"Face challenges, stay strong, and make problems into chances."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Olivia Smith, a dynamic entrepreneur with a captivating journey through various industries. Olivia’s career has been a masterclass in resilience, transformation, and unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth.
In 1984, Olivia began her career as a Registered Nurse, where she cared for patients in critical settings such as intensive care, trauma, and the emergency room. After becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom, her creative spirit led her to start a calligraphy business, which eventually blossomed into a thriving company in the gift industry. Over the next fifteen years, Olivia turned this venture into a multi-million dollar success story, founding her creative company.
In 2022, Olivia launched Write A New Story, her coaching and consulting company, where she helps entrepreneurs and business owners achieve transformational change, turning challenges into growth opportunities.
Join us in this exclusive interview as Olivia shares her insights on resilience, leadership, team building, and future preparedness, offering valuable lessons and inspiration.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
Olivia Smith: Having started and run several successful companies over the course of the last 30 years I have experienced many significant challenges. There seems to be a pattern of response that has been successful when faced with adversity:
- Face the challenge head on and decide what resources that will be needed to navigate the issue
- Don’t try to face it alone. Harness both key internal and external talent to assist you with the big decisions that must be made
- Have a laser beam focus on what’s most important, design a plan to tackle the most pressing issues and focus on great execution of that plan
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
Olivia Smith: We learn some of our best lessons in life through failing. Business owners can be a hard headed lot. Sometimes we have to learn things the hard way, and when we do, the mistake is usually not repeated!
The main lesson you learn is that failure is success-you succeed in learning how NOT to do something! Failing is an opportunity to learn important lessons about yourself and those around you. Inherent is taking risks is failing.
You will have some big wins and some bigger failures but you will be honing valuable skills along the way. Eventually, if you’ve been a good student, your wins will hopefully outpace your losses.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
Olivia Smith: When I am consulting with a business owner on how to best build an effective team I first start with the business owner! I have that the owner complete a behavioral assessment called the DISC Assessment and I debrief the owner on their personal results.
Knowing “Who You Are” as a leader is critical in knowing next steps to build a power team around you to support your vision and goals. The next step is to do the assessment on your key team members to make sure that you have the right people in the right seats on the bus.
Once you and your key leadership team has been debriefed on their results you have laid the groundwork in building a team who can communicate effectively and get the job done!
What is the return on investment when a business owner and or your key team members complete the assessment and debrief process?
- You can make a more informed choices about setting a new direction based upon understanding your greatest strengths.
- You can embrace your strongest abilities which allows you to align the time you spend on revenue generating actions with those activities that most closely match your natural gifts and strengths.
- You should delegate to others key tasks that are not a match with your unique strengths and talents.
- When you faithfully follow these steps, you will see increased revenue and decreased frustration as you play to your strongest abilities and allow others to do the same.
- Having a sounding board such as a coach or other trusted advisor is key in being accountable to staying on your charted course, achieving your goals, and accomplishing your dreams
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
Olivia Smith: Attitude- As a leader you must remember that your team is watching you. Your attitude and actions set the barometer for the actions and attitudes of others. Try to maintain a proper perspective, keep the focus on the goal and help others do the same. Maintaining solid communication is key anytime you are leading your team through a storm.
Lattitude-Be open to new ideas. New or unexpected challenges require new ways of thinking. Involve others to come alongside you and be involved in working through the tough situation.
You will gain valuable insights into what your people are made of. You will allow them chance to grow, learn and adapt adding new tools to their leadership toolkit along the way.
Gratitude-Always acknowledge the positives and put your mental energy there first! Start the day by practicing gratitude in your own life and model this practice to your staff. This practice helps put your troubles in a proper perspective.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
Olivia Smith: Sleep is vitally important. When you have enough sleep, it greatly increases your ability to face the challenges the crisis brings.
Start each day with a list of what is most important to accomplish that day. Take one day at a time. Don’t make the list too long. Be realistic so you do not set yourself up to fail.
At the end of each day do a metal recap of the day and what was accomplished. Be satisfied that you did your best. Make your list for tomorrow.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
Olivia Smith: Communication if key! You cannot overcommunicate during a crisis. Crisis breeds fear.
- Communicate daily
- Communicate concisely
- Communicate honestly
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
Olivia Smith: In order to build a culture of trust the CEO must take team building very seriously. A team can make or break an organization.
Learn more about yourself and your people by doing behavioral assessments.
Invest in your people. Offer ample opportunities for your team to receive leadership training.
When placing people in their jobs, make sure they have proper onboarding (at least six months).
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
Olivia Smith: Sit down with your team and do a SWOT analysis. Part of that analysis is looking at potential threats including internal and external ones. Take this exercise very seriously.
Once you have identified your list of threats, begin working through each one ranking them most likely to least likely. Once the threats have been prioritized, dissect each one to come up with a plan to address each threat if it were to occur.
Treat this document as a living breathing document in your company and revisit and update it often.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
Olivia Smith: Model how to stay the course. Everything keys off of you so you must plant your feet, stay strong and show others how to do the same. Involve them and show them how to turn obstacles into opportunities.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Olivia Smith for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Olivia Smith or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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