Katie Lawson, a top-rated Conference for Women speaker, found her professional calling while working as an actress and host in New York City: to inspire positive change in others. Today, she is the head of communications for North America at ZEISS, a pioneer in optics.
Here’s how she does it.
Leadership Lessons
Focus on Your Strengths
Last year, as part of a leadership development program at ZEISS, I had several one-on-one coaching sessions with the program facilitator.
My goal was to identify the qualities I needed to improve as a leader. But Stuart, our instructor, was more concerned with rewiring my belief systems.
What came out in our sessions was a persistent, nagging voice telling me that I was unorganized, a “mess,” and terrible at time management. As much as I had worked to improve in those areas, nothing seemed to change, and the voice only became louder.
Then Stuart said four words that stopped me in my shame-spiraling tracks: “Focus on your strengths.”
I let that in. To focus on my strengths would be to reframe my sense of self at work. By leaning into my gifts, I would feel more at ease and natural, he said.
Suddenly, the voice got quiet, and my strengths outshone my “weaknesses”: my enthusiasm and empathy, my ability to influence others towards excellence, my aptitude for cultivating potential.
With this new lens, I recognized that I was a consistently positive force on my team and in the workplace. It wasn’t that I didn’t have blind spots or places to grow; it was that I’d forgotten my value.
These days, when critical thoughts arise, I know it’s a sign to reframe, not to react.
Career Advice
Say the Thing You’re Afraid to Say
I heard this years ago on a relationship podcast, and it’s stayed with me.
We all know what it’s like to hold something inside, to avoid expressing our feelings on an issue or dance around it. You put that sticky conversation as the last item for your 1-on-1, move it to the bottom of your to-do list, or push the calendar invite out another few weeks.
But instead, I use this avoidance, this fear, as my guide towards what I need to say first.
Say the uncomfortable thing early and often, and watch your career grow and your work relationships transform.
Center in Your Own Self-Worth
From a young age, I saw this belief modeled at home: every night, an hour later than expected, my dad would return from work, exhausted and rung out, having pushed himself to his limits.
Picking up the mantle and wanting to follow in his footsteps, I applied a similar ethos to my schoolwork. I believed that every “A” I received was truly an “A for effort.” Sure, I did well, but it was only because – my brain told me – I studied the longest, held onto the test booklet until the last second, drove myself the hardest.
When I entered the professional world, this attitude remained with me. First, as a theatre actress, it motivated me to pull late nights over-preparing for auditions. Later, in the corporate workplace, I’d feel guilty if I went home on time, like maybe I missed something.
Then I met Kristin, a successful Broadway director and creative coach. By some miracle, she was able to produce prolific, excellent work and have free time to enjoy her life, an impromptu lunch date with a friend, a walk through Central Park, a midday massage. I remember observing her and thinking, “How?!”
It made me angry and jealous. But the more I worked with her and listened to her lectures and podcasts, the more I gleaned the answer. Turns out, Kristin was so centered in her own self-worth that she didn’t need to try so hard.
Her easy confidence made me question my own desire to push. Now, when I did, I noticed a compulsive need to prove and a story that said, “I am not worthy as I am.” Those roots go deep and have opened a whole new front in my own self-exploration and evolution.
Today, I’ve learned to become more relaxed in how I approach my career. I find that the more I ground myself in my inherent self-worth, the less likely I am to overwork. This is my new definition of success, and I aim to model it for my team and those around me.
Energy Booster
Breathe. Pause. Believe in Yourself
Sometimes, my conditioning as a woman leads me to believe I can’t solve a problem. This gentle reminder—“Breathe. Pause. Believe in yourself. You know what to do; and if you don’t, you will”—grounds me in the confidence of my decision-making.
Move Your Body
You’ll catch me doing all kinds of unique movements on any given workday. I’ve always been a very physical person, so movement changes everything for me: how I think, feel, and see a situation or experience.
And I don’t mean only weightlifting or intense exercise; it can be a walk outside, a stretch next to my desk, or a dance party in my car.
Whether it’s overwhelm, anger, or anxiety, movement shifts my inner life and shifting my inner life centers me with new clarity and energy.
