Ashley (not her real name) is a senior executive at a leading healthcare organization. Before working with Alida, she was struggling at work. This was her first time on an executive team and she had been hired into a brand new role, to lead a part of the organization in a new direction. While she felt prepared for this level of leadership, she faced a lot of challenges.
Ashley had inherited staff that wasn’t trained to execute on the job she was hired to do. She faced constant resistance from a negative employee, who was a trusted member of the staff. The pushback was starting to erode Ashley’s confidence and she was frustrated by how slowly things were progressing. Every aspect of her work life seemed blocked.
After spending the majority of the sessions with her therapist talking about work frustrations, she realized what she needed most was an executive coach — someone she could not only trust, but whose advice stemmed from direct experience in the corporate world.
“There’s credibility there. Alida’s the real deal.”
With Alida’s coaching, Ashley was able to step back and envision what her ideal team could look like. She went from surviving the staff she inherited by default to thoughtfully strategizing who would stay and who no longer fit, and how to make those changes within the constraints of her organization.
“I was in the midst of having to make major changes to my organization and it was so helpful to have Alida’s support in making those changes. She gave me the confidence to have difficult conversations and make difficult decisions.”
She learned how to effectively lead those who stayed and how to enroll them in her new vision. She hired new staff that would serve the long-term direction and got them up and running quickly. She brought on a second-in-command to handle the day-to-day operations, so she could focus on the work she was actually hired to do – growing the new division.
“Alida introduced me to frameworks in the work environment that provided clarity and new perspectives. To now make decisions based on those frameworks — which are actually based on years of research and real knowledge — is priceless.”
Before their work together, Ashley was frustrated with the pace of her career. Knowing her ultimate goal is to be a CEO some day, she felt like things weren’t moving fast enough. With Alida’s coaching, Ashley reframed her disempowered story about the timing of it all.
She saw that she could use her current position to really hone the skills she’d need to be a CEO while getting to be fully present with her young children at a precious time in their lives. She identified ways she could use her current position to broaden her skill set, and enlisted other members of the senior team as mentors and guides — so that when the timing IS right for that CEO role, she’ll be fully prepared. All of this had her see her current role as an opportunity – a useful stepping stone – instead of a frustrating delay.
“Sometimes you need to talk through things with someone who gets the space you’re in versus just thinking about them. Even though I might have eventually gotten to the same place, that ability to talk to a trusted person was exactly what I needed.”
Alida’s coaching freed Ashley up to focus on what was right in front of her without losing sight of her goals. She has since been able to see the bigger picture and to drive the long-term vision of the organization through new partnerships and pathways. As a result, she’s finally satisfied at work.
“I feel like I’m in a good place and in the right job for me right now. I feel challenged, supported (and sometimes frustrated, but that’s life). Overall, I feel at peace right now in my job.”
