Gill McLaren - Think. Plan. Live Your Best Life.
“Your Life is as unique to you as your fingerprint.”
Gill McLaren is the founder and creator of Syntegrate Life Design and author of "Think. Plan. Live” - a book that helps you "define and design your best life in 6 simple steps".
Gill's passion for 'living your best life' started a decade ago when she was sitting in a work conference holding up a c-suite role and juggling twin girls. It was the spark that ignited her curiosity to explore what living a best life really is - a journey that led her to experiment with a host of different ideas and practical approaches to navigate her own C-suite career at Coca-Cola with being a great mum. Her discoveries had many twists and turns that led her to finally working out the pieces of the 'life jigsaw' that make Life Design possible.
Gill's realisation that she may have cracked the code to people living happier lives in tune with who they are, was so profound that she quit her corporate career to focus on it. Her Life Design approach has now been tried and tested and has helped many women (and a few men!) feel more confident in navigating life based on their strengths, values, passions and who they really are versus who they think they should be.
"Our Life is as unique as our fingerprint. In Life Design the goal is to uncover our true life fingerprint that defines who we are and how we want to show up in the world and once defined every future decision in life can be navigated to amplify who we are versus who we think we should be.”
For 20 years before starting Syntegrate, Gill worked in executive leadership roles across the UK, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore in the areas of General Management, Strategic Planning, Commercial, Customer and Marketing at Coca-Cola. As a member of the Global Women’s Leadership Council and Chair of the Pacific Women’s Leadership council, with a focus on the goal of achieving gender parity in senior leadership positions, Gill’s journey has given her deep experiences of different functions, countries, people and cultures all over the world.
What’s one of your greatest accomplishments to date and what impact did it have on you, others, society or the world?
Writing Think.Plan.Live. and creating a practical way to help others design their best life is an accomplishment I’m really proud of and one that’s had a positive impact on others. My journey to discover my best life and write the book took 10 years + of personal discovery, before I felt ready to leave my corporate career.
When I started the journey it was purely about my own personal desire to work out what makes me happy, and to create a life for me and my family that was really true to who I am. Now, the sense of accomplishment comes from seeing how the step by step approach helps others work out who they really are, what gives them energy, and how they can design their best life in tune with that - without needing to be like me and spend 10 years trying to work it all out!
What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve experienced and/or overcame in your journey as a leader?
Re-shaping how I work after having children. I have twin girls who are now age 18. Going back nearly two decades ago, when I had children, I wasn’t surrounded by many other women at work. I tried to be Superwoman, still trying to carry on at work as I did before children and wanting to be the best mum I could be. I felt guilty I wasn’t doing such a good job at work, and guilty I wasn’t being the best mum either!
I came through it by making much clearer choices about my must haves and must dos (at work and at home). I got help with childcare, house cleaning etc and I thought through a ‘job description’ for my life that didn’t seek balance, but instead sought to integrate my life the best I could. I came through the challenge with a more self acceptance of being 80/20 versus everything needing to be 100%+ to be a success. On reflection, this period of my life really helped my leadership - I became more open to getting help from others. I was stronger in mobilising teams of people to get the job done. It was also the start of my passion for inclusion, when I recognised:
We have no idea of what other people have going on in their lives. Being open and curious about this can give us the space to best support others in their juggle between work and life commitments - whatever they are.
Who do you turn to for guidance, advice or support?
A network of people - my daughters, husband, other family and friends, colleagues I work with, co-facilitators on programs and my clients. There is one thread running through all the people I turn to - they are an Energy Giver to me. When we connect there is a net increase in energy, this can be quiet reflective energy from a great question they ask, or buzzy energy bouncing around ideas.
For me it’s about reaching our potential and helping others do the same. My energy givers see something in me and me in them which means we amplify each other and grow into our potential. I first became aware of this when I was at school. I had a new teacher join the school, and she saw something in me I didn’t see in myself, this helped me to learn and grow and feel greater confidence in what I was capable of.
It brings to mind a favourite Maya Angelou quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
Complete the following sentence: “A leader is someone who….….”
A leader is someone who you respect and would follow regardless of whether they have the title ‘leader’. Leadership is not a position, it's a mindset, as a leader you are there to serve your team, by bringing out the best in them, amplifying their strengths, and helping them reach their potential. True Leadership requires authenticity and integrity.
Out of recognition that an increasing number of women feel stressed and worked, juggling a successful and rewarding career with devoting time to their family, Gill’s coaching in Life Design gives people an insight and opportunity to re-discover their strengths, values and passions in service of integrating life’s lessons into our best life design.
Connect with Gill on LinkedIn or for more information on Think. Plan Live and Life Design visit her website Syntegrate.