Can you feel the inspiration? The past four days have been jam-packed with breakout sessions, advice from trailblazing women leaders, and timely insights. The 2024 Women in Leadership Institute (WIL 2024) concludes today, but the connections made will be long-lasting.
Miss any of our #WILinstitute daily highlights? Be sure to check out our full blog coverage. Check out takeaways from Tamla Oates-Forney and Shannon Bayer (Day 1 blog), words of wisdom from Carla Harris and Magie Cook (Day 2 blog), and best leadership practices from Herminia Ibarra, Ally Love, and JoAnne Bass (Day 3 blog).
Today, on day four of WIL 2024, we wrapped up the event with an exceptional keynote talk with Kat Cole, CEO of AG1, a global health company focused on foundational nutrition.
Highlights from Day 4 Speaker
KAT COLE ON ‘BE INFLUENTIAL: TAP INTO YOUR INFLUENCE TO DRIVE IMPACT’
“‘I need your help’ is a power phrase in driving influence. … Help me tell this story; share your experience. It is not a leader’s job to always be the one. In fact, that’s the problem sometimes.” —Kat Cole
Do you positively impact organizational decisions? Do you ask for what you want and need—and expect to receive it?
The “Make the Ask” hurdle impacts women when they are faced with advocating for themselves or their teams—an increasingly common and urgent need in 2023.
The day four keynote, focused on the “Influential” leadership competency, which is all about delivering a message—an “ask”—in a way that leads others to listen and act. Influential leaders have an impact on important decisions made within their organizations, and they skillfully complement formal authority with effective personal influence. Influential leaders aren’t transactional—they are relational, and they use their ability to influence to move the needle and make progress.
Kat Cole is CEO of AG1, a global health company focused on foundational nutrition. In her role, she is responsible for leading AG1’s next phase of growth, global expansion, and innovation. Cole is a seasoned business leader and sought-after advisor with more than 20 years of operational, brand, and executive leadership experience. Prior to working at AG1, she was president and COO of Focus Brands, where she oversaw businesses generating billions in sales around the world. In addition to her role at AG1, she serves on the boards of Slice and Milk Bar. She has been a young global leader of the World Economic Forum and a member of the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council and was named to Fortune’s annual 40 Under 40 list.
Cole’s 3 power questions to unlock priorities that will drive change and influence:
What’s one thing we should stop doing to make the business better?
What’s one thing we should start doing to make the business better?
What’s one thing you would do differently if you were me to make the business better?
Tip: Swap out the word “business” with the word product, brand, or operation—depending on your audience—to meet people where they are.
Cole’s 3 steps to lead organizational change:
- Confront reality. Create perspective to accelerate influence—show yourself and your team an example of another team doing more with less. Reframe the situation.
- Find the coalition of the willing. The “productive rebels” will help you throughout the transition. Don’t stay in your office. Be in the challenge and invite employees into your trouble. This will create trust, and it will accelerate your solution.
- Let those “productive rebels” help sell and influence the change. Creating influence is about helping other people have influence. Be the kingmaker, not the king.
Cole’s final key takeaways:
- Don’t ever compare your hustle to someone else’s highlight reel. The highlight reel doesn’t show the challenges that happen along the journey.
- Time is your friend. You’ll create influence as you build trust over time.
- It could be worse, but that doesn’t mean you don't have the right and the responsibility to make it better. Think about how you can improve things for your employees. “I believe that when you make courageous decisions in the short term, the right things happen for all over time,” Cole said.
- Use the “hotshot rule.” Envision someone else you admire in your role and ask yourself: What’s the first thing I would do differently if they had my role? Put that step in action within 24 hours and then tell the people involved.
What’s next?
Watch the recording of this session—and all keynotes—in the WIL 2024 platform via your 90-day access! Check out the SHRM Business site and social media for key WIL 2024 insights.
Didn’t get a chance to join us for the experience? WIL returns in 2025! Find more information here.
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