Life often feels like a game of chess.
When you’re in the game at board level, it’s hard to see above and around the other pieces to get the perspective critical for making strategic decisions. Transformation coaching provides insight and impact that can change everything.
Every one of my clients wants to be not only their best but THE best. Intelligence, drive, and ambition are “table stakes” to senior leadership in the corporate world. If you’re at that level or aspire to be, let’s talk.
Trap: What no one tells you early in your career is that the habits and mindsets that served you well to this point are one promotion away from becoming tripwires to career-limiting landmines.
How do you cling to the familiar and climb to new heights simultaneously?? You don’t. You leap … with an experienced coach. When you change your mind, everything changes.
Everyone needs someone to talk to. Leaders are no different, but the higher you get, the fewer people there are who “get it” AND are trustworthy, without a personal agenda.
When everyone is counting on you, who can YOU count on for unbiased reflection grounded in years of experience at top levels of leadership?
Courage or comfort? It’s time to choose
Engaging in coaching requires enormous courage. As Brené Brown likes to say “You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort. But you can’t choose both at the same time.” That you’ve read this far is a testament to your willingness to get uncomfortable in order to get better at your craft—effective, courageous leadership. Congratulations!
My job is to serve you, not please you.
I’ll tell you what others won’t, with your best interests at heart. Confidentiality assured.
I operate as a member of your team and therefore will tell you the truth as I see it, unflinchingly. I don’t need you to like me. My only goal is to help you be more effective. My experience is that this happens best in a trusting and open relationship where key agreements about responsibilities are formed early and honored without fail.
Powerful coaching provides speed to insight and insight to action. It can prevent you being blindsided by information that others have but aren’t brave enough to tell you. Don’t waste time guessing at the issues. Let me help.
What does executive coaching look like? Agreements, Assessments, Insights, Challenges, Check-Ups
Without a knowledge of yourself and of how your style and mindset are impacting your effectiveness, you’re playing defense with only half a team, not offense with all your resources.
Coaching with me involves 5 basic steps:
1. Expectations and agreements through contracting—is this a good fit? Determining the scale and scope of our relationship. What’s your highest dream for this engagement? I’ll talk with you and your boss together to understand deeply your context and the agreements we need to have in place for the work to be successful.
2. Data Collection—based on our contracting conversations, I will design a plan for assessment to get an accurate reckoning for where you are now. It may involve interviews, personality assessments, 360° multi-rater tools. I’ve even interviewed spouses, children, siblings, and childhood friends to get a true all-around view on who you are and where you’ve come from over the course of a lifetime.
3. Feedback and Insight, Consolidation and Planning—in a engaging, supportive, and confidential environment, we’ll sit down together over at least two long sessions to review the feedback data, look for themes and insights, and then craft your action plan. Some clients include life partners in this work. The assessments take the guess work out of what needs to be addressed. You get to decide what you’ll tackle first and how, with keen guidance from your coach.
4. Taking Action—we’ll take your action plan to your boss or other key stakeholders to assure alignment, and then the fun begins! You’ll start testing out different elements of your action plan, assessing outcomes, and adjusting as needed over the course of 6-12 months. I’ll be with you along the way with regular phone calls, on-site observation visits to see you in “real life” action, and other accountability/support tools we decide together will be helpful.
5. Spot checking to evaluate your progress— we’ll focus our follow up on a few key questions. I’ll call around and send out an on-line survey to your colleagues asking what changes they’ve seen in your leadership—what they’re appreciating, and what they’re hoping you’ll keep working on. From that we’ll update your action plan, follow up with your boss and create a go-forward agenda to propel you forward even further.
All data and materials are confidential.
- Your employer only sees what you want them to see. All your data is yours. We’ll create maps and action plans that I’ll encourage you to share, but it’s up to you.
- At times, sharing industry-sensitive material is necessary for me to have the full context and understanding of your leadership challenges. I am glad to sign an NDA, and all conversations are confidential.
If you’re stuck, your company is stuck. Coaching opens up new possibilities for you and your company.
Without awareness, even your strengths can be your downfall. Why waste time stumbling around blind? Get insight fast and optimize your leadership ASAP.
A favorite proverb: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
Testimonial
Laura Pallavicini
Executive Director
Riverwood TRC
Sarah has been instrumental in helping me realize my potential as a leader- not just in the business world but in all aspects of my life. She has an uncanny ability to hear a dilemma and bring in a perspective that is genuine and honest. Most importantly, she has helped me understand and define my own style of leading while I also embrace the communication differences and needs of others.
Prior to working with Sarah, I was challenged to clearly define the strategies I need to focus on in stressful leadership situations. After spending time with her, I am much more confident in setting boundaries to help those situations work out in a process with positive outcomes. I am able to recognize that making mistakes is not the end of the world when you have clear and authentic intentions. There is so much to be learned when you embark on the journey of leadership awareness. If you are considering enlisting Sarah’s help, don’t hesitate. Whether working for a small non-profit or a large corporation, leadership is complicated work and Sarah really helps make it clear and enjoyable.
Patrick O’Brien
Sarah did an excellent job with a number of hi potential team members. She helped them leverage their strengths while building plans to improve on their limitations. Results were very strong and feedback on her coaching was off the charts!!