Deborah, a newly appointed general manager was struggling to establish rapport with her CEO and the executive team. She had been working in a support role before, with little senior executive contact or public exposure.

The Challenge

The CEO was beginning to wonder if he had promoted Deborah too early. His expectation was that she would assimilate quickly with her peer group and lead her new team to great success. Deborah, on the other hand, didn’t know how to read the CEO’s intentions and was beginning to have doubts about her choice to accept the position. She was also painfully aware that her relationship with the CEO was uncomfortable and beginning to affect her confidence to perform in this high profile role.

Action Taken

We decided to address this first by:

• Working on techniques to manage stress
• Re-visiting her corporate image to build confidence
• Improving her communication skills

Results

After six months in her new role Deborah had a very positive performance review and her business portfolio substantially increased to include an additional division and some new business development projects. The relationship with her CEO is very comfortable and she often delegates for him when he has other commitments.

Catherine