Situation
Our client was the Deputy Director of their organization and was recently appointed Chief Diversity Officer. Being new to management, she found herself needing support and growth around communication skills, leadership skills and ways to enhance healthy self-care tools.
Approach
Karla Chin, Director of Wellbeing at Exude, engaged with this client for Personal Development Coaching to enhance her leadership skills and reach both personal and professional goals. Karla had the client complete The Birkman and Energy Leadership assessments at the beginning of her engagement, followed by six months of personal development/self-coaching.
Solution
Karla was able to help our client in a variety of ways, including:
Leadership
“I feel like my heightened self-awareness has led to a lot of breakthroughs in how I show up as a leader, how I communicate, how I approach challenges and conflicts, how I manage my working relationships both with my boss and my peers. I think coaching really helped me uncover some of the most impactful past micro-traumas that were fueling my self-doubt and the recognition of what role my past experiences have played in influencing how I experience certain events and emotions has allowed me to really examine why I get stuck in a certain energy or mindset. And I find ways to break through. My leadership has benefited immensely from this.”
Personally
“I feel so much more self-aware and emotionally healthy. I recognized how much the tools I’ve learned in coaching for my professional growth were just as useful and essential to my role as a mother and wife, daughter and sister, and friend. I think I’ve become an even better listener, and that really helps me find mutual love and respect with my kids and husband.”
Other
“Another area where coaching has helped me is in allowing me to feel things and be ok in the moment. I’ve learned the value of self-compassion and being kind to myself. This is a daily intentional mental engagement but one that I wasn’t really aware of as a core need for my emotional and mental well-being, as a leader, and a person. I have gained a lot of awareness and understanding in how critical it is to let me process, take the time I need, not judge my process or why I feel how I feel, but focus on finding the best energy level to get to so I can earn from the experience and find my path.”
Impact
After the initial coaching engagement was complete, the client has hired Karla for additional coaching sessions year over year. The client gave the following testimonial about her experience:
“Karla is one of the best people I’ve had the honor and pleasure to work with. She will challenge your heart and mind and you’ll be a better leader and manager, and person, because if it! I highly recommend, actually it should be mandated, for women of color in leadership to get coaching. Women of color leaders are indispensable to our world and our work. We need to remember that. Leadership and management coaching for me, is an essential tool to help us navigate this critical space.”