Here’s the scenario; you’re an internationally successful consultant and business owner travelling the world doing demanding work and raking in the dosh. And suddenly, you’re diagnosed with a disabling degenerative illness that changes your life forever. What would you do?
Such was the narrative of my Page 1 Woman. From being an active, go-getter, her whole life was flipped on its head as she spent 6 years resisting and then adjusting to a radically new identity. “I craved for my old identity. And for a while this craving helped me get through the treatment process, but it also hindered me. The hospital kept telling me ‘You've got to give up on that life. You can't jet around the world anymore’. But I didn't want to hear these things.”
Meet Hiroo Chothia a determined, talented, smart woman with tenacity in abundance. She had to find a way to adapt to the limitations of her new life and become comfortable again in her own skin. She had to learn to be open and vulnerable, continue to do business with adjustments, and make a real difference in that world as an effective leader. But how did she do it? Read on and find out.
Hiroo Chothia
What work do you do?
Hiroo: I have a portfolio approach to my work, which broadly consists of four key areas. Whatever free time I have, I spend on our charity which helps the street homeless. As a business coach, and strategist, I help business owners and entrepreneurs to build strong, scalable businesses, so that they can start to move towards financial freedom.
I'm also an executive coach and consultant, working primarily with C-Suite members. I help them to make their organizations more effective and navigate their personal and professional objectives. Thirdly, I am a non-executive director and advisor on management boards. Finally, I also speak on these subjects.
When I started my business 23 years ago, I was strongly advised against portfolio work. It was either business coaching, or executive coaching, but not both, otherwise I’d confuse clients. But if you're transparent and authentic with clients, portfolio roles can work. And having a clear theme of ‘Effective Leadership’ running through all my roles, helped my success.
My professional life began in the Civil Service. I held a variety of interesting posts, which opened many career opportunities. I left as a senior Civil Servant, when the service was moving offices out of London and I didn't want to leave my life here. I’d also just finished my MBA and I was getting signals to do something new. So, I set up a consulting and coaching business.
What was it like as a woman in the public and private sectors?
Hiroo: Often, in my early career, as the only woman at that time around the Civil Service table, people would try to undermine me. However, my mother taught me, very early on, to stay true to myself and play to my strengths rather than conform to other people's expectations. This has been my rule-of-thumb when forced into male-dominated, old school thinking situations, where there’s been stereotypical expectations of women and in particular, Asian women. When you're the minority, your downfall is often awaited. So, I had to be confident in my abilities, at the top of my game, knowledgeable and experienced. So, I’ve consciously developed my expertise, knowledge and understanding, whilst cross-fertilizing ideas from my different roles and sectors, which has enhanced my authority.
What essential steps did you take to get you to where you are now?
Hiroo: Firstly, I had to be clear and focused about what I wanted my business to achieve. And then I worked with the end in mind, which made it easier to correct things that didn't go well because I knew my aims. This, for instance, helped me to bat off those who criticised my portfolio approach as I could see the path I was following. Twenty years ago, portfolio working went against the norm and many people wouldn’t support me. But I remained clear that that was the path I would follow.
Secondly, I’ve have always surrounded myself with like-minded and trusted individuals. I like to bounce ideas and seek advice and I’ve had good mentors and coaches. I like leading by example, so when I suggest that clients get a coach, I speak from experience.
What was the greatest challenge on your journey?
Hiroo: My greatest challenge was unexpectedly being diagnosed with a chronic and degenerative illness in 2010. We were fast becoming an international coaching and consulting business, with some good-sized contracts. Having fallen in the street, I thought it was a torn cartilage because I did lots of sports. But it was a lot worse than that and it turned my life upside down. It meant constant hospital trips, endless procedures involving months in hospital and being told that I had to give up life as I knew it. It became six years in ‘the wilderness’.
So, as my life revolved around the hospital, I watched all my hard work disappear along with a part of the ‘original me’. Whenever I saw my consultant, I asked when I could return to my old life. He would say, ‘You're making good strides. But you'll end up in a wheelchair quicker than necessary because you're not listening’. Although it was extremely hard, I was determined to prove them wrong and gain a handle back on my life.
In 2017, I recreated a coaching business based on the same business model that worked for us previously and it’s doing well and I once again have international clients. But there were so many challenges and dark moments; so many stop/starts because I have a degenerative problem. There were times where I couldn't get out of bed unaided and there's lots that I can longer do. However, I was determined to ‘go back to living a reasonable life’. Gradually, I got my life back in control. However, I'm very impatient. Whenever I had a good day, I would do too much, which would set me back for days or weeks.
What was your greatest light-bulb moment?
Hiroo: Whilst unwell, I recognised the power of self-belief as an antidote to life’s curve balls. From an early age, my mother instilled me with confidence and self-belief, which has served me well, in many scenarios. Essentially, I realised during those dark days that if I wanted to turn things around, I had to really believe that it would happen, really commit to that path and avoid getting derailed.
What was the one resource that was absolutely crucial to you?
Hiroo: Knowledge has been a crucial resource. I am a great advocate of life-long learning. So, I’ve invested in myself and my business to gain formal knowledge, as well as learning from experts. It’s helped me to develop a deep understanding and a strong perspective. However, I strongly believe that at the end of the day it's what we do with the knowledge that matters. I also believe in paying it forward. In this context, I am referring to sharing and passing on the learning. In my case, that has been through my recently launched book, ‘Ignite!’, where I share the exact proven strategies that have helped me and countless clients to develop successful businesses.
What do you understand by leadership?
Hiroo: I believe that leaders exist at all levels in the organisation, not just at the pinnacle. I'm talking about collaborative leaders, influencers and motivators, who lead by example and take people with them, while setting the tone and direction for the business.
Nominated leaders will rarely have all the answers, they need to utilize the soft and hard skills in their organizations, by talking to people on the ground and getting to know the organization – by being transparent and visible. But for many leaders this is extremely hard, as often they find this process threatening as they believe they should have all the answers. But that’s changing, because younger male leaders are seeing different leadership styles from role models at home, or in education. They see female traits such as compassion and nurturing, working both at home and in the workplace.
Conversely, though, many female leaders don't consider themselves as leaders because they don't believe it and society doesn’t expect it. But I do. I've led people in my civil service career and since, as a business owner and in my non-executive roles. If mothers, were acknowledged and valued as leaders, women leaders might change their perspective. My mom was definitely a leader and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.
Self-leadership is also extremely important. Although you may not be viewed as an obvious leader, this shouldn’t stop you demonstrating leadership skills. When I started in the civil service, managing large groups, I made lots of mistakes as a leader because I didn’t understand the distinction between leading and managing. I also didn't know my own leadership style. So, I had to learn by my mistakes, discovering what sort of leader I was, what was expected of me and whether I was comfortable with that.
What are your top three tips for women who want to be leaders?
Hiroo: Tip number one - develop self-understanding, self-awareness, self-confidence and unshakable self-belief. When you do, others will believe in you. It will give you presence and a positive vibe. And it will signal that you’re allowing people to question you, but not undermine you. And that’s not arrogance. It's about saying, ‘I'm inspiring confidence because I know I have the ability, the knowledge, and know-how and I'm going to try and convince you that these are the best ways forward’. You don't need to conform to society’s expectations -just be yourself. But in order to achieve this, you need to be emotionally intelligent too - you need to be aware of your impact on others.
Tip number two - be willing to challenge the status quo, because you genuinely want to get better solutions and answers. Often, especially if you're the only female or other minority, you’re reluctant to say what you're thinking even if you think it might get a better result. Do the opposite. Challenge the status quo if you think you'll get a better result. Even if you’re unclear about the answer, ask that question because collectively you'll get there.
Tip number three - seek the right mentors. I've been fortunate to have had some fantastic mentors. They've shared their incredible knowledge, helped me form connections, provided sounding boards, and they've pulled me back when I've taken the wrong course. So, get good mentors, and as you gain experience, give back, by mentoring aspiring women leaders. It’s incredibly fulfilling and it's helped me grow.
To find out more about Hiroo and what she offers, click here. And to get her book, click here.
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