changed now that you sort of have embraced your brand and embraced who you are in the work that you do?

Lauren Widrick: 11:21

Well, first of all, Karen, I wish I would have done it sooner because I spent all those years trying to be the perfect corporate leader. And I was doing it out of insecurity. And I'll be very honest about that. I was young, I was rising the ranks quickly. So I was nervous. People would think I was not legit. Right? Like a like a baby. I have you can see it right here on Video bleached blonde hair. So there's always the dumb blonde career that who is this chick, this 28 year old chick that's leading a team of 60 people like how did she get that job? So a lot of insecurities, right? So I compensated for those for trying to be as smart and as perfect and as professional as possible. And I am not a professional person. I won't do and you're on your podcast, but I love dirty jokes. Love curse words, love irreverence. But I didn't. I didn't feel like I could do it in the stodgy banking environment. But that was wrong. I could have. And I wish I would have. So your question was actually How did it feel before? And how does it feel after it before I felt trapped in a box? There was probably not anything wrong with the work I like to say like banking software never turned me on. It still doesn't. But I could have been more turned on at work by expressing, like the humor and expressing the freak flag, as I like to call it and the connection and like I love to throw parties and I could have probably been some kind of party planner at work. Like there's stuff that I could have infused the coaching stuff. Certainly, if I would have infused that into my work back in the day when I was in corporate, I probably would have been much happier. Yeah. So why why bother with this personal brand? It's for your own happiness? Yes, yes, it's no more complicated than that. I want you to be happier, I want you to be more fulfilled, and not feel like you're at the effect or victimized by the job that you've chosen. Like, you get to be whoever you want to be. Yeah, you're gonna be happier when you do. I mean, Karen, have you had the same experience?

Karen Weeks: 13:15

Yeah, I mean, it's amazing how when you remove the distraction of trying to present yourself as a certain way versus the way that you are, that removing that distraction actually makes you that just happier and more fulfilled. By the way, you're also more productive, you perform better, because you just your brain isn't trying to do all these things at once. And by the way, like, there's still a professional version of you. I'm not saying it has to literally be exactly who you are whom I totally respect that some people like to have some boundaries. But it means that you can still be your authentic self. So I worked for a larger consulting firm, earlier in my HR career, had lots of great opportunities to do some training for some big global meetings. But I had to wear a suit, a nylon nylons, I had to call the like, leader of the organization, Mr. So and so. And I was like, no offense, but you're not that special. Like we both got here. You know, maybe you had a fancier car than me, but we both got here via the same car. And that just didn't feel right for me, I wanted to be able to, you know, be more relaxed at work and not feel like I had to be so buttoned up. And once I realized that I got into the the tech startup space that really allowed me to actually be a better HR partner because I could have more honest conversations. I could say things like, hey, if this company isn't right for you anymore, that's okay. Let's talk about that. Or, you know, we should be doing that better. Let me be honest, that that was a miss on our part. And by having the space to be that person, which is more who I am just in general, that allowed me to be a better HR partner and stronger for the organizations and I enjoyed the work more. And now as a coach, I feel very similar. Like, if I'm not the coach for you, that's okay. But this is who I'm going to be and that's either a great match for you and awesome and if not, that's okay, let me help you find someone helps,

Lauren Widrick: 15:01

perfectly said So Karen is an amazing example of somebody who's expressed her authenticity. So to me expression is a really important part. It's not just it's one thing to be self aware know who you are. That's definitely step one, right? The game starts on the inside. But if you don't express it, whether it's where you're at, or finding a place that welcomes it with open arms, you're going to feel backed up like constipated. Sorry, Karen, I feel bad.

Karen Weeks: 15:32

I don't know that relatable. Yes, it's relatable.

Lauren Widrick: 15:35

But yes, you just feel like oh, like, I don't feel good, even though I should, even though I should. So that's the cost. That is the I have a podcast episode of my own called the risk and reward of authenticity. There's risks and rewards of being authentic, which is putting yourself out there, knowing that it's not for everybody. So the reward is getting to be with your people, the risk is turning some people off. It's a risk I recommend.

Karen Weeks: 15:59

It's really interesting, because while I believe everybody struggles with this, I have seen women struggle with this more that they feel like they have to be a certain thing, or a certain polish or a certain something even like in the tech space where we're all supposed to be a little weird. Do you is that a generalization I'm making? Or do you see women struggle with this more than men on average?

Lauren Widrick: 16:19

For sure, I've had this same observation. I have. And I will say this personal branding. I mean, I mentioned earlier that I didn't express my full personal brand. And it held me back, I had one element of my personal brand that was clear to everybody, which is Lauren's trying to move up in the organization. So in the banking crisis of 2008, when Walt cobia got absorbed into Wells Fargo, I raise my hand, it was like, I want to lead this. I want to run the team. I want to do the merger project. And that brand carried me through. That's how I actually got catapulted to leading bigger teams. So if you want to move up, it's not selfish. It's not egotistical dudes do this. We've all seen the study a bajillion times, where if they qualify for 30% of the items on the job description, they'll apply, whereas we women, it's gotta be damn near 100. Mm hmm. And so I think in this one area of my prior personal brand, I did think like a man, as they say, and I would just raise my hand and be like, Oh, no, I can do it. And it resulted in opportunity. So yes, yes, yes, yes. I think women feel as though asserting their goat factor, as we call it, greatest of all time, the goat factor is going to make them seem arrogant. And that's the last thing we want is to be unlikable or be rejected or judged. Yes, yes. And that's the risk and reward of authenticity is occasionally you may be, but the rewards can often be worth

Karen Weeks: 17:46

it. Yeah. And I think, you know, one thing I always encourage folks is to find other people that you admire, that are their authentic self, and lean into the thing that makes them unique and strong. And so what you'll find is that there are other women who are leaders that are a little quirky, or let their freak flag fly, or are very ambitious, and, you know, aggressive in their career. And if you admire that, it shows that it's possible, because that's someone who you're looking up to, which I think is really, really important for people, especially earlier in their career who are trying to figure this all out. So we've talked a lot about Okay, so we know why it's important. We started talking about how it's impacted our own lives. But I think some people get almost like networking, a personal brand has become like this thing that is overwhelming to folks. And how much of it is I drive it like, I've decided what my own brand is, versus other people are sort of sort of branding me because that's how I'm showing up. So what advice do you have for people as they start to think about okay, so what the heck is my personal brand? How do I even identify it?

Lauren Widrick: 18:52

I'm going to offer a little four step framework loves to take the parts that you like. So these are the four steps. The first is to really get present to your goat factors, as I call them, what lived experiences, what skills, innate talents, abilities, do you have that make you the goat? So first, become aware of those? And then secondly, what do you want to be known for? So step one is the inner and then step two is which of those factors do you want to be included in your personal brand? So like, I might be really good at sorting the laundry, but is that going to show up in my personal brand? Not necessarily, right? So we pick the parts that we're going to actively intentionally Express. And then three is when where how do you express your personal brand? It's one thing to be like, I am the goat at spreadsheets and I am the I am the team organizer. I have my shit straight on the left Rainer of his team. Okay, but when and where do you share that? In a way that's not like braggadocious in a way that's helpful and observers and makes you happy? Yes, yes. And then step four is how do you make it safe for others to do the same? So this is for my leaders. who have teams? Or my individual contributors? Who are centers of influence? Like how do you make it safe for others to express their go factor their freak flag their personal brands? Let's walk through each of those.

Karen Weeks: 20:12

Yeah, that would be really helpful. And the thing I love about the framework is it's actually very similar to how I talk to folks about their transferable skills. You may be really good at Excel, but you like Excel, therefore, do you want to keep doing Excel? And I heard you use some similar things about like, what are you actually good at? And where do you show it is sort of similar? So we'd love to dive into all those different steps. So people feel like they have some real actionable stuff they can work on?

Lauren Widrick: 20:37

Yeah, so let's start with your go factor. It's a combination of probably these things, what you're good at what you've lived through. And what you love. Hmm. There may be more, but let's start with those. Yeah. Yeah. So what you're good at, again, let's, let's take the Venn diagram of what you're good at and what you love and pick the things that are in the middle. Because you're right, like, I was pretty good at spreadsheets. Not really. But let's go with that example. I was good at spreadsheets, but I hated that shit. So actually working on spreadsheets, it's not something I want to be known for. Yes, exactly. Yeah. But one thing I might be good at is verbal communication, let's say. Okay, great. And I like it. So let's include that into my goal factor like, Lauren, among other things, is the communications guru. So if anybody doesn't know how to resolve a conflict, or describe something to a senior leader, Lauren can help coach me through it. Yes. Yeah, that's a good example. lived experience is another one. So you guys may think that your childhood, what you did in college, the trips, you've taken parenting, the illnesses and the hardships that you've been through, you may think that that's not relevant to your personal brand at work, but it is. So I would say, make a list of all of your lived experiences, The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly, and something will emerge for you in that exercise that like, Oh, I'm very resilient. Yes. For like, I am a risk taker. Or I am a nurturer. Like something will come out from that list that will make its way into your personal brand.

Karen Weeks: 22:17

Yeah. I love it. The thing I also love, but that is talking about being your whole self and like your authentic selves. There's things that come through in your life that you most likely are doing at work, do you whether you have put those two together yet. But if you're presenting yourself as your whole self, that's going to come through?

Lauren Widrick: 22:34

I think so. I think so. And then lastly, just what do you like? And again, it may not feel like it's part of your job description. So do you like extreme sports or CrossFit? Yeah, I mean, when I was in banking, I'll tell you, I'll joke about this, there was a group of CrossFit bros. You can imagine you all did CrossFit before work before coming to the bank that was part of all of their personal brand. I'll tell you why. I remember them years later. So there may be things that you just like, like I think I was known on the trading floor as a foodie. Like I was like, Where are we going to lunch? What are we ordering? Are you getting the chimichurri or the pesto? Like, can we talk about food? So like, even that was part of my brand, but it resulted in a lot of lunch dates, which results in a lot of professional connection? Yes. So what do you like it? There may be a time and a place for it to talk about it at work?

Karen Weeks: 23:27

Yeah, absolutely. And how much do you think about? So that's a lot of internal reflection? How much did you take into consideration, feedback you've gotten from others? Or how others describe you? Is that helpful? Or is that more letting others describe your brand?

Lauren Widrick: 23:42

I think that's a great point. I think we should include that as the fourth thing to list out, like, How would others describe you? In fact, when I first took my coach training program years ago, in New York City, that was one of the first exercises we did was we had to call five people were close to and have them describe us in a single word or two, like, gosh, it was weird. That's intense. It was intense. I was like, Oh, God, what are these people gonna say, like, hot mess, right. But then we were to synthesize these words down to what was called an essence. So I think there's a bit of a risk in that, which is that if you've not been authentic at work, and you go ask your boss or your team or your co workers, how they see you, they might see the you that you've been projecting. Mm hmm. Yep. So I think yes, let's take feedback into consideration. But let's again, put it into a Venn diagram of going forward is this stuff you want to be known for?

Karen Weeks: 24:34

On it could be really interesting, because that could end up being almost a gut check of how authentic Have you been presenting yourself? If columns one, two, and three are all about nurturing care and support and column four is all about getting shit done? Like it's not that that's wrong, but it's like, Oh, that's interesting. I haven't been presenting that part of myself, which appears to be important to me but knew what else called it out.

Lauren Widrick: 24:58

100 100% So let's include that as, like, any feedback you've received from the people around you, and then gut check it against who you feel you are on the inside. Because yeah, you're right, I probably would have been, oh, God, I ran a project management office for a long time. So people probably thought I was good at project management. I was awful in project management. I just got into that role and like, worked my way through and hired smart people. But like, no, project management is like the opposite of my skill set. But people probably would have been like, Oh, she runs the PMO. Yeah. Oh, he's good at project management. Good. Okay, can you just really enhance the exercise? Check yourself? Oh, I messed stuff.

Karen Weeks: 25:38

Oh, I love it. Well, it's because it's hard. Because again, people like put so much pressure on figuring this out that often they will talk to others about like, Well, what do you think my brand is, and sometimes they'll be helpful. Sometimes it won't be. But just hearing those words may or may not be interesting. So okay, so we've got, we figured out sort of what we want to be known for, we've gotten a little bit of feedback on it, how do we then actually turn this into something?

Lauren Widrick: 26:05

Right, so we've yet like you said, we've done the exercise of what we want our goal statement, or our personal brand statement to be, we're gonna kind of shed the stuff that isn't really authentic. And it's like, okay, I want to be known for being an excellent nurturing leader, a badass decision maker, and a fun boss. I don't know if I just made those up. Right. So let's say that's your personal brand. Okay, where does this show up? So this, this is a personal exercise, it depends on the work that you do. So the example I just gave is someone who's a leader, how can I be more of a fun boss? Right? Well, we can do team connection events, we can have team book club, like whatever you think is fun, you can infuse that into your work. Yep. Yep. Right. If you want to be known for being a good decision maker, let's say, then, let that be known in meetings, when people are bantering and swirling, and like you could be the one that raises your hand is like, hey, what's required for us to actually reach a hell yes, or hell no, or reach a clear decision? And like, kind of repeat it over and over. And then you become the one who's like the great decision maker.

Karen Weeks: 27:10

Yes. Oh, I love that. Yep.

Lauren Widrick: 27:14

I forget what the first one I said, good leader. Yeah.

Karen Weeks: 27:18

Well, and I think it's interesting, because to your point, that going back to that whole internal and external thing, if you're internally, you are purposefully doing this, externally, people will start to notice I was just talking to someone the other day, about a someone in their team, who is always the person that raises their hand and says, How does this impact others? How does how are we going to talk to people about this, you know, is this going to affect their priorities, like they've always got that people mindset, that's not their job, that's just the role they play on the team. And we are identifying this as someone, it's their strength, and the team really looks to them for this, even though it's not their role. So it's, it starts to become, it's not chicken and egg, but like, if you bring it they will come or something I don't know, there's, there's a metaphor there. I'm not finding but I think if you project it, and like you said, in every meeting make these statements, people will start to see you as that. And so that's where the brand comes to life.

Lauren Widrick: 28:11

Absolutely. And you've kind of like segues beautifully into the fourth part of my little framework I've made up here, which is how to create a safe and inclusive environment for a team to express their personal brand. So there's the implicit, which is like just be the thing and people will respond. Energy attracts like energy, so like, that will work. But if I could go back again, with my team, when I was in corporate, I would actually have an actual discussion about this maybe quarterly. And say, Can we all talk about like, everyone's goat statement, or personal brand, or unique gift and talent session, whatever you want to call it? But let's go around the room and do this exercise together? What do you love? What do you want to be known for? What do you want to be the go to guy or gal for professionally and personally, right. I had a person on my team at Wells Fargo who had a side hustle as a party planner, like she planned, like Kid birthday parties, and Kingston yeras. Like she bought land parties. And that became known. You know, there was fitness people, like people are known for being so professional, personal, and actually talk about it as a team.

Karen Weeks: 29:17

Yeah, I love that.

Lauren Widrick: 29:19

I've seen this done. I did some executive coaching at an engineering firm one time and they all took, I think Myers Briggs, or one of these, and they put their results on the door. And I think the essence of that is cool, but I would make it more fun. Yeah. Right. What makes me the goat and like slap it to your desk. I love that. What makes me the goat and it allows us we're coming back to the very original point to be safe to express your confidence.

Karen Weeks: 29:45

Yes, yep. I love that. Well, and I want to then pivot it to a job search. So yes, as we have now so we've gone through the steps. I Karen now know why I'm the goat I've talked about it at my current company. But now I'm starting to think about making a change. How do I bring that into my interview? Without being like, I'm great at this, and you should do this. That's why you should hire me. Or maybe I should say it that way.

Lauren Widrick: 30:14

You should say it that way. You should say it that way, like preparing your goat statement before you go in will give you swagger. I like that. And it's just answering questions with that swagger of like, if somebody asks you an interview question, say, Oh, great question. I have extensive experience with that. Or answer the question like, Ah, love that interview question. And this is actually one of my innate talents. So thank you for the chance to talk about it.

Karen Weeks: 30:40

I love that.

Lauren Widrick: 30:41

I think that's okay. Yeah. I think that's okay. As long as you do it with, I was listening to another podcast just the other day. Somebody is an expert on nonverbal communication. And her recommendation was to combine warmth with competence. Sometimes we go straight to competence, right? So like in an interview, you want to give a smart answer. Yeah. However, if you infuse or especially lead with warmth, then you'll be more engaging to the interviewer. So that's why I like the big smile of like, Oh, thank you for asking that question. This is one of my favorites. I love this stuff. It's one of my like, it's one of my talents. Yeah. And then again,

Karen Weeks: 31:22

well, and I think too, it gives you words to use in an interview when you maybe struggle and how to describe something. So if you decided that one of your things that makes you the goat is problem solving, or being like the the calm in the storm, those are phrases that you can use, in your interview, to resonate to bring that to the top of the list into like, have that be the word that now the interviewer will hear you say it several times, because I know a lot of times people go, how do I prep for an interview when I don't know what the questions are going to be? Well, these are some phrases that you know, you can go back to every time and use those goat skills as some of those answers.

Lauren Widrick: 31:59

Absolutely. And you're being yourself. Yeah. You're being yourself. So by saying like, Oh, trust me, I can handle a complex team. I have four kids. I can run a goat rodeo. And and I've done this professionally here, here and yeah, yes, yes. Because for those of us who are parents or caretakers of family members, that is a skill that don't be ashamed to bring that up. Mm hmm. Right. A lot of women I come from left brain, dude, heavy banking. A lot of us wanted to kind of hide the fact we were moms, I promise this won't get in the way of my career. But if I can go back now, I would be like, Oh, this little dispute YouTuber having over the status report is child's play, like, let mommy handle this. And if you can't bring that version of yourself to work, yeah. Works gonna suck. So you might as well put it out there in the interview. Yes. And to know if this is not just like, will they accept me? Will they hire me if I am smart enough and show up polished enough? Yeah, well, shit, that's how you're gonna have to be every day at work, and it's gonna feel inauthentic, you may as well be yourself. And that warmth, that react that reality like that authenticity is actually very, very magnetic.

Karen Weeks: 33:16

Yeah. Well, it also gives you a chance to see if those are going to be valued by the company as well. So if you talk about, you know, whatever problem solving is something that you're really good at. And you keep going back to that, have you see the interviewer lean back from that? Or be like, Oh, no, you know, we just sort of do whatever we do, or that decision is made up at the top, I may not feel right for you, either. And so by using some of those phrases, it also gives you a chance to evaluate, are they going to value and do they want that at the organization?

Lauren Widrick: 33:48

Totally Karen, and at the end of your interview, they always leave time for questions. And you may be tempted to ask like, what's the vacation policy? What are the health benefit? Like? What do you do? You can ask those questions? That's fine. I would ask that of like the junior recruiter, I would actually use that time to warmly connect. And say, look, here's my real question. This is my leadership style. I love to have fun. I love to coach right. I don't like to be a top down manager I love to help people, unlock potential, etc. Is that leadership style welcomed here. Be honest with me. I want us to be happy, like bring your goat factor to that q&a section at the end. I've loved that. And you that's when you can get really, really deep. I'll tell you what, when I was side hustling at Wells Fargo, I was working there. And I was side hustling as a life coach. And I had a cool special teams project where I got to help interview like 60 people. Oh, wow. And so these people getting interviewed, I feel bad for them because they were getting life coach. I was like, why does this job turn you on? Like how does this fit into your longer term life goals like, Who are you and how will you express yourself in this all like, they're all like, weird questions are not on the interview guide. But they're real.

Karen Weeks: 35:06

Yes, yeah. It's so funny. So that's literally when I am doing interviews in my head of HR job. That is literally how I do. And I said, this is going to be about the reflection of our culture through our values, and I want to make sure that's going to be a good fit for you. So we're going to talk about those sorts of things. This is going to be much more of a conversation, this is not going to be like your typical interview, and I tell them that upfront, and I never thought about it the way you just described it. But that's basically it. Like, I'm asking them as a coach, is this going to be a good place for you?

Lauren Widrick: 35:38

Absolutely. And that's why you're so good at what you do, because you have those coaching skills. But a huge part of coaching is listening. Right? Yeah. And being in the interviewee seat. So some of the people listening this podcast may be job seeking. And as much as you tell your goat story, or as much as you share your personal brand. It's as important if not more to to listen, to bring up your tuning fork to see if it if it feels like a vibe.

Karen Weeks: 36:06

Yes, yes. 100%. Yes, you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you.

Lauren Widrick: 36:12

Absolutely. On a like, brand on a values level? Like you said, Yeah, again, this all comes back here. And I want the same thing for you, which is just to be happy. Yes. Yes, happy and work can be a source of happiness. Yes.

Karen Weeks: 36:29

I mean, it's literally why I got into HR all those years ago was we work way too much. And I knew what it was like to not be happy at work and nobody's follow their own. I just was in the wrong career. And so that's when I first moved into HR was okay, if we're all working these number of hours, what can I do to help with that employee experience, we didn't call it that at the time, but that's what I was describing. So that you can enjoy the time at work. And now as I also balanced coaching, I'm really trying to help people navigate that for themselves. And it can look like a lot of different things. But how can you and it's why we came up with the the new name of this podcast is how can you shine at work? Because that's what you should be doing? Whatever that definition is for you.

Lauren Widrick: 37:08

Absolutely. And I have to point out your example of how you run job interviews, is you expressing your personal brand? Are you saying upfront, like loud and clear, put it on the table, this will not be your typical interview? Yeah, you do things differently around here, care, and that's part of your personal brands.

Karen Weeks: 37:26

That's a great point. I think about that. And I love that that is a great example of Yes, obviously, in some places of my life, I do focus very hard on like, literally my brand. But I think to what you just brought up your brand is coming through whether you are conscious of it or not. So similar to what we were talking about earlier about, like networking and stuff, it doesn't have to be this like a statement that you're working really hard on and like how you write it out, it has to be catchy, and you know, whatever. It can just be how you're presenting yourself. And that's a great place to start as you walk through your framework. And using that, then some clever, cute word will come to you like shine. But if you're just enjoying what you do, that's just going to radiate from you. And that's what leads you to the words to create your actual brand.

Lauren Widrick: 38:13

Exactly. You don't have to walk around your company saying I'm the goat. Although I still think you should put your vote statement on your desk. I think everyone should read Yes. You don't have to run around like a douche being like, Oh, I'm the best. I'm the best at this. Like, no one else should do this project because I'm the goat like that's not what we're saying. Yeah. It's what Karen just said, which is, if you are aware, awareness is the first step it will shine through you. Yes, yep, it will absolutely shine through one because you're saying words are doing the things but two, you're gonna seem really happy and people are gonna be like, what Kool Aid? Is she drinking? Like she actually is happy here. Right?

Karen Weeks: 38:49

I love that. It's so so true. And hopefully that inspires others too. So we will put it in the show notes, those four steps. But just to wrap us up, do you want to go through them one more time, the four steps to identifying your greatness.

Lauren Widrick: 39:02

Oh, gosh, let's see if I can remember them. Okay, I'm going to do my best. But step one is identifying internally your own growth factor. So things like what you're good at what you love, your lived experiences. And then the one that Karen added in, which is other people's feedback of you will be a good gut check if your personal brand is authentic or needs to be tuned up. The second is what do you want to be known for? So that first list will be rather long? Because you're a complex person who's lived a rich life, there's going to be a lot of stuff on there. What are the core two or three things you want to be known for? So if you were to put your goat statement on your desk, like I'm the goat at a b and c, what would they be? Three four things right there. And then where to express it. Live it every day. Don't be afraid to infuse those things like Oh, I'm the communication ninja I got this guy's are like everybody this is so disorganized. Give me an hour with it all Marie Kondo this project. Just just just talk like it and don't be afraid. Yep. And or have open conversations with people about this. So that that is kind of the fourth point, if you're in a leadership position or a position of influence, facilitate conversations about this, Hey, it could be a lunch, it could be a happy hour, it could be a breakfast, like once a quarter, let's have a goat Summit. I love that. And just remember, and it can also be a bit of a love fest, too. It's a way to connect where like, somebody says, Here's what I think I'm the goat at and three or four other people go, Yeah, you totally are gonna feel good, like does not bond to the team. So step four is like facilitate intentional conversations about people's personal brand

Karen Weeks: 40:37

is amazing. Well, thank you so, so, so much for sharing all your insight, your own stories, some actionable things that the audience can really take in their hands, we'll put it all in the show notes. And we'll obviously connect them to you as well, so that they can reach out to you to have more conversation about how to be the goat because we've talked about it from the beginning. It's not just important for your own confidence, it actually will exude from you and help others see that side of you. So whether that is you're trying to go for that promotion, you're you're trying to be a leader on the team, you're trying to get a new job, whatever is important to you and your career, knowing what you're great at and then having that come through in everything that you do will only help you shine brighter at work. So thank you so so so much for your time and your stories and all your help on this.

Lauren Widrick: 41:27

Of course, this has been a pleasure and anybody listening, I mean it, you are the goat there is nobody like you. There is nobody who has the set of skills, talents, things you love lived experiences, it just doesn't exist. Yes. So you're very, very special. And the organization that you're at, or you're hoping to get into is lucky to have you. I mean that so I want you to embrace that confidence and just don't be afraid to share the best parts of yourself.

Karen Weeks: 41:56

Thank you so much for listening to the shine network podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe and leave a review. Leaving a review takes just a few minutes and truly helps other people find the podcast. If you want to learn more about how I work with people to help transform their careers, and shine brightly in their lives. Let's connect. I work with amazing humans one on one to help them make a career change, go for that promotion, set career goals, and build a plan for success for a new job. I also lead group programs for new managers that are navigating this huge change in their careers and entrepreneurs who are building their teams for the first time. If any of that sounds like it could be helpful for you. You can email me directly at Karen at guarantee weeks.com or message me through Instagram LinkedIn or my website. I just want to give a final shout out as always to astronaut go home for our music and novice studios for making the podcast come to life. Until next time, remember that you can and deserve to shine at work