I received a promotion in April, and as part of the promotion my boss negotiated some coaching hours with Karen. To be honest, I was hesitant. In my former employment, coaching was used when they were trying to walk you out the door. And I was a little confused: I just got a promotion, but now I need coaching? But when I first met Karen face to face, I grasped it. And then I embraced it. She asked me, “What do you want to see? What are your fears?” I came from a male-dominated, government workplace, and I wanted to learn how to be heard, and how to be a leader in this new environment. Karen and I called it “understanding how to be a corporate lady.” For instance, I had an upcoming meeting with my boss’s boss, and Karen helped me prepare and gave me feedback when I practiced the presentation. Afterward, we talked about ways to improve. Even though I only worked with Karen for three months, I continue to work on the development plan we created. My boss said I’m very confident when I speak to higher-level executives now. I’m getting a lot more kudos because of that.