Building Up Women in Leadership with Skillsoft Coach Beth Egan

Women represent 58.4% of the workforce in the United States, but only hold 35% of senior leadership positions. Which is a surprising, considering women leaders are known to break down many workplace barriers caused by gender biases and serve as transformational role models. The unique communication skills of women often contribute to creating meaningful connections and foster a more supportive work environment.

As we navigate through an era where diversity and inclusion have taken center stage in a professional environment, empowering women leaders through tailored coaching has become imperative. By investing in the development of women, businesses not only promote diversity and inclusion but also drive innovation and improved problem-solving.

Do you have any women+ leaders that might benefit from coaching? Take a peek at Skillsoft’s Coaching solution to see how our exceptional coaches can help guide your employees to personal and professional success.

Beth is a seasoned professional coach based in Atlanta, Georgia with over 30 years of operational experience. She has accumulated more than 1,500 hours of paid professional coaching, helping individuals and organizations work towards their goals. In addition to having her MBA, Beth is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

Her industry experience is vast and varied, encompassing sectors such as energy, technology, logistics, transportation, retail, consumer goods, entertainment, finance, healthcare, and insurance. With her extensive knowledge and hands-on experience, Beth brings a unique perspective to her women in leadership coaching clients, enabling her to guide them toward their goals effectively and efficiently.

We had the pleasure of asking Beth a few questions to gain insights into her coaching philosophy and why coaching is so important as a professional development practice.

Skillsoft: Can you provide an overview of your coaching philosophy and approach?

Beth Egan: My coaching philosophy is clear: the fundamental premise of coaching is that the answers are within you. I help you understand the strengths that propel you forward and find out what’s holding you back from realizing your full potential. I challenge you to explore deeply, bringing awareness to the forefront, enabling you to make conscious choices to build new habits and behaviors to accelerate your potential and flourish.

Can you share any success stories or case studies from your previous coaching engagements?

A technically competent senior leader was recently appointed Senior VP of a large technology-based organization. Leadership at this level required interpersonal skills to motivate, engage, and inspire business units across the enterprise. I was selected to coach the leader to advance self-awareness and empathy skills in a way that would empower him to authentically communicate and influence effective change during a time of increased disruption in the industry.

The coaching process included a personality assessment and 360 feedback integrated with the competencies required for the new position. Bringing awareness to the forefront through this science-based assessment approach resonated with the leader. Combined with inspiring best practices, including Microsoft CEO Nadella’s story of leading with Empathy, providing the “art and science” approach that became the foundation for his self-exploration and mindset shift. The post engagement impact report showed significant improvement in employee engagement, motivation, and trust.

How do you support learners in developing their leadership skills and enhancing their professional growth?

I provide leaders with an understanding of their strengths, challenges, and underlying motivations through evidence-based assessments and client intake. By empowering clients with insights into how they are perceived as leaders, and setting goals to shift habits and behaviors, I inspire them to create new opportunities for themselves, their teams, and the business. I partner with clients to challenge their assumptions and see through their blind spots, because that is where the real growth happens. I am their thought partner, their accountability partner, and their sounding board, creating a safe place to process individual needs and desired states.

What do you believe is the benefit to scaling leadership capabilities across the organization through coaching?

Scaling leadership capabilities across the organization enables transformation initiatives and accelerates culture transformation, which all clients are seeking today — especially with the rapid growth of AI-enabled technology. Through leadership coaching, we can identify role models within the organization to create grassroots positive change, while also developing capabilities where there are gaps in the organization — all done at the highly personalized individual level.

Learn more about the power of coaching.

How do you stay updated with the latest trends and developments in leadership and coaching?

I keep my ICF credentials up to date with 40 CEUs over the three-year period. I am active on social media related to coaching trends, and I am active in my local chapter of ICF- Georgia. I write blogs and sit on expert panel interviews on the future of work and coaching. In addition, I also:

• Attend behavior science conferences, eg: International Positive Psychology Conference
• Participate in mentor coaching
• Attend brain-based coaching training
• Read HBR Daily Briefings
• Attend ICF Workshops on new technology eg: role of AI in coaching
• I do ongoing research on coaching and behavior science

Want Beth to coach someone from your team?

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