Nancy Richardson - Work Freely: Love Your Job, Love Your Life

Work Freely

The concept of this book is choosing your life instead of letting it choose you. All too often, we are consumed by trying to fit into someone elses box, going from one job to the next, one manager to the next, one project to the next, only to realize that years, and maybe even decades, have gone by in the pursuit of achieving a life we hoped would someday become a reality. Work Freely is about flipping the script and taking the time to lay out your goals, dreams, and aspirationsdesigning your career to suit youthen choosing the companies, bosses, friends, and other circumstances that meet the criteria youve set, to live and work with ultimate freedom. This book is about choosing your path, defining your leadership, and finding your power to make a life you love not just a possibility but a sure thing.

In the pages ahead, youll find a series of stories, each followed by personal coaching by my very own longtime executive coach, Rochelle Davidson. My stories reflect the career challenges I have faced that have kept me from feeling free in the workplace. Coaching is what helped me overcome these obstacles. As you read Rochelles coaching sections (Get Coached to Work Freely), envision that youre in a session with her, having an intimate discussion that involves all of your senses, in a time just for you. The lessons I share in my stories, combined with Rochelles coaching commentary, are designed to equip you with the tools to manage adversity, accelerate your career, and access your Super Self. (See chapter 10.)

This book is meant to be read right before bed, on vacation, or whenever you need to calm a busy mind. It is a tool to help you relax, take back control of your life circumstances, and embrace the fact that you cannot fail, you can only learn. I hope that you can relate to the stories, personally benefit from the coaching, and know that you are never alone. Read the chapters in any order you like, feeling free to jump around and choose those that are most relevant to you, at the times in your life when you need them the most.

NANCY RICHARDSON

Working beside Nancy in an executive coaching capacity, I am constantly inspired by her courage to look herself in the mirror in service of becoming the leader, mother, wife, and friend she knows she is. That Nancy is willing to so openly share her journey and her lessons is a gift to all of us.

As your coach throughout these pages, I will be your thought partner, cheerleader, ass kicker, and collaborator. You are the expert in your life and I am a fierce stand for what you want, holding that vision even when you are not able to. I dont tell you what you need to do. Thats up to you. As a coach, I ask you questionssometimes inspiring, sometimes really frustratingwith the goal of deepening your learning and activating those areas that are most important for you.

In todays complex and uncertain times, the world needs leaders like Nancy and like you. You are conscious leaders who want to be your best, design your path, learn from experience, lean into challenges, and ultimately have big impacts. Its not about taking the easy road; it is about doing whats rightfor yourself, your team, your family, your communityand in that there is a sense of freedom. The ripple effect is significant. The world becomes a better place.

Rochelle Davidson

There are almost as many definitions of what it means to be a leader as there are people working on leadership. How must you show up so that you inspire others to follow, regardless of your position or title? Trying to fit into one of the established definitions of leadership competency rarely works! When you figure out who you are at your core, have the humility to accept who you are not, and act from this place of authenticity, people will followand you will leave your mark on the world.

It was May 2010. I was beginning my new job at lululemon as the director of digital guest experience. In my first few weeks on the job, it was apparent that I was not at Starbucks anymore. Id like to say Im someone who makes decisions and never looks back. But boy did I spend a lot of time wondering if I had made the right decision. Had I been crazy to leave? Where would I be if I had stayed? I knew that looking backward would not help me move forward, but I was struggling with the choice I had made.

The Starbucks Support Center in Seattle, Washington, employed four thousand employees and more than 200,000 partners worldwide. The Support Center was four stories high, beautifully remodeled, with glossy wood floors connecting each wing of the building and a kitchen in every corner of each floor, where you could make your perfect Starbucks beverage at any time of the day. The building housed comfortable couches and big cozy chairs for casual meetings, a large cafeteria with a diverse menu, and a gym with classes and equipment you could access all day long.

The lululemon office, on the other hand, had fewer than two hundred employees and only a few thousand in their stores across North America. The building was old, although it had characternot the beautiful design and architecture of the Starbucks building but a gritty, sweaty environment that bled hard work and perseverance. They didnt have comfy chairs, a cafeteria, or a gym. This company and its people were on a mission; they were determined and focused on greatness. No bells and whistles here.

I was given a desk in the middle of the room with the other directors. I did not sit with my team. I had a hierarchical mentality and thought that I was smart, I knew what I was doing, I had successfully done this work at Starbucks, and my team should listen to me and do as I said. I was a Smart Boss. (See chapter 2.)

Long story short, this type of mentality did not go over very well at lululemon.

I wanted to be liked and respected, but I didnt know how to lead in this new environment, until one particular day changed the trajectory of my career forever and put me on the path of becoming a true leader.

It was Friday and, wanting to do something nice for my new team, I brought in pastries from Starbucks. I still didnt know my team very well, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to casually get to know them. I laid the pastries out individually in separate bags on my desk and then happily sent an email informing my team that I brought pastries... Theyre on my desk. All you have to do to get one is swing by and say hello.

The pastries sat on my desk all day. No one came.

Finally, at the end of the day, one of the managers on my team stopped by my desk on her way out. Carolyn was a wicked-smart, strong, friendly, and powerful force inside the company. She was the manager at the time and had started the digital marketing team on her own. She had long, dark brown hair, the bluest eyes, and a gorgeous, bright white smile. Her demeanor was confident and humble. She respectfully approached me with an important message that I badly needed to hear.

Changing a deep-rooted habit like my leadership style would be like training for a marathon, requiring daily commitments that, over time, would result in a monumental shift from my current paradigm.

She came around to my side of the desk, still standing, and quietly whispered, You know, the reason no one is coming by for pastries is because theyre scared of you. Your nickname on the floor is Asian Dragon Lady.

Im half Chinese, so I suppose the first part of the name was accurate... but Dragon Lady?

At home that night, I told my husband, Sean, what happened. I expected him to balk at Carolyns feedback. On the contrary, he looked at me with a compassionate, loving smile, leaned in, and said, We call you that at home too.