Client Background

Molly (name changed for privacy) came to coaching after working in a toxic environment that had taken a toll on her confidence as a leader.

She was a highly capable consultant with deep expertise and a strong track record of success.

Yet over time, the challenges of the environment began to affect how she viewed herself, causing her to question her strengths and second-guess her leadership abilities.

The Challenge

Like many high-performing professionals, Molly wasn't lacking capability.

She was carrying the weight of an experience that had caused her to lose trust in herself while working with and for a leader who didn’t see the value she delivered.

The environment had impacted her confidence, her leadership presence, and her ability to fully recognize the value she brought to her work.

She wanted to move forward, let go of what no longer served her, and reconnect with the leader she knew she could be.

Coaching Focus

Together, we focused on:

• Rebuilding leadership confidence

• Strengthening self-belief

• Increasing self-awareness

• Reconnecting with strengths and capabilities

• Supporting personal and professional growth

The Journey

Coaching provided Molly with a dedicated space to reflect, process her experiences, and gain perspective on what she had been carrying forward from the past.

As our work progressed, she began separating her identity and leadership potential from the circumstances she had experienced.

She reconnected with the strengths of being a leader (and enjoying it) that had contributed to her success throughout her career and developed a deeper understanding of how she wanted to show up as a leader moving forward.

Rather than allowing a difficult chapter to define her, Molly began creating a new narrative rooted in confidence, self-awareness, and possibility.

Results

As a result of coaching, Molly made meaningful progress toward rebuilding her confidence and leadership presence.

Areas of growth included:

• Increased confidence by 75% in her leadership abilities

• Increase in self-awareness by 30%

• Stronger trust in her strengths and capabilities

• A more positive and empowered view of herself as a leader (increased by 30%)

• A stronger foundation for future professional growth

Additional outcomes:

• She was selected to be a key person on the bidding for a new strategic effort they are after. This requires her executives to have respect and faith in her, her abilities and how she is perceived.

• Her manager observed a 50% increase in how this leader identified opportunities from pre to post coaching engagement.

• A 20% increase in thinking and executing strategically was observed from pre to post coaching engagement by her leadership.

Client Reflection

"I have gained confidence and perspective that I had lost from very unfortunate encounters while working at my company. Those encounters left me not performing how I knew I could. I have not fully restored myself back to what I know I can do and achieve yet. However, I am on the way. I have some great insights and techniques I learned through coaching to avoid those situations again."

Key Takeaway

A difficult work environment can leave even the most capable leaders questioning themselves.

Coaching can help leaders regain confidence, reconnect with their strengths, and move forward with greater clarity and purpose.

When leaders stop defining themselves by what happened to them and start focusing on what's possible, meaningful growth can occur.

Client Background

Jen (name changed for privacy) sought coaching after being being moved into an interim leadership role during a period of significant organizational change following an acquisition when her boss left the organization.

While excited about the potential for the interim opportunity, she was stepping into unfamiliar territory.

In addition to learning the responsibilities of her interim role, she was navigating the uncertainty and shifting dynamics that often accompany organizational change.

The Challenge

Like many leaders, Jen was balancing excitement about the opportunity of the new company along with uncertainty.

She wanted to establish herself as a highly regarded leader, build credibility within the organization, and gain confidence in her ability to lead through change.

At the same time, she was adapting to the new organizational structure, evolving expectations, and a changing workplace culture.

She knew she wanted to be intentional about how she showed up as a leader but needed space to explore what that looked like in practice.

Coaching Focus

Together, we focused on:

• Exploring leadership styles and approaches

• Building confidence in a new leadership role

• Understanding the dynamics of the new organizational environment

• Navigating change with greater clarity and confidence

• Supporting a successful leadership transition

The Journey

Coaching provided Jen with an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day demands of her role and reflect on the kind of leader she wanted to become.

Together, we explored her strengths, leadership preferences, and the opportunities and challenges created by the acquisition.

As she gained greater self-awareness, she began identifying ways to leverage her strengths while adapting to the needs of the organization.

Over time, Jen developed a clearer understanding of how she wanted to lead and built confidence in her ability to navigate both the role and the organizational changes surrounding it.

Results

As a result of coaching, Jen made meaningful progress in establishing her leadership identity within the new organization.

Areas of growth included:

• Increased clarity around her leadership approach

• Greater confidence in her new role and a shift from peer to leader of her previous colleagues

• Stronger self-awareness as a leader

• Improved ability to navigate organizational change

• A stronger foundation for long-term leadership success

Additional outcomes:

• She was selected for the VP role.

• Improved her time management by 30%

• Able to bring perspective of new company back to her team to increase their buy in on the new environment after in person leadership offsites.

Client Reflection

"From coaching I gained a lot of insight and knowledge about myself that was needed to help achieve my goals. I learned strategies that I can use on my own after the coaching ends. I looked forward to the sessions and always walked away with something specific I could work on."

Key Takeaway

Leadership transitions rarely happen in perfect conditions. Coaching can help leaders gain clarity, build confidence, and navigate change while remaining true to their strengths and values.

Client Background

Bob (name changed for privacy) sought coaching as an experienced leader who wanted to strengthen his effectiveness in working with others.

He was known for delivering results and moving initiatives forward, but he began recognizing that aspects of his leadership style were creating unintended challenges in his relationships with colleagues and team members.

The Challenge

Bob's intentions were positive, but his impact wasn't always aligning with those intentions.

His direct communication style helped drive results, yet at times others outside of his department experienced his approach differently than he intended.

He wanted to better understand how his leadership style affected those around him and identify opportunities to become more collaborative without sacrificing effectiveness.

Coaching Focus

Together, we focused on:

• Increasing self-awareness

• Understanding the impact of leadership behaviors on others

• Strengthening communication skills especially active listening and focusing on the acronym WAIT (why am I talking) and WAIST (why am I still talking)

• Building stronger workplace relationships by asking for feedback

• Developing a more collaborative leadership approach

The Journey

Through coaching, Bob began exploring the difference between intention and impact.

He reflected on how his communication style influenced team dynamics, decision-making, and workplace relationships.

As his awareness grew, he gained a deeper understanding of how others experienced his leadership and identified opportunities to create greater collaboration and engagement.

The coaching process challenged him to remain results-focused while becoming more intentional about how he involved and connected with others.

Results

As a result of coaching, Bob made progress toward creating a more collaborative leadership environment.

Areas of growth included:

• Increased awareness of how his leadership style affected others

• Greater emphasis on collaboration and team input

• Improved communication skills

• Stronger workplace relationships

• Enhanced ability to balance decisiveness with collaboration

Additional outcomes:

• Fostering inclusion increased by 17% from pre to post engagement

• Belief that his good managerial work was recognized by leadership increased by 60% from pre to post engagement.

Client Reflection

"Lynell listens well. She provided me good insights and reading material which I love to have to supplement either what I’m working on or questions I brought up."

Key Takeaway

Leadership growth isn't only about improving results. It's also about understanding how your actions and behaviors influence others.

Greater self-awareness can strengthen relationships, improve collaboration, and ultimately increase leadership effectiveness.

Client Background

Susan (name changed for privacy) sought coaching as a passionate and committed leader who cared deeply about her work and the success of the organization.

She brought strong ideas, valuable expertise, and genuine dedication to the business. However, she wanted to become more effective in how she communicated with executive leadership.

The Challenge

Susan's passion was one of her greatest strengths. At times, however, her messages were not landing with executive stakeholders in the way she intended.

She wanted to communicate with greater clarity, increase her influence, and ensure her ideas and recommendations were being heard and understood by senior decision-makers.

Coaching Focus

Together, we focused on:

• Strengthening executive communication skills

• Understanding different communication styles

• Presenting ideas with greater clarity and structure

• Increasing influence with senior stakeholders

• Balancing passion with strategic communication

The Journey

Through coaching, Susan gained a deeper understanding of how different audiences receive and process information.

She explored ways to adapt her communication style while remaining authentic to who she was as a leader.

As her awareness grew, she began presenting ideas in ways that better aligned with executive priorities and decision-making processes.

The goal wasn't to change her voice. It was to ensure her message could be heard.

Results

As a result of coaching, Susan made meaningful progress in her executive communication effectiveness.

Areas of growth included:

• Increased awareness of executive communication expectations

• Greater ability to structure and present ideas effectively

• Improved confidence when communicating with senior leaders

• Stronger executive presence and influence

• Better balance between passion and strategic messaging

Additional outcomes:

• Coaching & developing others increased by 27% from pre to post engagement

• Driving execution rose by 14% from pre to post engagement

• Managing Up increased by 25% from pre to post engagement

Client Reflection

"This coaching experience has been overall exceptional for me. I especially enjoyed the ability to meet as often as I needed to and to add my manager to meetings with ease. Specific progress towards my goals included tightening up my focus and working with essential tools in my weekly/daily planner asking myself key questions in conversations to help me pause and reflect back on what I heard before making assumptions or being defensive􀁌and working to better accept that I have all the information I can have or need to have at that moment."

Key Takeaway

Having great ideas is important. Communicating those ideas effectively is what allows leaders to influence decisions, build credibility, and create meaningful impact.

Client Background

Ted (name changed for privacy) was identified as a future General Manager through his organization's succession planning process.

As he prepared for increased leadership responsibilities, he recognized that the skills that had helped him succeed in his current role would not be enough to support him at the next level.

The Challenge

Ted was preparing for a significant leadership transition.

Moving into a General Manager role required him to shift from being highly involved in day-to-day operations to leading through others.

To prepare for this next chapter, he needed to strengthen his delegation skills, develop future leaders on his team, and become more strategic in how he communicated with senior leadership.

Coaching Focus

Together, we focused on:

• Strengthening delegation skills

• Developing a succession planning mindset

• Identifying and preparing future leadership talent

• Improving communication with senior leadership

• Building readiness for a General Manager role

The Journey

As our work progressed, Ted began exploring how leadership expectations change at more senior levels.

Rather than being the person responsible for every decision and outcome, he started shifting his focus toward developing others, creating continuity within his team, and empowering people around him to take greater ownership.

Coaching helped him recognize that leadership growth often requires letting go of work that others are capable of doing so that he could focus on the responsibilities only he could fulfill.

Results

As a result of coaching, Ted made progress toward preparing for increased leadership responsibilities.

Areas of growth included:

• Greater confidence in delegating responsibilities

• Increased focus on developing future leaders

• Improved awareness of succession planning needs

• Stronger communication with senior leadership

• Enhanced readiness for a General Manager role

Additional outcomes:

• Leadership saw a 31% increase in his delegation skills

• Focus on talent management increased by 25%

• Active listening increased by 29%

• Coaching skills rose by 33%

• 25% increase in Presentation Skills

• Focus on stakeholder management increased by 40%

Client Reflection

"Overall coaching has helped me uncover a few more blind spots, which was one of my primary objectives. I felt pretty good about my status and preparation for the next level based on the requirements I am familiar with but the 360 revealed additional areas to focus on to be ready for my next role."

Key Takeaway

One of the biggest leadership shifts occurs when leaders move from doing the work themselves to leading through others. Coaching can help leaders develop the mindset and skills necessary to successfully navigate that transition.

Client Background

Joe (name changed for privacy) sought coaching as he approached retirement after spending more than 30 years with the same organization.

After dedicating a significant portion of his career to one industry, he found himself reflecting on what he wanted the next chapter of his professional life to look like.

The Challenge

After leaving his industry, Joe was wrestling with questions many long-tenured leaders eventually face.

What comes next?

What role, if any, did he want to continue playing within the industry? How did he want to spend his time and talents moving forward?

What opportunities aligned with both his personal goals and his desire to continue contributing in meaningful ways?

He wasn't looking for someone to give him answers. He was looking for clarity.

Coaching Focus

Together, we focused on:

• Exploring future career possibilities

• Clarifying long-term professional goals

• Identifying opportunities within the organization

• Evaluating next steps leading up to retirement

• Supporting a purposeful career transition

The Journey

Coaching provided Joe with the space to step back and reflect on a successful career while looking ahead to what was next.

He explored his accomplishments, strengths, values, and aspirations for the future.

Through that process, he gained greater clarity around the opportunities available to him and began evaluating potential paths with greater confidence and intention.

Rather than focusing solely on leaving his last career path, Joe began thinking about legacy, contribution, and how he wanted to shape the next phase of his life and career.

Results

As a result of coaching, Joe made progress toward creating a clearer vision for his future.

Areas of growth included:

• Increased clarity regarding future career options

• Greater confidence in evaluating opportunities

• Stronger understanding of personal and professional priorities

• Improved readiness for career transition planning

• Greater confidence in navigating the next chapter of his career

Additional outcomes:

• He identified a co-founder to fill in skills gap as they created a new business idea

• He got into action to launch the first idea and had additional ideas in the wings after he exited the first business launch

• He stopped delaying and overthinking getting into action.

Client Reflection

"In my first session, Lynell helped me to clearly identify the importance of how financial security, fun, freedom and leaving a legacy were key pillars for my next chapter. She helped me to gain momentum by focusing on making big accomplishments weekly and holding me accountable to what I said I would do"

Key Takeaway

Career transitions are about more than leaving one role and finding another. They are opportunities to reflect on what matters most, define what's next, and move forward with greater clarity, purpose, and intention.