What clients have to say

Coaching

  • I have had the pleasure of working with Val both indirectly through members of my team at different companies, as well as directly for myself, in a coaching capacity. Val is incredibly insightful, a skilled listener and her observations and coaching style have impacted both my leadership as well as growth potential. She has an appreciation of her craft, and a noted amount of experience leveraging research and tools to help better understand my natural tendencies as a leader that has ultimately helped deepen my ability to walk through ambiguity, partner with team members more effectively and overall increase my confidence. I've also seen her make a big impact with leaders within my organization, being a guide and meeting each team member where they were to help them stretch in new areas. I'd happily recommend Val for colleagues looking to challenge themselves, and grow as a leader, teammate and professional.

    Jessica Dallmar, Global Head of Talent Acquisition

  • "Val's deep understanding of business dynamics and the corporate world, coupled with her empathetic and approachable nature were a huge asset for me, while I engaged with her coaching in my role leading Atlassian's Talent Acquisition team in APAC over the past few years."

    Senior Director of Saas Company

  • “Working with Val has been a phenomenal experience. She brings her experience working with Silicon Valley leaders and understanding what it means to work in a fast paced and high pressure environment. She’s helped me navigate some of the biggest leadership and management challenges I’ve faced in my career so far. In particular I enjoy her coaching because it is both encouraging and challenging at the same time. I’ve been able to more clearly see my potential in becoming the leader I want to be and how to put the right strategies in place to manage my teams, influence my stakeholder environment and most importantly, find the right balance personally. I am convinced that any leader and their teams will benefit from working with Val.”

    Andy Stark, Head of Portfolio, New Business Models and Ventures Lead, Ernst & Young

  • "My experience with Val and How Do You Manage was one of the highlights of my time at Atlassian. Val's coaching transcends the conventional boundaries of coaching; it's a partnership that promotes growth on multiple levels. Her genuine commitment to my success and her ability to balance professional and personal development make her coaching services exceptional. I wholeheartedly recommend How Do You Manage to any executive or senior leader looking to elevate their leadership and life."

    Senior Director of Saas Company

  • “Val has been a great coach for me! I’ve been particularly impressed by her ability to help me understand my leadership style through discussions, probing questions, 360-feedback gathering, and thoughtful synthesis. I’ve also appreciated how she goes above and beyond to help me improve— including sending me reading materials, following up in between coaching sessions with interesting prompts and reminders, and adapting to my specific needs rather than following a rigid program.”

    Jeff Mounzer, Head of Product, Qventus

  • “What a GREAT experience coaching with Val has been. She helped me to see my strengths and to recognize my weaknesses in the most productive kind of way. She allowed me to be true to myself while making suggestions/giving feedback with real life practical exercises. SEVEN words for her are…SMART, REAL, CARING, DRIVEN, INSIGHTFUL, STRATEGIC and AMAZING.”

    Susan, General Manager at a major U.S. News Broadcasting Network

  • "Val asks incredibly thoughtful questions which repeatedly helped me gain fresh perspectives. She's also incredibly adaptable, and was able to tailor her coaching style to meet the specific needs and challenges that arose during our time together. "

    Senior Director of Saas Company

  • "The most helpful part of our coaching relationship was Val's knack for guiding me through complex strategic decisions. Her insights into team leadership and organizational dynamics were invaluable. She encouraged me to think critically and challenged my assumptions, helping me refine my strategies and achieve more impactful results. Additionally, her support in improving my communication and leadership skills significantly contributed to the successful growth of my team. Val's guidance went beyond professional development; she helped me navigate personal challenges as well, fostering a holistic approach to leadership growth. I still incorporate many of the lessons I gained from Val into my daily practices!"

    André Gordenstein, Senior Director of Saas Company

  • "Professionally, I became a more effective and confident leader. I learned to navigate complex organizational challenges with greater ease and precision. Personally, our coaching relationship enhanced my self-awareness and resilience. I now approach leadership with a growth mindset, continuously seeking opportunities for improvement. Val's coaching not only transformed my leadership style but also positively affected my overall well-being."

    Senior Director of Saas Company

Customized Programs

  • "I can't say enough amazing things about working with the How do you Manage team. When I work with this team, they feel like at true extension of our team members. Their team is collaborative, understanding, and driven. They take our many, many ideas and make them a reality in a ways that we couldn't do without them. Most importantly, the team is focused on building real relationships with us, and as a result, we've built trust that lets us take risks and learn from others."

    Samantha, Program Manager at GitLab

  • "Working with How Do You Manage has been amazing. I feel really proud when looking at how much the program has developed from the initial pilot to where we’re at now, over a year later. Throughout the ups and downs of the project they’ve been incredibly adaptable to change, and the way the whole team has embraced our particular ways of working is commendable. All of this has been achieved in a really positive and supportive environment, which has been the foundation of such a great working relationship."

    Jamie, GitLab

Participant Feedback

  • "I am continually working to build trust with my team members by utilizing many of the techniques and models discussed in our sessions. Fostering psychological safety is really important to me as a manager."

  • "The breakout activities were brilliant in this program! Elevate helped our cohort learn and practice models and tools that can be easily utilized to manage our teams. We were able to highlight bias in our particular case which is something that was the biggest take-away for me."

Offsites

  • "Our offsite was awesome. I had an amazing time and it was really great being able to connect in person after remotely collaborating so closely for months. It reinforced my passion and belief in the work that we’re doing, and being able to get to know each other more as people has helped strengthen our connections and trust in each other back at work. Everything was planned out brilliantly, but with enough flexibility to dive deeper into specific areas of discussions that came up and the environment that was fostered meant everyone felt comfortable contributing to the sessions. I left the offsite with a clear idea of next steps, and with a real sense that we were all pulling in the same direction."

    Samantha, GitLab

  • "I had an excellent time during our offsite lead by How do you Manage. The group activities made me feel comfortable to speak about difficult and important topics. We spent intentional time getting to know one another, which led to greater trust and results for the entire offsite. After our time together, I felt a new sense of connection with my team and excited about how I'd contribute to our future goals. The How do you Manage team enabled our group to speak transparently about our work, dig deeper into key problems, and drive conversation towards solution and action. I am grateful for the time we got to spend in person!"

    Jamie, GitLab

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