Lead Your Teams to Peak Performance

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kelly Featheringham, founder of Kelly Featheringham LLC., located in Washington, DC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am an ICF accredited executive coach working with executives to grow and refine their leadership acumen and build their high-performance teams. That's the talking point, but really I help leaders who are struggling either with confidence, communication, setting boundaries, building strategies, and feel supported in their role in c-suite, entrepreneur, or senior leadership. Often my clients are faced with challenges of employee retention, employee role misalignment, or insubordination. They struggle with delegation and time management which contributes to difficulties with their team meeting deadlines, paying attention to the details which set an organization apart, and in general less than ideal morale or workplace culture. Recently hybrid work arrangements have compounded many of these issues with lack of visibility, inconsistent work progress, and sometimes resentment among team members.

I work with the leader to help them assess their strengths and that of their employees, build trust with their team, improve workplace morale, ensure the right people are in the right roles, and are clear in their objectives and overall workplace communication.

Tell us about yourself

Prior to being a coach, I worked in government for over 15 years in foreign affairs. My job was to build relationships with representatives from other countries, lead matrixed teams in many countries to define requirements, oversee deployments, and make sure that everyone was working well together to meet our budgets and timelines. I loved my work, but when my organization offered its leadership the opportunity to have an executive coach, I thought, why not? I knew I was getting tired of the extensive travel but wasn't quite sure what to do about it. My coach was fantastic. She was there to help me walk through a variety of challenges and decisions, as well as to challenge me to consider "what if." I loved what she was doing and decided that coaching would be my next step. I truly love being able to support and cheer my clients on for their best and worst days. The experience of being able to be a part of their journey feeds my soul and makes me feel like I am finally having a true impact for good.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Taking the leap and doing it. So many people struggle with should I or shouldn't, and it was very difficult and very easy at the same time to finally say I'm really ready to do this. I set the timeline, built my list of what needed to happen before I began, and followed through on it. There are always a million reasons you can find, but I knew if I put my head down and worked on the problems, I would be able to get it done. It hasn't always been easy, and there are definitely some tough days, but I wouldn't change my decision.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I think its the little silly things that are most frustrating...the printer breaks, the computer freezes, you need to figure out how to upload subtitles for a video, what the best microphone for your podcast, which CRM do I really want, and then you lose an hour...or five on YouTube trying to troubleshoot. It took a while to figure out my processes and what really worked for me. It can be a bit lonely, there are tons of networking opportunities, but there are many that will share ideas and info and others who are very closed to collaboration. As a coach, my philosophy is one of support, so it's difficult sometimes to understand when you aren't able to find support in others, and that can feel lonely. But I am not easily deterred, so I've found my way to the people who are supportive, so I can ask them questions or, now that I've got the hang of many things, share my support. I also always have a coach who can be a wonderful resource.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

If you love what you are going to do in business, don't wait to get out there and do it. Make a plan - it doesn't have to be a 40-page business plan but try to map out your goals and activities for the first three months. These will change as you learn but waking up with a list of what you want to do helps to keep you moving, even if it's not in a straight line! You will get there. And lastly, get help and support. You can barter, you can reach out and find a mentor, and you can find low-price resources out there to help you push through the parts you just aren't sure about. I'm always happy to answer questions and help if I can, so you can reach out to me at kelly@kellyfeatheringham.com.

I offer one on one coaching, and my clients come to me themselves, or companies can hire me to coach their employees, teams, and leaders. I also provide workshops on communication skills, maximizing matrixed teams, time management, diffusing/managing workplace conflict, strengths development, and team building which are tailored to the organization. My LEADERship Academy is a great place to start. It is a six-month, bi-weekly engagement. For this program, I work with individuals or groups (from one organization, not a group of strangers), and we work through current workplace scenarios and complex workplace challenges using critical thinking, collaboration, key leadership principles, and creativity. Individuals can sign up with me for this program, or organizations can sign their employees or team up for the program. This program is great for newer or mid-level staff that are working to grow and refine their skills.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://kellyfeatheringham.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyfeatheringham/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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