Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenifer Hill. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jenifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a client that you appreciate them?

We have all received chocolate, cookies, custom-made stationery, and the like with the attached ‘thank you’ card. Although the gestures are appreciated and, at times, welcomed, these gifts are usually ‘cookie-cutter’ attempts to thank someone for choosing you or to show your appreciation for the partnership, opportunity to serve, etc. In the first few years of my business, I, too, fell into this trap of looking for a gift at the holidays or the end of a contract that would ‘please the masses.’ I would follow the same pattern yearly, send out the present, and get limited responses.

Then, three years ago, it dawned on me. Why am I showing appreciation with a typical gift when my relationships and client partnerships are quite a few deviations from the norm?

When I work with clients, I customize my approach- coaching, keynote speaking, and leadership development facilitation and retreat programming- based on research, individual needs, background, expectations, and desired outcomes, all while focusing on aligning the individual, team (both home and work) and then the overall organizational results. In other words, I don’t push a product; I cultivate alignment for maximum impact.

During the exploration or assessment process, I learn what matters the most to my clients, their passions, where they spend their time, and what takes the most of their thoughts. We talk about things that keep them up at night, what they wish they had known earlier, and why they do what you do. We go beyond the surface, beyond the typical.

So, as contracts end or the holidays come around, I consider these conversations and the essence of my clients and their passions. During this time of consideration, the offer ‘to give or support’ was born. Each client tells me what organization or causes they want me to support, on their behalf, to express my appreciation. The response is magical. Clients respond in days, expressing gratitude, excitement, and appreciation for the thoughtful approach. And I learn more about my clients and the fantastic things others do to impact people and initiatives. It’s the best thing I have ever done to show customized appreciation for my personalized approach to my clients.

Jenifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As the eldest of five children from a single-parent household, raised in the Midwest, I learned and believed the keys to success were to work hard, continue to achieve, and add more to my resume so I could positively impact and lead others. No matter the challenge, pressure, and stress that came with the goals I created for myself, I believed there was an answer, and I would lean on my work ethic, thoughts, and education to gain those answers. This was my routine until I experienced my first bout of burnout as a mental health clinician, under-equipped in the hierarchical field of behavioral healthcare. I cared about my patients, clients, and team, but I had difficulty connecting with them and remaining present in sessions. At night, I had trouble disconnecting and slowing down my thoughts. I was constantly looking for innovative solutions to my problems. I was irritable and tired but wired and overworking. Unfortunately, this was the norm for me.
‘Be resilient,’ I would tell myself, ‘Keep going,’ even when my body told me otherwise. After all, isn’t that what ‘leaders’ do? So, instead of dealing with the core issue, I just changed my action.

I was perfectionistic at the time, with an unsettled mindset and a disconnected inner approach. I carried this weight alongside my focus and dedication to professional growth when transitioning from clinical care to the fast-paced, high-pressure, time-bound field of talent management. As a well-educated, successful, and accomplished senior consultant at a global leadership development consulting firm, I was a ‘do-er,’ a ‘thinker,’ and a ‘leader.’ Day in and out, I was leading positive change in the lives of others. Yet, as the expectations, complexity, ambiguity, and uncertainty of internal and external pressures increased, I felt more alone, imprisoned in my work, and controlled by internal and external expectations like my mind, calendar, and to-do list.

I felt stuck even though I had a resume that screamed ‘accomplished and successful.’. I didn’t know what else I wanted or how to courageously elevate myself to the next level to lead others effectively. I lacked the inner connection with myself and the context of applying a holistic approach to my life, my family, and what I wanted to work for. I was uncertain how to expand my options to connect with others, demonstrate empathy, influence others, and improve my practice.

That’s when I hit burnout 2.0. Looking around, I had much company. But, this time, I had the intuition to try a new route in hopes of having a new outcome. This old cycle was not sustainable for me, my family, or my leadership impact.

This time, I sought help to learn to lead myself first and then others intentionally. I needed to realign and connect my approach to include all aspects of self and others—heart, mind, and body—and elevate my thought processes and practices beyond my usual approach to life and work. Instead of always doing, I needed to learn about being. I carved out time to gain more context about who I am. I focused on my values, motives, intentions, and behaviors. Then, I decided to connect with myself as well as with others. I allowed my heart to be a part of the discussion, not just my mind.

As a result, I cultivated agency and choice in my life. I expanded my internal ability to manage stress and pressure through neuroplasticity to easily manage the day’s demands, remain engaged and present, effectively communicate, be flexible, maintain my energy, and quickly recover from stress. Context, connection, and choice changed my leadership and elevated me to a higher level of impact.

2013 marked the beginning of my journey to transform leadership for aligned impact because that is when I started the journey to bring depth in executive coaching with customized and innovative leadership development programming and facilitation and dynamic keynote speaking.

I am effective because I bring education and knowledge of human development and neuroscience, experience equipping 3,000 plus leaders on their development journey, an awareness of what it means to be a leader in high-stress settings, a keen ability to examine leadership competency and provide innovative yet simple and highly effective, holistic, well-researched solutions for individual leaders, teams and organizations.

I cultivate aligned leadership from the inside out to uncover the context leaders need to prioritize connection and empower choices.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Progress over perfection. Truly embracing imperfection as learning and believing ‘failure is progress’ went against my upbringing, thought process, and overall approach to everything I did. But I had to decide if I wanted to work myself to perfection or if I wanted to be sustainable- personally and professionally. Not just deciding but re-wire my internal responses to create a new approach was and is still a part of my journey.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

It has always been client referrals. I lean into relationships, cultivate connections and support those around me. You always get more clients if you’re good to your clients, help those around you, deliver results, and share experiences with others. It is all about connection and impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeniferhill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjenhill/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeniferhallerhill/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE83ZYDw3x4FIWvlwd4sxOQ

Image Credits
Sabrina Hall and Heather Scott