Janet Britcher, MBA, author of Zoom Leadership: Change Your Focus, Change Your Insights provides executive coaching to managers being promoted. Janet brings 20 years of corporate leadership roles in Human Resources to her leadership development work, and she has personally managed groups of 60 employees. Transformation Management LLC is celebrating 15 years of helping leaders grow.
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
I reflected on all I had learned as head of Human Resources. What I learned is, most of the complaints, from managers and employees, shared a root cause. That is, promotion without sufficient support to develop management skills.
Managers deserve to excel when they get promoted. Often their manager is their champion, but may not have time to be the mentor, or may not have the skills to be their coach. Also, coaching in a reporting relationship involves wearing two hats: champion and evaluator. That’s difficult. What inspires me every day is the possibility that every manager is great.
Tell us about your business.
Transformation Management LLC was founded 15 years ago to help leaders be successful, especially when promoted. At every level, promotion naturally involves taking on new responsibilities, and more than that, a new view of the world and the company. We help leaders accelerate their growth and deepen confidence. We offer one-on-one coaching, leadership workshops, group coaching, and executive team facilitation.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?Â
Free lunch-and-learn presentation to qualified Boston area companies.
List awards/certifications/accomplishments.
I have an MBA in organization development, certifications in Gestalt group process, Immunity to Change, and Lego Serious Play. I am a certified coach, and the author of Zoom Leadership: Change Your Focus, Change Your Insights.    Â
Where is your business based?
I am in Boston and I work remotely with clients in other locations.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
I was fortunate to have a network of colleagues when I left corporate Human Resources, and they brought me in to work with their growing businesses. They knew my work, my style, and the leadership development value I would bring to their business.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Referrals. Loyal clients are happy to recommend me. I am fortunate to have a strong network of colleagues. We all have our sweet spot niche and generously share leads when someone else is a better fit.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Creating a forum to keep raising the bar on my own skills as a coach.
How did you overcome these challenges?
I formed a colleague learning community which met a half day every month. That group evolved and thrived through seven years. A few years later I was invited in to another coach development group. These forums are great learning and support opportunities.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I read, learn, network and attend conferences. There is always something new in business and leadership to learn. Every day is a new day. We humans are a complicated bunch, and each situation is unique. I celebrate the challenge.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
I have a deep background in Human Resources and entrepreneurship, having owned my own company. I am also unusual as an executive coach for having been a manager of 60 employees, and a professor at the college level for management courses.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
Trust your gut.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Deal with what is. Don’t be distracted by pessimism or swept away by positivity. Use your optimism to fuel innovation, experimentation, and evaluation. Use reality to temper hopes and optimism to fuel possibilities.
What are your favorite business tools/resources and why?
Reflection. We are in a fast-paced world. Being more aware of what works, what went well, what energizes, and where you want to push your boundaries adds the fuel that’s needed for growth.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
I particularly like Clear Leadership by Gervase Bushe, grounded in self-awareness and clear communication. Multipliers by Liz Wiseman guides readers through approaches that successful managers use to grow others and optimize impact.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I took a course in Graphic Facilitation. We are more and more in a visual world, where catchy images draw our attention. Less text, more logos. I joke that we’re transitioning back to hieroglyphics. In the meantime, groups appreciate seeing their strategic planning points and goals visually represented.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
Currently I am excited to be promoting my book, Zoom Leadership: Change Your Focus, Change Your Insights.Â
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Website www.transformationmanagement.com
Email janet@transformationmanagement.com
Twitter @JanetBritcher
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/janet-britcher-943bb4