In today’s world, new skills, habits, and approaches and different ways of thinking are required for sustained success and vitality for individuals, teams, and organizations. Individually and collectively, we need to tap into a broader set of capacities for effective action to realize our goals and objectives.
Let us help you navigate the complex realities of your experience through advanced and customized programs and processes that expand your capacity for inquiry, learning, development, innovation, and effective action.
When to speak forthrightly about what we are sensing and feeling? How to say it and to whom? How does our desire to speak with candor and, alternatively, the need for diplomacy align with our goals? What are the consequences of speaking up or not doing so.
The tension of Candor & Diplomacy influences all of us in public settings, at work and at home. This is especially apparent in conversations in the context of race and racism. This tension impacts individuals from groups that are marginalized in the broader ‘white’ culture very differently from those identifying with the dominant culture.
At Fénix Leadership & Development we customize a 3-hour virtual or in-person workshop to respond to your needs and organizational context.
Sandra M. Martínez is the President and Founder of Fénix Leadership & Development. She is a seasoned executive coach and consulting professional with
more than 20 years of experience working with strategic leaders in the U.S. and abroad. She assists her clients in expanding their understanding of self, growing their awareness of the impact of their behavior on others, and broadening their repertoire of leadership perspectives and strategies. This enables them to lead more effectively in complex situations, turbulence and uncertainty. Formerly an instructor and researcher associated with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, she also served on the faculty of the U.S. Army War College as the Transformation Chair, with a mandate to prepare national security professionals for leadership in turbulent and complex environments.
Sandra’s work has always been grounded in recognizing the intrinsic value and potential contributions of all cultures, races, and ethnic groups to address the challenges we collectively face. She believes that diversity and inclusion are strategic imperatives for organizations. Thus, it is critical for organizations to create psychologically safe spaces where individuals can grow and thrive equitably. Through her experience coaching leaders of color, her support of women in the U.S. and abroad, and her own life experience, she has learned to leverage the dynamics of conversation as a pathway to the emergence of understanding, empathy, inclusion and constructive change.
· Populate the Polarity Maps® of salient tensions to better ‘see’ the interrelated dynamics and broaden choices for effective action
· Practice tools and approaches that account for the complexity and ambiguity of challenges in moving toward greater clarity and effective action
“Dr. Martinez’s thoughtful, insightful approach of blending jazz improvisation with leadership tools I can use in complex adaptive systems created a powerful environment in which to learn. My excitement and enthusiasm are heightened and I am actively noticing paradoxes and polarities in discussions I have with my team members and leaders.”
National Security
“With Sandra’s support as my executive coach, I made significant progress in my leadership development and I am much more confident about my leadership capacity. This coaching experience positively impacted my day-to-day operations. I am experiencing different patterns of thinking and behavior on a daily basis, in particular I now recognize and step back from my immediate and more primitive reactions to a crisis to consider other options and the impact of different options on the outcome of dealing with a difficult situation. I examine how my behavior might be contributing to the outcome. I empathize with people who are probably not acting in their best or the team’s best interest and have a greater appreciation of where they are in their development.”
“I enjoyed the way Dr. Martinez referred to evidence-based knowledge and behavioral insights and also provided me with materials that helped me to make sense of situations we were discussing. She has an innate ability to translate the conversation in a way that pushes one to consider the whole picture, and even see points of views one had not explored beforehand. I am now committed to continue to nurture this side of my professional life, as much as I nurture the scientific and content expert side. I would work with Sandra again and highly recommend her to others, especially those who seek to be challenged to accelerate their leadership capacity.”
“Experiencing Sandra’s coaching led to a transformational change in my leadership style. Creating an open environment for discussion, reflection and positive challenge, Sandra has taken my leadership performance to new heights and enabled me to engage with greater influence and positive outcomes across all organizational levels.”
Multinational Consumer and Industrial Business
“It has been a real privilege and treat to work with Dr. Sandra Martinez. She researches, understands and shares concepts of leadership and leader development in a highly integrative and interconnected way. Her research is deep and thorough-going. Her ability to diagnose and focus in on organizational, institutional and cultural issues that affect the abilities of leaders is unusual and goes well beyond just surface problems and conditions. She is highly professional in her coaching and consulting practice and authentic and genuine in her desire to assist clients. ”
Professor, National Defense University
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