The CEO of a small division was frustrated by staff who didn’t seem to take her leadership seriously. She was soft-spoken and apologetic, sometimes avoiding problems rather than addressing them. It wasn’t clear from her behavior whether she even wanted to be a leader. Alida invited her to explore that question, and the client discovered a resounding “YES!” She had worked hard to get to her current position, and she wanted to be good at it. With that decision, she found the energy she needed to make a shift. It turned out that what had been holding her back were concerns about how she would be perceived. She didn’t hold people accountable because she didn’t want to be seen as “mean” or “pushy.” Alida worked with her to find her authentic leadership voice, one that was clear and strong, and at the same time caring and compassionate. After six months, her division had turned around, and was exceeding plan, outperforming other divisions in their organization.
