Success Labs Leadership Profiles: An Interview with Shannon D’Gerolamo

Shannon D’Gerolamo joined the Success Labs team in 2005, and has more than 10 years of experience providing executive coaching and leadership development consultation to a wide variety of organizations.Shannon is the senior project manager for two Success Labs leadership-development series: the Management Incubator for emerging leaders and the Leadership Coaching Series for mid- to high-level leaders. She coordinates action learning and corporate social responsibility partnership projects to build leaders and communities.Learn more about Shannon’s approach to leadership coaching and development in this leadership profile.

What's your leadership philosophy?

Based on my own experience and based on hundreds of coaching discussions with clients, I have come to believe that an effective leadership philosophy covers the following competencies: integrity and trust, vision/strategic agility, development of self and others, ability to motivate and build effective teams, innovation, planning/organization agility, self-awareness, interest in receiving feedback, and a desire to build effective and meaningful relationships.

Which business leader(s) do you look up to and why?

The leaders that come to mind are the ones I have the opportunity to work with every day – the leadership team at Success Labs! Devin and Bill have created an environment in which team members are able to leverage their strengths, utilize their own learning styles, and partner with impressive organizations and clients. I’m proud to be a part of this successful team of smart and amazing coaches!In terms of local business leaders that I admire, Robert Burgess, the current president/CEO of St. Elizabeth Hospital here in Baton Rouge, La., comes to mind. For many years, he has volunteered his time to Success Labs’ Management Incubator Series, offering words of wisdom to our emerging leaders.

What's the hardest leadership lesson you ever had to learn?

In past leadership roles, I had a tendency to be too sympathetic to the barriers and/or challenges that direct reports faced. I found myself completing work tasks that should have been assigned to direct reports. I was too involved in the day-to-day tasks instead of observing, coaching and leading the team. Over time, I grew to appreciate the importance of the bottom-line, such as getting work accomplished in a timely manner in order to provide exceptional customer service in order to carry out the mission of the organization.In addition, I have a preference for introversion, so facilitating training classes would not be a natural preference for me; individual coaching is my comfort zone. I have worked on gaining skills and building confidence in this area. I hope to inspire others to work on their non-preferences in order to broaden their overall skill-sets.

What's the most common weakness you see in leaders and how do you help them improve on it?

The most common weakness I find leaders face is not taking the time to strategize and plan out their own career path. In order to do this, several things must be in place. First, they must establish what strengths they possess, and then learn to leverage those strengths to bring greater value to the organization. Secondly, they must develop a plan to overcome the weaknesses that are creating “noise” for them or are serving as a barrier to their advancement. And lastly, leaders must determine the next-level leadership skills that are critical to their success.

Describe a client whose leadership growth has especially impressed you?

Success Labs has a great partnership with a life insurance company whose corporate office is based here in the Baton Rouge area. Early on, I had the privilege of coaching two of their key mid-level managers through our leadership series and through the individual coaching process. Over the years, I’ve seen them grow into very influential leaders who have stretched themselves to be more strategic in their planning, thinking, risk-taking and skill development.It has been a privilege to watch them expand their overall leadership skills. They’re part of an innovative and growing organization – and the best is yet to come!Success Labs is a full-service, strategic organizational and leadership development company located in Baton Rouge, La. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.