Donna P. Dahl, a highly esteemed empowerment coach, boasts a dazzling array of accolades, including the Woman of Inspiration Award for lifetime achievement, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the 100th Anniversary International Women’s Day Award for Outstanding Service to Business. She takes great pride in the glowing reviews and endorsements from both clients and colleagues that can be found online.
Recently, Donna was featured in an interview with World’s Leaders, where she imparted her knowledge and shared her insights on how she helps entrepreneurs gain recognition and prominence.
How does your background and experience align with the role at Donna Dahl Executive Leadership Empowerment Coaching and Manuscript Coaching?
Someone recently asked me if leadership empowerment coaching, and manuscript coaching go together. For years, I have watched leaders, entrepreneurs, and executives struggle with identifying the focus of the outcomes they wish to achieve and the systems they need to put in place to get there. Those who commit to writing a book gain a realm of clarity that rises head and shoulders above those who rely on verbal reports without the evidence in print.
I particularly enjoy working with leaders who have an entrepreneurial mindset and who are seeking to formalize their vision as a book. My system allows them to grow as they write. It gives them the space to build confidence, and it separates them from all the other leaders who don’t have that foundation in the form of a book.
Does having a book with your name as an author on it make a difference? I can tell you that I began my coaching business on the basis of having written and self-published a book, so I speak from my own experience. In addition, my professional background in leadership, coaching, entrepreneurship, psychology, authorship, and journalism over several decades’ blends into a unique and powerful skillset that supports the changes sought by the client.
My track record? I always say it is not the letters after my name that tell you what I can do, but the consistency of the testimonials that my clients write that tell you what I have been able to influence in them to manifest change for the better. When you work with me, whether it is to write your book, polish your persona, develop your leadership, or elevate your image in your enterprise, change is sure to happen.
Give a brief overview of your background, education, and prior journey before starting/joining as Master Empowerment Coach and Inspirational Speaker.
When it comes to career choice, some choose to work in a single environment or climb the proverbial corporate ladder. That’s not me. I have been the one occupying the chair behind the desk in a consulting role, and I have been the one delivering customer service via the telephone. I have been an educator and a psychologist. I have been an editor for a number of publications, and I have provided training as part of the onboarding process for not-for-profit boards of directors. A vehicular accident stopped me in my tracks in more ways than one. After ten years of absenteeism from professional life, I was invited to write an article for a local business magazine. Fourteen months later, that article had become a book, and that book launched my coaching business.
Within a few years, I began being recognized for my work with awards. The first accolade was the 100th Anniversary International Women’s Day Award for outstanding service to business. Since then, I have been awarded “Woman of Inspiration” and named one of the 2022 Top 20 Empowerment Coaches in the world. I have been included on lists that rank me highly for my professionalism, my leadership, and my contributions. Testimonials about my work describe me as a thought leader and a motivator. I say there is no greater honor than receiving referrals from one’s clients and being nominated for awards by one’s peers.
As a Master Empowerment Coach and Inspirational Speaker, how would you describe your coaching style and philosophy?
First and foremost, I am a professional listener. I work with a system that starts with listening to the words. Our words shape our lives. I listen for the heart of the matter. I listen for the joy, and I listen for the sticky stuff that can irritate or interfere with going forward. I seek clarity. Sometimes it is that very lack of clarity that is hindering progress toward a goal. Sometimes the goal seems a distant target, and sometimes it is the plan that needs adjustment, not the goal. My ability as a listener assists in working the keys to unlock the door that has been holding you back.
My philosophy? It rests on readiness. If you are not ready, nothing will change. We each decide when we are ready to look at things in a new light. We decide when we are ready to alter course and move on. Simply put, we decide when we are ready. When you are ready to make a change or discuss issues with someone who might be able to offer a new perspective, that’s the time you should call me. The barriers to progress will never change if the steps taken never change. I have lost count of the number of times even a single, ninety-minute conversation with me has resulted in a new course of action and a more-preferred outcome for the client.
When people call me a thought leader, I take that to heart. I have a reputation for being a catalyst when it comes to developing solutions, and my ability to “think outside the box” is sure to stir the pot. No matter whether our problems are related to our personal lives or our professional circumstances, when we are ready for clarity and resolution, we are genuinely open to possibility, and ego leaves the room.
What matters to you the most concerning this value/life domain?
What matters most to me as a leadership empowerment coach is making a difference through my work with leaders. It’s the leadership that frames the boat that carries the passengers. It’s the leadership that attracts the passengers to get into the boat in the first place, and it is the leadership that energizes the passengers to participate in the rowing of the boat. It is, indeed, gratifying work, and the many testimonials that continue to arrive in my email inbox tell me that the difference I make supports change for the better. Clients have used words like
Tell us, what has helped your progress? What has held you back?
What a difference a helping hand can make! If Illiki Rae had not invited me to write that first article for her business magazine, I might not be here today working as a leadership change agent and coach. Having even one cheerleader in your corner could change how you feel when you get up in the morning. It can change how you tackle the next task. I never imagined myself as a coach in the entrepreneurial world, yet here I am. I credit all the invitations I have received to reach, stretch, and step forward to help my clients make a difference. It is they who have played a significant role in carving my boat and placing me at the helm.
I am grateful to the organizations that asked me to onboard the members of their boards and their staff when they are out in public representing the cause for which they volunteer and advocate. I am grateful to all those who saw something in me that could influence change in a gentle yet effective way.
I enjoy saying yes to challenging invitations. One of the most recent invitations I received was to speak at an online caregivers’ summit in late fall 2022.I was asked to serve up a message from which caregivers could benefit. I referred to my trusty foundation book, Lessons I Learned from the Tortoise, for inspiration and found that Aesop’s tortoise could not rely on hope to win the race against the hare. In a similar manner, caregivers cannot rely on hope for things to change. Such was the basis of my message.
Holdbacks come in a variety of shapes and sizes. And holdbacks can be both physical and psychological, as well as social, including such factors as bias. For me, one of my greatest holdbacks might have been within myself. It was not easy to think of myself in a positive light as a pianist if I couldn’t sit down at the keyboard in front of an audience without making a significant error. Needless to say, I gave up the piano in my teens, but not until I had completed my Grade 8 piano degree at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Persisting taught me I could set a goal and achieve it even if I wasn’t perfect at it.
My biggest holdback was the ten years I spent in recovery following a motor vehicle accident. I know what it’s like to hold a belief about yourself without having the support needed to get the help to strengthen your belief. Being left in limbo is a form of holdback that can be both confusing and stagnant.
By providing business coaching, what are the three things you would like to improve in people?
I am in the people business. When clients hire me, they come with a set of expectations for validation, improvement, or change. Three things I have found that make a difference for leaders are:
- Being able to ask clearly for what they want. Clarity drives the magic to make the dream happen.
- Being positive. Positives help shape and direct change with kindness and help focus attention toward the people who are performing the work.
- Being present. Being present allows leaders to establish trust. Hiding in an office does nothing to build positive rapport.
According to you, what is the most significant barrier for business leaders in the present’s corporate sector?
The most significant barrier for business leaders in the corporate sector today is people. Whether you are addressing performance culture issues with a workforce that is divided between in-office and remote sites or you are dealing with low employee retention rates, it takes a special brand of leadership to keep people motivated and feeling recognized. While the balance sheet at the end of the month may report the numbers on productivity measures, it is employee engagement and satisfaction that impact those numbers. It’s the leaders within the company that influence how employees feel about where they work, the work that they do and the social/environmental conditions that are present.
What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
What brings me joy every day comes as a double header. I love to write, and I love to serve as a coach. When someone has a breakthrough, it makes my day! I write self-empowerment for publication on several platforms related to leadership and business, and I write fiction for the fun of it.
Kindly describe, how will you specifically know what success looks like for you?
Success? It feels fulfilling. It comes from knowing deep down inside that I did my best while in the service of others. What does it look like? It can be a quiet celebration among friends. It could be toasted with champagne to mark a specific event. But most of all, success, to me, is a journey, not a destination, and so success is celebrated every Friday evening—often with friends—after a successful week of serving others.
How do you see Donna Dahl Leadership Empowerment and Manuscript Coaching contributing for the next five years?
Attracting employees who are a good fit for the company and keeping them will continue to be corporate challenges as we move further and further into a post-pandemic version of what work is and how it is delivered. As many as 50 percent of the people in the workforce today are looking for a new job, and those in roles of organizational leadership will be dealing with new issues that require new approaches. My leadership coaching is a unique, proven system that combines sound strategic measures, psychology, and neuroscience to enable personal growth, promote engagement, and build working relationships. It is people focused and dynamic. I see my coaching system being used regardless of the leadership style. I see myself as the person who can observe and listen to help clarify the situation when there is doubt afoot and progress is stagnating.
What matters to you the most concerning this value/life domain?
What matters most to me as a leadership empowerment coach is making a difference through my work with leaders. It’s the leadership that frames the boat that carries the passengers. It’s the leadership that attracts the passengers to get into the boat in the first place, and it is the leadership that energizes the passengers to participate in the rowing of the boat. It is, indeed, gratifying work, and the many testimonials that continue to arrive in my email inbox tell me that the difference I make supports change for the better. Here is what one client said: “Her coaching is logical…it’s formulaic, personal and compassionate. It’s almost as if she sees what you are feeling as well as saying. Then she conceptually defines what you’re really wanting from your business, your life, your SELF. After leaving you with a few brilliant bits to chew on, she then deftly activates you in ways you never thought possible, allowing you the opportunity to realize that you had it in you all the time.”
What is some advice you share with emerging leaders?
To emerging leaders, I say, “Have a goal in mind and bring your willingness to learn.” Leadership is about claiming your power in an effective manner without alienating your team. Leadership is about confronting your own doubts and deficiencies so that your strengths and vulnerabilities rally your team around you to get the job done. “Transformational leadership is in your hands and transformation within your team happens because of your guidance.”
Written by Steve Sanchez.
