Posts by Jessica
Why I Became an Executive Coach
I’m often asked how and why I became a coach. Let’s go back to 2008. I had just moved to Charlotte for my new role running the succession planning program at Lowe’s Home Improvement. I got off to a good start but a few months after I started, the woman who hired me took a…
Read MoreMake Feedback Your Superpower
Years ago, at the beginning of my coaching career, I was working with a leader (let’s call her Allie) who was having a challenge with a direct report of hers (let’s call him George). As Allie described it, George wasn’t showing up to work on time and wasn’t letting anyone – including her – know…
Read MoreCultivating Leadership in a Real Estate Development Firm
Summary This case study highlights the transformative journey of ABC Properties, a real estate development firm facing an ownership change, a CEO transition, and the pandemic. The engagement with The Sparks Group provided crucial support and guidance during this critical phase. Overall, the partnership with The Sparks Group contributed to ABC Properties’ successful transition and…
Read MoreTransforming a Creative Services Agency for Long Term Success
Summary In this case study, we explore the journey of a creative services agency that faced significant challenges with a retiring founder/CEO, an impending leadership vacuum, and struggles in securing new business. Through a comprehensive approach involving 360-degree assessments, group coaching sessions, and individual coaching, the agency successfully restructured its leadership team, established a new…
Read MoreCultivating Leadership in an Academic Medical Research Base
Summary This case study explores the transformation of an academic medical research institution that, despite its technical excellence and world-renowned status, lacked a focus on leadership development and the development of its people. Recognizing the need for change, the institution embarked on a long-term partnership with The Sparks Group. The study examines the journey of…
Read MoreMy Awful Feedback Conversation
Let’s time travel. Let’s go back to 2010 or 2011. I’m working at Lowe’s Home Improvement’s corporate office, and my broad-based human resources career is deepening into the strategy execution and change management space. Because of the clients I was supporting in my HR Business Partner role, I had a front-row seat to the enterprise…
Read MoreSometimes leadership lessons emerge from the strangest places.
One of the premier museums in Stockholm, Sweden is the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a ship commissioned by the King Gustav II Adolph in 1625. It was intended to be a warship with significant firepower to protect and expand the Swedish empire. When the king ascended to the throne, Sweden was at war with…
Read MoreLessons in Grief
We had to put our family dog, Nana, down this summer. She was ten and had blood cancer. My older son has mild autism, and when he was young and newly diagnosed, we explored getting a service dog for him. Golden Retrievers are the go-to breed for service dogs for people with autism. While Kevin’s…
Read MoreWhat I Did on my Summer Vacation
I checked out. I turned off my email. I went incommunicado. For two weeks. It was fabulous. It also wasn’t always this way. Sometimes clients think we coaches have got it all figured out, and that’s high praise, but it’s hardly true. I think the best we can do as humans is continue to improve…
Read MoreAn HR Manager’s Guide to Developing Leaders
Vertical development provides unique opportunities for more dynamic, interesting, and long-lasting learning and development (L&D). Key Takeaways: Focusing solely on developing competencies (horizontal development) only gets leaders so far as the world becomes more complex Vertical development provides a roadmap HR can use for what growth looks like and for employees’ stage in that journey…
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