PALM BEACH, FL (January 17, 2013) – Premier Leadership Coaching, LLC, the Florida-based firm focused on helping professionals remain competitive, maximize productivity, and achieve goals through business and executive coaching is welcoming new clients for speaking engagements, company training seminars, and individual coaching for 2013.
Under the guidance of President Alexa Sherr Hartley, Premier Leadership Coaching helps managers, executives, attorneys and other high-achievers in both the public and private sectors develop the skills needed to be outstandingly great in their careers. By working with those in leadership positions and those who manage multiple direct reports, Hartley provides focus and support to individuals and teams. She helps her clients clarify goals and develop action plans that not only achieve professional and organizational objectives, but also increase personal productivity, resourcefulness, and levels of success. Hartley’s coaching process stems from her training at Columbia University and the Institute of Coaching at Harvard’s McLean Hospital.
Says Hartley, “I like to say that I am a former Big Law litigator gone rogue who was reincarnated as a Columbia University-trained organizational and executive coach. As a change agent and thought leader, I work with outside-the-box thinkers, and those who are interested in challenging the status quo to achieve outstanding greatness in their careers. Business is not static. Therefore, existing and emerging leaders cannot afford to be complacent. I combine my business experience and training as a professional coach to help my clients improve their professional skills, increase their competitive edge and achieve their goals.”
Hartley also notes, “To remain competitive, organizations require that their employees continue to grow professionally and hone their expertise throughout their employment. However, this need often is unfulfilled. Most professionals fail to exceed a passable level of competence during the life of their career. This results in a chasm between where professionals are and where their employers need them to be in order to stay competitive in the marketplace. Employers try to correct this problem by hiring more personnel, but this is a problem of quality not of quantity.” Hartley recommends that organizations and individuals commit themselves to training current employees rather than hiring additional bodies to compensate for a knowledge void. Hartley explains that, “a hiring strategy of more mediocrity backfires every time.” Hartley emphasizes that hiring employees with a high IQ is not necessarily the answer. She explains that a “a high IQ alone does not guarantee professional success. Research shows that soft skills, i.e., an individual’s personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead, account for as much as 85% of financial success whereas only 15% can be attributed to technical knowledge.” She goes on to say that individuals and organizations that recognize the importance of capitalizing on one’s soft skills have a competitive advantage when seeking any type of career advancement. “The sad truth is that for a myriad of reasons, such as lack of desire and misguided priorities, over three-quarters of all professionals never get markedly better at what they do. Sure, they gain confidence and make minor necessary tweaks needed to stay slightly competitive, but they do not get substantially better at what they do and they certainly never reach outstanding greatness. If you look at a professional at the point he/she becomes competent and where he/she is at the end of his/her career, there isn’t much of a difference. The rate of improvement is de minimis.
In addition to working with her clients on long-term objectives, Hartley also assists them with pressing, time-sensitive issues such as meeting preparation, resolving internal and external conflicts, networking, problem solving, and identifying strategic next steps. Hartley consults with industry leaders regarding planning and implementation of significant organizational change, leadership development, and decision-making.Prior to forming Premier Leadership Coaching, Hartley was a litigator in the Manhattan and West Palm Beach offices of Greenberg Traurig, LLP where she represented, counseled and negotiated on behalf of individuals, business owners, and partners of organizations such as investment banks, law and accounting firms. She obtained her law degree from the University of Florida College of Law and graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in Religious Studies. She is the author of a weekly blog, Becoming Outstandingly Great, where she explores strategies for developing the leadership and management skills professionals need to be successful at the highest level of their careers. Recently she was selected by Westlaw to contribute to the Westlaw Insider blog where she writes about strategies for attorneys to improve their performance and help them to advance in their careers. She presents regularly to audiences at industry and professional associations, business organizations, universities, and through webinars.For speaking engagements, group, team and individual coaching, please email Alexa Sherr Hartley at: alexa@premierleadershipcoaching.com or visit the web at: www.premierleadershipcoaching.com.If you would like more information on this topic or to schedule an interview, please call Linda Soper at (612) 308.4159 or email: linda@lindalanemarketing.com.Photo Courtesy of Premier Leadership Coaching, LLC
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