What Clients Say
Suzan Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer, A Local Arts Agency

Chief Executive Officer
A Local Arts Agency
Montgomery County, MD
Terrie S. Rouse, President, Rouse Consulting, Inc.

President
Rouse Consulting, Inc.
Washington, D. C. Metro Area
www.terrierouse.com
A Senior Executive of For-profit and Nonprofit Institutions
I was looking at either changing careers or having some new direction within the organization. I hadn’t framed how I wanted to do that or what I might want to do going forward, but I told Sharon that I thought it might be helpful to talk through my alternatives with someone who could offer advice and direction and could begin to help me put some form around what I imagined to be future opportunities.
For the most part over my career span, which has extended some four decades, I set my career objectives myself. I don’t typically share with anyone what my deep innermost thoughts are, particularly as it relates to my career, and never have. Executive coaching certainly didn’t fit with the sort of things I had grown up with developmentally as a corporate person. So I had some reluctance about opening up about career direction.
But I realized in looking back that I had run into some hurdles along the way, some of which had to do with maybe misreading the person on the other side of the table. I had some early discussion with Sharon about what I thought were some past confrontational circumstances that were aggravated and escalated by virtue of my believing the other person had taken an adversarial position. She was very helpful in making certain that I didn’t go there in my current circumstance.
Sharon and I would talk through things that I had felt or that I was seeing, and then we would talk through whether they were actually happening – was there something confrontational taking place – and if so, how might I best deal with it. These were all the sorts of things I generally never talk about. The way I was brought up in the for-profit finance world, sharing this sort of thing was viewed as a potential weakness, and it enabled somebody who was seeking the same thing you were to gain a competitive advantage. So for me there was lots of unlearning certain kinds of behavior, opinions, reactions, and then re-learning a different approach.
My life in the nonprofit sector in finance is very different from what my life had been in large for-profit corporations. Sharon comes from the nonprofit sector, so I learned a lot from her. I find it very helpful to share with her the path I’m taking and what I see 12 months out, and various ways to accomplish that while building relationships. This has allowed me to craft a direction that otherwise might have taken a very different kind of detour.
Working with Sharon has helped me to trust people more often and at a different level. And I clearly have a better work-life balance. There are certain burdens I just feel I don’t carry any more – I can kind of unleash and let go. Because I don’t let it all get to me, I’m having more fun!
I’m enjoying this time again. That’s meaningful. Because literally, I’m enjoying my time here again, and I did not think that was possible. I give Sharon great credit for that.
I can pretty much talk to Sharon about anything. She listens well. And her feedback is good. It isn’t exactly advice, because we come to a lot of conclusions together, and I like that.
Be prepared for the frankness. It’s tough having someone tell you about yourself! But in the end, it will make you a lot happier. And I would equate that with fun. I would say, if you aren’t having fun, you’ll learn to have fun again.
A Senior Executive of For-profit and Nonprofit Institutions
Northeast United States
Former Director, Strategic Financial Analysis, New York City Department of Health, New York, NY
I knew I was ready for a career transition, but I wasn't sure what I needed. I wanted to figure out how to move forward in such a way that my next position would be a leadership position that I could grow in. I wanted a position where 10 years from now, I can look back and feel that I’m a subject matter expert.
The mechanics of the job search was not what I was looking for – I didn’t want to review my resume and cover letter and go through mock interviews. But I felt in my gut that I needed some type of help, even though I couldn’t articulate what that help would be.
I turned to Sharon to help me think through the changes I was embarking on. And our engagement was awesome, it was wonderful!
Sharon helped me to hone in on my skills and identify my strengths. You know, a lot of times we focus on our weaknesses, what we need to be better at. Sharon did a phenomenal job of helping me figure out what my strengths are, and what types of work would really allow me to leverage my strengths so that I can feel successful.
Sharon would open every conversation with, “So what do you want to get out of this session?” She would always remind me that it’s what I wanted and needed. I had to start becoming more prepared for my discussion with her. She trained me to be my own diagnostician, so that when the engagement ended, I was empowered with the tools I needed to ask the right questions.
She sent me a book that was particularly helpful called StrengthsFinder. I did the online survey that comes with the book, and the report I received was so personalized – it really just hit the nail on the head. It’s a document that I can have forever, that I can always reference, and I can even take the survey again when I’ve grown and matured more as a professional.
So I have this gremlin that’s always nudging me about my communication skills. And Sharon really helped me to recognize the gremlin and get control of it, and recognize that my communication skills are much stronger than I thought. Now instead of feeling like my communication skills are weak, I’m walking in knowing that I’m a wonderful communicator, it’s probably my strongest asset, and it’s what’s going to help me to achieve success in my career. That was an absolute turnaround.
And I’m starting a new position on Monday that I’m totally excited about!
I’m confident that this is the right position for me. I can see it very clearly, I can see the big picture, I can see how I can leverage this position later on. I’ve never felt this level of freedom professionally. I’ve always felt like I was at the mercy of my manager.
I feel like a true leader, not just of my work, but of myself. I’m still a humble person, because that’s part of my personality. But professionally, I’m no longer waiting to get direction or waiting to be empowered. Here I am, I know what I’m worth, I know what my strengths are, I know what I’m capable of, I’m taking the lead. I know what I need to do.
You can have a conversation with yourself for a whole year and not get anywhere. Why waste time sitting there going around in circles talking to yourself, trying to figure things out, not being sure, when you can have that conversation with someone whose prime objective is to help you think? You cut your time down and focus your energy in a more positive way by investing in a career coach. Because it is an investment. It’s an investment in yourself. And you’ll start seeing the results quickly – it’s not the type of investment that you have to wait a long time to see the return!
Former Director
Strategic Financial Analysis
New York City Department of Health, New York, NY
Strategic Financial Analysis
New York City Department of Health, New York, NY
Margaret Egan, Administrator, Philanthropy Advisors, LLC

Administrator
Philanthropy Advisors, LLC
New York City
www.eganconsulting.com