Meet Eileen Smith

We were lucky to catch up with Eileen Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Eileen, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I found my purpose from not always getting what I wanted at work. After one painful experience not getting a job I wanted, I asked the big boss why she hadn’t chosen me. She said it was because I didn’t show up well to her. She hadn’t seen my achievements. She didn’t know all the work I had done to help her reach her objectives because I was two layers down from her in the hierarchy. I had kept my head down, worked hard, and thought my value shine through. I assumed she would know, but she had no idea. She told me I had to do a better job of advertising myself. This hard conversation eventually lead me to a career where I could dedicate myself to helping other people show up at their best.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I help business executives and policy experts show up at their best in speeches, panels, board meetings, media interviews, business pitches, and more. In my first career I was a United States diplomat for over 20 years. Now I take those hard earned lessons in public speaking, executive presence, and career achievement, plus my extensive studies and seven years as a public speaking coach to help clients including Amazon, JP Morgan, and the National Women’s Soccer League. I’ve been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and Fast Company.

I’m excited to offer my online public speaking course for everyone who wants to quickly learn how to show up at their best. It includes everything you need to deliver any message with confidence, improve your professional image, and build your reputation and influence…and you can learn it 15 minutes at a time or all in a weekend. https://www.spokesmith.com/poweryourpublicspeakingforall

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities that have made the biggest impact on my journey are perseverance, a positive attitude, and the belief that my coaching truly helps people achieve their goals. This shows up for me in the thank-you notes I receive from clients. Sometimes it’s right after an event for which I’ve helped them prepare. Sometimes it’s a couple of weeks later, after they’ve had time to reflect. Once, years later, a participant from one of my group events wrote to say he pulled out his notes from my coaching before giving a presentation—and it made all the difference for him. Making a positive impact for my clients is the best part of my job.

My advice for those early in their journey is to remember that this isn’t easy. Expect your new business to be a slow build. Give yourself breaks. You won’t do your best work if you push yourself nonstop. Make time to take care of yourself so you can show up at your best for your clients. You’ve already overcome hard challenges in your life. Starting your own business is difficult, but it’s also the beginning of a wonderful new adventure.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

Most of the time, I emphasize that it’s a far better use of our time and energy to build on our strengths. We can make small improvements in our weaknesses, and with significant effort, perhaps even meaningful progress. But our strengths are what make us unique—and they’re the key drivers of our success.

There is one important exception: when a weakness limits your ability to achieve your goals. For me, the clearest example is public speaking. It’s not enough to excel at your work or put in long hours. To maximize the trajectory of your career, you have to project the image of a leader—and that includes demonstrating strong communication skills. You need to be able to share your accomplishments confidently, whether that’s with the big boss or potential clients.

The bottom line: focus on building your strengths, and address any weaknesses that hold you back from achieving your goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spokesmith.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenwsmith/