ORLANDO, Fla. – Women, do you ever feel like you’re surrounded by glass ceilings at work?
Meet Cari Coats, one of the masterminds behind Accendo Leadership Advisory Group, a coaching company that shatters those limitations.
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Coats had a long history in corporate America before starting her leadership advisory business, jumping around from careers in television to sports to financial services. The one consistent she found was that she was always in a room full of men, answering to her male bosses. That inspired her to start her own business in the leadership field, helping others become effective leaders.
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“When you look around, there aren’t a lot of women that make it through. I was very fortunate and successful as a leader, and I feel really passionately about the role leadership plays,” Coats said. “So, I’ve chosen to spend the last third of my career helping leaders.”
And that, she has.
Coats has always been interested in investing in people. At her old jobs, you could find her talking to the interns or mentoring newbies. She believes helping people find their path is the greatest reward in her career.
“It’s hugely rewarding to watch the growth in people and have people reach back out to you a year later, two years later, saying ‘You won’t believe what happened. Here’s where I am, here’s what I’m doing,’” Coats said.
This isn’t to say that starting a business isn’t without its challenges. The biggest challenge for Coats? Time.
“There’s only so many hours in the day,” Coats said. “There’s all kinds of things that you don’t even think about that take time blocking and tackling.”
Another challenge Coats has faced is the constant change in the early stages of business growth.
“In starting a company, not only is there the time blocking and tackling of all the logistics that you don’t even think about but there’s the going out into the marketplace and getting validation of what you think you can deliver,” she said. “I always say to people who are just starting out, what you think you’re going to deliver is going to change. One of your first jobs is to be open-minded and listen to the marketplace.”
Today, Coats has established her rhythm in her executive coaching role, managing a routine that ensures a healthy work-life balance while working from home.
“I get up at 5 a.m. every day, I have my alone time, I typically do something that mentally challenges me in some way and then something that’s physical,” Coats said. “I always take my dogs for a walk so I can get fresh air, rain or shine. By 8:30 or 9 a.m., I say to my dogs ‘Let’s go open the office.’”
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