TGt Meets...Marie Smith, Owner of SUCCESSMITH - IWD Special

International Women’s Day 2021 #choosetochallenge

Marie Smith lives and works in Poole and is the founder of SUCCESSMITH. They specialise in leadership coaching and development. She works with individuals and teams privately or in businesses and organisations. Read below as we spoke to Marie to get her thoughts on International Women's Day 2021.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #choosetochallenge – what would you choose to challenge when it comes to gender equality or inequality this year? This could be in business or life in general.

In business, I would choose to challenge those who are still resistant to flexible working. Following the experience of last year and with many people of all genders working at home, I think it has been proven that when people are trusted and empowered to get on with their work, they deliver well and often productivity rises without an increase in hours worked. I think when we all work together to overcome challenges, we can both individually and collectively create innovative solutions that benefit all. I absolutely believe that when all genders are inclusive and work together towards shared outcomes then we can create and sustain equity. I love this graphic that beautifully demonstrates the differences between equality and equity. When we aim for equity, we recognise that the solutions are different for each individual and no one size fits all.

Generally, I would choose to challenge gender stereotypes, as nothing is gender specific. For example, everyone can participate in cleaning, sawing, gardening, be a school governor, a captain of a sports team, bring up a child, have caring responsibilities, and so on. I believe that when we concentrate on the task in hand and we have a positive intention to something, we can achieve anything.

Thinking of your own experience in the world of business – which inequalities, if any, have you experienced personally or witnessed around gender?

Many years ago, I was recruited a role. Shortly after starting the job, I met with a senior manager who told me they thought it was a man coming in to do the job, because traditionally in their view it was a job for a man. I stayed and proved them wrong!

What do you think all genders offer in particular to the world of business?

I think we need to move away from gender stereotyping. We need a balance of both ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ type leadership qualities used to meet the specific needs, at the right time. What is important is valuing diverse and different perspectives, using our emotional intelligence, being brave and vulnerable, courageous, empathetic, and kind. Businesses, organisations, companies, and individuals will all thrive when these are present.

Can you name up to three people (any gender) in business or in the wider business community that you admire? Why?

Many names come to mind such as Brene Brown (business woman, researcher, author, TED talker), Anne Boden (in her early 50’s created Starling Bank - a no-nonsense, modern, efficient, fair/affordable online personal and business banking service).

Overall, regardless of gender, the qualities I admire are:

Authentic – they think, feel, do, act, and talk in ways that align with their values.

Courageous – willing to take calculated risks and stand-up for what they believe in.

Kind – certainly not a ‘soft’ quality – it’s not always an easy choice being kind as honesty requires clarity and is not always perceived as being kind unless it is delivered with a positive intent.

Purpose and values led - know what makes them feel alive and is important to them, to inform and direct their purpose driven life.

Do you think women who start their own business experience more challenges than men? Can you explain why you think this?

No, I think all genders suffer from 'imposter’ feelings – the fear of being found out that we are not ‘good enough’, ‘smart enough’, ‘important enough’ to be credible in doing what we are doing. Some people cover up these feelings better than others. We can all dig deep and find the courage to walk into situations and hold our own, be calm and clear headed and be ourselves. This is easier when we accept that we won’t be liked by everyone as that is aiming for the impossible. So, let’s not set ourselves up to fail. We can all gain strength and clarity when we are clear on what our purpose is and what our personal and professional values are, and use these to stay on track, be focused and use these as an aid to decision making when faced with challenges.

Now a little bit about being based in Poole and your Covid-19 experience…

Describe Poole in 3 words…

Beautiful, natural, calm.

Where’s your favourite place for an out of office/remote meeting?

My local beach - walking and talking. It feeds the soul and promotes great thinking, creativity and collaboration.

What do you most love about working in Poole?

It has everything – the sea, great nature walks, bike trails, shops (when you need them), entertainment e.g., cinemas, theatres, live gigs, eating and drinking places (in non-pandemic times!)

How do you think Poole and local businesses will bounce-back once lockdown is eased?

Fingers crossed they will survive by adapting and flexing to suit the new demand. Some businesses have done this already, and will continue to do so e.g., pubs / restaurants / cafes providing take away food. In the future, things will not be exactly the same again. Things will have moved on, and those who are able to adapt will move on too and survive. In my own business I am anticipating some return to face-to-face interaction, but on the whole, I enjoy the flexibility that online events give both others and to me.

How has Covid-19/Lockdown affected your business and what are your plans for the year ahead as we start to move out of lockdown?

Before the pandemic I was conducting a lot of my coaching business virtually as my clients are based throughout the UK and some are abroad. In the past 12 months, I have been designing and facilitating virtual workshops, where normally they would be face to face. The positive aspect of this, is that it has provided the opportunity for a wider reach, to those who wish to participate. For example, I founded and co-lead two Aspiring Women Groups (personal development and networking events (www.aspiring-women.co.uk) which pre pandemic, were face to face in Bournemouth and in London. Now both groups have been merged and we offer online virtual events which are proving even more popular than the face-to-face events.

Anything else you’d like to say?

Thank you for inviting me to participate as part of International Women’s Day. I am hopeful for the future.

I think we have it in our power to adapt and build back better, not the same as before, by adapting to our new needs and being more accommodating and providing equity for all.

Post pandemic, I believe that there are opportunities for incredibly positive outcomes, if we learn from what has worked well and carry these things forward. Likewise, we have the opportunity to look at what is not serving us anymore, or is wasteful, and choose not to continue to do this in the future.

We can seize this chance to salvage goodness from these last 12 months of adversity. To do this, we must re-evaluate what is important and move ahead in a more sustainable way, by prioritising– People, the Planet and then Profit – in that order!

For more information about me, what I do, my interests, my purpose, and passions, see my Linked In profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-smith-cpcc-exec-coach/