☕ CoffeeChat Weekly
Opportunities & Insights from Across Our Community
Hi everyone, here’s what we have for you this week:
Building a reputation of getting things done will position you well when opportunities arise. In this week’s episode of The Everyday Leader, Nelly Agyemang-Gyamfi shares about her leadership journey at the African Leadership University and Moringa School.
How coachable are you? Check out our new CoffeeChat Coachability Index to see if you are in the mindset and position to work with a coach successfully.
Getting promoted can be both exciting and nerve wracking. Read and listen to our case study of how an EdTech startup accelerator manager worked with an executive coach through CoffeeChat to navigate her growth into an Executive Head role.
Read on for more details…
Developing self-awareness as a leader, building a reputation for getting things done, and transitioning to leading through influence
Here are a few highlights from the conversation with Nelly:
Self-awareness comes from needing to intentionally set goals and identify guiding values: Nelly held several leadership roles during her college years that required that she look after and guide younger students when they arrived on campus for their first year. This experience was a lightbulb moment for her as it helped build self-awareness as she had to be intentional about setting her goals and values in this role.
Building a reputation of getting things done will position you well when opportunities arise: Nelly was selected as a Country Director at Moringa School after performing well in her first role and taking on a deputy role, demonstrating that she can learn quickly and navigate challenges professionally while in middle management roles during turbulent times.
Transitioning from middle management to upper management requires a switch to leading through influence: During her early roles, Nelly said she felt more direct control of her team’s day-to-day operations. When she reached upper management, she found that she had more of a say in what the goal or outcome she be, but much less say in how exactly the team would achieve it. Instead she had to leverage experts and middle management within the organization to develop informed strategies whereby the implementers would have sufficient buy-in around the strategy.
Are you ready to work with a coach?
Professional coaching is an experience that requires strong alignment and commitment between an individual and a coach. Our Coachability Index asks ten questions which serve as a gauge to determine whether you are currently in the mindset and position to work with a coach in a conducive and constructive environment.
Krista’s Journey From Manager to Executive Head
Originally from the United States, Krista Davidson was hired in 2019 as an Operations Manager for Injini. When she joined, Injini was focused on early-stage incubation of African EdTech entrepreneurs. Her role was very operations-heavy and focused on implementing an ongoing project. When she had the opportunity to reexamine the organization’s mandate and restructure the organization’s team as its newly appointed leader, her role significantly changed in both challenging and rewarding ways. Krista now serves as the Executive Head of Injini, whose mission and work includes an EdTech accelerator, think tank and a range of ecosystem development initiatives.
Krista Connects With Executive Coach with CoffeeChat
In 2021, Krista used CoffeeChat to identify and work with an executive coach. During the transition period of redefining Injini’s mandate and focus areas, Krista would sometimes doubt herself or feel anxious. Her coach introduced a framework of identifying and leaning into one’s top 3 strengths. So, during challenging times, Krista found it helpful to remind herself of this list as a way to not only build confidence but to strategize on how she could overcome particular challenges.
Outcome from Coaching
During 6 sessions with her executive coach over 6 months, Krista identified and reminded herself of her top strengths when experiencing imposter syndrome. This new practice gave her confidence and resilience to hire and lead her new team of 8 staff, which are now implementing a broader, 3-prong strategy to support and accelerate the EdTech innovation ecosystem across Africa.