She Discovered Her Voice In The Company

Name: Sheena

Client Position: Manager in Communications and Public Relations

Industry: Industrial

Company Stats

• Number 2 in the industry

• 100+ year-old company

• Traditional manufacturing structure 

• Nearly 10,000 employees across North America

Client Needs

• Being recognized and speaking up in meetings

• Being perceived as a senior leader within the company 

• Being respected and trusted as a leader and a peer

Situation

Sheena was bright, motivated and a very hard worker. But despite all her efforts, she had trouble being recognized for her contributions. While she felt her work product was strong, she struggled to clearly share her opinions and suggestions with others, especially in meetings with seasoned executives. And to her surprise, peer reviews consistently pointed out she wasn’t well-liked or understood across her team. This prevented her from getting promotions and being recognized for her abilities.

She wanted to understand what was holding her back from being seen and heard in her position. She wanted to be confident and comfortable in sharing her opinions, even with leadership that had decades more experience than her. She wanted to build better and more trusted peer relationships.

She also recognized that her focus on her work for the company meant that she had no brand awareness in the industry, despite having been involved in many new-to-the-industry communications and marketing programs. She also wanted to build her personal brand in the industry at large.

Intervention 

Our coach worked with Sheena to become aware of and trust her competence, abilities, and point of view. We also worked with her to create a known and seen presence for her in the room during meetings. We spent time creating the methods and processes to get to know her peers and team in a genuine way where they came to trust her as an individual, colleague, and leader. We also explored other avenues where we can showcase her talents and build her brand in the industry and external events.

Outcome 

After Coaching with Griffin Dunn, Sheena garnered the respect of the entire executive team of her company. Her own peer team was also being promoted both within the organization and the company at large. She developed enough awareness in the industry to be invited to speak at conventions, and she has also successfully published articles in industry publications. She was offered a VP role and is currently being groomed for senior leadership.