Today, we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Eisler.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been curious, creative, and attracted to challenges. This led me to travel to more than 35 countries solo, to my first career in journalism, and to my role today, which is as an executive coach and partner at Evolution.
I spent the first 15 years of my career leading content teams at a variety of companies, one where I worked for eight years, from a startup through many acquisitions and an IPO, and then to private equity. I reported to a tough C-suiter for years, where my direct, East Coast communication style was welcome and made me successful. After that, I brought it to a softer culture, where it wasn’t as welcome. I have since learned to find the sweet spot between empathy and candor in my communication.
The many phases of organizational change I was navigating led me to get a coach, and my curiosity led me to a coach training with the goal of working on my leadership. I wound up changing careers, getting my Master’s in Organizational Leadership, and launching a new endeavor as an Executive Coach in 2016.
I also taught yoga, meditation, and mindfulness for ten years at studios and workplaces – and led annual week-long retreats in Costa Rica. I did this alongside my corporate jobs as a fun and creative outlet. While I no longer teach, it still operates in the background of who I am.
I bring my journalism skills and creative thinking to my role as a coach every day. Communication and feedback are my expertise. I believe language is generative and can truly change outcomes, and when effective communication is missing, relationships suffer, and so do performance, culture, and results.
Today, I’m committed to helping senior leaders and their teams build trust, collaboration, accountability, and healthy communication skills. I have learned and believe that when leaders can show up with more adaptability, curiosity, and creative thinking amid the volatility and complexity of their work – and when they can find the intersection between care and candor in their communication and leadership – everyone’s success grows.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Certainly not, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The biggest lessons I learned as a leader came from my failures and foibles along the way.
Navigating the ups and downs of leadership and entrepreneurship has only helped me grow, and the lessons I’ve learned have translated into wisdom that I bring to my clients and my work as an executive coach.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
One thing that differentiates me is the tailored level of work I do as a coach and trusted advisor. My clients rely on me to help them build stronger leadership and communication skills and healthier, high-trust and high-performance teams.
For example, I worked with a CFO at a fast-growing startup with a bad reputation. She was one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with, and her performance was through the roof, but people saw her as aggressive, difficult, and uncaring. She would lose her cool when someone didn’t meet her very high expectations, and because of how she showed up, her team was disengaged, and they were flight risks.
Within six months of 1:1 coaching together, she was able to create a really different image for herself at the organization. She was demonstrating empathy, getting her team to collaborate and communicate with one another better – and as a team, accountability rose, so they were delivering stronger results. This all showed up in her 360. We’ve all worked with high-performing leaders who were not so effective at leading, managing, and motivating others – that’s where my work begins.
The other thing that differentiates me is that I come with more than 50 other seasoned practitioners. I am so excited and proud to be at the firm Evolution – we are a team of seasoned coaches, consultants, and facilitators, all with different areas of expertise.
We work on three levels: The I, or individual leadership dimension, the WE, or team and culture dimension, and the IT dimension of systems, processes, goals, and strategy. So when you work with me, you get a whole lot more than one practitioner.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I believe self-awareness is the cornerstone of strong leadership in general, and it has certainly supported my growth and success along the way. I’ve always been curious by nature, and that curiosity has extended to exploring myself in terms of my limitations, blind spots, values, and strengths.
I believe that if you are a leader, you must be aware of where you fall short and when you are off track if you are to close the gap between where you are, where you want to be, and where your organization needs you to be.
Throughout my life and work, I’ve been extremely proactive about discovering my blind spots, which has included a mixture of self-reflection, working with coaches, and gathering feedback from others in an ongoing and consistent manner. I’ve taken this pursuit to heart over the years, and my self-awareness, leadership, and coaching skills have grown because of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://widelensleadership.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WideLensLeadership
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaeisler/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaEisler
- Other: https://evolution.team
Image Credits
Head Shot Images Photo Credit: Morgan Miles
