My most important leadership tip?
Know your worth. Announcing some changes to Lead With Intention
Welcome back everyone and thank you all so much for your great feedback on Lead With Intention and how I can shape it to be even more valuable going forward.
I started this substack nearly a year ago, when I was just emerging from the fog of burnout which saw me take several months off after my last corporate role. Having qualified as a leadership and career coach, I was finally ready to shape the second half of my career by helping and supporting others in the way I wish had been available to me earlier on in my career.
I was thrilled to be writing, sharing, knowing that I could help. And I loved that substack gave me (and you all) the opportunity for this in such an accessible way. My posts were free, and over the course of nearly 12 months, writing every two weeks, I’ve racked up an impressive 45 articles so far. That’s a lot!
(By the way, I’d love to know which post has been your favourite so far? Reply and let me know!)
But along the way, as I was sharing leadership advice with you all, I was neglecting one of the most important things I always ask others to advocate for themselves.
Understanding their value. Knowing their worth. And asking for it respectfully but proactively.
One of the greatest things about substack for me is the fact that they support writers and creators to get paid for their work. And in the work of sharing leadership insights, advice and best practice, I hope I’ve helped you along the way.
But I think (I know) there’s more I can do for you and your colleagues. And I think you’ll gain from what I have to offer.
Evolving and improving the Lead With Intention offer to you
Your feedback in the recent survey was really clear. In these busy and challenging times we are all living and working through, expert advice and practical tips are key.
You know how much I value the art of self reflection as an effective leader - it’s the fuel that drives the car in the right direction, at the right speed. And it will always be the foundation of my leadership coaching practice with private clients.
However, you can’t just sit back, reflect and wait for the magic to happen. You might need a kickstart with some tried and tested approaches and frameworks that you can apply practically in your role. From someone that’s been there before, failed at it, tried it again and made it work.
Sadly, so many organisations lack proper in-house leadership development capability and you need someone trusted in your corner to give you a playbook as a starting point on your own leadership journey.
You then have to go and do that thing. Try things out. Be prepared to fail. Get feedback. Experiment.
So Lead With Intention is evolving. It feels right and fitting, after a year. It’s a reflection of the value I put on my own words and worth as a leadership and careers coach. I know my advice helps people. Transforms their leadership practice. Helps them progress and thrive at work, even earn more money if that’s their driving force.
And it’s also a reflection that whilst one-to-one coaching might not be accessible for everyone at the moment, there’s hopefully room in the coffee budget for a small monthly subscription for expert and practical leadership tips and advice.
A leadership coach in your pocket for just £5.00 a month
Going forward, this substack will be predominantly function as a paid for membership option at just £5.00/$5.00 per month or £50.00/$50.00 for the year. That’s an incredibly good deal for expert, qualified leadership advice and you can also ask your organisation to let you expense it as CPD or a professional subscription. (I do group / team discounts too, just ask).
There’ll be occasional free public posts and giveaways, but the new model gives you all this:
For paid subscribers (£5.00 per month): weekly newsletter “Lead with Intention”
Every Thursday morning, I send you one email packed with practical strategies, tips and advice on becoming a better leader.
In each email, I break down:
A summary of the framework or tips
How it works
Why it works
How you can implement it immediately in your role
What you can expect in terms of benefits
Super practical, focused and tangible - so that you can start reaping the rewards immediately and make progress on your leadership journey and in your career.
All for about the cost of that coffee or two you get every morning. Paying for this could actually make you money if you take the advice on board and implement it in your role, how about that?
Additional features and content for paid subscribers
As a paid subscriber, not only do you get weekly, practical emails full of advice, frameworks and tips, you also get access to the full archive of Lead with Intention. I cover everything from imposter syndrome, to being a women in the workplace, to the perils of treating your work colleagues like family and much more. So dig in, there’s a lot to learn!
I’ll also be holding quarterly special events for paid subscribers - think expert group coaching sessions - and book clubs.
Every now and then I’ll run a giveaway for paid subscribers only - perhaps it’s a leadership book I really recommend, or maybe even a free coaching taster session with me.
Free Subscribers - you will get access to occasional public posts. I value my worth, my writing and my advice, so hopefully you’ll see the paid option as brilliant value for money.
Founding Member - if you want to get the most value from me and my 20 years of leadership expertise, you can become a founding member. For £195 annually, you get access to all of the paid subscriber content and events, plus a one-to-one 60 minute coaching session with me.
Thank you and I hope you stick with me - there’s so much we can do together
The new weekly email starts this Thursday. I picked that day as you can take Friday and the weekend to mull over what you’ve learned, ready to implement it the following week.
I’ll do occasional free posts, but they won’t be as regular. I really believe that switching to a more practical footing is the right way to go for this substack and I have a lot to share!
If you’d like to upgrade now ahead of the first Thursday email, you can do so here:
I’d also be really grateful if you could help me spread the word about Lead with Intention - there’s a lot of dodgy and out-dated leadership advice out there and I hope this is the antidote! You can do that by clicking this button and sharing via email or your favourite social network:
Where you can find me outside Substack:
I really hope this isn’t goodbye (and if you are really struggling financially,let me know and I’ll see what we can do), but here’s a reminder of where else you can find me.
I share free advice, insight and reflections on LinkedIn, X and now TikTok!
My website tells you about my one-to-one coaching services and how I can help:
https://www.louisethompsoncoaching.com/coachingservices
You can book a free strategy call with me here and I’m now offering one-off power sessions to help you plan for 2024:
https://www.louisethompsoncoaching.com/freecoachingcall
The “Communicate Like A Boss” online course kicks off next week on November 14th and is just £299 for CPD-backed learning on the vital topic of effective communication in the workplace:
https://maven.com/louise-thompson-leadership-coaching/communicatelikeaboss
Thank you and see you Thursday!
Louise