Successful female entrepreneur, Carrie Kerpen, shares with Inc. the changes she had to make first before taking the helm of Likeable Media, a social media firm she co-founded with her husband who was ready to step down as CEO.
There was so much to do! I needed to set my own vision for the company and adapt the strategic plan. I needed to make sure the management team was top notch. I needed to create a succession plan-and to start getting out there myself as a speaker and writer, too. But none of that was what I did first.
The first thing I did was, surprisingly, the most critical step for my success.
I got myself healthy.
You see, for me to be a better leader, I think I needed to be fit-both mentally and physically. Heck, I think to be a better anything-mom, wife, friend-I needed to put myself first.
I met with a nutritionist weekly--which was tough to do with my crazy calendar, but I made it a priority. I remember the looks from the staff as I would say that I couldn’t make a meeting because I was meeting with Nikki. They thought I was nuts.
I gave up coffee and I started making juices. My staff did not understand how their once Dunkin Donuts-obsessed leader was now drinking kale smoothies. They made fun of my “vomit juice”-and I laughed along with them-but it didn’t stop me.
And, most importantly, three days a week, I took the 4:47 train home (yes, even earlier than Sheryl Sandberg), and I cooked dinner for my family.
And then, it became easier to meet my goals at work. In fact, I didn’t just meet them. I crushed them. I became more focused, more present, and more confident. My employees, inspired by what I was doing, started to focus on their own personal goals. This makes them better at what they do, too. Perhaps, it can work for you and your team.
