Expert to Executive

Organizational program · For high-potential leaders

From Expert to Executive

Your strongest functional leaders are not always your strongest strategic leaders.

A six-month coaching engagement for the leaders you have promoted on expertise and now need to lead through others.

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For
High-potential leaders making the strategic shift
Duration
Six months
Method
360 assessment. Manager alignment. Applied work.
The shift

Promoted on expertise. Now leading through others.

They have been promoted because of what they know. Trusted because of what they deliver. Relied upon because they are the ones who get it done. And then the role changes. Strategic thinking. Leading through others. Operating beyond their functional domain. The skills that earned the promotion are not the skills the new role demands.

Most leaders at this level were never taught how to make that shift. They keep leading from expertise because that is what worked.

It stops being enough. The gap shows up in decision-making, team ownership, and how effectively the leader operates across functions. Decisions remain too dependent on the leader. Teams have too little room to exercise judgment. And senior leaders have less capacity for the strategic work their roles now demand.

This engagement gives high-potential leaders the structure, tools, and coaching to make the shift. With manager alignment built in from the start, progress is visible, measurable, and sustained beyond the engagement.

The Leadership Congruence Method™ provides the structure. We identify the leadership shifts that matter most, apply them to live business challenges, and work with the leader and manager to make progress visible and sustainable.

What is included

Built for measurable change.

Every element is designed to make progress visible to the leader, the manager, and the organization.

  • Six months of 1:1 coaching, structured for depth and momentum.
  • 360 assessment with a customized action plan.
  • Upfront manager alignment on priorities and success metrics.
  • Structured action planning tied to live business outcomes.
  • Communication and influence tools for cross-functional impact.
  • Between-session accountability and applied practice.
  • Mid-engagement progress check-in with the manager.
  • End-of-engagement transition plan to sustain progress past handoff.
How it works

Four moments. One engagement.

Manager alignment is not an afterthought. It is built into the engagement from the start.

01

Alignment

We open with a three-way conversation: the leader, the manager, and me. We name the priorities, the success metrics, and the specific behaviors that will signal real change. This is the contract for the engagement.

02

Diagnose

A 360 assessment surfaces how the leader is experienced by the people around them. We translate the feedback into a focused action plan, targeting the shifts most likely to improve their effectiveness.

03

Apply

Bi-weekly coaching applied directly to live situations: meetings, decisions, conversations, conflicts. We rehearse, we debrief, and we tighten the loop between insight and action. The work is operational from week one.

04

Sustain

We close with a transition plan that does not depend on me. The leader leaves with the practices, the tools, and the language to keep growing on their own, and the manager leaves with the visibility to keep supporting it.

“Vanessa approaches coaching with deep insight, forensic precision, and a steady hand. She helped me uncover root emotional and psychological blind spots that were limiting my growth and provided strategies to operationalize my most effective self.”
Peter Gray, VP of Product & Experimentation, Dow Jones
Outcomes

What changes.

Observable shifts in how the leader operates and how their stakeholders experience them.

  1. Clearer about their leadership strengths, patterns, and development priorities.
  2. Better able to exercise judgment when facing ambiguity and competing demands.
  3. More effective at delegating, building team ownership, and developing others’ judgment.
  4. Greater capacity to operate across functions, influence stakeholders, and focus on strategic priorities.
Best for

Strong functional leaders ready to make the shift to strategic leadership.

Especially effective for leaders newly promoted on expertise and now navigating broader scope, larger teams, or increased visibility. Coached leaders at The Wall Street Journal, Nasdaq, Pinterest, Dow Jones, and more.

Stories from inside the work

What this engagement makes possible.

“Vanessa’s program went deep, deeper than anything I have taken part in before. She helped create a culture where you can bring your true self to work, and gave us the courage to shapeshift in an organization that emerged willing to allow us to pivot our careers.”
Katharine Bailey, SVP of Product & Design, Condé NastFormerly General Manager, The Wall Street Journal
“Participating in coaching by Vanessa was transformative. Beyond leadership coaching, I gained insight on driving change, enhancing presence, and holding space effectively while challenging where needed. Vanessa’s guidance was instrumental in navigating complex business dynamics.”
Jason Malatesta, Global Head, The Wall Street Journal
“Vanessa’s coaching was incredibly valuable. I quickly identified areas for improvement thanks to her actionable insights and thoughtful guidance. She communicates with clarity, empathy, and intuition. I highly recommend working with Vanessa.”
Rossa Shanks, CMO, Dow Jones
“Vanessa helped me align who I am with how I lead. Her approach balances courage and accountability, giving me the tools to reshape my leadership path and drive meaningful impact inside the organization.”
General Manager, The Wall Street Journal
Ready to invest in the leaders defining what comes next

Let’s scope the right engagement.

A 30-minute conversation to discuss the leaders you’re developing, the business priorities at stake, and what success would look like. We’ll determine together whether this engagement is the right fit.

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