Alex D.
From Associate Director @ Innovation Consulting to Design Strategy Lead @ Financial Services
Berkeley Haas 2020
Alex and I have worked together on-and-off since 2021, when we positioned her for a promotion. By 2024, Alex was ready for her next role.
Her company had been acquired - changing the work environment - and she was ready to leave client services (where she had built her career) to find a role where she could both learn new strategic skill sets and grow other aspects of her life.
We took these initial ideas, refreshed Alex’s operating principles and got even more specific on what she wanted:
Renowned operating company with good brand and progressive culture.
Function with strategic influence on the business.
Working for a well-respected people manager who would champion her.
People management (or path towards); and
Market-rate benefits.
As we clarified Alex’s priorities, we were candid about how these reflected an evolution in her values. For the past decade, Alex’s focus had been building her career. Now, her career was still a priority, but it needed to complement other growing priorities including more time for herself and creative pursuits.
We determined that the most effective recruiting strategy for Alex to find what she was looking for was to leverage her innovation consulting experience into innovation leadership roles (vs. stretching into other strategic functions).
The last piece of the puzzle was ensuring she felt fully prepared for the interview process. As we refined her narrative, resume, and cover letter, we practiced fully owning Alex’s strategic acumen and leadership experience so she could clearly convey her value in interviews.
Alex secured an excellent offer as the Design Strategy Lead for a foremost financial services company, meeting every single priority on her list. In fact, her new people manager already advocated for up leveling the role for her.
In Alex’s words:
“What sets Cydnee apart is three-fold;
1) A genuine commitment to my success. She is always in my corner. She consistently follows up on my progress, celebrating my achievements, and providing constructive feedback when needed. She is able to intuit the support that I need both in and outside our sessions.
2) A deep understanding of the nuances and challenges of being a Millennial Woman; and all the demands and unique and overlapping identities that come with that. She creates space for me to be myself. She picks up on the nuances of dynamics I encounter in my organization and with my peers. She appreciates the competing priorities I juggle.
3) Development of actionable plans. Cydnee supports me to develop actionable steps toward my goals, helping me to break down big things into approachable pieces and make my challenges more approachable. Her coaching is not platitudes, but real changes that I can take and make that help me to feel and be more confident, prepared, adaptable, and empowered.”
