If you’re like most of my clients, you’re not new to the game of leadership. You’re probably in the middle of your career, and in a director-level position or above in your organization. As a leader, you have built skills over time that have helped you advance, and you have a track record of success.
But now, something has changed. Despite your past success, you find yourself stymied in achieving the results you want. You may recognize yourself in one of these scenarios.
- You have stepped into a new leadership role, with a new organization, a new team, or a bigger scope of responsibility. You are discovering that the skills and smarts that helped you succeed in the past are no longer working. You realize that you have to expand your leadership capacity in order accomplish your goals, and you’re not quite sure how to do this.
- Despite your best efforts, your team is stuck in ineffective patterns that are keeping it from delivering the results that you need. Team members avoid conflict, don’t communicate well, miss deadlines, or don’t hold each other accountable. You’re frustrated because you know that each individual is very competent, but together they just aren’t performing at a high level.
- You are clear about your goals, but continually frustrated that you don’t seem to be able to stay focused on them. Every day brings a new crisis, and you feel as though you’re constantly fighting fires. You can tell you’re reactive, but struggle to operate from a more calm, centered place.
If any of these situations sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone! Over the past 13 years, I have worked with numerous leaders and teams who have struggled with similar challenges. Typically in their forties or fifties, my clients work in a wide variety of organizations and are in the middle of successful careers. They work in the government, non-profit, and private sectors. Though they have diverse areas of expertise, ranging from education to healthcare, youth development, fundraising, human resources, communications, insurance, and information technology, they all face similar leadership challenges.
Can my services help you?
If you see yourself in this description of my clients and their typical challenges, it may be that what I offer is a good fit for you. That may be especially true if you have the following characteristics. These are the traits I’ve noticed in those clients who have gotten the most value from working with me over the years.
- You are open to learning. This doesn’t mean that you don’t occasionally get defensive, or that you love every step in the process. Changing behavior in order to change the results you’re getting is hard work, and sometimes uncomfortable. But, you are willing to do the hard work and tolerate some discomfort in order to improve your skills.
- You are willing to be honest with me about your experience. I do my best work with people who are frank with me. Do you think the exercise that I’m asking you to do doesn’t make sense? I want to hear about it. Did I say or do something that confused or irritated you? I want to know.
- You have a sense of humor about yourself. As I’ve already said, changing behavior in order to change the results that you’re getting is hard work. A sense of humor will help you get through any difficult stretches and get the most value from working with me. Being able to laugh at yourself periodically makes the work more enjoyable and makes the learning a little bit easier.
- You’re committed to doing excellent work. Regardless of the industry or sector you work in, or the nature of your job, you hold high standards for yourself and others. You seek to make a positive difference for your employees and customers.
Still interested? You can learn more by reading about my services, or about the specific results my clients have achieved. For more in-depth information about how I help clients expand their leadership capacity, download my free article: “The 3 Skills You Must Have To Sustain Results As A Leader.”