This feature is a question-and-answer session with a Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 234th installment visiting with Wil Davenport, owner/lead facilitator/keynote speaker/emcee for It Begins Within – Developing Leaders which offers leadership development training experiences.
Describe more about your company. Training experiences can come in the form of team workshops, small group mentoring, and one-on-one coaching. I also deliver keynote speeches and work as an emcee at different events. Some of our most effective workshops include: 1) Navigating Difficult Conversations, 2) Cultivating Emotional Intelligence, and 3) Creating Effective “60-Second-Mini-Speeches” to share about your business.
We approach our work in two ways. First, we help businesses and organizations save money and build stronger teams by helping their employees develop effective communication and relational skills. As a result, they retain more employees, reduce unproductive worplace conflict, and building teams that communicate effectively internally and with vendors/customers. Second, we know that it’s what’s going on inside of each person, their mindset and inner dialogue, that often determines how much of their potential they can reach. We help leaders remove the psychological barriers that get in their way.
How did you get started? Since my college days I’ve been passionate about growing as a leader. I honed my leadership skill as a manager of a thriving Starbucks and as a ministry leader in a large Methodist Church. I’ve been leading workshops professionally and as a volunteer for years and my wife, Celeste, has often commented about the passion and energy I share with her after mentoring and/or training experiences. A few years ago she encouraged me to take the leap and start a business focused on leadership development. I leveraged the relations I’ve cultivated over the years to start It Begins Within- Developing Leaders.
What is your background? I gained the skills I use at It Begins Within-Developing Leaders through my experience Managing a Starbucks, leading a ministry team of over 100 monthly volunteers and many more for special events, and as an entrepreneur for the last decade. I am also certified as a Future of Strengths trainer, have a degree in Christian Education (including courses in instructional design and leadership), and have experience leading workshops with thousands of participants. Finally, I am a lifelong learner, continually finding ways to learn and grow as a leader and facilitator.
Who is your mentor? I’ve been blessed with several key mentors over the years. One, Mark Hoogerhyde, offered the accountability I needed to make important changes in my life and held me to a standard of excellence while I grew as a leader. A recent mentor, Kim Ballard, COO of the YMCA of East Tennessee, offers me ecouragement, as important questions, and offers a steady flow of ideas. Another mentor, Erin Daldry, a Kiwi from New Zealand, guided me into deep reflection on a variety of topics, challenging me to more beyond simplistic ideas, trite phrases, and self-centered ways of navigating the world.
Describe your customers: I often work with businesses and organizations that employee young leaders. My goal is to remove barriers for these young leaders so that the arc of their professional journey grows, while making them more effective leaders where they work. The folks I work with care about investing in their teams. They want their employees to know they are valued.
What are three things you wish you knew when you started? 1) Building a business is like boiling water. Like room temperature H20, a lot of energy is invested with no noticeable change in the business/water. But at some point, a magical temperature/moment is reached and then everything changes. That when the powerful steam of business creates momentum and growth.
2) How long it can take to begin building a stable income.
3) How enjoyable it can build to build your networking and cultivate significant personal and professional relationships.
What do you enjoy most about your profession? I enjoy getting to be creative developing workshops and other content. Watching leaders actively engaging the material and making changes in their lives and how they go about their work. Building genuine relationships with so many people.
