Saberlock*
A Company Case Study
Saberlock* brought me in to coach several middle-managers at their company. The heavy emphasis on sales within the organization created a competitive, yet reactive work culture. For Saberlock to be prepared for the exponential growth they expected in one of their key departments, several of their middle-managers needed to develop their skills in the areas of people management, planning and goal setting. During the first session, I debriefed each employee on the results of the skills assessment they had taken. The results of the self-assessment helped each employee to focus on two to three skills they needed to further develop to be successful in their role. Most of these areas synced nicely with what management had already recognized and expressed as needing development, and confirmed to each employee what was critical to improve upon.
Because of the coaching sessions that followed, each employee articulated progress in developing new habits related to their skill areas. Employees expressed willingness to take training into their own hands, sometimes reading recommended books that would help their skill development. In the end, Saberlock management found the experience very valuable for their company, and desires to put another group of employees through the coaching.
*Name of company changed
Damien*
A Young Professional Case Study
When Damien* first started working with me in 2013, he was hoping to relocate from Maryland to New York City. While working on a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, Damien had become interested in data science. I connected him with a company in New York City and coached him through each phase of the interview process, and he landed the job.
In the following few years, Damien’s salary surpassed six figures. Damien came to me in 2017, unhappy with a newer role he had taken due to the culture at the organization. I assessed Damien’s transferable skills and provided him with exercises to discover his career preferences. As we discussed Damien’s results, we confirmed that his analytical skills were exceptional and these skills well-supported his interest in data science and machine learning. While this confirmed that Damien had found a correct position fit, further coaching revealed unmet strong preferences regarding his ideal work environment. Damien felt it was important for him to work with a world-class team of engineers, whether at the Fortune 100 companies he had been applying to or the startups that also piqued his interest. With his work experience, Damien believed that he could command a higher salary than he was making. Understanding his needs and preferences gave Damien the confidence to pursue a new job.
After one of our coaching sessions, Damien received a job offer with a data science team that had just started up within a larger organization, giving the new team a “startup feel” while boasting the resources of a larger corporation. Both aspects intrigued Damien. Another appealing aspect of the offer was that the startup team had just attracted an engineer from Facebook, reassuring Damien that he would get to work alongside and learn from world-class talent. Damien accepted the job, acquired a significant pay raise, and moved to an environment that would help him grow in his chosen career trajectory.
* Name of individual changed
