My client Shauna*, a shy woman in her early 30s, came to her first Power Voice session with something on her mind. Shauna is employed at a biotech company that has grown exponentially during the past few years, and although the industry itself is heavily male-dominated, this company has a program that gets women on a leadership track, which creates a fair amount of women at the top.
Yet Shauna wasn't happy with her work environment. She had finally realized that her boss, a woman in her 50s and the VP of their company, was toxic. There was no doubt in Shauna's mind: her boss was mean, heartless and demanding.
Shauna was so sure of this problem that she was about to give her two-weeks notice. She wanted to spend our sessions working on job interview skills, which she felt would help her shine in her search for a new employer. Now, I love coaching these types of skills. I have a great track record of helping clients achieve their career milestones. It’s exciting to watch women strategize about their dream job, and help them marshall their Power Voice so they can advocate for themselves and make maximum impact in job interviews.
But something in Shauna’s story didn’t feel right, and I asked her to elaborate on her description of her boss’ faults.
What she told me was this:
When Shauna was in a group meeting with her boss, she felt unfairly “singled out”. But when I asked what her boss would do, Shauna said she would make her repeat the ideas she had brought to their one-on-one meetings.
Whenever Shauna was feeling under the weather and had to stay home from the office, her mean boss would micro-manage her with too many emails and calls. But when I asked what they discussed, Shauna said her boss kept her updated on the progress of various projects that Shauna oversaw.
Lastly, Shauna felt that her boss didn’t really care about her, and wouldn't make time to discuss Shauna's progress through the company or recommend her for the leadership track program. But when I asked her if she'd requested a recommendation, she said she hadn't thought to do it.
That's when Shauna had a breakthrough about how she could use her Power Voice at her current role. I'll share her insights with you here:
Instead of feeling resentful that she had to perform “in the spotlight” during group meetings, she could learn some Power Performance skills to calm her nerves and keep her steady under pressure.
Instead of feeling irritated that her boss bothered her too much when she was working from home, she could tell her boss what she needed her boss to be updated on.
Instead of feeling aggrieved that her boss didn’t care about her career progress, she could ask directly for a recommendation, and step up her all her Power Voice skills so she could make maximum impact in that kind of role.
Toxic bosses exist! If you have one, you should get out ASAP. But sometimes, if your skills and confidence are limited, it can limit your perspective. You might not see the situation clearly, or recognize an opportunity that's right in front of you.
For help with job interviews, work presentations, performance reviews and confidence coaching, email me directly for rates and availability. I love hearing from you!
*name and some details changed for privacy