To say that Karen Beattie is comfortable with change is a bit of an understatement.
Her childhood was nomadic, with her father’s job taking her family to such diverse places as Trinidad, the Caribbean, Libya, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, and the Phillipines. It was not unusual for her father to come home and say, “We’re moving to a different country.” And Karen loved it.
“I love that idea of going into [a] new school, meeting new friends, and learning about a new culture, and I thought that’s the way everybody lived. That was my world and I just thought that’s what everyone did.”
Eventually settling in Perth, Australia, Karen attended the University of Western Australia and began dreaming of how she could find a job that would allow her to travel and focus on helping people.
After a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity helping a friend bring Tony Robbins to the UK, Karen realized she had a gift for planning and executing events. She worked fearlessly to build her own audience and now delivers content through The Growth Faculty, a leading provider of education resources for entrepreneurs and business leaders.
It hasn’t been easy; Karen compares her professional life to a roller coaster. Through it all, Karen has found that being comfortable with change has given her opportunities she never would have dreamed of as a kid.
Join us as we delve into Karen’s early career, her pursuit of flexibility and freedom, and how she took the leap for the right kind of risk. You can listen in the player above, or download the episode on Apple Podcasts. If you like what you hear please leave a comment!
Takeaways from this episode:
- Karen embraced change and welcomed the adventure of moving to new countries. However, once her family settled in Perth (and she was 14 years old) she felt out of place for the first time in her life. She overcame these feelings by joining sports teams and getting involved in everything her school offered.
- When her friend asked her to help his company bring Tony Robbins to the UK, Karen rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She registered over 9,000 people in three cities (before online registration was a viable option), and delivered a top-notch event in less than six months. “We had six months to deliver this event and I don’t think we slept for six months. And we just made it happen and it was one of the most extraordinary experiences…and at the time I didn’t realize, obviously, the impact it would have on me.”
- In the mid 1990s, Karen took a job at the Institute of Chartered Accountants, which helped her understand how to work on committees and the art of pulling programs together in marketing. She then took a “massive leap of faith” and backed her own event, bringing Michael Gerber (“The E-Myth”) to Australia.
- Karen had to learn to trust her instincts, but she also knew when to admit that she had made mistakes. “Some worked, some didn’t, and it [is] just a massive learning experience…we’re still learning what works and what doesn’t, but ultimately, we are doing the same thing. The business has evolved, but we…are trying to solve this problem.”
- Before taking a risk, Karen asks herself three questions: Is it going to improve the “top line” (lead to growth)? Is it going to improve the bottom line (lead to profit)? and how will it impact the people within her business?
- One of the most influential presentations Karen has seen in recent years was John Maxwell describing “the Law of the Lid,” which states that the growth of the business is purely limited by the leadership capability of its leader. This forced Karen to look inward, and she has since decided to intentionally step into the role of leader to give those that work for her the opportunity to grow.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
- Karen Beattie – Twitter | LinkedIn
- The Growth Faculty
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
- Free Email Audio Course on Change
- Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve by Whitney Johnson
- Download a free chapter from Build an A-Team
