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Executive Coaching
Leadership Development
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About Me
Aligning business strategies with human performance is the essence of what Joan’s career has been devoted to for nearly three decades. Cultivating cultures where people thrive is her passion. She has built a solid reputation of being a trusted advisor and valuable business partner earned across diverse industries including financial, cable, food services, software and telecommunications.

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FAQs
I have a manager who is producing good results for our company but she seems to alienate the others who work with her. I’m afraid to confront her for fear of losing one of our best contributors. Any advice?
I find that most leaders have a tough time addressing these types of situations.
I’m a big believer in ensuring everyone in an organization has the opportunity to be successful when performing their roles. When you have a person on the team and, in your case a manager, who is alienating others, the impact is widespread. You’re likely seeing signs of this impact – a decrease in collaboration, employee dis-engagement, lower morale, lack of commitment and perhaps an increase in absenteeism or office gossip. These observable signs are an indicator of what is going on with the overall performance of an organization.
One of the best ways to handle this situation is through courageous authenticity. If your intent is to have the behavior of this highly contributing manager stop, address it with firm compassion. Let the manager know that you value her contributions. And, authentically express your concerns related to her behavior, ask her what’s going on for her and be clear that you want the behavior to stop immediately. Related to those she’s already alienated, there’s some clean-up to do there, too. Depending on who the others are, I would recommend team restoration and development sessions.
I struggle with hiring new people. Can you help me?
I would be happy to help you with an answer. In order to do so, I need some additional information. Is your question regarding hiring new people related to system, process, sourcing methodologies, competencies, or lack of available talent? If you have never thought about all the different components of the hiring process, this could be the problem! Contact me directly to schedule 30-45 minutes to discuss each area further.
I have just been promoted into management and I credit much of my success to my former manager. How do I help each and every member of my team reach their greatest potential with my corporation?
I love your acknowledgement of your previous manager and that person’s influence on your being where you are today.
Helping other reach their greatest potential is primarily about four things:
1. Creating an open environment.
2. Ensuring your team has the tools and resources necessary to be successful.
3. Being real with your people about what’s possible for their futures.
4. A willingness to let your good people go to achieve their full potential.
As a leader, it’s important to pay attention to what people do well and where they can stretch further. And to ask questions like, “When do you feel most fulfilled in your job/career?” Or, “What do you see for yourself in your future?”. Finally, being totally present to your team and providing them with coaching that is in alignment with what they are good at, what they want to do, where you see gaps and where you see opportunities for them to take risks is also an important factor in the role you play.
I have a team where one or two people seem to do all the work. How do I utilize ALL the strengths of this group?I have a team where one or two people seem to do all the work. How do I utilize ALL the strengths of this group?
That’s a great observation. And, I have a question for you. “Have you conducted a team assessment lately?” In other words, do you have the right people in your organization? Do they have the skills, competencies and experience to perform the work you need to them to do? Are you leveraging everyone’s strengths equally? Do you know where people’s weaknesses are showing up? And have you addressed what you are observing with the individuals on the team?
It could be that you don’t have the right talent to do the work that’s needed. Or, you could be in a situation where everyone’s strengths aren’t being leveraged.
My advice for you is to be curious about and with your team to see what’s actually going on. If you need tools or other ideas, please feel free to contact me.
I have a small company that is getting ready to take the next step. My current staff doesn’t relate to my new growth strategy. Advice?
It sounds like you’re implementing a change in the organization and that your team is resisting this change. If this is the case, you may want to think about how you’ve introduced your new growth strategy. And, you’ll want to assess why your team isn’t relating to your vision. When going through this type of organizational shift, it’s critical for you to be conscious and deliberate about your change management approach so that your team can move to adoption sooner.


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