Leadership Coaching
An international, multilingual team of coaches at your service. Whatever support you're looking for, we have a coach and a program to match.
Our Founder: Shannon Polly
Coaching for 17+ years, Shannon is an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with over 500 hours coaching experience.
After receiving her certification from the Georgetown Leadership Coaching Program, Shannon became one of the first 100 people in the world to receive her Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a graduate of Yale College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Shannon is passionate about helping individuals and teams understand and value their strengths. Her breadth of experience spans tools including the VIA Character Strengths survey, DiSC, Shift Positive 360, techniques from improvisation and the theatrical arts, and the science of resiliency. She creates a safe space where clients bring concerns without judgment, and where unhelpful behaviors are confronted and addressed in a practical, evidence-based form of open discussion.
Our Founder: Shannon Polly
Coaching for 17+ years, Shannon is an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with over 500 hours coaching experience.
After receiving her certification from the Georgetown Leadership Coaching Program, Shannon became one of the first 100 people in the world to receive her Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a graduate of Yale College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Shannon is passionate about helping individuals and teams understand and value their strengths. Her breadth of experience spans tools including the VIA Character Strengths survey, DiSC, Shift Positive 360, techniques from improvisation and the theatrical arts, and the science of resiliency. She creates a safe space where clients bring concerns without judgment, and where unhelpful behaviors are confronted and addressed in a practical, evidence-based form of open discussion.
No matter their stage of career, Shannon's coaching clients learn to bring their whole selves to work under her expert guidance to enact positive change allowing entire teams and organizations to thrive.
- Strengths-Based Coaching for Managers and Professionals
- Presentation Skills Training and Coaching
- Relationship-Building (Communication, Networking, Business Development)
- Leadership Development
- Resiliency and Stress Management Techniques
“Coaching a rare and precious opportunity to effect change on a deep level.”
FAQ
We design online and in-person experiences that people will remember. Shannon’s extensive theater background makes her particularly well suited for reading a room, and for knowing when and how the energy in a room or a coaching relationship needs to change. All of our facilitations are interactive, experiential and fun. And don’t worry: we won’t make anyone do weird theater exercises!
In addition, we are staying on top of the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and leadership. If you want to know that there is a scientific basis for what you are doing, let’s talk.
I don’t know of anyone else who is focusing on the positive psychological approach to executive presence.
If you or your company agree, we would start with an assessment or a 360. The Shift Positive 360 is our preference, although I am also certified in DiSC and the Leadership Circle Profile. I also always include a strengths assessment (VIA Character Strengths or CliftonStrength - formerly StrengthsFinder). This way I can learn more about you before we dive in. Try a free survey here - it only takes 15 minutes!
This depends on how long we are coaching and who is paying - a person or their company. We also have non-profit rates and do a portion of yearly work pro bono for worthy causes.
Again, this depends on the number of people in the audience, the length of the keynote or workshop, if the content is ‘off the shelf’ or needing a lot of customizing. Call for more specifics.
We typically meet once every two weeks, 1 hour each time, for 6 months. 12 sessions in total.
Yes. The only time your manager or sponsor hears about your coaching it is at the beginning (a goal alignment call) and the end (a final check in call). You determine what is said in those meetings ahead of time.
People work on anything having to do with leadership. That said, your coach will see you as a whole person, at work and beyond. So if the discussions include your work-life balance, we can discuss that. Typically goals include:
- Well-being,
- Managing relationships,
- Improving communication skills, and executive (leadership) presence,
- Managing your career (influencing, networking, taking on a new role), or
- Finding a new career
- Encourage Productivity
- Increase Team Collaboration
- Ignite Creative Problem Solving
- If you can think of it, we have probably coached someone on it.
After coaching with us you will:
- Build on your strengths rather than focusing on your weaknesses
- Have taken steps to build healthier habits
- Have more strategies to manage anxious thoughts
- Have tools to present your ideas more effectively, resulting in more confidence that your ideas are taken more seriously.
- Have finally tackled that performance anxiety that plagued you,
- Have a better relationship skills to use with your co-workers or direct reports
Have more clarity as to what you want from your work achieving better balance with life.
All!
Arguably, the biggest mistake people make in choosing a coach is choosing someone just like them. In actuality, you may want to think about picking someone who has a different experience from you and who thinks differently than you do.
Our team of coaches has global experience, and we have coached leaders in many countries, includingKenya, Thailand, Bangladesh, across Europe, Costa Rica,, across industries (non-profit, international development, tech, professional services, lawyers) and genders.
Our coaches are certified in a whole host of tools:
- EQi 2.0
- MSCEIT (Emotional Intelligence)
- DiSC
- Leadership Circle 360
- Shift Positive 360
- Appreciative Inquiry
- CliftonStrengths
- VIA Character Strengths
- …and more!
Coaching is about the present and how you want to be in the future. You and your coach will discuss the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of your future. Therapy tends to focus on the ‘why’. While coaching can be a good pairing with therapy, they are distinct. If needed, your coach can refer you to a trusted therapist.
Mentoring is more advice-giving. This is the biggest misconception of coaching we come across. Think of it as a spectrum. With ‘pure coaching’ or asking Socratic questions on one end and with advice giving on the other end. Coaches tend to lean toward the questions because you are the expert in your life. There may be times where we put on our ‘consulting hat’ and give advice or present a tool that may be helpful. You have the choice to determine if you want to use it or not.
Yes. We like to use evidence-based strategies for our clients. These tools and research comes from a variety of fields - neuroscience, psychology, positive psychology, sociology, systems theory, and organizational development to name a few. If you want to see any research studies, just ask!
Your job as the client is to bring the topic you want to discuss. The first session has a bit of structure, but after that you are in charge of what we discuss. In addition, a lot of the work of coaching happens in between sessions. You will design actions to take in between the sessions (think of them as experiments and not homework) and then we can discuss at the next session if they worked or not. We may send you a book, article, podcast or TED talk based on the topic we discussed that day - depending on how you learn best.
Coach-client fit is really important for your success. We suggest having a 30-minute chemistry call which you can book here to discuss your coaching goals.
