Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Knights.
Laura, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always had a passion for leadership and personal development. Even in high school and college, I was always involved in activities where I had to lead or I had a hand in developing other people to lead. Over the last 16+ years, I’ve been developing personal and professional programs that teach others how to manage both the “head work” and “heart work” required to succeed at work and in life.
This work has taken me down several paths. I’ve done everything from teaching leadership skills to high school students to developing economic empowerment programs for low-income adults in Chicago to working as a family therapist, working as a small business advisor for women entrepreneurs, and to my work now as a leadership development consultant for organizations.
The work has been varied, but there has always been a unifying thread to all the work I have done. No matter what my title was, my work has still involved educating and empowering people so that they can uncover their full potential and make their unique contributions—to their families, to their workplaces, and the world at large.
After being in senior leadership at a university in a role where I had lots of staff development responsibilities, I became more and more passionate about creating empowered workplaces where leaders are inspired and employees are engaged and motivated to meet organizational goals. Initially, I started doing stand-alone workshops and retreats for organizations on topics like collaborative communication, management skills, and coaching employees for success. After gaining some momentum, I launched Knights Consulting LLC in 2016. We provide customized training and coaching programs to help organizations create more confident leaders and high performing teams.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, the road has not been smooth! I think, like every entrepreneur, I’ve been through my fair share of mindset challenges. Entrepreneurship is one of those experiences that will test every part of your life – your confidence, your relationships, your faith, your sanity, your patience, literally everything! There’s the rose-colored lens of pursuing a passion, having time freedom, and being a BOSS. However, once you get in the thick of things, entrepreneurship is just as tough as it is rewarding. It can be lonely at times when you are really building your business from scratch, and you don’t always immediately see the benefits of all your hard work. I was able to weather the storm by creating a solid support system, spending time in prayer and meditation, investing in my own professional development, being open to change my strategy when things weren’t working, and hiring coaches along the way to help me keep the big picture in view.
Another big challenge was relocating here to Atlanta from Chicago in 2017. My husband accepted a job here, and since I can do my work anywhere, I was up for the change. I’m a serial optimist, so I don’t think I was completely realistic about what a big shift this move was going to be for my life! Initially, my business took a hit because so much of my work was tied to my Chicago network, and I was no longer as visible in my usual circles. Additionally, I had to recreate my personal community from scratch. I’m a big community person and a total extrovert, so the initial isolation was a bit of a shock. The impact of the change was totally unexpected, but I’ve had to embrace jumping out here to create a new community (both personal and business) in my new home. I stumbled through 2018, but 2019 was really a turning point for me. I started to build personal and professional relationships, secured more local clients, and started to get a better feel for the city. I’m in a completely different mind space now, and I’m excited about making the most of 2020.
Please tell us about your work.
Knights Consulting is a leadership and team development firm. I work with organizations that want to strengthen the leadership skills of their managers and elevate teamwork amongst employees. Our work normally looks like coaching and training for managers to gain more skills and confidence as leaders. When I say “skills,” I’m referring to leadership skills like having difficult performance conversations, holding team members accountable, resolving conflict, and learning to delegate. We also provide training and coaching for the team as a whole to build trust and have better communication and collaboration.
Specifically, our services include leadership development training programs for frontline managers, one-to-one leadership coaching, workshop and retreat facilitation for the team, and keynote speaking.
Our approach is that we focus on the whole person, and I’m proud of that. My unique background in human resources, business, and as a licensed clinical social worker helps me work with organizations to address the internal and external components of employee development. Our training and coaching services are comprehensive in scope, including assessment, program development, evaluation, and ongoing advisory. And our programs don’t just address performance management, but also employee empowerment and wellness. We bring our whole selves to work, so learning and development activities should address the whole person. Additionally, our agile, boutique consultancy structure helps us to remain flexible and respond quickly with customized solutions to fit our customers specific needs. At the core, we desire to transform the entire team for a more empowered work environment, which ultimately creates a more successful organization.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment is a composite of many smaller moments of playing a tiny role in someone’s personal development that allows them to gain more self-awareness, stretch their own capacity, discover a bit more of their potential, and leave their mark on the world.
From my work over the years, I’ve seen this in so many iterations. I’ve supported teenagers to be first generation, college graduates. I’ve coached and mentored a struggling single mom who went from getting her GED to being a thriving doctoral student. I’ve coached managers who were overwhelmed and unsure of themselves and witnessed them transform into inspired and courageous leaders. These are just a few of the experiences I’ve been blessed to be a part of. The tiny role I’ve been able to play in all of these situations is my legacy in the world. That feels good!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.knightsconsultinggroup.com
- Phone: 888-661-7104
- Email: laura@knightsconsultinggroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraeknights/
- Other: http://linkedin.com/in/lauraeknights/
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