EXECUTIVE COACHING
Shifting from insecurities towards solid self-belief and self-reliance in a new role
Situation
Overwhelmed by the workload and threatened by a ‘tough’ boss, the new CEO was doubting her ability to succeed, and shared with the coach ‘she might have been handpicked for lack of better candidates’. She also thought her male colleagues strongly doubted her abilities to steer the business, out of a bias towards her gender.
Excerpts from our coaching work
We defined what success would look like, 3, 6 and 9 months later in the job, updated the inventory of her experience, strengths and developmental areas, clarified stakeholders’ expectations, her ‘value proposition’ to the organization and a few ‘visible’ quick-wins. A verbal 360 acknowledged the strengths she had identified and brought in useful insights for improvement. Her ‘impostor syndrome’ dissipated as her self-belief and self-reliance grew.
At a deeper level, we clarified her motivations as a leader and purpose, and how she could fully leverage and share them across the organization.
We also worked on her priorities and time management, and how she get her team to support her more effectively.
She also enlisted a personal trainer and joined meditation classes on weekends.
Outcome
More aware of her strengths – and how to play to them -, and clearer about her ‘value proposition’ to the organization, the client appeared more reliable, firm and decisive to her boss. She shared with him what she brought to the table and her vulnerabilities, as well as how he could best support her going forward. He acknowledged her courage in disclosing that, and committed to help her as she requested.
She announced the ‘visible’ quick-wins she intended to deliver, enlisted effective support from her team, and succeeded on time and in full.
Her healthier work-life balance, physical exercise and meditation classes helped her recover her stamina and full intellectual sharpness.
A year later, she had consolidated her company’s competitive position significantly, and ensured successful launch of two new products.