Bringing Intention and Direction to Work
Seeking motivation, structure and a deeper sense of satisfaction, D. enrolled in the Compass Program.
D. had been out on her own as a consultant for a year when she reached out to MKLC for support. “I realized I needed to protect some time to be proactive and to plan what I want my business to grow into, what I want to get out of it personally, and how I was going to achieve that, so I approached MKLC, who I had heard about from a former colleague.” D. said.
Enjoying freedom but craving structure
D. was facing a classic conundrum for anyone who has gone from the rigid structures of the corporate world to the loose scaffolding of entrepreneurship. “I was struggling to focus and stay motivated working from home all alone. What I needed was some structure and a plan for how I was going to approach my workday so that I could feel I was making progress and feel good about my work.”
Finding the right fit with MKLC
D. stepped into MKLC’s Compass Program, an intensive engagement focused on direction setting and support structures. “What I really liked was the idea that there was a clear start and end point, and the program was very aligned with what I was looking for: goal setting and structures to help me get there. But it was bigger than that. As I began my work with MKLC I realized I did not always need to come to the table with an agenda. The process itself could guide me and help me uncover what I want. Once those aspirations became clear, we made a plan to get me there.”
Articulating new insights
D. started to notice positive changes right away. She liked the oversight that MKLC provided, checking in at regular intervals to see if anything had shifted and ensure she was on track.
“In both work and life, the time I invested with MKLC helped me articulate something I had been unable to figure out. It was giving me an outlet in which I could follow through with some of these feelings and ideas — and not just abstractly. Because I had talked about my ideas and goals, they were somehow easier to start and finish.”
Owning every day
D.’s confidence that she was on the right path career-wise was bolstered. She knew she was heading in the right direction, but her biggest change came in the way she runs her business and what she gets out of her work.
“I have become more focused and more organized, mostly with my time but also my energy levels. My work with MKLC has given me the ability to articulate what I want much more clearly and forcefully, which as a consultant is very important. I am a stronger advocate for myself and the type of work I want and that has improved my business and my relationship to the work itself.”
In the day-to-day, D. has also noticed a change. “My days feel a lot more planned. I am not just doing the work that is directly in front of me… I know what my days will entail because I set them up with intention. There is a rhythm to my week because I have done the work of creating that structure for myself.”
Staying on track
At the end of the Compass Program, things felt different for D. “The biggest change is that everything about my work and my days now feels so much more intentional,” she said.
D. still finds herself going back to the Compass Kit document that MKLC provided at the end of the engagement. “It is such a helpful compendium of everything we learned through the program: not a lot of fluff or clutter, just a straightforward visual representation of the things I said I was going to do. Being able to go back to my words and my plan has kept me on track.”