Meet Kristin Kaufman | Leadership consultant, business advisor, and author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristin Kaufman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristin, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My concept of ‘alignment’ was spawned through my own life experiences, personal and professional. I define Alignment as ‘loving what you do, being good at it, and most importantly having it tied to something greater than yourself’. After 25 years in corporate leadership roles, I was not loving it anymore – and I found myself out of alignment. I had that fulfillment for decades when leading large global teams in Corporate… then I didn’t.

And, from my own personal experiences, alignment within oneself is the first step to harnessing our potential. Once an individual is truly aligned around their purpose – and thus, they are indeed living their life on purpose – this is when and where power is revealed and released. I believe that the most fulfilled and successful individuals are those whose thoughts, feelings, beliefs, gifts, talents, strengths, preferences and desires on how and where to contribute in the world are aligned. Their mind, body, emotions, and spirit are in harmony. There is simply no substitute for total alignment and congruency within a person or leader.

I wanted to take my personal experience and tap into the power of alignment for other individuals like me, as well as teams, groups, and organizations… and that is how my company Alignment, Inc. evolved. I love being an entrepreneur, being in service to others, and applying my corporate business experience to help others reach their potential.

What should our readers know about your business?
ALIGNMENT, Inc., was founded to help individuals, teams, and leaders increase their overall levels of contribution, bottom-line effectiveness and personal fulfillment.

To be a successful leadership coach, it is my belief it is of great benefit to have been successful in business, and faced the ups and downs that every successful business leader has faced.

My clients have said there are few things that make Alignment, Inc. (and me) different:

They know I have been there for the good times and the not so good times.
And thus – “I get it’ – that alignment to one’s strengths, passions, and ultimately to the organization’s vision will determine a person’s success. I ‘get’ the reality of company politics, of cross functional and silo discrepancies, and the criticality to get everyone pulling in the same direction. And even more importantly, I realize it is imperative to stay true to oneself and aligned to the organization’s direction to be fulfilled AND successful. Finally, having faced the music and left a very successful career to create the aligned life I wanted…. doing what she loves, what she is good at, and most importantly having it tied to something greater than herself….I help others do the same.

‘Smooth’ is a state of mind, as we all know. Has the road been ‘easy’? Not always, yet every bump and setback without question served my growth – personally and professionally.

There was the challenge of truly differentiating what I offer and my approach from the thousands of others that ‘do’ the ‘same thing’. When I first incorporated, there was the challenge of building my ‘brand’ and my clientele. Yet, what I have learned is that everyone is different, and what I bring to the table is uniquely mine – due to my unique experiences. So, when we stay true to who we are, we attract the ideal clients for what we offer…

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, I actually just had that opportunity! I had two very dear friends, with whom we shared a spiritual retreat in Bali in June. They had never been to Dallas – so I had the opportunity to introduce them!

We ‘go deep or go home’ (aka: deep conversations) so much of our time revolved around the ‘food scene’. My all-time favorite bistro (and home away from home) is Parigi on Oaklawn Avenue. Janice Provost, owner, is a dear friend. I have hosted all my book signings there – and the food, atmosphere, and ‘warm energy’ makes everyone I introduce to Parigi a raving fan.

I also hosted a large cocktail party and dinner for 75 of my closest friends in my own home to welcome them to Dallas. I am passionate about home entertaining.

And we capped off our time at Salum, another dear friend’s restaurant (Abraham Salum), where we celebrated all our birthdays at his special restaurant.

In between these special dinners, we actually drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas (my hometown) where they were able to experience the hot springs baths, fabulous boat rides on the lake, dinners on our deck on the lake, and the history of Hot Springs. Nothing like sandwiching small town life between the night life and fabulous Dallas!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents were the greatest role models in my life. No question. My sister and I were fortunate to have a very tight knit family with our momma and daddy at the helm. Through their lives they taught the importance of faith, family, hard work, integrity, community contribution, and the value of giving the most of yourself to each and every endeavor in business and life.

Website: www.kristinkaufman.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinskaufman/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kristinkaufman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristinKaufman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristin.kaufman/

Youtube: http://www.kristinkaufman.com/Kristinyoutube

Other: https://linktr.ee/KristinSKaufman

Image Credits
Laura Kellerman