Before working with Shannon I was feeling stuck in my role and unsure about where to go next in my career. I knew I was good at my job but wasn't sure what set me apart or what skills I needed to work on to get me to the next level. In addition, I didn't know what I wanted to DO or what my long term goals were. Shannon created an environment where open and honest conversations were not only acceptable, but absolutely necessary--even if that meant talking about leaving and going to another company. These conversations allowed me to grow into my most authentic self at work and apply myself in a way that I had never experienced. I was able to better articulate my passions, interests and skills and apply them to my work. Shannon coached me on how to network effectively within our company and helped me realize that I could apply my skills and passions to numerous positions within our company. I am now on Target's Waste Minimization team blending my identified analytical/communication skills and my passion for sustainability. Shannon helped me get to the next role in my career, but more importantly, she helped me understand how to think long-term about my career. With Shannon's help, I was able to identify my "dream world" career and make continuous progress in achieving that goal. If you have the opportunity to work with Shannon, do it. Being coached by her has been one of the most influential parts of my career.

Two years ago I made a big career jump, landing a position that gave me the privilege of leading my first corporate team.  It was exciting and terrifying all at once.  I always believed in myself, but initially my confidence wavered in putting into practice what I knew I was capable of.  I had a team of 7 smart, talented analysts who I desperately wanted to empower to grow and develop even further.  And, I had bold ideas for how to drive the business.  I knew I would have to connect these visions, but I was less confident in where to begin. At the time I found myself leading alongside Shannon – I admired the way she led her team with a tremendous amount of compassion, strength, and drive.  Her team operated as a unit, their results were outstanding, and they cared about each other.  I think Shannon recognized in me everything I have described up until this point – she has a knack for that!  She offered to coach me, and I am so grateful that she did!  Shannon encouraged me, shared tools, and helped coach me to decide how I wanted to lead.  Ultimately, I owned the content and execution, but Shannon helped me get there in such a positive way! The work that I achieved with my team set the stage for the year ahead.  We became a unified force, learning together and from one another, supporting each other, and driving incredible results!  Shannon continued to coach me through more moments as I grew into my leadership role – we talked about how to deliver feedback, trusting instinct, how to ask for help and be humble while simultaneously exhibiting strength.  We focused on people, how to really listen, and how making a meaningful connection with the people you work with matters. Today, I am successfully managing my 2nd corporate team, fully embracing the principles Shannon helped me anchor my leadership style in.  I love leading my team.  The work that we do, the way that we do it, and the results that we drive are really energizing!

I had the privilege of working for Shannon at Target for over a year. Shannon was my first manager post-college graduation. Her leadership and coaching were instrumental to both my personal and professional development. Prior to working for Shannon, I found myself overwhelmed with maneuvering a large corporation that employs over 7,500 eager, advancement-oriented, intelligent individuals. Shannon began by coaching me through everything from becoming comfortable in a new city away from my family to gaining the skills I needed to manage an $81M dollar business. She taught me to manage my workload by always remembering that the key to success was “prioritization, organization and controlling the controllables.” After about 4 months, when I became comfortable with my business, Shannon began to encourage me to think about future career goals. As a mentor and coach, she quickly learned my strengths and aspirations, even before I had developed an understanding of them myself. She encouraged me to take on visible leadership roles guiding my team through key processes and facilitated interactions with senior leadership so I could gain confidence in my work. Through her leadership, I learned how to analyze what task gave me energy and to identify my desired career path by understand what tasks resulted in a “good day vs. a bad day”. After two years at Target, I was promoted into a new role where I use the leadership and communication skills I gained in my previous role on a daily basis. I now lead over 250 analyst through best method process and consistently partner with managers and senior leadership to communicate company-wide strategies. I am confident that without Shannon’s coaching and leadership, I would not have identified this role as my next career move and I would not be as prepared as I am to be successful. In addition to the impact she made on my personal career, Shannon was a great team leader. Shannon championed, on a daily basis, the power of team work developing an environment where our team was truly working together with the mindset of “one team, one dream.” Regardless of skill level, we were all invested in each other’s growth and development. She created a safe space where every team member was comfortable enough to share feedback and opinions openly for the greater good of the team. Shannon was an exceptional manager, mentor, leader and coach to her twelve direct reports and every other employee who crossed her path.

Before working with Shannon I have to admit, I didn’t love my job. I can’t say I loved my job when she became my coach either, but for the first time since beginning in the professional world, it didn’t feel like a career mistake to speak about this openly. I have to say, when she came to the team, although nothing about my job itself had changed, I felt a new sense of peace and motivation because I could tell someone had shown up that was truly there to help and be a coach for me in my current role, future roles, and personally if I ever needed it. Shannon helped me better understand my strengths, interests, wishes, and fears, and her ability to make me feel comfortable talking about all of these things while also pushing me at the right level allowed me to succeed more in my current role and take on bigger risks and responsibilities that I previously would have avoided. After working with Shannon, I moved to an exciting role in Supply Chain and Logistics and I can’t thank her enough for seeing potential in me and investing her time in developing me throughout our time together.