IAM1911 – Executive Coach Ignites Vibrancy and Innovation

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Kerrian Bard Fournier Teaser 00:00

Is our consultants and coaches have very much been on the other side of these. There's just an immediate empathy and understanding of where the person is.

To be frank from a place of non-judgment, a lot of times you know it's not the optimal situation that we're brought in and to come in with clarity, compassion and some constructive feedback and new perspectives and new tools, I think is really what's helped differentiate ourselves.

Intro 00:24

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of.

This is the IAMCEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:51

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the IAMCEO podcast and I appreciate you listening to this episode. If you've been listening this year you know that we hit 1600 episodes at the beginning of this year. We're doing something a little bit different where we're repurposing our favorite episodes around certain categories, topics, Or as I like to call them business pillars that we think are going to be extremely impactful for CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners, or what I like to call CB nation architects who are looking to level up their organizations.

This month, we are focused on innovation, disruption, women entrepreneurship, DEI, the gig economy, remote economy, even the cannabis industry. Think about these industries and these disruptive technologies that really sometimes aren't as disruptive, but there are people that are just paying attention to what the market needs and they're providing that. So really think about the things that are quote and quote outside of the norm, but really help entrepreneurship to grow and fully develop.

I think it's an extremely exciting time when you're talking about any type of innovation or disruption, because I think that there are so many opportunities and needs that aren't felt that are starting to be filled by different groups, different organizations, or even different industries. So what I want you to do is sit back and enjoy this special episode of the IAMCEO podcast.

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the IAMCEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Kerrian Fournier of Vybrante Ventures. Kerrian, it's awesome having you on the show.

Kerrian Bard Fournier 02:14

It's a pleasure. Thank you for having me.

Gresham Harkless 02:16

Yeah, no problem. Super excited to have you on. What I want to do is just read a little bit more about Kerrian so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

Kerrian is the CEO and founder of Vybrante Ventures, a professional services company dedicated to unlocking the highest level of performance for innovative companies teams and professionals by igniting their vibrancy and innovation.

Kerrian, has 25 plus years of experience in the corporate world on Wall Street strategy and risk consulting and technology firms. She is certified as an executive coach through IPEC, one of the preeminent coaching certification programs.

She is also a sought-after speaker on topics of team effectiveness, human capital, innovation, and building a vibrant corporate culture. Kerrian, are you ready to speak to the IAMCEO community.

Kerrian Bard Fournier 02:56

Absolutely. I certainly feel really good about myself after hearing you described it. So thank you.

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Gresham Harkless 03:00

Yeah, absolutely. It's super awesome to be able to introduce people that are doing a phenomenal thing. So I'm glad I could at least hold the mic and say all those awesome things. But I wanted to take it back a little bit. I want to hear more about how you got started.

Could you tell us your CEO story? What let you get started with your business?

Kerrian Bard Fournier 03:13

Sure. You know what? It's funny. I had been told I was 25 years in corporate Wall Street strategy, consulting firms, tech from big to even being a CEO of a startup tech company. And for years people said, open your own firm, open your own firm, and I just wasn't ready. To be frank, I didn't have this courage to step into my own potential and my own vision.

I finally hit a pretty big milestone, and I said, if not now, when, if not me, who. There was something really, I knew a company wasn't just about, okay, I'm going to go sling product, which is fine, but I just knew this company is literally my passion and purpose. It's what I'm absolutely clear. I was put on this planet to do and provide. And so when I think about that, not just as my company, but my whole purpose it takes on a certain energy and focus that I think before that I didn't really have clarity on.

Gresham Harkless 04:04

Yeah, that makes so much sense. It helps you to put yourself into your client's shoes when they're not maybe living out to their full potential as they could and because you've been able to experience it and you stepped into that you know how to also help them.

Kerrian Bard Fournier 04:15

You know, that's such a great point because I think really so much of what happens when I come in either and my company to the type of people I hire is our consultants and coaches have very much been on the other side of these.

There's just an immediate empathy and understanding of where the person is. And to be frank, from a place of non-judgment, a lot of times, it's not the optimal situation that we're brought in and to come in with clarity. Compassion and some constructive feedback and new perspectives and new tools, I think is really what's helps differentiate ourselves versus just people saying, here's the latest flavor of what you should try, and kind of product push.

Gresham Harkless 04:50

Yeah. Do this, I have somebody else that did it. You actually get to sit down and say, Hey, I understand what you're going through. Look at it in an empathetic way, as you said. And then a person feels, I think, at least that they're not by themselves, which a lot of times happens when you are trying to push those boundaries and get over those barriers.

Kerrian Bard Fournier 05:04

Absolutely. And listen, high-performing folks, unfortunately, there's a cycle that happens that you end up being very judgmental about yourself because you have a high standard. It's somehow not going well or not going in or, you're not leaning in enough. And then not only is that happening, but you start judging yourself and getting down on yourself. And so behaviorally, it's just, for psychology, people then get triggered under fighter flight when something stressful to happen.

And so, people either sometimes, get very conflict oriented or they stick their head in a hole and procrastinate and being able to say, listen, it's a natural response when this happens. But the question is, how often does it happen? How long do you stay there? What are those new tools that will help you pop out of it and get to a place of really much higher productivity to be of service of what they're trying to do? That's what's really about.

It's not really whether they're doing things right or wrong. The question is it truly being of service to where they want to go? And if the answer is no, then partner with someone to help you expand to see what's possible and how you get there.

Gresham Harkless 05:58

Absolutely. Could you take us through some of what you're doing for your clients and how exactly that process works and how you work with your clients?

Kerrian Bard Fournier 06:05

Absolutely. So, there are two major verticals of our company. One is the more personal side, although there's a team element and that's the coaching services, the executive coaching. Really executive life coaching, or just two halves of the same coin. And the question is what part of the conversation do we enter in? Almost every time I've got hired as an executive coach, elements of their life come into play because how you do one thing is typically how you do everything from a mindset perspective. So personally there are two swim lanes that I'd say I coach on all day long and meeting love.

I joke the first one is your type A professional who's been on that overachiever path since they've been like in diapers. And, they've created this life that to be frank on the outside looks incredibly successful. Their ego is probably preening. Things look great. They've got the job, the title, the comp, the car that they've aspired to, and yet they know there's something missing. They're not in the driver's seat of their life, they're feeling unfulfilled there's a part of them that knows they could be a better leader, a better spouse, a better parent, and yet they just don't know how to get there. Oftentimes what happens for all of us, we think if I just keep doing more of what I've been doing, it'll somehow transform, and that tends to also dig us into a deeper hole.

So, these individuals that really understand that, okay, I need a partner to help fill in the gaps of what I don't know. And so the good news is because of my background on wall street and strategy consulting in technology I can come in with a certain level of credibility on having an understanding and empathy of what they're going through and where they are and be able to introduce things that, to be frank, maybe they weren't always comfortable putting into their portfolio, which is what I joke, the softer side of Sears. But, how do you talk to folks who have typically been very intellectual, intense, alpha, and then really start talking in a way that resonates with them about emotional intelligence? About leadership, about different sides that really wound out their way of thinking.

So, I really love coaching in this space. I empathize with these individuals. I was one of these individuals until my own journey. So that's certainly a core area. Another one in once again, my own personal journey is women professionals who are just sick of feeling underpaid, underappreciated, and unhappy in their career and finally want to speak truth to power for themselves. I was a compensation executive for decades. i've literally been on the other side of billions of dollars worth of comp discussions and I can tell you i've seen what women oftentimes do not do for themselves and it's not that companies don't need to take ownership on their own structures and approaches. But there are also things that women can do to at least have a fighting chance. Perfect example, there's a statistic, a validated statistic out there that typically women will only put themselves forward for a promotion or some, new job if they feel they're 90% qualified on what's on the job description, where men will put themselves forward if they're 60%.

And so what's that about? It's about this perfection mindset, the fact that they think their value is in what they know versus their learning agility, their ability to get in there and figure it out. And so that's just one of the core root causes that I've seen time and time again, as far as what really blocks women from leaning into their career in the most powerful way. And so yeah, I love coaching the space, doing workshops, speaking on this topic. So those are my core coaching side. Certainly, there are coaches under me that do all sorts of other coaching but personally those are my two main verticals. On the consulting side we call it human capital consulting. I'm not trying to sound like snobby HR at all. Really what it is though, and it's meant to differentiate a different view into the people of your Company as true human capital human assets, and how do you unlock those assets? How do you almost think of it like a financial portfolio in a proactive management way?

As I mentioned, some of the lead conversations that often get me into organizations is because I have this deep technical expertise and compensation. Compensation typically people think is just pay. It's like how much I'm paying someone, but a lot of times it's behavioral. I think of it as behavioral economics, not just numbers. It's not just accounting for the people, part of their business. It's what are you rewarding? How are you communicating the value of what you're providing? And so we get brought in for all sorts of are we paying at the appropriate market rates bonus design equity? Design a lot of process so the process feels smoother for the organization lots of training for leaders to think about what kind of behaviors and how do I actually really differentiate for performance and potential?

A lot about communications but you know the funny thing about compensation and the reason why I stayed in it for so long. It's like the trojan horse into strategy consulting because so many people both Individually and the corporate level complain or have issues with the compensation, but when you follow the breadcrumbs, it's about all these other things. It's about the vision of leadership. It's about maybe organizational design or role clarity. It could be even when you do sales comp design, clarity on the products and services you're bringing to market in your market segmentation. So when you really want to deliver a compensation solution with excellence, oftentimes it requires a more consultative, broader strategic conversation with the leadership team.

I love those situations thriving those situations and yeah, could do those all day long.

Gresham Harkless 11:24

So, you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. It could be for you or your organization, but what do you feel sets you apart and makes you unique?

Kerrian Bard Fournier 11:31

I think it's a combination of really analytical thinking and the ability to dissect a lot of information, whether it's behavioral, quantitative, whatever else, and really decipher it into some key themes that are very easily digestible. So there's that sort of brain side of me. I'm basically a geek in heels, but the other side is really coming from a place of empathy. And I'd love to say, I think one of my strengths is really my emotional intelligence and to sit there and to be able to provide space, whether it's consulting for the leader to talk about the vision or even create their vision or for an individual. Sometimes the difference between consulting and coaching consulting, you come in and you basically tell them ideas and potential solutions and say, here's a model, do this, try this.

Coaching is the ability to create space and ask those empowering questions. Those you know, have someone test and really touch into what they think is possible, that ability to unlock their own voice, their own vision, in a way that they may not have even known how to access or that it was even there. I think that combination of classic consulting and advisory and a really deep passion for the coaching so that somebody can tap into their own innovation and expertise I think is something that certainly sets me apart. It's the type of people that are part of Vybrante Ventures. yeah, and I think it's really our sweet spot.

Gresham Harkless 12:54

I appreciate that secret sauce. I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So it could be like an app, a book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Kerrian Bard Fournier 13:05

For me, I know when I'm clear, like I need to look at my week ahead. When I don't do this, I am not nearly effective. I need to set myself up. I need to set my mindset up to understand how my week is happening and almost think about managing my energy, like an energy portfolio.

Take a look and be honest about what are the activities I've got planned that are going to be energizing, draining, challenging, not challenging and take the time to set up if there are things that I think are going to be challenging or draining, can I shift my mindset around it so it's not as difficult.

Gresham Harkless 13:41

No, I love that. I know we touched on, you touched on kind of like the nuggets as well, too. So I was going to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. What's like a word of wisdom or a piece of advice you would either give yourself a client or a business owner?

Kerrian Bard Fournier 13:52

Yeah, it was something that really personally reap dividends for me is when I started my own company and I really do think like a CEO. I think about the full stack of what I need to do in order to bring my business forward in the area for me, which was terrifying, which in hindsight is ridiculous. But at the time what was terrifying was the business development, sales and marketing wasn't how I defined myself.

I thought I wasn't salesy. I'm like, Oh, I don't know. I can't get my head around this. I can't apply my energy. And I settled on this mantra exploration, not expectation.

Gresham Harkless 14:25

Exactly. I know we touched on this a little bit, but I wanted to ask you for your definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote and quote CEOs on this show.

So Kerrian, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Kerrian Bard Fournier 14:35

I think it's taking full ownership for the vision and execution of what you want to bring to market.

Gresham Harkless 14:42

Awesome. Awesome. I truly appreciate that. I wanted to see if anybody wanted to follow up with you, is there of course anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know? And then of course, how best we can get ahold of you.

Kerrian Bard Fournier 14:51

Sure. So, certainly a way to understand like our products and services is our website. It's a vybrante.com. I should explain the name of the company spelled a little differently. It's vybrante. The reason why we spelt this way, it's not because I'm a poor speller. It's very intentional. Is the premise is to unlock organizational team or individual vibrancy. You have to understand your why. So what's your vision and purpose? And in the end, it's all about your effect and your energy and how do you raise your vibration, how you get out of your own way and get to your most innovative and powerful self.

So www.vybrante.com once again, I can't spell anything normal, it seems right? But that I put on my mom, that was a personal choice. And then something I will offer, and I know it'll be in the show notes, is what I found helpful, family, friends, random people I meet at bars, is I'm really good and I really enjoy what I call laser coaching sessions.

Fifteen minutes, if somebody's clear on what they are struggling with. Whether it's a feeling, a situation, and they want to shift their mindset to open up to more possibility, I will offer for your for your audience they'll be able to book a 15-minute laser coaching session with me and there'll be some free questions here before we start, exactly what they're struggling with and they want to shift on, and let's jump in and help open up some possibility.

Gresham Harkless 16:08

Awesome. I appreciate you for making that offer to our audience as well. So we will have those links and information and the show notes with all the correct spelling.

So you don't have to worry about your mom or anybody else as well too. And I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Outro 16:19

Thank you for listening to the IAMCEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. IAMCEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts, subscribe and leave us a five-star rating.

Grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the IAMCEO podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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