Incorporated in 1995, Trainer Communications has represented more than 75 emerging technology companies. The company provides a full range of communications services that support emerging technology clients' business objectives. These objectives typically fall into at least one of four categories, including increasing sales leads or reducing the time to close sales; recruiting top talent; attracting investors; and/or generating visibility for the founders or funding partners that spotlight management expertise. The company's 'secret sauce' comes from three core principles - focus, accountability, and customization - all of which are delivered by a team of professionals with more than 200 years of combined experience.

Sabrina Sanchez is Vice President at Trainer Communications and is responsible for overall client services satisfaction and manages the storage and security business units.

Sabrina, who's been with Trainer for eight years, first became acquainted with Contextual LeadershipT when Rayona Sharpnack, IWL's CEO, provided consulting to Trainer during its quarterly planning meetings. "I went to the course and resonated with IWL's philosophy," said Sabrina. "I've been doing personal development work for over fifteen years now and I've found IWL's approach to be a natural bridge for me on behalf of creating work that is meaningful to Trainer, to the community at large and to me."

Prior to Trainer, Sabrina worked for a multi-national Silicon Valley corporation. She was hired to stabilize the procurement IT department. Sabrina observed that the people who weren't 'making it' were all put in the same organization. She was expected to reorganize the group and had to make tough decisions to lay off many of the people who had not continued to build their skill sets and add value to the company. It was important to align her principles with her business philosophy and allow the individual contributors to transition while maintaining their dignity and self-respect. She helped them to create the next step for themselves in a way that was right for them. The second time the company wanted her to 'clean up' an organization she declined the job and left the company.

"The leaders spearheading the organization were not taking ownership for the issues at hand nor willing to take action to solve the problems at hand," said Sabrina. She made a decision to leave the company at the top of her game and colleagues thought she was crazy to leave. "It just did not fit into my value system," said Sabrina. "I knew there were better things in store for me where I could make an impact at a professional and personal level while keeping my soul intact." Sabrina jumped ship and began her own consulting practice and quickly joined Trainer Communications to make a real difference.

"I was impressed with Trainer's business philosophy and focused approach of delivering high value results. Trainer's model of treating people with respect and dignity echoed my own values ," said, Sabrina. "Over the years we've gone from being a bunch of consultants working with clients to being ranked the number one public relations agency in the San Francisco East Bay . As we began rapidly scaling the business I began work with a business coach. About a year ago I connected with Victoria Castle (IWL coach) and have found it invaluable to have her as a sounding board as we roll up our sleeves to take the company to the next level."

"Sabrina's assets include high standards. These standards, strengths for her, can also trip her up," said Victoria . "When we first began working together it was clear that although Sabrina was committed to ensuring people are well taken care of and have the necessary resources to succeed, this commitment didn't always include HER own well-being. She was running hard, almost out of breath, but still taking on more and more responsibility. Our first step was to get her feet under her so she could sustain herself."

Coaching tip: Being accountable for our own well-being is an important leadership competency. Having personal well-being properly prioritized instead of trying to 'do it all,' is pivotal.

"She also has the capacity to see strategically and tactically at both the 30,000 foot level and the day-to-day realities. She has good radar and intuition. Our work together has been, in part, to help place Sabrina's well-being in the equation and to help her be able to follow-through on her perceptions. From the beginning, Sabrina showed up ready and available to do the kind of work that propels her to grow to the next level," continued, Victoria . "She had done a lot of personal development work and came to coaching knowing her strengths and blind spots. She was immediately available."

Coaching tip: In working with a coach, show up ready to fully engage in the process. The more of yourself you make available, the more value can be produced.

Victoria and Sabrina actively looked for places where Sabrina's genius got tripped up and began to build practices that would support Sabrina's success.

" Awareness is key," said, Sabrina. "It's empowering to build the muscle of pausing to consider how my decisions and commitments will impact my family, my team, my company and me personally. I've learned to have authentic conversations with team members and clients that focus on the larger picture and my standards of being. Instead of avoiding the tough conversations or simply trying to 'hold my own, I am able to quickly communicate the issue at hand and identify a course of action in a spirit of partnership. I've found when you address the tough issues head on you gain credibility and respect with associates and clients. We are all in this together for the best mutual outcome and success. Now, I consciously set the frame for the conversation. I say, 'I care, I'm committed, I'm here and this is going to be a difficult conversation.' I can now have difficult conversations with clients which are effective, efficient and stop the mind chattering."

"With Victoria , I've worked on developing this capacity through Somatics and with meditation ," shared Sabrina. "I realized how out of touch I had been and how far off the path I had strayed while I worked at the Fortune 100 Company. I looked good but wasn't in touch with the spiritual side of knowing. I made a promise to myself - never again would I let that happen."

"There's a grounded-ness now about Sabrina," said Victoria . "She practices being present in high-stress moments. Somatics is about embodying in a whole a way of BEing. We all have patterns, some that work and some that no longer serve us. We work with the whole self to shift them, not just with affirmations, for instance. Somatics is the perfect compliment to Contextual Leadership. We create our reality out of our conclusions and how we organize our lives around those conclusions. Attending to both leads to greater effectiveness and way less suffering. The embodiment work has been elemental to Sabrina's rapid and grounded shifts in pattern. It's about how much space we take up in the world."

"With Victoria , I learned to recalibrate and be present in body and mind when working with difficult clients. I have become accustomed to having my feet firmly on the ground and remember the value and wisdom that I provide. Now when I'm in difficult conversations, I can stay present, stay in my body and stay focused without burning up energy foolishly. It's very freeing," enthused Sabrina.

"Working with a coach is not for sissies," said, Victoria . "What has enabled our coaching to be so productive is that Sabrina doesn't hold personal development as remedial. She also is candid and open. We use our time together very productively."

Coaching Tip: take on development as a life-long journey. Be curious, be patient, be tenacious.

"We'll shortly have our third face-to-face meeting since beginning our work together fifteen months ago," said Sabrina. "Coaching can definitely be done primarily over the phone. It's nice to know that. We've got four children, ages 28, 24, 15 and 8 and my husband works every bit as hard as I do. He has seen a real change in me. We both now establish 'for the sake of what' in our work and personal lives. Life is good!"

About Victoria Castle

Victoria Castle is a Seattle-based coach, consultant and an IWL coach, who works with executives and business leaders to make their most potent contribution to their organization and to the human community - and to thrive while doing it. No suffering allowed! Her book, 'Embodied Abundance,' will be published later in 2005.Email.

IWL offers follow-on coaching for IWL alumni. Please contact IWL at 650.556.8800 for information.

Volume 6, Issue 2 – April 2005