As a leadership coaching case study, Audrey Allard shines bright. When we began working together in October 2018, Audrey had been an elementary school teacher in Toronto for some 25 years. In addition, she also teaches adults at university and college for future educators and teachers. And yet, despite her success in these areas, she came to realize she was not reaching for her professional dreams.
Previously, she stepped down from the principal assistant position after reaching a point of burn out. In fact, for eight years or so, while there was no major incident to overcome, she experienced a series of what she describes as “little failures”, things that made her ask herself:
“Okay, what’s going on right now? I need to find out. Because by myself, I was stuck, I was in a dead-end and I was unable to find a way to get out of there. And I was reaching for something new to do, because all by myself, I wasn’t able to reach it… that’s [when] I discovered you, and your executive craft [leadership training] program.”
Audrey knew something needed to change before she could go for her dream – becoming a school principal. But, while Audrey had the necessary professional qualifications for an administrative position, back in summer 2018, she felt stuck and did not know how to move forward toward her dream. She understood that it was not only about her professional qualification but about the inner work she needed to do to get back her passion and vitality so she can truly shine.
Benefits of Leadership Coaching
Bright and clever lady that she is, Audrey realized that the work she needed to do began with herself but, like many of us, she did not know how to do that kind of work: “I didn’t know how to work on that part of myself.”
“I was trying to go deep [with] introspection of what didn’t seem to work in my professional life and why it was so… I was trying [to figure it out on my own but] the help I was going to get was surface work. Relaxation, going to therapy, doing yoga. But it was all outside me, and I was looking for something inside me, because I knew it was somewhere else, it was not outside, it was inside me.”
“I always knew, since the beginning, I’m a really sensitive person and that sensitivity should serve me but, at that moment, for five years, it harmed me. [Being sensitive] didn’t help me at all. So it should be an advantage, but it wasn’t [and] I said, ‘Okay, how can I get some help to let my sensitivity and my personality help me instead of harm me?’”
And then, as sometimes happens and when she needed it the most, Audrey found me and my leadership training program on Facebook.
“So when I start reading the intro of training with you, and the first slideshow I saw on Facebook… everything became clear, and I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s what I need. I think that person’s gonna help me to get out of there, to reach something better for me, that I know I had, but I was unable to reach it for some reason’.”
She went through the Transformational Leadership Program with huge commitment and an open heart. I am so happy to see how her in-depth work brings her unprecedented results, such as:
- Increased confidence
- Greater self-knowledge
- Positive sense of well-being
- Increased mindfulness
- Healthier lifestyle, including nutrition, exercise, and hydration
At the time of the interview, she was offered the position of a coach for teachers for three schools. Three weeks after we recorded the interview she got the SECOND offer and gladly accepted the position of a principal.
Congratulations, Audrey!!! You are definitely in the driver’s seat!!!
Transformation is… when your dreams come true.
Learn more about Audrey’s journey, and how taking part in my Transformational Leadership Program made a huge difference in her life, here: https://youtu.be/JDcUHMX1kTs
If you would you like to learn more about how to be an effective leader, through improving your leadership skills and the enhanced use of emotional intelligence in the workplace, click here to schedule your FREE Discovery Call.
