How a Director
Became More Direct
Newly promoted director, Molly Pearson, had a lot going for her. She was
knowledgeable, consistent in meeting objectives, and accomplished. She
seemed a natural for the executive level.
But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in over her head.
Despite long hours, she was falling behind in her workload. She also felt
a disconnect in her interactions with people and received feedback that
some of her peers, as well as her new boss, wondered when she’d begin
to show improvement.
Her boss helped Molly secure her place on the fast track by introducing
her to Change Masters Individual Leadership Development.
Survey
results revealed the first hurdle: she was too nice when delivering tough
messages face-to-face,
which caused serious confusion when she followed those meetings with
very tough-sounding emails. People also perceived her as a selective
listener, and they rated her behavior as inconsistent – intense
with subordinates, quiet and withdrawn with male peers and superiors.
After her coaching sessions, Molly reported, “I have changed how
I look and sound, as well as what I say in order to make my tough messages
more credible. I’m no longer ‘selling what I should be telling.’”
She continues, “Unlike before (Change Masters), I now do tasks and
feel like I have the ability to take authority. I’m less reticent
in my high-powered group of peers. I’ve definitely seen improvement
in my conversation. I now realize that I must come across much stronger
so I can see faster results from my team.”
Molly assesses her overall Change Masters experience: “This was a
very valuable experience for me. I’m aware of what I learned all
the time. I’m using what I learned every day. I can’t get the
images from my videotape out of my head.”
Her
boss echoes that sentiment: “I
smiled when I watched her customized training tape. It was clear that she
was already using what she’d learned from Change Masters. It suggests
that the experience is very valuable, given that she’s already integrating
new skills into her actions. I’ve used Change Masters before and,
as always, you did a great job.”
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