Client Interviews

First 90 days Marks Success for New Senior Director

At Noonday Ventures, we enhance your leadership performance. We ensure that you impact your entire team and organization.

We’d like to introduce you to Dana, a client we supported after a significant promotion. In the following interview, he shares how working with us brought clarity and focus to his new role. By shining a light on key areas in his first 90 days, he’s experiencing solid success with clients and peers.

Noonday:
When you called us, what was your new role?

Dana:
I was promoted to a regional, senior director role. My career has been in sales leadership. This is my first time in this senior role.

Noonday:
What needs did you have moving into this role?

Dana:
Being with the company 18 years, I had a pretty good idea of the changes I needed to make moving forward. I wanted to make an impact quickly. I needed to align myself with the region, vice president and overall organization in a short period of time.

Noonday:
What did you want to change by working with us?

Dana:
Through surveys, I know that my leadership style matches my organization’s culture. My goal was to place myself in the team in a way that crisply creates value. I needed my team and peers to see me as a support and not a distraction. As a new senior director, I am a change agent and compass that keeps my teams aligned with one another and the organization. Because directing other directors is different than managing sales managers, I knew my perspective had to broaden.

Noonday:
What was the benefit of working with Noonday?

Dana:
I participated in Noonday’s LeaderLaunch process. Working with my coach was similar to being in a think tank for the first 90 days. It forced me to address potential areas that could go awry. I honed in on my reasons for being in this position, what values I bring to the organization and what impact I needed to make in the first, critical days. My first impression was a priority. Because of the work with my coach, I was able to get out and tell people my story – sharing my values and vision. This action gave me a solid first impression. As a result, my confidence is strengthened moving forward.

Noonday:
What was your big take away from working with Noonday?

Dana:
I’m reaping big dividends as result of working with Noonday. I have a great rapport with leaders across my region because we are aligned. We know what we need to do as result of the strategic thinking and planning. I am aware of the social styles of my peers and what is important to them. I’ve worked with engineering, marketing, finance and sales to ensure that they know what I am doing and why.

Noonday:
How was LeaderLaunch different that going to a training seminar on leadership transitions?

Dana:
It’s simple. Going through LeaderLaunch was personalized for my situation. All the attention was on making me successful in my role. My coach moved me through a personal strategy. It was similar to having an unbiased consultant that focused on me. There is no way that I would have gotten the same results thru a book or training class. My work with Noonday focused on the execution of my leadership strategy.