Leadership Coaching Strategies to Unlock Self-Awareness – Interview with Dr. Whitney Annelle Evenchik
Dr. Whitney is a certified Neuroscience Coach with a PhD in Holistic Nutritional Medicine. A mild concussion and coping with a parent with Parkinson's have made her quite aware of how imperative our brains truly are. She has dedicated her education and research to helping people think and do better, whether through the mental psyche, or what foods to ingest for your body that nourish and help the brain function properly.
Dr. Whitney Annelle Evenchik, Holistic Neuroscience Coach, Nutritional Medicine
What specific strategies do you use to empower leaders in building self-awareness, and how do they result in transformational growth?
My strategies to empower leaders focus on all attributes of the individual and determine what, why, when, and where questions to add to their accountability meetings in a one-on-one session with me. Once they share this information and say it out loud, it then becomes their reality, helping them start transforming into the type of leader they see themselves becoming. How people perceive themselves is what they will become. Therefore, maintaining a positive outlook and having the client delve into the psyche of becoming not just a leader, but an exceptional one, is essential. They must believe in themselves to determine the successful outcome they will take from their accountability meeting.
How do you tailor your coaching to help clients break through limiting beliefs and reach their highest potential?
Honestly, it starts with the client. They have to build trust and reliability to move forward with their coaching. Clients need to have patience, determination, and willpower in order to see positive results from creating their achievements through our sessions. A lot of people resist change, and that can be somewhat problematic for both the client and me because they are willing to stay stuck in their routine mindset, not allowing for personal growth.
What impact have you seen on your clients’ career trajectories after they’ve implemented your coaching techniques, and how do you measure success?
One example of the impact I have seen involved a client who was in danger of losing their job. I was put in a situation where I had to decide whether to throw this person a lifeline or terminate them, as management had insisted. I decided to go against management’s recommendations and work with this individual, focusing all attributes and positive energies on how to become a successful leader again. Therefore, we held weekly accountability meetings, Wednesdays with Whitney, and dove into a structured goal plan that allowed this individual to focus on their sales tactics to increase their sales revenue. Successfully, the individual was able to turn their results around within a three-month window and also qualify to receive an award regarding their activity.
Consistency and dedication are the focal points people need to remember. What was easy for management, to simply terminate someone without putting in the work to support this individual, was mind-baffling. Unfortunately, companies do not always want to put in the effort to help someone. They want quick results, which leads to a high turnover rate among candidates.
What do you believe is the biggest misconception about leadership, and how do you help your clients overcome it?
The word “boss” has had a negative connotation over the past decades. People refer to it as though this person is of a higher rank, will not have any sympathy, or will expect them to do more than what the job entails. Yes and no. At the end of the day, leadership roles should always maintain a certain structure because leaders were put in that role for a reason. However, they are human too, and yes, isolated situations do come up. They expect their co-workers to step in and lend a hand when this transpires.
I will say that each generation handles “isolated” situations differently. I am also going to digress that Generation X was probably the last generation to be taught and managed by baby boomers on what it means to be successful. “You must be a team player.” Everyone who is part of Generation X has heard this from family members or previous bosses. I believe that after Generation X, the word “work” did not register the same way it would for Generation X.
For example, when I was working with my interns years ago, they shared that if something were to occur outside office hours, they would not be available. They proceeded to tell me that their phones were off, and they did not want to be disturbed. Nevertheless, Generation X was taught rather differently. To be considered a team player, you must be available all the time, even after office hours. So, depending on how people were raised and what generation they belong to, these questions honestly cannot be answered in one simple way. Hands down, I am going to step in because that is how I was wired and taught. However, a millennial may see it otherwise. Does that make one more responsible than the other? Not necessarily, but it definitely opens up the dialogue on this particular subject when it comes to different generations and how they perceive one another regarding the word “leadership.”
How do you help your clients cultivate a leadership style that aligns with their core values while achieving sustainable success?
Each client is unique, so it all relies on the openness of the relationship and how proactive they are in aligning their core values to match the success of their counterparts. It all hinges on the effects of the neurological aspects and keeping intact a positive scope when analysing certain behaviours and thought patterns that could be a factor in maintaining sustainable success.
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