"Success in 2022 means living in alignment - in thoughts, heart, words, actions"
Sarah Kalmeta Tweet
Sarah Kalmeta, founder of Pivot Point, has extensive experience working with global aviation executives, engaging regulatory councils and managing and training flight crew, dispatchers and ground staff. She has a deep passion for Discovering and developing talent and bridging communication, cultural and perspective gaps for enhanced mental well being.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Sarah Kalmeta: My name is Sarah, more often known as “Sarah the Pivoter, T.S.A. – The Sassy Aviator”. I’ve got a unique approach on life and believe we all have the power to PIVOT without the usual accompaniment of overwhelm through foundational skills that can be learnt through Stoicism, Science and Spirituality.
If we do what we’ve always done, we get the same results we’ve always gotten. It’s time to discover the next destination and to fall in love with that discovery process.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Sarah Kalmeta: Curve balls indeed! If you were to ask my 2020 self where she thought she would be in 2022, it certainly would not be back in the US and running my own businesses (I’ve lived in Asia for the past 13 years and my PIVOT back to the US was unintended).
What I learned is that adaptability and tenacity are key, as are having a greater vision. Knowing your why allows you to have grit to keep moving forward. Passion is wonderful, but it needs to be tempered with self-care practices so that you do not burn out, and so that through the tough moments you remember why you’re there in the first place.
I’ve also learned the importance of asking for (and receiving) help, continually learning and asking better questions and experiencing the reality by taking action myself rather than relying on self-proclaimed gurus and their wisdom.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Sarah Kalmeta: To be honest, there will always be something that will “disrupt” the economy. I think businesses should focus on building sustainable systems and investing in their people so that when focus needs to go into developing new products or offering new services, the back end of the business can run itself.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Sarah Kalmeta: The pandemic had a dramatic impact on the aviation industry. Many lost their jobs and lived in a state of fear or anxiety for the past two years wondering what else would change next. It’s brought more light to the need for mindset work and building foundational skills to self-regulate emotions and handle change without intense pressure.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Sarah Kalmeta: I received a lot of advice during the pandemic, and I wish I had listened to “it’s going to be OK”. In fact, it’s become BETTER than OK! I intend on improving my ability to stay present and focused instead of obsessively planning for every scenario.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Sarah Kalmeta: The online space will continue to grow and evolve. We will start to see in person events more often and I foresee a continued blended approach of in person and virtual experiences.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Sarah Kalmeta: Between 4-10, depending on the day.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Sarah Kalmeta: Stories are how we connect as humans. It is the primordial force of connection that bonds us through shared experience and understanding. “I see you” is what you feel when you hear someone else’s story that aligns with your own experience.
I often jump onto stories on IG or FB, go live on streamyard to multiple platforms and host interviews in order to share my story and others’ with my audience. Shared experience allows us to know we are not alone in how we think and feel. It creates safety for us to continue exploring who we are at deeper levels.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Sarah Kalmeta: The real challenge is people not knowing who they serve or why. If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. The more you get to know yourself, the more you will like what you do and trust that you can do it.
This leads to others liking and trusting you more as well, which creates opportunities for growth, expansion and evolution of your business. YOU are your business. Working on yourself is what will lead to a business you enjoy growing.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Sarah Kalmeta: I am most interested in learning cultivation of land, growing my own food and having a garden, and sustainably raising chickens so that I can provide for myself and learn how to cultivate my own food sources. I am also interested in taking some space and astronomy courses as I have loved the stars and skies since I was a young child and hope to go to space one day.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Sarah Kalmeta: Yes, I absolutely do. Even the most conscious leaders will experience this at some point, simply because the employee is realising they do not fit the company culture. Too many were force-fed a narrative that led them to believe X, Y, or Z is what they wanted from life and work.
Now that they are learning they want something else, they are taking steps to be in greater alignment. It often has less to do with the leader and more with the organisation’s structure and SOPs that cause people to want to leave. If the organisation doesn’t fit, it doesn’t matter how great of a leader you are.
Asking questions and regularly touching base with your team and your employees needs to be the norm. Outlining the expected lifestyle to incoming employees and assigning them a success partner to track expectations versus reality will help awareness on both sides.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Sarah Kalmeta: If I could pick any business superpower, I would pick the ability to liberate myself from the ego – eliminating time and energy spent on pointless conflicts and time-wasting ego-boasting activities. I would put this into practice be re-focusing my attention and energy on the things that drove business, that allowed me to learn and adapt as the environment changes.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Sarah Kalmeta: Success in 2022 means living in alignment – in thoughts, heart, words, actions. It means allowing myself to PIVOT as many times as necessary and receive help and assistance from those around me. It means being in community and actively participating in life, in relationships, in business and being in harmony with nature.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Sarah Kalmeta 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 Sarah Kalmeta or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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