Executive Coaching High-Performing Teams

 

Female Leadership & "Executive Presence"

 
Initial Situation A female senior manager in a global financial company was considered for a promotion into an executive position that involved exposure to the most senior-level decision-makers in the organization. There were concerns that this woman's work and management style would not demonstrate sufficient "executive presence" for her to hold her ground against mostly male peers and seniors.
  Results The six-month coaching process considerably increased the client's awareness about male and female leadership styles & expectations. The coachee did not only understand her personal preferences and common expectations of male leaders better - she could also flexibly adjust her behavior to win the recognition of her male seniors. She also maintained characteristics of her "female leadership style" which had earned her strong social connections and high loyalty among her staff. In her new position, the coachee quickly became a driver of substantial organizational change and was promoted within less than two years.
 
 
We started the coaching process by conducting interviews with prior supervisors of the coachee to better understand others’ views on her strengths & challenges as a leader. We also talked to members of the promotion panel to understand their hopes & concerns. This information was crucial to establish clear goals based on the organization’s expectation about what defines a successful transition of the coachee into her expanded responsibilities.

In these interviews, “executive presence” came up several times. The client, once promoted, would be the only female executive among male peers and seniors. While not pointed to directly, there were concerns that the coachee would not project sufficient confidence and determination to drive the changes that would be part of her new role.

On the other side, the coachee herself had concerns about adjusting too much to her superiors’ expectations in terms of masculine leadership styles. She did not wish to lose the essence of what defined her strengths and values as a female leader.

The coaching process focused on two aspects: Identifying & maintaining the unique strengths that had helped the coachee succeed so far – and increasing her awareness about gender stereotypes & gendered leadership behaviors. An MBTI questionnaires and an assessment focusing on gender stereotypes helped to increase awareness of the coachee’s leadership preferences – and where the biggest gaps were in regard to behaviors commonly found among male leaders.

Role plays and the experimentation with different behaviors when communicating, presenting, delegating, etc. helped to increase the coachee’s range of leadership behaviors. The coaching process also provided the opportunity to discuss concerns that came up for the coachee in response to exhibiting these new behaviors. Avoiding a “you have to be different” approach and rather focusing on versatility – complementing existing behaviors & attitudes with additional possibilities – the coachee could add and sustainably integrate behaviors that quickly earned her the respect and trust of her male colleagues.