Today we're chatting with Christine Watson, the creative mind behind Resilient Nature. From corporate training rooms to the great outdoors, she's on a mission to grow resilient leaders who can build rock-solid teams without burning out. Her secret sauce? Blending traditional leadership skills with the wisdom of Mother Nature. Whether you're a newbie manager or a seasoned pro, get ready to dive into Christine's world of nature-inspired leadership.
Hi, Christine! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?
I develop resilient leaders who want to build strong teams. I work with people, especially newer-in-role leaders, who want to create a journey built on meaningful relationships while avoiding the pitfalls of burnout. Research shows that new leaders typically obtain their first leadership role around the age of 30, but they are in their early 40s before they receive formal leadership development training. This gap creates challenges for new leaders as they struggle with the transition from individual contributor to leader, and it has negative repercussions on the teams they lead. My offerings help newer-in-role leaders identify their gaps and create development plans for a successful leadership journey. In today's world of work, we have extremely high levels of employee disengagement, along with intense pressure to perform. I believe there is a better way, and that involves intentionally building connections with one another. I founded Resilient Nature to provide resources and tools for people to discover the benefits of enhanced relationships, which leads to greater satisfaction and success. These tools are useful in the workplace, but they also work in our personal lives. As a Personal Resilience Practitioner and a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, my work incorporates the influence of nature and its impact on our resilience, which is connected to our ability to create meaningful relationships. If someone is struggling in their professional life as a leader, it’s likely to have an impact on their personal lives as well. My vision is to create a human-centered world one leader at a time, and I do that by infusing life with joy, nature, and connection. By incorporating the strategies of resilience, nature immersion, and effective communication, my clients have discovered solutions to many of their “people” problems, both at work and at home.
Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.
This moment is very clear. I was having coffee with a friend, catching up on each other’s lives, when I shared that I made an investment in myself by becoming an Everything DiSC Authorized Partner. She looked at me and said she wanted to hire me for a teambuilding workshop. At that point, my 25-year career consisted of delivering leadership development programs within various industries, as an employee. This was my first opportunity to deliver content as a consultant. Regardless of the industry, leaders all face similar challenges and employees are looking for common outcomes. They also desire the need to be valued, heard, and to find meaning in the work they do. This began my journey of helping people discover their natural tendencies while learning how to improve their communication skills.
Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.
Becoming an entrepreneur was never on my radar as I pursued my career as a leadership development professional. Over the years I’ve witnessed the transformative nature of my work, both on the professional level as well as in personal lives. When people develop skills that enhance their relationships at work, it’s only natural that those skills enhance their personal lives as well. Watching this transformation take place over and over, I realized that there was an entire population of leaders who may not have access to internal development programs, or who didn’t realize the opportunity even existed for them. Based on my success as an internal leadership development practitioner, I decided to bet on myself and make the jump to entrepreneur. I also believed that there was more to leadership development than the typical training that most organizations offer. My strong connection to nature and the belief that humans perform better when they are connected to nature, inspired me to pursue leadership development from a wholeness mindset, rather than a scarcity mindset. A wholeness mindset incorporates the idea that we are all connected to nature, and we are all leaders. It is through this connection and belief in our ability to lead that inspired me to develop a heart-centered leadership program with the elements of nature interwoven throughout. It’s impossible to be an effective leader without acknowledging and nurturing our connection to the natural world. I believe this wholeness mindset is the key to seeing organizations as living systems, which then supports and enhances the experience of humans in that system. The term for this is called Regenerative Leadership.
Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?
One tool that I use within all my leadership development programs is the Everything DiSC communication assessment. This tool identifies a person’s hard-wired communication tendencies, giving them a realistic look at their strengths and opportunities when communicating with others. This self-awareness then provides the framework for learning how to become more effective when communicating with others. Out of the thousands of people who have taken this assessment with me, there is rarely anyone who disagrees with the results. If I can help people improve their relationships, either at work or at home, then I feel confident that all aspects of their lives will improve. The unique outcome of my leadership development program is that my clients experience immediate results. By implementing the tools and techniques learned, people report increased confidence in building relationships, navigating conflict, operating with increased emotional intelligence, and delivering effective feedback. All of these are human skills, not just leadership skills.
We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on this journey is that you must always believe in yourself. Starting out as an entrepreneur is risky and it can be lonely. There have been so many days when the feelings of self-doubt have crept in, the fear of failure whispered in my ear, or the question of “why didn’t I know that” lingered long. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the big picture and the long list of to-do items that are required to get a business launched. I started Resilient Nature with the professional expertise to offer leadership development solutions, but I didn’t realize how much time and expertise would be needed to build a website, create supporting platforms, generate leads, market my business, track expenditures, and so on. You can always find experts to help you with all of this, however, that requires money. My big lesson here was to stay focused on the main goal, but break that down into smaller goals, and then to continue simplifying until I identified tangible activities that could be completed each day. When the doubt shows up, I review my list of completed activities and that gives me the confidence to continue moving forward. It’s also very important to build a network of cheerleaders and supporters who can offer their time, talent, or treasure. Surrounding yourself with people who inspire you and believe in you is one of your best defenses when it comes to battling self-doubt.
What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?
The field of leadership development is saturated with excellent programs and content that compete for my potential clients. I decided my love of nature would be my niche, incorporating the emerging field of regenerative leadership into my programs. As a certified Forest Therapy Guide with the Association for Nature and Forest Guides (ANFT), I bring the concepts of mindfulness and nature into my programs. Research shows that time spent in nature results in improved mental, emotional and physical health benefits. By incorporating regenerative leadership techniques, people begin to see organizations as living systems, rather than mechanistic systems. This allows for a leadership perspective that recognizes the interconnectedness of all employees within the organization and helps leaders move to a “sense and respond” approach rather than a “control and manage” approach. Understanding the nuances of nature’s work, the seasonality of growth, and the acknowledgment of humans’ connection to nature helps create a work environment that sustains human development. The book, Leading by Nature, by Giles Hutchins had a transformative impact on my view of leadership development. I strive to incorporate his research into my programs, which focuses on the interconnectedness of humans and nature. These concepts provide meaning and a sense of belonging at a time when our world feels very divided.
What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?
Get comfortable marketing yourself. Being an entrepreneur may require activities that feel unnatural or uncomfortable to you, such as self-promotion. It’s important that you determine your approach, how you will incorporate your values, and how to be authentic. Most importantly though, you need to get clear on how you will solve your customer’s problems while doing this. It’s not enough to be an expert in your field – you need to become an expert at marketing yourself – so that your customers can find you. Ask yourself these two questions: What problem do you solve and Are there people willing to pay for your solution? While my work is very meaningful and I enjoy it, that reason alone doesn’t inspire people to pay me for my knowledge. With every offering I promote, I ask myself this question, “Why should someone pay me money for this?” If I can’t answer that question and articulate it to my audience, then I need to get clear on my purpose. Remaining focused on my ideal customer, their needs, desires, and fears, is the most important message you can send.
Want to dive deeper into Christine's work? Learn more in the links below.
- Download your Core Values Activity
- Visit Resilient Nature's website myresilientnature.com
- Follow Resilient Nature on Instagram @resilient.nature
- Connect with Christine on LinkedIn: Christine Watson, CPTD
- Find Christine on Facebook
