Posts by Jessica
Transforming 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…
Read MoreHow to Measure Vertical Development with Assessments
Maturity assessments measure where a person falls within the seven stages of the vertical development framework. Key Takeaways: Maturity assessments are used to help leaders and their coaches understand the stage of adult development they’re in and how they can move forward The assessments usually contain a sentence completion element, take about 20 minutes online,…
Read MoreProactively Trying to Move to the Next Stage of Adult Development: The Last Three Stages
We’re back with more about how to transition from one stage of vertical development (or adult development) to the next. Now, we’re focusing on the post-conventional phases. Post-conventional means these stages have the common characteristic of shedding some societal norms and expectations. This may look like letting go of stories we’ve always told about ourselves…
Read MoreWhat Is the Value of Leadership Coaching?
There is no more valuable investment for leaders and organizations than coaching. Leaders set the tone for the entire organization, and the organization can only be as good as its leaders. Key Takeaways: Effective leaders increase the probability of achieving better business performance by 38 percent Leadership coaching costs are influenced by the type of…
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