A client case study...
Last year I worked with Jess, a Senior Leader in the Construction Industry, which, as you can imagine, isn’t always smooth sailing. When we first met, Jess told me that her key challenges were overwhelm, frustration and a lack of balance.
So, that’s when we started our Influential Leader Program discussions…
The situation
As a senior executive navigating the intricate web of a complex corporate job, Jess had a lot of stakeholders she needed to influence, every day. Securing buy-in, or progress, on critical projects was never-ending, and some of these interactions felt more like a battle.
This left Jess feeling like she was behind (and exhausted) almost all of the time. Frustrated and drained, Jess spent too many nights staring at the ceiling revisiting what she could have said, should have done, or would like someone else to do.
Key pressure point...
Through the program we unpacked the tension in her approach and focused on ways for Jess to enhance her ability to drive change, with conviction.
Of course, she is highly qualified and deserves her seat at the table, but she’d been in the role for about a year, through a lot of upheaval, and unfortunately she was doubting herself.
The onslaught of decisions, challenges and lack of ownership from others, was hindering her ability to secure great outcomes and she felt the pressure of everything landing at her feet.
And, as a people-pleaser Jess had developed a bad habit of doing ‘whatever it takes to get the job done’. NOW, I know we all need to muck in sometimes, but this only works if everyone is doing the mucking in, not just the one bunny who’s in charge.
Jess needed to reposition her authority by empowering her team to step up and take more ownership. As a supportive and impactful leader, the buck does not stop with Jess – everyone must share the load, under her guidance.
An additional pressure point...
On top of all this, Jess had a few ‘challengers’, people across the organisation who’d been around for a long time and weren’t so keen on her idea of changing the status quo. These ‘challengers’ took up a lot of air time and obstructed progress.
So, together we built a plan around each of these ‘challengers’, finding ways for Jess to invite these team members to ‘get on the program’. And ensuring she could deliver this with an appropriate balance of grace (and grit).
The reward...
With renewed confidence garnered through the experience, Jess has continued to grow as a force to be reckoned with. She’s propelling her career forward, continuing to deliver tangible results, lead an engaged team, AND she enjoys her family life too!
Jess and I discussed many things over her time in the program, but these things felt the most important to highlight in this newsletter.
Want to know more about our Influential Leader Program and how it can have a positive impact on your decision fatigue, self-doubt and stress levels – let’s talk!
