Meredith Obendorfer
(Vice President, DKC)

Leadership Success Story

Meredith Obendorfer is recognized as one of the 100 top tech PR executives globally. She is a consummate storyteller with more than 15 years of communications, marketing and market research experience in the tech industry. Through her expertise in creating comprehensive marketing and communications programs, many of the companies she has worked with have successfully acquired increased market visibility. However, Meredith has also struggled with the kind of self-doubt that plagues many women in executive positions.

Tough Transition to Leadership

When she was promoted at her PR firm, Meredith experienced some difficulty moving from being an individual contributor to leading a team, which is a rough transition for many people. Adding to the problem was a sense that her peers didn't view her as a leader. She had no supportive mentor available to guide her, and as she struggled with this alone, she lost confidence.

Meredith says, "I knew how I wanted to be perceived; there was a woman at my office doing a similar job who I saw as a role model and I wanted to be like that, but had no idea how to get there."

As her unhappiness increased, she realized she had to take immediate and positive steps to rectify the situation.

Executive Coaching

"I've always believed in executive coaching, but had never found the right coach for me, until Kristi."

Meredith first met Kristi through a workshop on goal setting for women that Kristi facilitated.

She found Kristi frank, candid and direct, and connected immediately with her. When she discovered that Kristi was an excutive coach as well as a gifted facilitator, Meredith says, "I decided that it was time to work with an executive coach. I knew I needed to clarify my goals and I hoped she could help me make positive adjustments to my leadership skills."

Prioritizing & Making Decisions

Kristi helped Meredith prioritize the objectives she wanted to achieve. With an interest in multiple disciplines, Meredith tended to investigate different paths rather than pick one road to reach her goals. Kristi helped her concentrate more on the individual task at hand and encouraged her to write down everything that was pertinent to that task and goal

Through this method, when in doubt or when she started to feel scattered, Meredith could refer back to her notes. Kristi also gave her specific assignments to facilitate an orderly thinking process she could use before making major decisions.

Buried in Job Offers: Director to V.P.

One of the challenges Meredith faced around changing jobs was the sheer number of job offers that she received. "Talk about a confidence boost! It was flattering, but totally overwhelming." In addition, many of the jobs offers were at the Vice President level, a step up from her current Director position. "I would probably have just closed my eyes and picked one, or been tempted by a particular perk. Kristi helped me define real criteria by which to make my selection, based on factors like how I prefer to work."

Rather than giving her clients the answers to their challenges, Kristi encourages them to visualize their own real-world scenarios, while offering clear guidance and nuggets of wisdom. Says Meredith, "Kristi's clear thinking was invaluable to me when I was considering this career move without having a ‘plan B'."

Kristi and Meredith brainstormed the pros and cons of this decision. "Kristi always let me make the final decisions." She was also available whenever Meredith needed guidance in a crisis. "She could always be counted on to patiently navigate me through any situation."

Meredith ended up choosing an offer that promoted her to the Vice President level at a company where she connected with the people immediately.

"One of the biggest realizations that came out of this for me was just how important it is for me to like the people I work with!"

New Job = Happier Days at Work and at Home

Through Kristi's guidance, Meredith not only got her dream job, she also acquired the skills to be a successful leader, and realized that it is highly important for her to like the people she works with.

Thanks to Kristi's coaching, Meredith has become more focused in her goals and successful in achieving them. With her increased confidence and enhanced leadership skills, she has embarked on a successful career that is also personally fulfilling.

"My friends and colleagues have noticed the change in my confidence level and I am so much happier now." Meredith says, "I was miserable in a job that wasn't right for me, and I had no idea of how to make the future happen. Since working with Kristi, I have defined focused goals, gotten a job I love with a new company, working with people I enjoy and that challenges me, and my ability to manage and lead is falling into place."