Meet Gena McCown

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gena McCown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gena , thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.

I have always been a strong, independent thinker, who knew exactly what I wanted and bucked at anyone who questioned my decisions. My mother said, around the age of two, that I told her “you are not the boss of me”. I do believe that there are people who are born with an innate amount of leadership and self-direction. I would be lying if I didn’t say that some of that was rooted in fear and self preservation. It is an attempt to control what we can control, as much as we can. Simultaneously, my mother was also a very fearful woman. She would curl back from opportunities, for herself or her children, out of fear of the “what ifs”. Witnessing the effects of missed opportunity, I knew that was not going to be my pathway. I would step out, anyway. Courage is not an absence of fear, it’s acting in spite of fear.

That all said, from a very early age I had a thought process that I used to evaluate every decision that I was faced with. Some use the “pro/con” list, whereas my processes were much more methodical. What I didn’t recognize at the time was that I was already using SMART goal setting and Kaizen methodology in my thinking. It was natural for me, I assumed everyone worked this way. It was surprising to me when in adulthood I heard that these were things being taught to leaders and entrepreneurs. In the years since, I’ve observed and noted how others uses these systems and really honed them into to my own processes to fine tune how I go through my decision making processes.

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

For over twenty five years I have been blessed with a career that has taken me to various industries and people groups, that has allowed me to live out my passion. I am deeply passionate about identify and launching emerging leaders, as well as helping existing leaders fine tune their skills and discover success in whatever they touch. Part of this success strategy is embracing the permission to fail as part of the discovery and growth processes; taking away the negative connotation of failure and instead welcoming it into the realm of innovation.

Whether I am presenting to large groups at conferences or intimate 1:1 coachings, my goal is to help people find the processes that will lead them to making better decisions, setting SMART goals, and putting in the processes that make those goals and dreams a reality. Intermixed into these opportunities, I also provide best practice training on topics that companies are looking to improve within their teams, or helping companies and entrepreneurs create more efficient business systems.

My background in retail management has developed my operational thinking, as well as, giving me a keen eye for marketing, merchandising, product placement, cross promotion, and running effective teams. I enjoy working with non-profits and small business owners in their expansion of brand, while working one on one with people who need a more individual attention to their pursuits.

I can speak about leadership topics all day long, which is why myself and two other leaders are currently working on a Livecast Talk Show, which we aim to launch in Fall of 2025. I will be posting more information about that on my personal website www.genabmccown.com and professional www.leadherwithpurpose.com. This is where you can also find more details about my podcast interviews, books, and speaking engagements.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

(1) The Importance of Goal Reflecting – so many people love to teach and speak on setting SMART goals. We have all heard the tropes. Dream big. Set the goal. Write it down. Share with a friend. But, few people really dive deep into HOW to actually write those goals in a SMART way, and even fewer talk about how important it is to reflect on the goal during the process. Goals are allowed to shift, change, or get scrapped for something better as we work through the processes. It’s not GIVING UP, it’s REFINING.

(2) Breaking Down the Steps – Vision Boards are great, but we need to understand how to map our journeys to get from where we are now to the what the vision board is promising us. By moving beyond just setting SMART goals, but creating the actionable step by step blueprint will change your process from WANT TO into TO DO.

(3) Never Stop Learning – Surround yourself with people who are ahead of you in the game, and the ones coming up behind you. Both groups of people will teach you more practical, in real life, experiences than any other resources. Never stop learning, read the books. Learn new skills. Take workshops. Keep filling your toolbox. If you don’t have the people, find when those people hang out. Immerse yourself. Until then, you have an internet that is a deep well with a lot to offer. Be mindful to not get caught in analysis paralysis. Set limits so that you always have time to act on what you are learning.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I am all about the pursuit of peace over ambition. As I get older, and my time on this planet get a little bit shorter, peace is an invaluable commodity. I would spend that decade only doing the things that bring me immeasurable joy. I’m not talking about being “happy” all the time, that’s fleeting. Joy is what allows you to move through the hard parts because at the end of the day you still feel joyful, content, and at peace with how things are in your life.

The good news is that we do not have to wait until someone tells us that we only have a decade left. We can pursue peace now.

We can hustle, with joy.
We can move mountains, with joy.
We can face challenges, with joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.genabmccown.com
• Instagram: @genabmccown
• Facebook: @genabmccown
• Linkedin: @genabmccown
• Twitter: @genabmccown
• Youtube: @genabmccown
• Other: also www.LeadHerWithPurpose.com and FB: @leadherconference