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Life and Work with Christina Rowe

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Rowe.

Christina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s been a winding path, like most careers and passions, but the common theme is that of being very aware of people, how people are effected by choices, culture, and communication. At one point, it lead me to work in functional art history in London, but I wanted to see the impact improving those factors had on people. So, I moved back to the states and worked with associations, which is where I found my real love for leadership and building up teams.

Like many people, I’ve had my fair share of difficult managers, good directors, the like, but I was lucky enough to have exposure to very thoughtful leaders and mentors along the way as well. The kind of leaders who when I went for my Master of Organizational Leadership (MSOL), we would read textbooks pointing out best practices in management, and my fellow students would claim no one does those things, and I’d find myself speaking up to say that I had CEO’s who did exactly those practices consistently. Not only did they do them, they believed and lived them and it made all the difference in the world to their team members. There is nothing better than being able to look forward to going to work, and feeling seen, heard, and valued in the work that you do.

We strive to support other organizations in replicating those environments. I found a love of the work while working to help hospice and palliative medicine physicians develop those skills for their interdisciplinary teams. Then, went on to pursue my Master of Organizational Leadership (MSOL), which is what brought me here to Denver, and learned that it wasn’t just the big corporations that could make an impact, it was the creative entrepreneurs too. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, I combine positive strengths work with best practices in leadership. So in 2014, I set out with the mission to improve individuals’ lives by helping them feel more valued at work, and helping leaders empower their team members to succeed.

Has it been a smooth road?
Every journey has its struggle, but I like to look at those friction points or even giant potholes in the road, as an opportunity to grow in a new direction. So, when I’ve had jobs I knew were not for me, I choose to take them as a sign to learn what WAS the best fit for me and skills I wanted to develop. We’re never stuck unless we tell ourselves we’re stuck. There is always another path available, we just have to get creative about how to see or find it sometimes. So, I’d encourage other women to look for what they need, and tell others what they need help finding along the way as they develop, from the need to develop a skill to a total career change, putting it out there helps others help you.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Collaborative – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We’ve all been to a conference or a learning session where we love an idea, we swear we’re going to do it because it makes SOOOOO much sense. Then, we return to 400 emails at work and all our good intentions of implementing that new skill or growth fall by the wayside. This was a little too common to me, The Collaborative is formed around positive strength-based approaches to organizational and individual development, from doing Keynotes to Workshops, Lunch and Learns, coaching or consulting, our educational elements are always supported with a follow-up aspect that helps create outside accountability. This helps take that new learning or spark of an idea and grow it into a healthy everyday habit that supports your goals.

We focus on building collaborative leaders and teams in organizations, advancing engagement, and helping teammates show up at their absolute best through leveraging their positive strengths. This is most commonly done in either individual coaching packages or Workshops and Team coaching. We’re constantly innovating the best way to support our clients based on their feedback, (such as our new podcast Conversations by Association) while staying true to our root purpose of helping others show up at their best and love their day to day more.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
There is, unfortunately, a residual habit of doubting ourselves, or not advocating for our work to be visible and valued. Both as individuals and in organizational habits of paying more attention to those who are the loudest and most self-promoting, which is unfortunate because that’s not necessarily who deserves the recognition for work well done. Women are rarely conditioned to advocate in the way men are taught to advocate for themselves, I see that slowly changing in the girls being raised today. Less telling little girls they are bossy because they are decisive, and more helping them say it in a way that helps their decision be heard and support. We need to do that for the women in our workforce, help them get seen, heard, and feel valued.

The greatest female leaders elevate the skills of the women around them. We can be very good at advocating for each other, showcasing the abilities of our friends or peers, and we need to lean into that talent more every day. As well, as use that tool to help us learn to advocate for ourselves. Aspiring female leaders should listen for how a friend or peer talks about their work and abilities in a positive light, and adapt that language for advancing their careers.

As someone who likes to focus on growth opportunities, I think leadership is one of the greatest opportunities for organizations because there are not enough of us in leadership roles. Leadership roles, such as CEO, or Executive Director, or head of a division can traditionally feel lonely because you have less insulation and feedback from others or peers in your organization. That’s where female leaders have a lot to add, while the structure may still be lonely, women tend to be higher in relationship-building skills, and phenomenal at sustaining those relationships. They are able to reach out and create their own peer groups across divisions or organizations, and that’s what is desperately needed in the highest leadership roles. That collaboration often leads to new opportunities, partnerships, and successes!

Pricing:

  • Conversations by Association- Podcast about Leadership and Career Development in Associations: FREE https://www.conversationsbyassociation.com/
  • Team Video and Workbook Course Releasing in Mid-October: $897
  • Team Workshops- Vary by needs
  • Emerging Leaders Course February 2020- Scholarships Available in January

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
All photos by Christina Rowe or Amanda Kopp Images with permission

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