High Potential Women Leaders

Benchmarking Study:

Challenges Women Leaders Face

Creating breakthrough with women leaders to unlock their potential

Women’s leadership is exponentially more powerful when integrated with leadership.

The Result:

Women bring their full selves to work, believe in themselves, do what matters most and have impact

Thought PAPER: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

HOW TO BE INCLUSIVE, HIGH PERFORMING ALLIES

The Research is Clear

Companies with more women leaders do better

We conducted an extensive research study in 2018 about “Challenges Women Leaders Face”  from the perspectives of male and female leaders and Human Resources professionals.  

As a result of this research, we created our Signature Program:
The Bold Leadhership Program 

This program was developed to empower women to overcome the biggest challenges identified in the study and encompasses 10 crucial areas of skill development.

The simple, practical and profound tools and practices in the program help create breakthroughs for women leaders AND integrate it with the organization’s leadership. The supportive network among women in the program is another key component to what makes the BOLD Leadhership Program unique.

The program can be tailored to the particular needs and challenges of your organization. We leverage the elements of the BOLD Leadhership Program to focus on the key levels the company wants to target.

BOLD Leadhership advances women leaders by strengthening leadership from the InsideOut (leading self) and the OutsideIn (leading others, team, Enterprise).

 

Advance can mean to promote, retain, develop or elevate the extent to which women:

  • Speak up for what they think and feel

  • Sign up for new actions and opportunities

  • Stand up for what matters

  • Step into challenges or new opportunities

  • Self-advocate and build their network

By:

  • Identifying what matters most to them personally, to their team, to the organization

  • Creating a strong mindset and presence

  • Building strong habits of well-being

  • Communicating through powerful language that influences and inspires

  • Challenging their own and their teams’ status quo

BE YOURSELF: TO BE MYSELF, I NEED TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF

  • Be Me: Believe in myself, reconnect with what matters most, bring my whole self to work.
  • Trust Myself: I am (good) enough.

DARE TO SHARE: GET A BETTER ME, GIVE A BETTER ME

  • Commit to Well- Being: When I take care of myself, I am capable of anything.
  • Use My Voice: When I speak, I add value. When I negotiate and say no, I build trust.
  • Ask for What I Want: When I make requests and ask for help, I am a bold leader.

OWN YOUR ZONE: PRACTICE COURAGE

  • Do It Boldly: Self- advocate, make uncomfortable decisions, seek new opportunities.
  • Challenge Fear: Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable.
  • Be Coach-able: Get accurate, reframe beliefs, take CORE STEPs.

LEAD WITH PRESENCE: COMMUNICATE CONSCIOUSLY

  • Be Present: My presence speaks volumes before I say a word.
  • Practice Intentional Language: My words create my world.

How we do it: 

    We focus on targeted populations:

    There is often a gap of development, support and community at Senior Director/VP levels. Research points to the high cost of personal suffering, often unknown to others, that can lead to retention and advancement challenges. We also create solutions for emerging high potential leaders.  

    We work with the “whole person”:

    We focus on the core elements of who leaders are, what they want, and what they do that gets in their way. Our research shows self-doubt, struggle with the work/life juggle and communication are the biggest internal barriers.

    Integrated women’s development solution:

    Creating an inclusive culture where everyone can reach their highest leadership potential can’t be done in a vacuum. In addition to the women-only time, this program includes, integrates and engages male and female managers in becoming effective sponsors, managers and coaches.

    Specialized, targeted solution:

    We customize specialized solutions based on the company’s particular needs. This can include forms of coaching, facilitation and training for women leaders and mixed gender audiences to accelerate integration and inclusion.

    Unique approach:

    We combine expertise in highly interactive development sessions for individual and group coaching, in-person and virtual facilitation, and a systems-lense to create solutions that benefit leaders and the greater culture.

    Content is based on experience and proprietary research:

    25+ years of building high performing organizations is combined with our independent research that centers on “Challenges Women Leaders Face.” It is not only critical to focus on leadership practices and the cultural elements. Research shows the significant extent to which women get in their own way. This work focuses on what leaders can do to overcome these challenges.

    Build the Network:

    Women who participate tend to create community networks that are supportive and encouraging in their quest for finding their voices, bringing their full selves, creating opportunities and advancement, and succeeding while balancing life and work priorities. We design the groups to build trust, community and confidentiality that last long after the experience ends.

    What clients are saying…

    Intuitive and experienced, provocative and wise, engaging and objective are the words that come to mind. Wanting to protect my team, I was bogged down which distracted me from being an effective leader. When I took that weight off my shoulders THAT created opportunity for my team. THAT created time:  time to BE an effective leader, time to listen, and time to learn and develop. It also created the space to be present and more time for family. When I let go, it was LIBERATING and EXCITING. I could not have imagined a better partner than Gisele to support me in navigating this leadership journey.

    ~ Associate General Counsel, Financial Services Company

    “If you want an easy ride and have no real intentions for self-improvement, don’t pick Gisele as your coach.  She is sharp, insightful and will hold up the mirror. She will give you tangible tools for becoming a better leader and invaluable perspectives for all aspects of your life. She does this in a warm, authentic and engaging way. I cannot say enough about how valuable her coaching has been for me both personally and professionally. Perhaps my actions speak louder than words. I continue to work with Gisele, not only when promoted internally, but after I left the organization.”

    ~ SVP R&D, Consumer Foods Company

    “I realize that I am not alone. So many others are succeeding and struggling with similar issues. I experienced so many things from the other women in the room.”

    ~ Program Participant

    “I just loved the light and funny way Gisele touched important things that really impact women in leadership roles.”

    ~ Tatiana Bortolotti

    “Bold framework is a very constructive way of thinking, but having it presented so compellingly and relatably by Gisele really hammered it home.”

    ~ Natalie Chomet

    “The conversation was thought provoking and relevant to the needs of my organization. It also challenged me to step up to a bolder kind of leadership. Very highly recommend!”

    ~ VP Executive Coaching Financial Services

    “It was fantastic to work with Gisele on our Women’s Leadership Program. She is an amazing keynote speaker with such a dynamic personality and ability to relate to everyone in the room. Gisele was able to engage at a very high level and connect with each participant in a meaningful way. She is truly a BOLD leader that inspires everyone in the room. Her ability to engage and build trust quickly won the respect and support from everyone in the room.”

    ~ Head of Leadership Development, Consumer Food and Beverages

    “We recently conducted the BOLD women’s leadership program which was a peer-to-peer cohort format. The women who participated built relationships that will last throughout their time at our company” and hopefully beyond. They were able to surface issues, discover strengths, and learn new strategies, among many other benefits. We saw behavior changes in them and, just as importantly, their leaders. The program also helped the company as a whole get better with how we support professional growth in our women leaders. The participants are now looking at how they can sponsor and be allies to other women. Overall, I’m very pleased with the program and happy to recommend it to others.”

    ~ CHRO, Retail

    If you are interested in exploring whether we are a good fit to help you and your organization, contact us for a complimentary discovery conversation.