“Somebody on my side, without judgment.”

I began working with Hanna when I started looking for a dean position. I had a great position at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, but I was looking to move into a dean position. Some friends were using Hanna in more of a group environment, but because my situation was so specialized, I didn't want to do it in a group. So I contacted Hanna to see if she would do individual coaching sessions for me. I had never used a coach before and I didn't know what to expect, but it was very beneficial.

One of the things she did for me during my job search was help me to use elevated language in the answers to interview questions. She also helped to review documents: I had to submit letters of intent in order to apply for the positions, and she was good at smoothing over what I had written. And I worked through different scenarios with her, this offer versus that offer, pros and cons, trying to decide what would be the best fit for me at that point in my career. One of the benefits was that, instead of just asking a friend to help me and then feeling badly that I was taking up their time, I had somebody who was dedicated to helping me and I didn't have to feel bad about taking up her time.

She was able to help me sift through, from an outsider's perspective, how she saw the situation, taking into account all of the other sessions that we had had and how she knew me and my strengths, and help me figure out techniques for moving forward in certain difficult situations. Her outside, unvarnished perspective has really helped me to see a situation differently and give me another option for how I might address it. Sometimes she thinks of things I don't, and that's wonderful.

One of the things that I bring to leadership is similar to what she brings, in that yes, I have the credentials and yes, I do the hard work, but also I do approach leadership from a very person-centric manner. So I think those two things dovetailed nicely. I have recommended her, and some of the people that I have recommended her to have utilized her services and found her helpful. Her background is very, very different than ours, but she really brings things to the heart of the issue, and the heart of the issue in the circus, where she did a lot of her early learning, and also in academia, is very much the same. So leadership is leadership, no matter where you do it. I started working with Hanna about four and a half years ago, and it's been consistent ever since, and I am glad that I have. It lets me know that I have somebody on my side who can help me without judgment. And even though it is a business relationship and I'm paying her, I really do feel like she cares about me and about my situation.