Quick Fire Innovation Gallery Q&A: What Fires Up Our Founder?
Fiona was thrilled to take part in the Konductor Innovation Gallery - a series of direct and revealing questions to some of the most innovative and inspirational leaders in business today.
Name: Fiona McKay
Job title: Managing Director
Current role: Managing Director, Lightbulb Leadership Solutions and founder of Fiona-McKay.com
Part One: The Key Questions
Part One: Q&A
What is the most challenging part of your job and why?
My role is multi-faceted and sometimes it feels like I’m spinning multiple plates. I’m the Managing Director of a growing business and the founder of another. I advise & consult with clients, coach some of the world’s top C suite execs, I’m a keynote speaker, writer and I do some expert media commentary. Balancing all that can be challenging.
What has been your greatest professional failure and what did you learn?
Moving from a bustling hyper growth organisation where I was excelling, to a slower paced SME for the sake of a bigger title. I don’t need a title. I need to make a difference and deliver results. That really matters to me.
Worst piece of advice ever received and why?
If you want to get taken seriously in the workplace as a woman you need to work harder than the men. The workplace is still imbalanced and unequal for women, working twice as hard doesn’t fix it.
What keeps you awake at night?
The health of my family, the fact that in my lifetime women still won’t and don’t receive equal pay and whether I’ll be lucky to secure a home shopping delivery slot.
Most pointless job you have ever done?
I worked as a temp receptionist very early in my career. There were no visitors and hardly any phone calls. It was so boring I walked out after day two.
What constitutes success to you?
Choice, freedom, and being professionally respected.
Most insightful piece of customer/client feedback you’ve ever received?
That it wasn’t just the results we deliver as a business, it was the value of the ‘lightbulb moments’ that we created for leaders too. This became the idea to change our company name. Lightbulb Leadership Solutions was born from that feedback.
What would your nearest and dearest say frustrates them most about you?
Skyscraper standards and expectations of people and being disappointed when they aren’t met. I think my standards are more than reasonable.
Part 2: Quick Fire Round
Part Two: Quick Fire
Android or Apple? Apple
Words or numbers? Words
Transformational or visionary? Both
Red or blue? Blue
Lark or owl? Owl after wine
Coffee or tea? Tea
Sweet or savoury? Savoury
Twitter or LinkedIn? LinkedIn
Times or Guardian? Times
Radio Four or Five Live? Four
If you would like to know more about Fiona and her inspirational leadership journey as a female founder send her an email to fmckay@lightbulbleaders.com.
Learn more about our sister company Fiona-McKay.com and the 1-2-1 solutions that Fiona personally delivers for ambitious Execs and leaders.
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