Case Studies Sarah DeGuia

Case Study

Navigating A Leadership Transition and Strengthening Organizational Impact for Sarah DeGuia, CEO of ChangeLab Solutions

Meet Sarah Deguia

CEO of ChangeLab Solutions

Sarah Deguia, CEO of ChangeLab Solutions, an organization dedicated to creating healthier communities through equitable laws and policies. When Sarah reached out for support, she was navigating a recent leadership transition and faced several challenges.

Challenges

Building Board Relationships: Establishing a strong relationship with the fiduciary board was crucial for her leadership success. As a new CEO, she had a strong desire to strengthen her relationship with the organization’s board.
Gaining Team Support: Sarah needed to get long-standing team members, used to the previous CEO’s vision and way of leading, on board with her new vision for the organization.
Boosting Confidence: As a new CEO, Sarah sought to build her confidence and solidify her role as an effective leader.
Organizational Restructuring: She needed to restructure the organization to enhance its social impact and operational efficiency.
Encouraging Ownership: Newly promoted employees felt challenged taking full ownership of their roles, leading to slow decision-making and projects being slowed down.
Implementing Performance Benchmarks: Sarah wanted to find ways to incentivize employees to perform more efficiently and to take on more leadership within their roles.

Results

Enhanced Leadership Confidence: Sarah felt more confident in her role as CEO and more assured in her decision-making.
Stronger Board Relationships: She developed a robust relationship with the fiduciary board, enhancing trust and collaboration.
Team Alignment: The team-wide meeting presentation was wildly successful, clearly conveying the new vision and gaining team support.
Improved Organizational Structure: The restructuring efforts led to a better work balance among team members and increased operational efficiency.
Empowered Employees: Employees took more leadership in their roles, leading to faster decision-making and reduced resistance due to fear of management responsibilities.
Performance Benchmarks: The integration of performance benchmarks tied to managerial expectations encouraged employees to embrace their leadership roles.

Approach

In our 1:1 coaching sessions, we prioritized:

Confidence Building: Bolstering Sarah’s confidence by helping her understand the positive impact of her leadership on her team and the unique contributions a CEO makes to an organization.
Board Relationships: Developing strategies to build a healthy and strong relationship and regular communication with her fiduciary board.
Vision Alignment: Crafting a unique and compelling team-wide presentation to effectively communicate her new vision and get everyone on board and aligned.
Organizational Restructuring: Assisting Sarah in ideas for restructuring the organization and task prioritization to balance workloads and improve efficiency.
Encouraging Leadership: Empowering employees to take more ownership of their roles by integrating performance benchmarks tied to managerial expectations.
Decision-Making: Implementing strategies and protocols for team members to adopt to speed up decision-making processes within the team

Where They Are Now

Sarah de Guia is currently the CEO of ChangeLab Solutions, where she continues to lead efforts to advance equitable laws and policies for healthier communities. Under her leadership, the organization has formed new partnerships and funding sources, addressing public health needs in rural areas, affordable housing, resilience for children and families, and sustainable food systems. A notable achievement during her tenure includes the successful challenge to a California law preempting local sugary drink taxes. In 2024, Sarah is focused on building on the organization’s past successes, integrating lessons learned, and maintaining resilience amidst limited public health resources and divided communities. ChangeLab Solutions has connected with over 28,000 public health practitioners across nearly 3,000 communities, providing groundbreaking legal and policy analysis, toolkits, and training. Their recent projects emphasize rural health equity, equitable enforcement of laws, and expanded training for public health practitioners

Conclusion: Transforming Challenges into Triumphs

Transforming challenges into triumphs, Sarah, upon assuming her role as CEO, initially faced significant hurdles. These included establishing rapport with the board, rallying team support, bolstering her confidence, and restructuring the organization for efficiency. Through dedicated coaching and leadership development, Sarah's journey saw remarkable achievements. Her enhanced confidence and decisive leadership style fostered a more robust relationship with the board, promoting trust and collaboration. A pivotal team-wide meeting effectively communicated the new vision, garnering widespread team endorsement. Structural reforms streamlined operations, fostering a balanced workload and increased efficiency. Empowered by Sarah's leadership, employees embraced ownership, facilitating quicker decision-making and reduced resistance. Performance benchmarks aligned with managerial expectations further empowered staff, ensuring sustained success and growth under Sarah's transformative leadership.

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