first-line managers, supervisors, and project managers

you can be the inspirational, motivational, get-things-done leader you want to be (and your team deserves)

Leadership isn’t easy.

Especially in today’s world of part-remote, virtual, work-from-home / work-on-site, dotted-line / matrixed management – yikes. Confusing.

Are you wondering … now what? Or maybe you’re thinking…

I feel like a fraud – am I actually supposed to be in this role?
I’m worried my team won’t like me – or, even worse, won’t follow my direction.
I’m afraid of making a bad decision and costing my company money – or losing a client!
I just want to feel respected as a leader.
I hate office politics!
I’m uncertain about speaking up in management meetings.
I feel like I don’t have a life any more, there’s so much to do to keep up with work.
I struggle with delegation – what if they don’t do it right?
I have people on my team who don’t report to me. How do I get them to complete their tasks?

What if you could feel confident, respected, and more than ready to succeed as a leader?

In the year plus that we worked together, there were a lot of changes that I was going through. Having your coaching helped me stay grounded through that transition and change. What we talked about was very practical, so that I could then go apply it.

My original reasons for working with you were related to corporate politics and improving communication. What I found was much more in-depth discussions on those topics and much more. It was all connected – keeping promises to yourself and others, thinking about what’s true for yourself and others, understanding when you’re telling yourself “stories” and what’s actually true.
~ Lauren Pickwoad

Could this be right for you? Click to schedule a free leadership evaluation!

As a recovering executive myself, I get the challenges and conflicts of leadership.

You want to be decisive … but you don’t want to be mean.

You want to share your expertise, opinions, and ideas … but you don’t want to look foolish.

You want to stay calm in the face of conflict … but you definitely don’t want to be anyone’s doormat.

You want your team to enjoy working for you … but you’re not sure how to inspire and motivate them.

You want to negotiate with confidence … but you’d hate to be called aggressive, demanding, or (if you’re a woman) the dreaded B word.

(Actually, there are two B words*. You don’t want to be called either of them!)

* bossy and bitch

I learned the hard way. You don’t have to.

I spent over 16 years in leadership positions, advancing into executive leadership, corporate officer, and the senior leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO.

I understand the challenges of being in a leadership role, managing remote employees, working with internal and external clients and managers who more than once told me, in so many words, that what I was proposing to accomplish wasn’t possible. (They were wrong.)

I’ve taught classes on change leadership, communication, and navigating office politics for multiple university and college extension schools. And I’ve led private coaching groups for women managers.

Grace blends her vast corporate knowledge and experience with her outside-the-box thinking, creating results that are immediately applicable while creating pathways for a new approach to whatever you are doing. I truly enjoy working with Grace, as she is not afraid to disagree nor is she afraid to laugh. Both are qualities I find refreshing and critical to any change process.

~ Shannon Thompson, Executive Director, Shakti Rising, San Diego CA

Ready to learn more? Click to schedule your free leadership evaluation!

Did you know that 60% of new managers fail in their first year?

I’ve been where you are, and I know I can help make sure YOU are one of the successful ones.

Empowered Leadership: an
8-module breakthrough program to supercharge your leadership skill

This program is a synthesis of all my corporate experience, plus the learning, practices, concepts, skills, and exercises I’ve developed and taught to clients since I became an executive coach in 2005.

Imagine if you could…

Simply know you’re a good leader
Stop worrying about being judged by your colleagues
Know how to inspire and motivate your team so they’re eager to do their best for you
Present solutions, projects, and ideas calmly and with confidence – and become known as a thought leader within your organization and even in your industry
Use negotiation tactics that fit your style and personality and achieve your goals
Become known for clear, concise communication that gets the results you want
Approach conflict and disagreement with calm confidence in your ability to reach a successful resolution
Feel confident, powerful, and respected as a leader!

You can be a respected, strong, highly-effective leader who inspires and motivates your team to excel.

Module One – Lead with Confidence: define your unique leadership style and excel as a leader

Discover your personal leadership strengths and qualities, develop confidence in your innate leadership capacity, and build trust with your team and your management as you step into your power as a leader.

Explore and apply your unique strengths as powerful attributes of your leadership
Learn to avoid the traps that cause managers to fail
Develop the leadership framework that will support your decision-making, motivate your team, and provide the foundation for who you are as a leader

Module Two – Manage your Inner Critic: stop the rotten-tomato fight in your head

Learn to dial down the volume on your Inner Critic so you overcome imposter syndrome / fraud factor and exponentially increase your confidence and credibility as a leader.

Learn to stop the internal debate in its tracks – with just one word
Discover how to identify and break the unwritten contracts and agreements that reinforce the inner critic, and develop calm confidence in your leadership abilities
Experience a powerful and perhaps even joyful impulse to keep going toward your leadership goals, no matter what the inner critic may try to tell you

Module Three – Professional Empathy: instantly connect with and influence the people who matter

Learn the tools of understanding and empathy so you can make connections, motivate your team, and gain respect as a thought leader and valuable contributor.

Learn to inspire your team to take action (instead of ordering them)
Discover how to approach anyone – colleagues, team members, executives – in the way guaranteed to get the best possible outcomes
Understand the single step you can take to ensure you’ll be listened to and respected

Module Four – Advanced Communication: influence, impress, and inform your team, co-workers, and leadership

Amaze yourself, your team, and your management with the nuanced power of word choice to convey ideas, spark creativity, offer feedback, and navigate office politics with ease and grace; learn to speak powerfully to your peers, team, and management.

Develop the skills you need to present ideas, solutions, and even problems with clarity and confidence
Exponentially improve the likelihood that you’ll be listened to and that your ideas and opinions will be respected
Learn the simple techniques that prompt quick responses and useful answers

Module Five – Manage Effectively: inspire, motivate, and guide your team to peak performance

Learn to think strategically while resolving the challenges of delegation, feedback, coaching, and the nuances of managing remote workers and matrixed or dotted-line reporting structures.

Discover the “view from leadership” – what strategy and strategic thinking actually are, how they’re different from tactical task lists, and how understanding strategy helps you prioritize effectively and appropriately
Learn the power of effective delegation to free your time, develop your team, and meet (or beat!) deadlines
Discover the most effective ways to offer feedback and coaching to inspire and motivate each individual on your team – even when they don’t report to you directly
Explore options for managing remote workers, multiple time zones, and without face-to-face interaction

Module Six – Conflict Transformation: taking the “aaack” out of difficult conversations

Transform conflict, disagreement, and emotional reactivity so you can develop the relationships you want with (and within) your team, your management peers, and the executive team.

Learn how to manage emotional reactivity in yourself and others
Discover the one question and three simple techniques that redirect conflict into productive discussion
Develop the confidence to approach disagreement, debate, and conflict calmly and with certainty in your ability to resolve the situation

Module Seven – Negotiation for Nice People: achieve your goals without compromising your integrity

Learn the negotiation skills that will gain you recognition and prosperity and strengthen your relationships.

Discover the benefits of hearing “no” – and how to work with it to get what you want
Learn how to enter into negotiations without fear of being judged as greedy or demanding (or the B word!)
Understand how to negotiate in ways that get you want you want AND develop trust

Module Eight – Sustainable Success: maintain your momentum on your path to further advancement

Maintain your momentum by evaluating progress, tracking successful habits, and keeping your purpose in mind so you stay motivated and focused as a leader.

Learn simple, proven techniques for evaluating and expanding on your success
Set milestones and action items in place to maintain your focus
Prepare yourself to take the next powerful steps in your career and solidify your reputation as a strong, confident leader

Each module includes…

Video play button

Teaching videos

PDF download button image Handouts and worksheets, including practices, tools, and journaling prompts.

45-minute one-on-one consultation and coaching session, conducted over video conference line and recorded for you to refer back to. (Video optional!)

Email support throughout, for questions and coaching in between sessions and modules.

Extras and bonuses…

StrengthsFinder 2.0 (CliftonStrengths from Gallup), with the passcode to take the StrengthsFinder test on the Gallup website and learn your top five strengths. We’ll use this to understand more about your unique leadership talents and qualities.

Empowered Leadership journal Personalized hardcopy journal for your thoughts, insights, and inspirations during and after the program.

Cartoon red pencil in a red circle Edit like a Pro digital self-study class, with video, handouts, and checklist. You’ll learn to edit your writing like a pro. Whether you’re writing articles, books, or everyday emails, your writing will never again stand in the way of getting your message across. Quite the opposite: you’ll discover the power of the written word to impress, convince, and inform.

The Five Deadly Shoulds of Office Politics: how they mangle your career (and what to do about them) – THE manual on navigating office politics with ease.

The next step is simple: the Leadership Power Profile

Are you seeking to become a respected, effective, powerful leader? This session is for you! In it, we’ll:

Identify the three top reasons you may not be connecting with your team (in-person, virtual, and/or matrixed)
Discover the #1 mistake that’s causing you and your team to be unproductive and miss deadlines
Uncover the hidden factors that are holding you back
Name the most important next step you can take to become the strong, confident leader you know you want to be – and your team deserves.

Schedule a Leadership Power Profile session