As purses were raining down on me the only thing I could think was “why am I still here?"
That was my first job after college. I was working in a large department store as a manager in the handbags department. If my boss didn’t like my display choices for the purses, she would throw them at me and yell about my mistakes until I ended up in tears.
It was a big contrast with my first corporate job. My boss, Larry, loved inexperienced employees because he could teach them without having to break their bad habits. He was kind, funny (and introduced me to eating sushi!).
In my corporate journey, I met great leaders and poor ones. I learned to recognize them from afar. Great leaders listen, are empathetic and positive. Poor leaders tend to yell for anything, are stressed, have tense relationships, and their staff is terrified of making mistakes.
When I had the opportunity to join a consulting and coaching company in England, I grabbed it and became a professional executive coach, and started my own training and coaching business when I moved back to the States.
One year later, I was sitting next to a gentleman on a flight who had just started a new job. We spoke about the challenges he was having and he hired me on the spot. Working with him gave me first-hand experience of the difficulties new leaders face, and I started focusing on them.
Fun Facts:
Although all my professional life has been in the corporate world, I studied Liberal Arts in college and taught high school for 7 years.That experience was like a Master’s in psychology and soft skills, especially patience!
I’ve lived abroad, but I’m a 3rd generation San Franciscan (which is a bit rare).
For over thirty years, I’ve been coaching CEOs and executives from various industries, helping them create environments where their employees can thrive.
