I can't talk with anyone else the way I can speak with you, Leigh. You give me clarity on navigating my environment and putting the obstacles I need to overcome in perspective.---Successful C-to-Be™

How do you level the playing field? Here's an example from a top executive that will give you some perspective on how to even out obstacles to career advancement.

Dawn Hudson had a lot of people buzzing around her at the end of her talk at the launch of a new magazine in New York City. After her talk, the then President and CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America greeted well wishers. As Leigh walked in the executive's direction, she pondered the piece of wisdom she sought from this very successful woman.

“What was your biggest challenge to being taken seriously in the workplace?” Leigh asked. Hudson thought a moment before offering a factor in her career.

"I played golf with my male colleagues and won," the woman with an impressive 14-handicap said. "We bet $5 on each hole. When I started taking their $5 bills from them, they started taking me seriously."

Hudson played the same game as the men, on their field, by their rules, under equal circumstances, and won by leveling their playing field. At that time, Dawn was responsible for managing $4 billion annually. Now that’s a lot of $5 bills! Today she is Vice Chair of The Parthenon Group, an advisory firm focused on strategy consulting.

How do you---women or men---level the leadership playing field?

Are you comfortable with taking the risks needed to properly express all of your talents, demonstrate your skills, and contribute in ways to further establish your profile within your organization and with clients?

Are you willing to seek and take advice from others?

During her coaching sessions, while presenting a seminar, or delivering educational lectures, Leigh's approach is to support and inspire “Cs-to-Be™” to find their own creative ways to level the playing field and overcome challenges on their paths to the top.

Contact Leigh to set up a complimentary half-hour coaching session to assess what you will need to do to complete your ascent on your own "mountains" of challenges.

Playing to win means that you give yourself every opportunity to be successful. You use what you can control to change your behavior and achieve positive results.

Playing not to lose is an approach that allows you to avoid risk in order to keep the status quo. This behavior is often rooted in a fear of failure.

Playing to win generates images of sports. The concept is not dependent on understanding sports or playing sports.

Playing to win is a frame of mind.

When you are playing to win, your mind is not on what everyone else is doing but what you can do to improve your performance.

Your effective perspective lets you focus on the present situation because you know your company's strategic objectives.

You expect the best from your colleagues and take appropriate risks when necessary.

You show up fully ready to do your work and manage your stress when the going gets tough.

Playing to win is the way to level your playing field.

Contact Leigh for to discuss your playing to win strategies during a complimentary half-hour coaching session.

Working to be a leader---and helping clients grow into their leadership potential---Leigh knows that obstacles to career advancement vary from individual to individual.

Leigh helps leaders clearly identify the nature of the obstacles in order to reduce and remove them. Oftentimes, the getting rid of the obstacle or road block involves moving from comfortable behaviors to those that are outside one's comfort zone. Taking that risk to be uncomfortable can reap unexpected rewards and confidence to take on new challenges.

Leigh's clients take notes during their coaching sessions. One phrase she uses is always written down when discussing how she would approach a conflict situation with an employee. She offers what has worked for her. Leigh says, "I don't mean to be confrontational, I do mean to be direct" then goes on to address the issue with the employee.

Examples of the positive movements clients learn in coaching sessions with Leigh include:

• Winging it as a leader to specific ways to master the art of effective leadership.
• Proposing a needed project to designing a cost-effective initiative with a strong ROI.
• Getting lost in office politics to implementing meaningful workplace conversations.
• Avoiding speaking up to owning a place at the table with a strong authentic voice.
• Being fearful of public speaking to presenting confidently in front of a group of three or a gathering of hundreds.
• Backing off from holding an employee accountable or terminating him for poor performance to direct conversations about improvement in performance and productivity.
• Sweeping conflict under the rug to managing conflict when it arises.

Leigh suggests that her clients read articles published in the Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and other magazines plus specific books on topics relevant to their career advancement. Book suggestions range from On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis to Undaunted Courage: The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Stephen Ambrose.

Assessments such as "The Coaching Report for Leaders" are another pathway to identify obstacles as well as areas for growth and opportunities to build on strengths.

Contact Leigh to discuss your obstacles during a complimentary half-hour coaching session.

I invested in executive coaching to maximize my performance in a challenging senior level management role in a healthcare corporation. My coaching sessions with Leigh have helped me to harness and own my power as an executive plus communicate and execute my ideas and plans more effectively. I'm now prepared to take on a more challenging C-level leadership role.--- Sandra Housch Sneed, MBA, one of my coaching clients.

After being unexpectedly promoted to a senior level executive position, I was pleased and terrified at the same time. Leigh helped guide me through the transition to help me look, think and act more strategically than I ever had to before – to develop into a better leader. Now Leigh helps keep me accountable, setting out specific challenges and goals to ensure I continue to grow as a leader. She acts as a sounding board to weigh alternatives to pressing challenges and provides that shot of encouragement I need to press on despite the obstacles. ---Financial services professional managing global teams

It means so much to me to have had your unwavering support on my way up and in my new role as CEO — Leader of social services agency

I can't talk with anyone else the way I can speak with you. You give me clarity on navigating my environment and putting the obstacles I need to overcome in perspective.
---Successful C-to-Be™

If you're a “C-to-Be™” and are ready to work with a coach to get you to the peak of your career,, contact Leigh@LTR-NYC.com.