Seeing What Else It Could Become

I’ve always liked taking things from the past and imagining what else they could become. Whether it's an older building, piece of furniture or a tradition that could connect with a new generation. I like preserving what gives something character while finding a way to give it new life.

It took me a while to recognize that I see people and businesses the same way. My top CliftonStrengths theme is Restorative. I like figuring things out... what needs attention, what’s being overlooked and how the pieces could work together. When someone tells me about their work, I find myself thinking, There’s something here. What else could we do with it? That instinct found a whole new outlet when I returned to the professional world. If you're not familiar with Gallup Clifton Strengths you can learn more about this useful assessment here.

All I saw was opportunity

I stepped away from my career in media just before the internet exploded. When I came back, the possibilities for sharing ideas, reaching people and building a business had expanded enormously. Coming from television journalism, I understood what it took to bring a story to an audience. Suddenly, people could create their own programming, share their expertise and build relationships far beyond their immediate circles. All I saw was opportunity. I thought about accomplished people who had spent years developing expertise and earning trust. Organizations with meaningful stories tucked inside their everyday work. Leaders with ideas that deserved a bigger audience. They already had so much to work with.

Executive Coaching helped me connect the pieces

My experience coaching executives gave me the perspective to understand what someone could realistically do with those possibilities. I learned to listen beyond the first answer. To understand what a leader wanted to accomplish, what mattered to them and what they had the capacity to build. Because an exciting idea still needs to make sense for the person and the business behind it.

That’s where my background came together. Journalism taught me to investigate and find the story. Coaching taught me to understand the person, ask better questions and see the larger picture. My Restorative instinct kept me looking for the overlooked value and a useful way forward.

Over time, I've given that value a name: Influence Equity.

The value you’ve already built

Influence equity is the value accumulated in your expertise, reputation, relationships and body of work. When you’re close to it, it’s easy to underestimate. You assume everyone knows what you know. You use a process so often that you stop recognizing what makes it valuable. You have relationships you’ve never considered bringing together around a shared idea. But those assets could become something more.

A proven approach could become a new offering. An industry perspective could become a speaking platform. The stories inside an organization could become a film that helps people connect with its mission.

My Influence Equity Method© grew out of this work: identifying the underused value, testing the opportunity, then developing and launching the right solution. It brings together the work I’ve done throughout my career with something I’ve always enjoyed: seeing possibility in what already exists and helping give it new life.

You've spent years building your expertise, reputation and relationships. What could they make possible now?