Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
Karen Brown is the Founder and CEO of Exponential Results. She draws on 25 years of success as a corporate executive with over 20,000 hours of senior executive coaching experience. She’s also a focused and fearless athlete, having completed, as an amateur, the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and competing in numerous ultra-marathon and triathlon events around the world.
It was during her Ironman training that Karen discovered the key to greater performance and effectiveness: identifying and addressing blind spots – the repeated thinking patterns that impede success. Using a professional coach and science-based methodologies of how our minds work, she broke through her own blind spots to achieve astounding results. Her discovery led to the creation of Exponential Results’ proprietary Power Pathways™ methodology, stemming from neuroscience.
Karen is the author of Unlimiting Your Beliefs: 7 Keys to Greater Success in Your Personal and Professional Life (Morgan James Publish, 2018). The book is available on Amazon and other online outlets. She is often called upon to be a subject-matter expert on leadership, is a frequent podcast guest, and has given presentations and keynotes on leadership for organizations.
What inspired you to start this business?
I studied neuroscience for quite some time and figured out that this scientific discipline, specifically as it relates to behavioral patterns, is a better, faster way to elevate leadership and performance. I found this through 25 years of working in the corporate world in senior leadership positions, testing things out, and spending years studying how the brain works – the science of success, if you will. I also tested it myself (in my career and my pursuit of competing in the Ironman World Championships as an amateur) as well as working with clients, tracking their higher levels of success. It was thrilling to see the results! I then became inspired to apply it to executive leadership development and coaching. It was an epic “ah-ha moment putting the two together, creating that shiver up my spine that this is truly a game-changer.
Speaking of neuroscience, can you tell us exactly how you apply it to your executive leadership development clients?
The simplified brain model above depicts the three levels of consciousness in our brains, and where behavioral patterns are formed and run. It also illustrates the processing volume and speed differential between our conscious and unconscious levels, which is like comparing the weight-bearing capacity and speed of a skateboard to a SpaceX rocket. Since behavioral patterns in the unconscious mind dictate the way humans operate, tapping into them allows clients to easily identify the patterns they're running and observe the corresponding results (or deficits). Then we collaboratively develop and transition to new patterns that will generate their desired results. We leverage multiple decades of leadership development experience and the highest level of coaching credentials, then support the process with a proprietary system that tracks progress, facilitating and measuring change to achieve exponential results.
Ultimately, we assist clients in changing their actions and outcomes, which in turn has a cascading effect on teams, leadership levels, culture, and the company's bottom line (with tangible KPIs). The outcome is rapid, transformative, and creates permanent change, enabling every leader to step into the best version of themselves.
How do you stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies in your industry, and how do you incorporate them into your business strategy?
I am a voracious reader, typically devouring more than one book at a time Also, I listen to selected podcasts and applicable articles written by peers as well as authorities in the field. In addition, I talk with both colleagues and clients on a regular basis to keep my finger on the pulse of business and the real economy. Armed with this insight, I incorporate what is truly monumental – the insights that have displayed measured, proven outcomes – into our overall methodology. At the same time, I keep in mind that not every approach nor strategy works for every person. In leadership development, each client’s unique thought patterns must be addressed. Thus, the strategic approaches I come across often need to be customized to suit the needs and learning tendencies of the client. The fact is, it’s not enough to read and incorporate something original, because you don’t know if it works for everyone or just a few people. What I love is finding answers that can be utilized to work for everyone.
Can you share an example of a successful project you managed from start to finish, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?
I have several projects that I can point to as being high-level successes, as evidenced by the measurable results they achieved. In terms of enterprise-wide leadership development programs, here are some highlights:
A $17B organization that subsequently had the two best years in the company’s 60-year history after employing our leadership development programs.
A national, market-dominating, full-spectrum insurance company that similarly had the best two years in their 62-year existence.
Two companies that were both voted “Best Place to Work” in successive years.
EVERY leader who got promoted worked with us, and all the leaders who rose to the top of the organization over four years’ time had actively used the services of an executive leadership coach, improving themselves and their skills. What’s more, every leader who participated received the highest workplace survey results.
Lessons:
A number of important lessons came out of these engagements, which we now suggest to prospective companies:
Leaders are hungry for individual growth and expansion. They are sponges and like to move fast as they incorporate what they discover.
It’s important to lay out clear expectations up front that are agreed upon but that leave room for fluidity and evolution of great ideas.
Program administrators and senior executives must champion the program. It’s vital to keep communicating the WHY and the benefit to leaders. Even when you think you sound like a broken record, you need to do it constantly to get through. And remember to connect it to real situations.
Share real stories transparently. It helps other leaders to know they aren’t alone in what they are feeling or experiencing.
Identify exceptions or explain that there won’t be any. Do it upfront.
Allow leaders to opt in and choose their coach/program element timing.
What makes you feel ‘out of your comfort zone?’ How do you handle these types of situations?
I feel like I’m representative of everyone because I’m simultaneously nothing special while also being unique, wich we all are. And all our brains work the exact same way. What makes me feel out of my comfort zone is facing something new, different, or bigger than I have in the past. Our brains immediately spring into action telling us, “You can’t do that, you’ll get hurt, you will fail, you will be laughed at or embarrassed,” etc. This is our brain trying to protect us and keep us safe. These are scientifically known as Limiting Beliefs (which my book is about) because they constitute an evolutionary “bug” left over in our operating system. Yet none of us should have to struggle with them.
I confront limiting beliefs through the use of neuroscience. I first identify the limiting belief itself by writing it out. Then, I identify the opposite of it, or the “unlimiting belief,” and write it next to the limiting belief. I put this in a reminder app (our clients get to use our proprietary app for this), which prompts me to stop when I have that thought and change it by saying the unlimiting belief out loud. Believe me, I’ve gotten some stares when I do it in public! But it is the best technique I’ve ever found for transforming limiting beliefs quickly. And then, I actually DO the thing I’m afraid of. Pursuing the Ironman World Championships, swimming in the open ocean, running a marathon, cycling 100+ miles, traveling alone, playing electric guitar…the list continues.
How do you foster innovation and creativity within your team, and what strategies have you found to be most effective?
I share specific expectations on desired outcomes and invite team members to figure out the best way to produce them. I also ask what they see as the solution or best idea and let them run with it, collaborating along the way, asking them to play out the sequence and determine the likely impacts.
We work with the system of Relationship Intelligence Quotient (RQ) on our team. Everyone knows themselves and their motivational value system, which is how we all operate to get things done. We also know the dynamics of our interactions, what triggers each other, and when we overplay a strength. It’s knowing and working on these RQ elements that help us collaborate better, enjoy healthy debate, heighten our decision-making skills, and enable us to engage in productive conflict. Using RQ facilitates creativity. When our minds are freed up from HOW we work with others, we have the bandwidth to let the creativity flow. We think in realms we didn’t before. It’s like we’ve left the low-level stuff behind and elevated ourselves and our minds, which is where creativity lives and thrives.
Can you describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision that impacted the direction of the company, and how did you handle it?
One of my biggest company-related decisions was whether to even start my business. In 2012 there weren’t any companies doing what I envisioned. The executive coaching and development landscape was overflowing with traditional providers, all doing the same thing: telling people what to do based on their experience in the seat or, if they had coaching certifications, incorporating questions for self-discovery. But in the end, they would all use logic and top-of-mind ( conscious ) thoughts to make decisions. No one was looking at or using behavioral patterns in the space. And since the space was already packed with large, successful companies, I wondered if there was any room for us and what our fate would be.
It came down to an irrefutable gut feeling and looking at the data over and over concluding that this was the innovation the market sector needed; this was the difference-maker. I decided I had to try, no matter what the outcome, knowing that my purpose on this earth is to make a positive difference with people and that I was shown this and given the gift of working in behavioral patterns for a reason. Since then, many people – now very well-known and respected - have joined in this space; Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, and Adam Grant, to name just a few.
How do you prioritize and manage competing demands for your time and resources as a leader?
For me, scalable works. Part of what makes an effective leader is realizing you can’t and shouldn’t do it all. Identifying the things that I’m best or gifted at, and contracting, delegating, leveraging the rest. My team and Executive Assistant are highly talented, particularly in the places I’m not, and continually find new things to take off my plate, so that I can operate at an elevated, visionary level. I also efficiently schedule my time for meetings and tasks and then use single-point focus: that is, focusing solely on one thing, free of distractions and multi-tasking. This approach really helps me identify and achieve the most important things in a short amount of time. Lastly, through ultra-athletics, I learned and incorporated the exponential value of balance: adequate sleep, downtime, physical activity, and healthy eating. All these elements, combined with scheduling, allow me to scale to high and sustainable levels.
Additionally, could you share with us any details about your personal life, hobbies, pets, or family?
I’m a Colorado native and enjoy an active, outdoor, healthy lifestyle, including being a vegan. I was an internationally competitive ultra-athlete for eight years and traveled the world, having a ball! I hung up my spurs in 2018 in Italy after feeling an overwhelming sense of completion and desire to spend time helping more leaders and companies, while expanding myself through other means. I not only still run, mountain bike, and swim, I also lift weights with renowned trainer Jeff Cavalier (cue the Superhero theme), and love boxing workouts. I took up a new sport in 2021 called skate skiing, which uses cross-country skis and a skating motion to propel yourself; it’s a very challenging, total body and mind, immersive workout. My newest hobby is playing the electric guitar, which I started this year at age 55, never having played an instrument before. I’m taking lessons, have been at it for a few months, and love it! When I am good enough (which shouldn’t be too long), I plan to play a concert medley of my favorite songs from my rooftop deck overlooking Denver.
