Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) impacts 1 out of 20 people every year, and studies have shown that 4 out of 5 of those people are women. As women, we already face so much pressure to achieve the societal ideal of a work-life balance. When SAD sets in, that pressure and the feeling of failure paired with depression and lack of motivation can drastically impact your mental and emotional health.
Those who work within professional services usually hold occupations in the tertiary sector of the economy and have undergone extensive specialized training or education. Physicians, attorneys, accountants, and other professionals with these credentials often emerge from their education or training feeling idealistic about the road ahead.
Picture this...it’s your annual review, and you’ve received outstanding performance feedback from your colleagues. Because of your impressive track record, your managers believe in your ability to help drive business growth - particularly in your area of expertise - and thus have promoted you into a higher management position. Now you have more authority, responsibility, and, most importantly, an opportunity to create a focused team under your leadership. Your success is now measured by your team’s success.
Most business professionals approach me because they need help with a workplace challenge that, on the surface, seem easily identifiable. But often the core issues that create these challenges are much more complex and run deeper than they appear. Think about what you see when you observe a sculpture. The surface is smooth and carefully crafted, providing just a glimpse of the intricacies contained within and the layers that have built it. These intricate and sometimes mysterious layers also exist within the workplace, where the overt and obvious problem is not necessarily a reflection of the root issue.
In this video, Andrea Delligatti, Ph.D. is quite candid about who her clients are and who they are not. Interestingly, if you’re the type of person who is likes tangible results, then you’ll appreciate working with Andrea, because she relates to the focused clients who eagerly respond to, “so what are we going to work on today?”
Situation:
An interpersonal conflict emerged between the Controller and Assistant Controller (AC) at a Delaware Valley Real Estate Development Firm. The AC wrote a letter to the company President/CEO – 3 levels her senior - complaining about the annual performance evaluation. CEO immediately requested HR to isolate and resolve any issues. Internal discussions led to the company engaging my services.
Andrea Delligatti, Ph.D. shares insight into what makes a psychologist successful. Whether working with individuals, families, businesses or organizations — while process is important — it always comes down to the relationship. It’s important to have a genuine relationship based on empathy and compassion.
Situation:
Family-owned businesses possess challenges rarely seen in most corporations. The boundaries around the roles are blurred, channels of communications routinely disregarded, long standing feelings often trumping business logic. Decision making is plagued by emotion, causing procrastination and lost opportunities. Deep rooted familial conflicts often prove the downfall of even the best businesses.
Situation:
The HR consultant started by saying, "staff was taking their conflict to the parking lot." He related that on-going interpersonal conflicts among the staff finally had reached a boiling point. The HR consultant, working with the office manager of a Delaware Valley Professional Services Firm, requested assistance in building cohesiveness within the office of this highly successful professional services practice. While the practice owner enjoyed an excellent reputation in his field and recognition for his service to the local community, the HR consultant confided that "his business management skills were not his strengths."
Situation:
The Board Chair of a statewide Professional Association requested that I assume the leadership role of the Annual Convention that typically drew 300-400 participants. The event enjoyed modest success in prior years. Envisioning the event as a way to attract and retain members, I focused upon two objectives:
develop the highest quality, continuing education for participants and
provide an environment in which members could network both socially and professionally. Operating with full autonomy, I embarked on the journey to make this vision a reality, coordinating logistical issues through an all-volunteer committee.
Situation:
Recognizing prior contributions, the membership of a state-wide Professional Association elected me to their Board of Directors (in the role of Program and Education Board Chair). The mandate was to bring the same level of strategic guidance to the two committees responsible for all continuing professional education programs offered by the association.
Situation:
Challenges exist when providing Board-level strategic guidance for the two committees of a statewide Professional Association responsible for generating the bulk of non-dues revenue. While I focused on building and strengthening the continuing education program, I relied on the two committee chairs to carry out the logistical functions inherent in actually delivering the CE programs at the convention and at conferences across the state. Great care was taken in selecting personnel to fill those roles.
Situation:
I was elected by the membership to provide leadership to the 2nd largest state Professional Association of its kind in the country- with 3,000+ members and net assets in excess $1M. My responsibilities spanned supervising performance of Executive Director and presiding over the 25-member Board of Directors composed five specialty Boards encompassing 27 committees and project groups. A three year commitment consisted of three consecutive, one-year terms, as President-Elect (2007), President (2008) and Past-President (2009).
