Lisa Wood, Director & Coach, GRIP Coaching Limited
Lisa Wood speaks to The Industry Leaders about her work and what she's learned on her entrepreneurial journey.
What's Your Story?
My name is Lisa Robyn Wood and I'm a qualified professional coach, leader, and podcaster. I work with emerging, evolving, and growing leaders who want to be better managers of people while achieving greater success, fulfilment, and happiness.
I discovered coaching during my own leadership career 8 years ago when I was suffering with imposter syndrome. After 12 months of trying different things, which included considering quitting my fantastic job, I desperately stumbled across coaching and it transformed my career - and my life.
I subsequently chose to be a coach myself to be a more effective, impactful leader, and help others reconnect with their strengths and enjoy their management and leadership roles.
Being a manager is a tough gig but it doesn't have to be, and neither do we deserve it to be! The Corporate world doesn't do enough to support their people to grow into leadership and it's a serious gap which is only getting bigger. I believe coaching is the solution and more businesses should invest in coaching - for all their people - to support their development, performance, and wellbeing.
You can travel back in time to Day 1 of your business or career - what advice would you give to younger-you, knowing what you know now?
It's ok to not be good at everything. I put myself under so much pressure to be an expert in all things, and to strive to be perfect. I think this was born from my education in a competitive girls grammar school, which over the years made me increasingly miserable as I lost time taking on roles in organisations that I hated just to prove a point that I could do it. It was stressful and exhausting, and it caused me to pretend that I was someone who I wasn't - I lost my identity at points and the sense of who I truly was.
When I finally gave myself permission to accept that there were things I wasn't good at - and that, that was ok - I was free to put all of my focus and energy into my strengths and what I enjoyed.
This became the birth of the second stage of my career in leadership and subsequently launching my own coaching business. It also gave me the confidence to like myself completely and to celebrate who I am - without apology.
What one book or podcast changed your life?
I believe the greatest strength a leader can develop in their career to benefit themselves and others - in work and in their personal life - is their self-awareness and self-knowing. The more you know about yourself, the more your awareness and curiosity to understand others grows.
In addition; I think we need to look after ourselves first before we seek to look after others. You can't be strong for other people in a successful, consistent, efficient way if you yourself are not strong.
Therefore my favourite books and podcasts are those that tap into this subject and teach me more about how I can understand myself as a person.
I am an avid fan of Dr Susan David and her book 'Emotional Agility' as well as Dr Martyn Newman and his extensive work in the emotional intelligence field. Dr Newman's book 'Emotional Capitalists' is exceptional.
