When I started working with Deborah, I was a new manager with no real management or leadership experience. There was a key moment in our meetings where Deborah said something that has stuck with me since then. “There is a major difference between a Leader and a manager and you are managing.” It was that one statement that pushed me to invest the time to improve as a professional in my new role. Every opportunity that I have, I check in and ask myself if I am acting as a Leader or a Manager. I am so very grateful when I get confirmation from her that I’ve grown into a strong leader.
Getting to know myself and my leading strengths through the Gallup Assessment process has made the biggest impact for me. With Restorative as my number one strength, it was an eye opener why I sometimes was being viewed as negative without intending to. In reviewing that strength and its characteristics, I learned how much I lead with and look for problems that I could solve. From my perspective it was not a negative thing (I was looking for solutions too), but I was being perceived as negative. Once I was able to identify that for myself, I have been able to work with that strength in different ways. I have been able adjust to others and their strengths to still get to the solution but present the problem in a different way. So much of my work with Deborah has been from getting to know and understand myself which ultimately has allowed me to also better connect and understand my team.
Deborah-You are invaluable to me. I would not be who I am today without your mentorship and coaching.
