Knowing someone who dedicates their business to helping professional women navigate through and beyond a crisis is an amazing connection! Getting to know Debra has shown me how valuable this is. Today, I’d like to introduce Debra to you all.
Crisis experiences impact us deeply. From my perspective dealing with crisis situations big and small, seeking help for ourselves with what we need to move from it into a new phase in life is so important.
Life presents us with times that can throw us off. Difficult situations at home, work or with relationships are real. When emotions run high, it can be difficult to see how to get beyond what’s happening in the moment.
As we approach the holiday season, give yourself the gift of knowing there is someone here to serve. The Advisory Perspective Series poses six questions to professionals for us to gain a deeper understanding about what they do and how we may gain from their perspective services.
For more than two decades as Principal of Connect2 Corporation, Debra Woog (pronounced like Vogue magazine) has expertly guided women professionals to accelerate their personal and career growth with outstanding communications. In the summer of 2019, a lightning bolt of clarity struck that crystalized Debra’s life purpose as a Crisis Navigation PartnerTM for professional women who feel solo in life or work while dealing with difficult situations.
Crisis Navigation has been a prevailing theme in Debra’s own life and has influenced her new mission to be a go-to resource, thought partner and ally during life’s uninvited challenges. While crisis is inevitable, everyone has choices about how to prepare for and cope with it. As a Crisis Navigation PartnerTM, Debra guides women in crisis to make better-informed decisions, feel less stress and isolation, communicate more effectively, save precious time and energy, and lead their way through difficult circumstances to the best possible outcome.
Debra earned a B.A. in Psychology and American Studies from Wellesley College and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her career path has included conducting research at Harvard Business School, advising tech start-ups on People Strategy, and directing admission and career development for the MIT MBA program Leaders for Global Operations. She is a trained mediator and ombudsman.
Welcome Debra!
Question 1. What do you enjoy about working with your clients?
Part of the reason I do this work is that when I’ve gone through crises solo, they were tough times. It means the world to me to let others know they don’t have to go through this alone. I get tremendous satisfaction and joy when someone says to me thank you for sitting here with me and going through all these details with me, for going with me to that difficult meeting, for helping me express myself in this conversation. Even though someone could go through this alone – why should they? I enjoy being a part of someone’s team, 100% on their side. Let’s get through it!
Question 2. How would you suggest a potential new client prepare for a 1st meeting?
I would suggest they do not prepare for a first meeting! Rather than build up in your head all you need to organize, fix, align … and then ask for help, this is a come-as-you-are party! I recommend for the first conversation we just talk, so nothing needs to be gathered in advance. We’ll discuss what’s going on for you, why it’s hard, why it’s different than what you’d like to have it be. We’ll start at the very beginning, a very good place to start! Come and open yourself up to receiving support.
Question 3. When someone agrees to become a client, what can they expect immediately? Over time?
First thing we’ll do is assess the situation you face so we get the big-picture understanding of what’s going on. I want to know where you are struggling, what kind of help you wish you had, and what you think could be the best possible outcome, without worry about the “how”. On the positive side, what do you have going for you right now? What are your sources of power? Who are the resources, the people you have on your side right now in your current situation? If you can imagine the best possible outcome from this situation (death of a loved one, divorce, a difficult situation at work, etc.) what would that be?
Once we have a vision of what you’d like to move towards, I think about who I can connect you to right now who can be helpful to you right away. I’m a community builder and love thinking about who I know who has been through similar situations from a personal or professional perspective to support you. It may be you/me or we may gather a team.
Next we’ll look at the tough questions you are facing now. You may need someone to research for you. I love researching! While you could do this on your own, you may not have the bandwidth to do so right now. Crisis is all-consuming. I’ll research for you and come back to you with a report about options for the key decisions you face.
We’ll talk about the difficult conversations ahead that you’re concerned about. We’ll line those up and start planning for those one by one, creating a strategic plan. Given the outcome you want that we’ve discussed, and you have these skills and sources of power, we’ll talk about what you’ll say to gather information and negotiate for whatever services or support you need.
Then, when the urgency has passed, we’ll look at what systems we can put in place for the future to mitigate potential situations similar to what you’ve just faced. Along the way you’ll get connections, research, communications, emotional support, a sounding board – a soft place to land. I’ll hold all the information from your story and know why things are important along the way. I’ll be there consistently to keep up with you.
Question 4. What is your service philosophy?
I love the e.e. cummings quote, “It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are”. One thing about crisis is the extraordinary growth opportunity. Dealing with crisis requires courage, and I’m willing to be courageous with you. You don’t have to be courageous by yourself. Courage means having fear and doing it anyway. It’s unlikely we can remove fear, yet we can move forward with you as the leader of your situation, vs the victim of it. No matter what is happening, you can choose to be a leader!
Question 5. What resources do you provide to assist “laypeople” with understanding what is being discussed?
My resources include my network. I’ve developed a strong community across professions for so much of what we need. My communication skills are important – I listen to what’s being said and listen for what’s being left out. During crisis, our hearing and comprehension are not as good as usual. I provide a second set of eyes, ears and hands and an extra brain and heart for you.
Bonus Question! If you were to
relay one piece of advice to anyone reading this, what would it be?
You can anticipate and prepare for crisis by building up the three C’s:
- Your Capacity
- Your Community
- Your Communication Skills
These resources will always serve you in life, whether or not you’re in crisis. It’s more difficult to build up your capacity, community and communication in the midst of crisis. So I suggest you continuously build up your energy, connections and ability to handle difficult conversations.
My thanks to Debra for the work she does helping so many through crisis. If you’d like to reach Debra, please see her website ConnectTwo.com. Or if you’d like to set up a time to speak with her directly, schedule a free consultation or connection call at ConnectWithDebra.com.
Advanced planning for individuals and families matters. So often avoidance of discussing the what-if’s adds to emotional duress during times we need to focus on loved ones. If you’re looking for a road-map of pre-planning tips in layperson language, the 2019 edition of my book, The Living Planner – What to Prepare Now While You are Living may be of help: https://thelivingplanner.com/offerings
Now is always a good time to pursue some proactive steps to care for your business and your people. When you’re ready to consult and establish action plans, let’s talk. We’ll tackle those “life and work issues” with diligence and some fun along the way. Awareness of what’s at stake and what’s to gain is a powerful tool.
Reach out with questions via Email. Additional information is available upon request or on the website @ The Living Planner
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