SANDRA – EXECUTIVE AT A PUBLISHING HOUSE
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION COACHING
PROBLEM:Sandra, an executive at a publishing house, was getting a reputation as a single-minded, short-tempered person in meetings. People perceived her as not caring about their opinions, and she appeared to be ignoring them when they spoke. Sandra was also caught up in an issue with her superior, the president of the company. She felt he was always trying to best her in meetings, and set her up as being wrong in front of others. She pre-emptively defended her position in order to combat his approach.
SOLUTION: Anna helped Sandra recognize that more communication, not less, was the answer. She needed to listen without comment to her cohorts. Anna also suggested that she make a plan to open up lines of communication with her boss.
RESULT: Sandra began a weekly one-on-one hour meeting with her boss. She quickly understood that there were many miscommunications between them, and set about demonstrating her commitment to him and the firm. Because they were talking through their issues, Sandra didn’t need to use company meetings to defend herself. She allowed herself to open up more to her team, and gained their trust.