Client Stories
Real-world examples of bringing clarity to complexity, aligning people, and driving results.
A Vice President Strengthened Her Leadership Effectiveness
Challenge
After being promoted from manager to vice president, a leader faced new challenges in leading at the executive level. Her direct communication style created tension with the CEO, and her team was experiencing elevated turnover.
She needed to strengthen her leadership approach, navigate executive-level relationships more effectively, and build stronger connections with her team.
Approach
I partnered with both the CEO and vice president to understand their perspectives, identify areas for growth, and establish shared goals for the coaching engagement.
Together, we developed a leadership development plan focused on communication, stakeholder management, and leadership effectiveness.
Over the course of the engagement, I met regularly with the vice president to discuss real-time leadership challenges, explore different approaches to working with stakeholders, and strengthen her ability to adapt her communication style to different audiences.
For several months, I also facilitated conversations between the CEO and vice president to improve understanding, address concerns, and build greater alignment.
Results
The vice president developed a more flexible and effective leadership style, adapting her communication approach to better meet the needs of her team, peers, and executive leaders.
She strengthened her relationships across the organization, improved her ability to lead with curiosity, and became more intentional about setting boundaries that supported a healthier work-life balance.
Team turnover stabilized, and she gained greater confidence in her ability to lead successfully at the executive level.
Impact
By strengthening her communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills, the vice president was able to navigate the transition into executive leadership more effectively.
The engagement improved alignment with the CEO, strengthened team dynamics, and helped create a more sustainable and effective leadership approach for the long term.
"You provided a dedicated and space for self-reflection, goal setting, identification of self-improvement, both personally and professionally. I have had a long career and many roles and along with your support and guidance I grew the most this past year."
A Senior Leader Found Her Confidence and Strengthened Her Team
Challenge
A senior leader was highly respected for her expertise and commitment to her work, but she struggled with holding team members accountable, navigating conflict, and having difficult conversations. These challenges were limiting her effectiveness as a leader and creating barriers to progress within her division.
At the same time, the executive leadership team needed stronger trust, communication, and collaboration to support the organization's goals and foster a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture.
Approach
Over the course of a year-long executive coaching engagement, I partnered with the leader to strengthen her confidence, leadership presence, and communication skills.
Together, we explored ways to reframe limiting narratives, clarify expectations, define leadership non-negotiables, and develop practical strategies for accountability, feedback, and difficult conversations.
In parallel, I co-facilitated a series of leadership team workshops focused on building trust, improving communication, strengthening relationships, and creating a shared foundation for more effective collaboration across the executive team.
Results
As her confidence grew, the leader became more comfortable addressing challenges directly, setting clear expectations, and holding productive conversations that she had previously avoided.
She developed a deeper understanding of her communication style, gained new tools for working effectively with different personalities, and strengthened her ability to lead through complexity and change.
The executive team established stronger relationships, improved communication, and created a more collaborative environment that supported both organizational goals and equity-focused initiatives.
Impact
The effects extended well beyond the coaching engagement.
With increased confidence and stronger leadership practices, the leader was able to guide her division more effectively, remove barriers that had previously stalled progress, and foster a culture of greater trust, accountability, and open communication.
The combination of executive coaching and team development helped create lasting changes in how the leadership team worked together and positioned the division to move forward with greater alignment and momentum.
"I learned new communication skills, gained a deeper understanding of my team members, and developed strategies that helped me lead more effectively—both individually and collectively as a team."
Strengthening Executive Team Alignment
Challenge
An executive leadership team wanted to improve how they worked together, strengthen trust, and create greater alignment around decision-making and leadership expectations.
While individual leaders were committed to the organization's success, the team lacked a shared framework for how they would collaborate, communicate, and lead together.
Approach/My Role
Working alongside a colleague, I facilitated conversations that helped the leadership team move beyond individual perspectives and build a collective vision for how they wanted to operate as a team.
Through a structured process, we guided the team in defining shared values, operating principles, decision-making approaches, and commitments to one another.
Results
The leadership team developed a charter that became more than a document—it became a practical tool for guiding collaboration, strengthening accountability, improving communication, and navigating organizational challenges.
The process helped establish a stronger foundation for trust and alignment while increasing the team's overall effectiveness.
Impact
The charter development established a stronger foundation for collaboration, improved communication, and increased alignment across the leadership team.
"Susan and Dawn created an environment of trust, candor, and accountability that enabled meaningful conversations and strengthened our team dynamics.
The charter continues to serve as a valuable tool that guides how we work together and navigate challenges as an organization."
- Amy Kreitz, CEO,
Unified Community Conneections
Let’s Talk About What’s Next
If your organization is dealing with complexity, misalignment, or systems that aren’t working the way they should, I help leaders bring clarity, structure, and forward momentum.
My work focuses on helping organizations:
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untangle operational complexity
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align people and roles
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strengthen execution and systems
If that sounds familiar, I would be glad to talk.