ONE CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE 5.0 An interview with Samantha (Evans) Maxey, Executive Director of Communications Fulton County School System
What was your objective? I wanted to bring in an outside person to be able to facilitate a process where my team was engaged and where we could be refocused on our work; see our deficiencies, strengths and building blocks to move forward and create our plan for the next year. Usually, we would do it on our own. This time I thought it might be helpful to have that outside perspective.
In addition, I was new in my role. I was there a little under a year. So there were also some internal dynamics at play as there will be with new leaders, new plans, new ways of doing things, etc. I was also very interested in getting help to gel better with my team.
Describe the experience. Were there any memorable moments? The experience started before the actual event with the entire team. This was incredibly valuable to me. Reggie and I met a couple times and had in depth conversations about my needs, hopes and goals. He was very candid from the start, which I appreciated. He told me, “We need to deal with you first, see what’s going on with you, before we focus on the team.” He helped me pull out my own deficiencies as a leader. He challenged me to be comfortable with those types of conversations. He then started drafting some things based on what he heard. He shared those plans with me and his creativity was amazing. He presented a menu of options for the different ways to engage, price point, etc. Having those choices allowed me to pick and choose the right solution for our needs. Then, we got to the part of engaging with the team. He came to the office, met the team, introduced himself and prepped them for what they were going to experience. It definitely got them curious, which was good. Then, the actual day was amazing. It was refreshing to be in this contemporary space, to think, reflect and breathe. Breakfast was set up. His attention to the little things made all the difference. It was important for the whole experience. He knew that. We had breakfast, mingled and just enjoyed each other, which was nice. The structure, organization and very deliberate way he went from one item to the next was perfect. He wasn’t afraid to push where he needed to push. Again, he wasn’t afraid to allow us to be uncomfortable.
56
FINDING YOUR FORTE STRATEGIC PLANNING SERVICES PROPOSAL
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online