The L3 Leadership Podcast with Doug Smith
The L3 Leadership Podcast is focused on leadership development and personal growth. We are obsessed with helping you grow to your maximum potential and maximizing the impact of your leadership. We release a new episode every week to help you grow and develop as a leader. You will hear a mix of personal lessons from our Founder, Doug Smith, and conversations Doug has with world-class leaders from around the world. Doug interviews leaders like Pittsburgh Steelers Coach, Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Penguins Coach, Mike Sullivan, Tony Horton, Liz Wiseman, Brian Tome, John Mark Comer, Mark Batterson, Ryan Hawk, Nona Jones, Claude Silver, Ken Coleman, Christy Wright, Rachel Cruze, Mark Cole, and many more. Our hope is that you will not only learn great leadership lessons but that you will catch great leadership from the lives of the leaders that we expose you to.
The L3 Leadership Podcast with Doug Smith
Women in Leadership & The Importance of Having an Opinion with Carrie Coghill, CEO of Coghill Investment Strategies
This is not a dress rehearsal and regardless of what spiritual beliefs you have, this experience here on this earth is precious, so make sure that you give some time to creating your own life because if you don't, someone else is going to create it for you.
Doug Smith:This is the LTV leadership podcast, episode number 162 what's up everyone and welcome to another edition of the LTV leadership podcast. My Name's Doug Smith and I'm the founder of out three three leadership. We are a leadership development company devoted to helping you become the best leader that you can be. If you're new to this podcast, I want you to know that we're bringing you three or four episodes every single month to help you grow and develop as a leader. One will always be from one of our leadership events. One will be an interview that I do with a high level leader and then once a month you'll get a personal leadership lesson by me. If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, it would mean the world to me. If you would subscribe and leave a rating and review on iTunes or whatever app you listen to this through and share this on social media. Thank you so much. For those of you who have been doing that, um, it's helping us grow the audience of this podcast and I just appreciate it so much. I want to let you know that you can also now become a member of[inaudible] leadership. We believe that every leader needs a group of leaders in a community of leaders that will go through life with them to encourage them, hold them accountable to their goals, help them reach their potential, and we believe that all three we've developed that community of leaders that'll help you do that. As a member, you'll get access to our community of leaders. You'll have the ability to join one of our mastermind groups or lead a mastermind group, which I believe is absolutely critical to every leader success. You'll get access to extra resources, content in a member only forum and member only website. And so much more memberships, only 25 bucks a month and you can sign up and learn more@lthreeleadership.org forward slash membership in this specific episode, you're going to get to hear my interview with Carrie cocktail. She is the CEO of Coghill financial investments. She's continually recognized as one of the nation's leading voices on financial advising. She's been honored by Forbes magazine, Barron's magazine, registered rep magazine, wealth manager magazine, and so many more as a top professional in her field. She's authored two books. She's a regular contributor on CNBC along with other local and national programs. She serves on the board of Trustees for Robert Morris University, which is my alma mater as the vice chair, and she's also chair of the board of McGee Women's Research Institute and Foundation. Additionally, Carrie brought the 2020 women on boards initiative to Pittsburgh in 2015 which is a national organization dedicated to increasing the percentage of female talent on boards. I absolutely loved my interview with Carrie. I learned so much from her and I asked her to speak at an all three leadership breakfast. So she's actually going to be speaking this month, September, 2017 at our Pittsburgh breakfast. So if you're in the Pittsburgh area and would like to attend in here, Carrie, speak and meet her in person, um, you can just go to LTE leadership.org forward slash events and register for that. We hope to see you there. So before jump into the interview with Carrie, just a few announcements. First, I'd like to thank our sponsor[inaudible] jewelers. They are a jeweler owned by my friend and mentor, John Henne. My wife and I got our engagement and wedding rings through Henny jewelers and we just loved our experience with them. Not only do they have great jewelry, but they also love and care and invest in people. John Gave Laura and I and actually they give every engaged couple a book to help them prepare for their marriage. And John's personally have been investing in me as a leader, a father and a husband now for years. So listen to me, if you're in need of a good jeweler, check out Henny jewelers.com I also want to thank our other sponsor, Alex, to land in real estate resources. Alex is a full time realtor and Keller with Keller Williams realty who seems committed to providing clients with highly effective premier real estate experiences throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region. He's a member and a supporter of l three leadership. He would love the opportunity to meet with you and connect with you that you can find out more@pittsburghpropertyshowcase.com and with that being said, enjoy our interview with Carrie. But thank you Carrie so much for taking the time to do this interview. And why don't we just start off with you just telling us a brief overview of who you are and what you do?
Carrie Coghill:Yeah, that's a big question. Um, just because they're, I have my hands in so many things, but basically I'm the president and CEO of Coghill investment strategies. We're a wealth management firm that started at the beginning of 2011, which, uh, came on the heels of working with a few other organizations locally here in Pittsburgh. So I, uh, run the firm as an entrepreneur and also as an investment advisor. So I still have a role within the company. I also am a vice chair on the board at Robert Morris University and I'm the chair of the board at the Magee Women's research institute and Foundation.
Doug Smith:Wow. So a lot of passions there and hopefully we'll touch on it a little bit of each of those things. So obviously with what you do, I just want to focus on finances just a little bit. Sure. You've written two books on investing in finances. Can you just tell us what they are when you're able to tell us on a podcast and why'd you write them and how can they actually help people?
Carrie Coghill:What I have found, um, in many aspects of my life, but particularly in my career is that I feel as though the information that I've learned over the years is something that I want to share with a much wider population than just the people that I'm coming in contact with every day. And that was really the genesis of, of wanting to be an author and write these books, the two books, and they were written a couple of decades ago, it seems, um, was the newlyweds guide to investing in personal finance and what term investing IQ. So these were things, uh, that I just at it my age know as a, as a person that has now had a long career. It's interesting, um, how your drive changes and how you are outlets and how you communicate to people changes as you evolve. And at that point in my, it was mirroring where I was in my life that, uh, as a younger person I had a wealth of knowledge that I wanted to share with other younger people.
Doug Smith:Yeah, that's great. And I'm assuming you can we find those on Amazon? I can include a link in the show notes,
Carrie Coghill:believe it or not, they're probably still out there. They're a little dated because they were written in the late 1990s. Um, but in the future then, um, you know, I've always had a passion to really write, um, a book for women about investing. Um, and I was a single mother, uh, when throughout most of my career. And, and you might not like the title of this book, but the one that, that I would have in the pipeline is called G, you don't need a man, you need a plan. So it's all about the title. Hey, what I learned about books about being an author is that writing the book is the easy part. It's how you market it. So a catchy title goes a long way. I still think that, you know, you, you need to man too, but I'm with,
Doug Smith:I got it. Um, so, so talk to that young person out there. If you could sit down with a group of 20 somethings just starting out in life, what advice would you give them to set them up successfully financially?
Carrie Coghill:Well, I think that the one piece of advice that is really important as a young person and doesn't really change throughout a person's life is to live within your means. And I know that sounds so basic, um, but the reality is, is that financial stress, uh, is so detrimental in so many different ways that, um, you know, happiness does not come from having more. And if you are getting more by borrowing money or using credit cards, you're not going to be happy. So really taking a look at staying within the resources that you have.
Doug Smith:Yeah. So, and would you advise every, every young 20 something to get a financial advisor? I know there's things out there like Dave Ramsey's financial peace. Um, does everyone need a financial advisor? What if you know nothing about money, what advice you have for someone even to just get started saying, I'm a mess, my financial aid.
Carrie Coghill:Yeah. You know, I think that one of the hard things in this industry is that, um, financial education is lacking and there's a difference between learning and gaining financial knowledge versus having a financial advisor. I mean, if you go out and you seek an expert, you're going to pay for it. And a lot of people in their twenties and just getting out of school, they don't have the resources to pay for it. So I think one of the things that young people where their mindset needs to be is in learning. And there are a lot of great books out there. There are a lot of great people that you can talk to. Um, unfortunately, you know, for as much as I would love to say yes, the financial industries, you know, wanting to educate young people. Yeah. There are some advisors that really focus on that. Um, but I think that a lot of knowledge can be picked up just by having your mindset around financial education. There's, there are a lot of resources out there.
Doug Smith:Yeah. So you're obviously passionate about helping people financially. I read an article on you, I love this. Then you took your daughter to work one day and at the end of the day she said that you lied to her. Then you don't actually talk about people with about their money. You talk to them about their lives. And I just loved that. So I'm just curious for you, what keeps you going in this? What's the most fulfilling part of your job? Why are you so passionate?
Carrie Coghill:You know, kids have a way of just calling you out and she was seven years old. It was take your daughter to work day. And I didn't even think she was paying attention. She was like spinning in my chair and you know, and then she hit me with that on the way home and, and it was just an eyeopening moment because I don't even think that I realized that the genesis of what we do in this industry with clients is it's all about their life. It's all about, you know, how can we improve the lives of our clients that the, that is what we're here to do. And I think a lot of people look at a financial advisor and they think, oh, it's all about investing. And it's all about, you know, stocks and what the market's doing it. And that's a tool that we use. But at the end of the day, how those things are structured are completely driven by what does the client want out of life, what do they want their money to do for them? And if we can help to structure that, it's highly satisfying.
Doug Smith:Yeah, and I love that, and I read this again in an article, but to do that you have to be a great listener and we'll talk about sales in a minute. I think I read an article that you said women are usually better listeners than men, which I thought was funny and probably true. I'm just curious, what, why is listening so important and how can we become better listeners if you're like me and all over the place sometimes,
Carrie Coghill:you know, I think that what it is, especially in this industry, but in general, people don't always say what they mean and they have a hard time communicating what it is that they're feeling. So to be in touch with listening and listening to what they're saying. Um, watching what their body languages, making it a comfortable environment to be able to express themselves and express their fears and really get at the heart of what they mean. Um, one of the, one of the things I've always said about being able to achieve success in this industry, although being a woman has other challenges that we'll hit on. Um, being a woman has been one of my best attributes because when I'm meeting with men, there is an element of comfort. Um, you know, I often, many years ago I had the opportunity to uh, meet with a professional basketball player and he was looking, you know, looking for an advisor and I met with him once and um, we had this great open dialogue. He wasn't afraid to say anything and it just, you know, there was no ego involved. And when I went back to meet with him again, I brought my business partner at the time who was a, um, a guy and the whole dynamics of the meeting changed. He wasn't as open, he wasn't asking questions. And it was really him walking away from that meeting. I thought, ah, you know, the dynamics between two men are very different than man and woman. And so, you know, a lot of people assume that since I'm a woman that my clients are women and my clients that the representation of, you know, women clients versus male clients or a couple of clients is very small. I have a handful of single women I would say that I work with.
Doug Smith:That's it. That's good. I want to talk to you a little bit about chosen leadership. You've obviously been very successful. Um, you know, I look around your office. I, your bio is basically like 30 pages of awards that you've won. Um, I guess the first question I'd ask in that is, what do you wish people knew about the journey to sit where you're sitting that they may not know if they just read your bio?
Carrie Coghill:Um, I would probably say that they probably don't know that I'm at heart and introvert. Um, I think when you think of people that are involved in a lot of different things and maybe have accomplished and been recognized, um, you think of them as being extra highly extroverted people. And I'm not, you know, my natural tendency is to lock myself in a room and sit behind my computer and research all day. That's my ideal day. Rarely do I have the opportunity to do that. And you know, there's a book that just came out recently, um, that is on the New York Times bestseller called quiet. And the subtitle of it, it's written by Susan Cain and the subtitle is the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. Um, so, you know, I think that that is probably what people don't know, that becoming an extrovert is really something that I turn on and I have to do it. It's necessary. And you know, I enjoyed doing it when I do, but it's not my natural baseline.
Doug Smith:Yeah. So what would you say, I think that's very interesting. What would you say has made you so successful at sales and leadership? Is it just daily routines? If so, what are those routines look like? Is it hard work? What's been your ability to close deals? All of those things?
Carrie Coghill:Um, well, one of the key points that I'll say about sales and is, and I'm very fortunate and, and appreciate my education at Robert Morris University, give a little plug for RMU. Yeah. Um, my degree was focused on organizational studies and organizational leadership. And, um, the biggest point there is that, uh, most people think that if you are successful in your field, you are a leader or you have the ability to become leaders. So frequently we see companies take their top salesperson and make them sales manager, which the attributes for those two jobs are completely different. So one of the real powerful elements I think, of the recognition I've received has come from having the knowledge about what it takes to be a good leader and what it takes to work with people. And I, I just don't think that people, um, across the board realize how valuable that truly is.
Doug Smith:Yeah. What are some of those characteristics or skills that you have? Maybe they came naturally to you? Did they come naturally? And what did you have to learn and grow in at to be a leader?
Carrie Coghill:You know, fortunately as I learned about leadership, I've felt that I had the attributes, but there is a difference in, you know, it was confirmation that Oh, these things really matter and they're things like people can trust you that you stick to your word that um, you are knowledgeable, which I just, you know, having knowledge and his power, you know, it's Cliche, but it's true. Um, having charisma, you know, realizing that as a role model, people are looking at you all the time. So that really helped me elevate my game. And really when it comes down in, in this industry, trust and integrity is everything. But there are two words that are overused. So you have to dig deeper and say, well, how do people come to trust? How do people know that you have integrity? And I'll tell you, it's an everything you do, it's an every action you do. It's in how you treat a waiter or waitress. It's, it has to be at your core. And that I think at the end of the day is what has attracted clients to come here. It's hopefully what keeps them here. Um, and when it comes to these other elements of being a leader like mentorship, it has to be sincere and authentic. I love that.
Doug Smith:Talk to some, maybe not talk to the leaders now talk to the salespeople. So if I came to work for you, if you're like, Doug, if you're going to be successful with sales in this, here's what you have to do. What
Carrie Coghill:would you, well, there are two things. One, you have to care. Um, you, you just truly, truly have to care and you have to be authentic about it. Um, the other issue is that whatever it is you're selling, you truly have to be passionate about. Um, if you were, and I love the fact that we're talking about sales because in this industry, people hate to think they're sales people. But at the end of the day, let's call a spade a spade. Um, but if you would have told me way back when and Oh, you're going to be an adviser and you know, sell your services, I would say, no way. I'm not a sales person. But when you frame it in the context of, you know, you're going to have the ability to communicate with people the knowledge that you have and help them achieve their financial goals in life, it's completely different. So I think that, you know, any type of sales job that a person gets into, they really, truly at their core have to have to buy in and believe.
Doug Smith:Yeah, I love that. I want to talk to you about women in leadership. You're obviously very passionate about that. In fact, I read that you helped start the, the Robert Morris's women's leadership and mentoring program, which I want to hear more about, but I'll just leave it open ended. Just start. Why are you so passionate about women taking on leadership roles and leading?
Carrie Coghill:Yeah. Well for one thing, um, diversity in general is very important. Women bring a different perspective to the table. You know, this is not about, you know, just numbers. It's not about, you know, equality, let's say this is about how do we as a community, as an organization get better. Women are different. They have a different perspective. And that is really critical I think in any business. Um, and, and so that's really the reason why I am very passionate about it. I've been very fortunate in my career to work with people that have appreciated that different insight. Yeah. And to be able to, um, perpetuate that kind of thinking within, uh, with women and with corporations and with men is very important.
Doug Smith:Yeah. Now the article I read was, I think it was over 10 years ago that you said this, but I thought it was interesting you said that at one point being in a male dominated field, that you had to be, uh, educated enough and persistent enough to make your voice be heard. I'm curious if that is still true, but what did you mean by that and what advice would you have to, to young women who want to lead?
Carrie Coghill:Well, it is still true. Yeah. But that's okay. Um, when I was first in this industry, I was in my twenties. Um, I got my series seven license, uh, the month after I turned 21 years old because my firm one, let me do it before then. And you know, I felt that I had a lot of, but I was in a male dominated field. And being a woman, it was hard to get people to take you seriously. And um, many years ago I worked for a firm called bill few associates and bill was a great mentor and he said to me, look, it's not how you look. It's what you say that matters. So yes, someone might see you as being young and a woman, but if you can overcome that by being knowledgeable, it's not going to matter. Well, I took that very seriously and um, I, I have had to and continue to have to know. I can't, you can't fake it, you know, I can't fake it. I never would try. But the knowledge, the facts, the intellect is what has gotten me to where I am. So I appreciate the fact that my journey was maybe a little bit tougher than a males. I don't know if that's really the case. That's how it felt. Um, but it has made me a better advisor because I'm, it it hard today, I'm really a researcher, you know, I'm putting portfolios together and, and that discipline started a long time ago. Talk to talk to all the 20 year old carry cocktails that are out there aspiring to, to leadership roles in our shitty or wherever they're listening to this. Yeah. Well, you know, there are a couple of different things then we just hit on one of them. Whatever it is, whatever your craft is, no everything you can. Um, in my industry that changes every day. So, you know, you'd never get to an end. Um, life is a journey of learning constantly. And especially in this world with technological advancements. Um, being agile is, is very important. But to be armed with knowledge and to have something interesting to say is very important. And I think particularly for young women, you know, one of the things we continue to read about is that women, uh, you know, they're not quite as confident as men. Well go out and get the confidence, go, go to the library, you know, learn something, learn what, wherever you are responsible for your development. So, um, and that's really another key point for young women. I was my own advocate and women have to be their own advocate because in this culture, although, uh, diversity, it's a very hot topic. And I think organizations and, and everyone's intent is good. But what we have to recognize is that we are coming from a culture that did not include women in the business world. I mean, if you go back and you read heck home books from the 1940s, it was like, you know, when your husband gets home from work, make sure that you're well put together and the kids are settled. You know, that's, that's where we came from. Yeah. So to think that, you know, that changes overnight. It doesn't. So if you want to get ahead, you have to be your own advocate. I mean I would never, and you have to push and I've pushed and I continue to,
Doug Smith:no, I love that. And so I'm curious, was that, was that drive always in you to be, Hey, I'm a leader, cause I'd be interested in your thoughts and what advice you have for women who, who may have been raised in a mentality of, hey, you're never gonna, you're never gonna don't ever think that you can be a leader downtown. Like you're going to be action and they're labeled. What advice would you have for them? And is that something you had to grow out of or were you lucky enough to have mentors?
Carrie Coghill:I did not have mentors. I mean, you know, one of, one of the elements of my path is that I, well I grew up thinking I was going to be a housewife and have 10 children and I have one. So I'm blessed. But no, I never thought I would be a leader. As a matter of fact, I think I probably was a leader before I even realized that it had happened. Um, it was never something that was on my radar. It was never something that anyone talked about. Um, it just happened. So for anyone that's ever been told they can't be a leader, that's ridiculous because I'm a believer that you can do anything you want in life regardless of where you came from. You know, I, my upbringing was very nontraditional. I was raised by my grandparents, my, they were gone by the time I was 20, they had passed away. So I didn't have the guidance. I, I didn't, I've worked my way through college. If I can do it, anyone can do it. So it's just a matter of making a choice about whatever it is you want to do and going after it.
Doug Smith:Yeah. And you, and obviously personal developments played a huge role in that. For you and you, you talked about that and you're responsible for your own development. Do you have systems? Is there like, Hey, every day I read for two hours. Do you read books? You listen to podcasts? If so, I was like asking leaders, you know, what are some of your favorites that you'd recommend? But what, what advice do you have?
Carrie Coghill:Yeah, reading is really important. You know, when you look at leaders and what there's a consistent theme, they read a lot. So yes, I actually get up very early in the morning. I can't move without a cup of coffee, but in my other hand is my iPad and I read for at least an hour and a half every morning. Um, and then I get a little bit of exercise. Um, so you know, my schedule and what I've done to make sure that I'm at the top of my game really involves kind of a few personal, um, mantras and one is I'm very protective of my sleep. Sleep is critically important. Um, I do, I am aware of what I eat because when it comes to energy, um, you know, nutrition matters. Uh, I do read a lot and that's part of my morning routine and I do try to get, even if it's just a little bit of exercise every day just to keep my body functioning. Yeah. Do you have any, any books that you constantly give away, you find yourself recommending? Well, you know, this is kind of an old one, but the, it has stood the test of time. I mean, my favorite book that really kind of encapsulates who I am as Stephen Covey's, the seven habits of highly effective people. Um, I think that when it comes to, you know, understanding what I'm trying to accomplish and how I approach my day personally and professionally, um, that's such a good book. I mean, if you adopt those habits, you know you're going to lead a pretty easy life. Um, but you know, I also believe that, and we touched on it a little bit, you listening is very important and I think that some sense of, um, for lack of a better word, some sense of self or spirituality is very important in one's life. Um, one of the books that I love when people are kind of struggling with whether their personal and professional issues as the power of now, um, which is really about being present, you know, and for me that's really important because I do have several projects kind of always going on at once. So it's easy to not be present. And there's just a real value and kind of physically and mentally in just being where you are in the moment. Um, but one of the other things that I think really helped to shape my life was, um, you know, really understanding who you are as a person. You know, as I had mentioned, I lost my grandparents who in essence where my parents at a very young age and uh, that independence and having to kind of be on my own, uh, really led me to the self help books. Um, and which was fine. It was, uh, just a great way to learn. But there was one book in particular that stood out, and I don't even know if it's, they still publish it, but it was called daring to be yourself. And it was really kind of a look at who you are as a person. What is it like, what, who are you like, what do you like, what do you stand for? What are your passions? You know, what's your favorite color? I mean, things to know yourself, I think is the foundation of how you can exist in this world. Be Happy. And have impact because it, it's, it's not unlike a business that has a mission statement or purpose statement that the decisions, and if you have a purpose statement statement, the decisions in your business, you can always say, okay, does this meet the requirements? Does this match our purpose statement? Is this going to move our purpose forward? So if you as a person don't know what you stand for and what your values are, um, it's hard to do that. The caveat is, is that you have to be agile. When I look at maybe what my purpose was, um, or where I was headed at 20 or 30 or 40, it's changed. You know, and that really is another piece of advice I have for younger people. Um, I didn't set out to be a financial advisor. I didn't set out to be a leader. Um, the one thing I set out to do was to be a CPA, which I'm not. Um, I was very lucky when I was in high school. I had a great accounting teacher. For some reason I loved accounting. Still do. I'm a little protective of it. Oh, you know, I do my own books here. Um, so the lesson really is, is that at least I had a goal, but what you have to understand with any goal is that there are strategic byproducts of it. So you set a goal and on that path you, you might go off that path, but that might cause you to set a different goal that's bigger and better than the original goal. So you have to be agile, you have to be flexible. You have to say, well, I thought that's what I wanted to do, but this is really where I want to go. Now I think that young people today get stuck. They're trying to figure out what they're going to do with the rest of their lives. That's a hard one. How about just keep moving forward, have some goals and, and realize that you can change course and be flexible.
Doug Smith:So good. Um, back to the women in leadership. We'll wrap up that portion here. Um, so you, you helped found this women's leadership and mentoring program at Robert Morris. I know you're also, I think it's a different initiative, but the 2020 women's initiative getting women on boards, can you talk about the purpose of those two programs and maybe how women listening to this can connect or get mentored? Yep. So
Carrie Coghill:the Robert Morris Women's leadership and mentorship program really stems out of um, the university wanting to attract high quality women and develop them into being good leaders. There are a lot of benefits to that within the community. Uh, it was always kind of my intent when I was working on this project to, for Robert Morris to be known for developing great women leaders. And I think there are two elements to this challenging issue of diversity. One is that we as women have to be mentored. We have to understand why, uh, why diversity is important and what we need to do to be our own advocates. That's one area is women developing. The other area which really goes to the, uh, 2020 women on Boards, 2020 women on boards is an organization out of Boston. Their goal starting in 2010 was to get 20% representation of women on corporate boards by the year 2020. Right now I think we're probably at around the 17, 18%. So there's been a lot of movement. That end of it is more about educating the community and corporations about the importance of diversity and how to connect with qualified women to get those women onto corporate boards to get a voice. As we talked earlier, women come to the table with a different voice. When you look at boards that have diversity, what we find is that their profitability is greater, which has resulted in in greater stock performance. So there's a value in having a woman's voice. I actually think that, you know, nowadays we do a really great job helping women and providing a framework for them to learn leadership skills and be their own advocates. Um, we have a lot of work to do in helping the rest of the world understand what that means. It's not about putting a woman on your board because once she's on your board, you have to realize how to work with her. And if there's anything that's kind of frustrating for me and I, I try to tell young women this too, you know, when I was going through this women's leadership development phase of my life and I stand still am, we are always evolving. There was this push to like, you have to be tough, you have to be more like a man. You have to dress like a man, you have to look like a man. I'm not, I'm a woman and I'm going to own that. And I think that we as women are doing all we can. What I would like to see is I would like to see more programs and this is really where 2020 women on boards comes in to say, okay, if I'm a man leading a corporation, what do women need? Why? Why do we as women always have to be the ones to adjust? You know, if, if I, if women are known to be a little more emotional or you know, whatever the case may be, well just because someone's emotional doesn't mean they're not a good business person. So if someone's uncomfortable being around that, then you as the, the, the other have to say, okay, what can I do so that I'm not feeling so uncomfortable around someone that has a more emotional side to them. So I think that I'd like to see that come together a little bit more. Um, because you know what, I, I think that that being a woman is a great advantage. And you know, I don't want to be like a man. Yeah.
Doug Smith:I love that. I love your heart for that and I love that you're actually doing something about it and Rob Morrison through all the other initiatives. So thank you for your leadership in that space. Now as we start to, to wrap up, so you're on, you could've been on a thousand boards. You're on Robert Morris's board, I'm assuming because you believe in education, but also just young people. Yes. I'm obviously a bit open ended because you've kind of already talked to young people, but if you had any advice, if you had to give the commencement speech at Robert Morris, you know, what other things would you say?
Carrie Coghill:You know, I think that one of the really important things, qualities that we as people, Eh, you know, regardless of where you are in your life, the value of having an opinion matters. Um, you know, being strong, strong enough and having enough confidence to voice your opinion and really understand that a p t to really have an opinion about something. You have to take the time to kind of reflect and say, how do I feel about this? How do I at my core feel about this? Um, because when you have an opinion and stick by that opinion, um, people respect you, people learn from you people. It helps people to see things from a different perspective. So, you know, not that opinions can't be changed or evolve for anything else, but, um, just don't be afraid to take a stance, um, and, and make sure that you're communicating in a way that is really consistent with what you see in your life. I think that it's important to have goals in life. It really any age, um, to understand what you want. If I were talking to a group of college students graduating, I would say take some time to figure out what you would like to get out of your life. You know, this is not a dress rehearsal and regardless of what spiritual beliefs you have, this experience here on this earth is precious. So make sure that you give some time to creating your own life because if you don't, someone else is going to create it for you.
Doug Smith:Yeah. Just that along that, since you brought it up, do you have any processes for goals? Like do you go away every, every winter for a weekend plan your year in dream or, or is it just more organic day to day?
Carrie Coghill:I absolutely,
Doug Smith:you know, wanted the biggest, uh, push pulls I have and being an entrepreneur and, and also kind of practicing my craft as an advisor is spending time on my business. You know, I spend it in my business. So I've been very fortunate that I have a group of people. Um, there are five of us now that for the last 15 years on a quarterly basis, we get together on a Thursday and a Friday and we talk about goals. Um, so is that an internally with your organization or is that you and other leaders?
Carrie Coghill:Me With it started with other advisors in my industry and I am the only one from Pittsburgh, so I'm usually traveling to Boston for these meetings. Uh, and they are kind enough to want to come here, but for some reason for me to get on a plane is once I step on that plane, you know, I'm focused on what I'm there to do. So yes, whatever that is in terms of carving it out, it's hard to do those things when you stay in your environment. Yeah.
Doug Smith:A few personal questions as we close. If you could go back to yourself at 20 years old and give her a Carrie 20 year old Carrie advice, what would you say to her?
Carrie Coghill:That's a really hard question and I'll tell you why. Um, we talked about kind of our personal mantras in life and, um, I, I live my life with no regrets. So when I look at what advice would I give, I wouldn't even want to disrupt my journey by giving that person any advice. Um, because I think there's value in failure. There's value in making choices that weren't optimal. Um, but the key is that you always have to look at those as opportunities to learn, um, and to, uh, to improve. So I'm not, I don't beat myself up. I really, really don't beat myself up. It's easy in this world and that's a choice. You know, it's like I'm going to fail. I accept that. Um, I, the decisions that I've made in my life, I usually make them by asking one last question, which is what's the worst that could happen? So when I was 24 years old and had a two year old and was divorced and my business partner, my, my, uh, a guy I worked with at the time called me to say, Hey, I'm starting my own business. Do you want to come with me? At that point in my life, the last thing I needed was the insecurity of going and starting a business. You know, being with him, starting that business. But then I thought, okay, what's the worst thing that can happen? It doesn't work. And I have to come grovelling back to my current employer and say, oh, more, can you please take me back? So when you approach things like what's the worst that could happen that's going to help you make some decisions because you have to have some element of, you know, a risk in your life I think to get ahead. And I've, I've definitely taken those chances, but they've been calculated.
Doug Smith:Yeah. So you've taken a lot of chances, a lot of, um, failure along the way. You, you love the uniqueness of your journey. On the other end of Ed, you have life to be proud of showing a successful business, 30 pages worth of awards in your bio. Uh, I'm just curious, up to this point in your life, what are you most proud of?
Carrie Coghill:Well, I am most proud of my daughter. I mean, I think at the end of the day we've got all of this going on, but at the end of the day, you know, I think we all go home to our families and, and I am just blown away. My daughter's very different than me. Um, but when it comes to wisdom and advice and seeing clearly, I am so proud that, you know, she's looked at me and kind of maybe taken the good and learned from the bad and created this amazing amount of wisdom that I rely on as a sounding board now that, you know, she's in the adult. Um, but the other thing is the culture at our firm. Uh, you know, I have a team of people here that I love and care about deeply. Um, they spend more time here than anywhere else. And if there's one thing that I want this firm to be known for is that it is a great place to work and to know that I have the ability to enhance the lives directly of the people that work here is a really satisfying feeling. And by extension, the clients that we deal with, um, that's the most satisfying, you know, result that I could expect.
Doug Smith:Yeah. And then very personal question at the end of, of your life one day looking back, what do you want people to remember you for?
Carrie Coghill:Um, I think it's along the lines of just so you know, in some way, whoever it is that I touch, if it's just a sentence or if it's a 30 year relationship that I've enhanced their life in some way. Um, I love to see people laugh. I love to see people smile. Um, so if, if there's a memory that other people have because of some interaction I've had with them, um, that's good enough for me.
Doug Smith:I love that. And then just really open ended. Any closing advice for, for anyone the same to this young leaders?
Carrie Coghill:The only advice I can give is just to be true to yourself. Be Authentic. You know, if you, you, whether it's your life or your work life, it's one life. So whoever it is you are and you want to be, you need to carry that consistently throughout your, your, you can't be nice to people during the day and then, you know, yell at people at night. So, um, the authentic, oh, thank you so much Gary. This is wonderful and it was great. Yeah, you do a lot of people. You made me smile today, so it's good. I'm glad to hear that. Yeah.
Doug Smith:Hey guys, thank you so much for listening to my interview with Carrie. Just a reminder that she's speaking at our September, 2017 breakfast. So if you'd like to meet Carrie and connect with her and learn from her, you can register@lthreeleadership.org forward slash events. Um, but if you're unable to make the breakfast, you can find ways to connect with her links to everything that we discussed and more@intheshownotesatlthreeleadership.org forward slash episode one 62. A few things before we wrap up. I want to let you know about a new leadership conference coming to Pittsburgh for church leaders and their staff put on by my friends at amplify church. It's called the future forward conference. It's going to be in Pittsburgh, October 24th through the 26 and this led by amplify senior pastor Lee Krajcir who I've had speak and I've interviewed for the podcast. He is a phenomenal leader. He's going to be having his team there to share their best leadership content and practices for church leaders in their staff. You do not want to miss this. This is for church leaders who were determined to think creatively about how to get or stay connected to the next generation amplified churches. Done a phenomenal job doing that. You do not want to miss this. You can check out more information@futureforwardconference.com and lastly, if you want to stay in touch with everything that we're doing here at l three leadership, you can sign up for our email list@lthreeleadership.org as always, I like to end with a quote and I'll quote Sheryl Sandberg on this. She said, if a leader wants to get better, how do we do that? By real feedback, get people to tell you the truth. Who Do you have in your life that can tell you the truth and give you honest feedback that'll help you grow and develop? I love that. Thank you, Cheryl. Thank you for listening and being a part of all three leadership. Laura, and I appreciate you so much and we'll talk to you next episode.
Speaker 5:[inaudible].
