Patty Beach is CEO of LeadershipSmarts, a Boulder-based consultancy that helps leaders build a better world in a better way. Her core belief is that every voice matters and that together, we can achieve anything, so her signature skill is in creating tools that make leading inclusively a practical reality.
She is the author of the bestselling book The Art of Alignment: A Practical Guide for Inclusive Leadership and also a sought-after TEDx Speaker who has been featured in Forbes, CEO World, and Entrepreneur Magazine.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here, we sit down with Patty to learn a bit more about her journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. Tell us a little more about your journey as an entrepreneur – how did you get started?
Patty: In my early career, I worked in the energy industry as a geologist and became passionately interested in helping women like myself succeed in that male-dominated industry.
After 15 years, I went back to grad school to study organizational development and coach training to further my interest in creating high-performing organizations where all can thrive. Soon I left my corporate job to start my own consulting practice, LeadershipSmarts, to fulfill my mission of helping leaders build a better world in a better way through inclusive yet practical leadership practices.
In 2021, I finally published my book The Art of Alignment A Practical Guide to Inclusive Leadership, to provide a simple book to help leaders not only know what to do to be great leaders but also exactly how to do it.
Since then, my business has steadily grown, and now, in addition to consulting, my company is building software and training other coaches. I am incredibly grateful that my entrepreneurial journey has led to the fulfillment of my dream to help business leaders expand their scope to have a more positive impact on the triple bottom line of profits, people, and the planet.
Q. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive?
Patty: We use the 3-4-5 alignment methodology from my book to work together to turn our best ideas into action.
Since you can never win a race you don’t finish, we set our priorities annually, then re-visit them quarterly and weekly to stay focused until we complete them.
Automate and delegate to scale and celebrate.
Q. How do you stay organized with such a busy schedule?
Patty: We use Asana to track all our projects, and for any work that is repeated, we document an SOP and constantly tweak it as we learn what works.
We humanize that sometimes you just get stuck and need a little support to get through it. Whenever anyone finds themself stalling out on an unfinished project they can request a “study hall” on Zoom where we all work independently on our unfinished tasks until we bust it out.
Q. What would you change if you had a magic wand to do it?
Patty:
1. Put more women in senior leadership.
2. Have businesses shift from focusing only on the bottom line of profits to focusing on the triple bottom line of profits, people, and the planet.
3. Make being heart smart as important as being head smart.
Q. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Patty: I would name it “The Autobiography of the Queen of SHUVA” (SHUVA = see, hear, understand, value, and appreciate).
To learn more about SHUVA, watch my TEDx Talk SHUVA, The Secret to Inclusive Leadership
Q. What motivates you?
Patty: My core belief is that every voice matters, and together we can achieve anything.
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
Patty: I went to grad school a second time to switch to a career I was passionate about. At the time, it didn’t make financial sense, but I’m so glad I did. The decision did finally pay off financially, and I’m living a wonderful adventure.
Q. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs to invest their time in?
Patty:
Find and work with mentors, coaches, and peers who are higher up the ladder than you to support your growth.
Q. What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice you’d like to give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Patty:
There is a difference between being a solopreneur and an entrepreneur, if you want to be a true entrepreneur, become a master aligner.
To keep up to date with Patty and her journey, connect with her on LinkedIn.