Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Workman.
Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Coffee. Culture. Conversation – Changing the way we Connect.
This tagline came pretty organically to my business through my deep love for all of these things. I believe that an understanding of culture through honest conversation over a cup of coffee can solve most of the world’s problems and my mission to help others do that.
A wee bit of background:
I have spent the better part of my career in leadership and international program development. In my time working with corporate executives and professionals in their field was there were some incredibly talented leaders in their field. Doctors who knew their craft, educators who were brilliant, corporate executives who left you in no doubt of their skills and ability in their respective fields – amazing leaders who at the end of the day were missing the mark. What was missing was the understanding of how to take these same skills and knowledge and transfer them culturally. People were good at what they were doing, but they were not connecting somehow.
I began to work with managers and executives to better understand how to do this. Working first with their own self-knowledge to help them understand the “why behind the how” of their habitual patterns, and then honing in on competencies that were unique to their global roles and needed for the success of their programs.
Five and a half years ago I began to be sought out for these trainings that I had developed for my own team, so I stepped out on my own and began to consult in this area full time.
Present-day: I now work with international managers, corporate teams, and individuals to help them change the way they connect to themselves and then to others. I use the Enneagram as the foundational tool of my coaching and am consistently amazed at its effectiveness to cross cultures, bridge boundaries, and move people forward in their personal and professional lives.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. Stepping out on my own was one of the most terrifying and exhilarating things I have ever done in my life. Even now 5.5 years later, I sometimes wonder if it would be easier to just go “find a job”. To be honest, it would be. But it would not be anywhere near as rewarding.
Some of the struggles I had along the way:
– Getting paid: When you first step out on your own you say “yes” to everything out of desperation for clients. This is a scarcity mindset and very few of us are immune to it. You’ve stepped out on your own and you like to eat, so to keep food on the table to you take anything that is thrown at you. People will often take advantage of this and ask you to work for free for “exposure”. I’ve learned to ask them to specify that. Funny enough my electric company likes real dollars vs exposure so I have learned to ask and be paid for what I am worth.
– Boundaries: People are always looking for a great deal, and any business that wants to stay in business learns the art of “adding value”. However, value add can also look like “taking advantage of”. You can be asked to add so much value that you are giving yourself away. Working long hours for nothing in return. I have learned along the way that first of all I AM the value add. My unique background, experience, education, and knowledge are what makes my training and coaching programs unique. When people ask for extras I’ve learned to say “that is an additional service we can chat about if you’d like”, and stopped giving away my services for free.
– Learning to stop working: As an entrepreneur, there is ALWAYS something to do. We are not only the provider of the service, but we are also the marking department, HR, accounts payable/receivable, and the list goes on. Burn out among entrepreneurs is very real because we never turn off. If I am not careful, I will work from the time my eyes open until I fall asleep at my desk. This is not healthy, productive, or good. Yes, I work hard and that is good. And I play hard and that is also good. When I shut my computer, I am done for the day. When I go on vacation, I have an out of office message and only check my phone once a day. I come back refreshed and more productive when I truly allow myself to rest and renew.
– Allow yourself to evolve: When I first stepped out on my own I was told I needed to niche. As with most entrepreneurs, there is a fear in doing this that you will miss out on work of some sort. I was no exception to this (see my ‘boundaries’ struggle). What you find, however, is that a niche is simply a good boundary and actually increases your market rather than decreases it. As well, what I have personally found is a natural evolution to my business. I started out with an idea, but as I have worked with clients over time I have been able to shape and hone that idea into distinct areas of need.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I help business owners build personal and professional success through a process of self-growth, ancient wisdom, and individualized actionable steps.
I work in three areas of corporate training/coaching:
Cultural Concierge – This program is focused on organizational training solutions for managers and leaders to effectively develop the competencies needed to work in emerging global markets. I work with both individuals and teams to assess and develop the intercultural competencies critical to today’s international business climate.
Enneagram training – An ancient tool with modern popularity, the Enneagram is a personality typology that outlines nine basic personality types and their intersecting relationship to one another. Different than other personality systems that show you behaviors and leave it at that, the enneagram shows you the “why” behind habitual patterns that trip you. It then gives you the tools needed to change those patterns.
Integrative Coaching – A holistic approach to helping individuals navigate their professional lives. These sessions are focused on the whole person and assess mental, physical, and spiritual health, and then helps guide the client in finding the best solutions for growth.
I chose these areas by evaluating the gaps that I continuously found in my career in global development. My consistent path has been to help people connect to one another, yet over and over again I found that they were not even connected to themselves. These three areas can be very individual, however, the more I do the work that I do, the more I find that they intertwine. The enneagram helps a person connect back to themselves and informs the way they connect with others. This takes a holistic approach as tuning back into one’s self requires that you pay attention to the whole person. Once that is understood individuals can better understand which competencies are in need of development for professional work.
I am focused on the individual needs of my clients and I pride myself on developing customized training around their needs and goals. This unique holistic approach has set me apart from other corporate trainers. The most rewarding is to see the development of the leaders I work with and watch them take their careers to the next level.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
I grew up in Kenya, Africa. Specifically in a little town called Eldoret. The claim to fame for this town is its diversity and the incredible number of track and field champions it has produced over the years – including most recently the Eliud Kipchoge who broke the two-hour marathon barrier in October of this year.
My life was full of true diversity. I learned early on how interact across cultural and socio-economic differences. I spent time in small villages learning to respect my elders and the culture and I spent time among the elite of the country at that time. I believe it was from these experiences that my love for people of all backgrounds and walks of life grew and, at the same time, where I saw boundaries that needed to be bridged.
From my earliest memories, I have been connecting people and helping others understand the beauty indifference.
Contact Info:
- Website: amandawworkman.com
- Phone: 214-699-1305
- Email: aww@amandawworkman.com
- Instagram: @amandawworkman
- Facebook: facebook.com/amandawworkman
- Other: linkedin.com/amandawworkman
Image Credit:
Amanda W. Workman
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