How Executive Coaching Helped a New C-Suite Leader Build Confidence and Navigate Workplace Politics
Marilyn Fettner, LCPC, CCC, NCC, CPVC — CEO and President of Fettner Executive & Professional Career Coaching — worked with D.S., a Chicago-area executive newly promoted to the C-suite, through executive coaching focused on leadership confidence, communication, and workplace politics.
The engagement resulted in D.S. reporting that they now feel much more comfortable and validated as a member of the C-suite, and continue to return to coaching with Fettner as new challenges arise.
Case at a Glance
| Client | D.S., Chicago, IL |
| Challenge | Overwhelmed by workplace politics; breaking into the leadership circle and being seen as a credible authority felt impossible |
| Objective | Build C-suite confidence and be recognized as a credible authority among leadership peers |
| Strategy | Executive coaching combining challenge and support — mapping the informal “political” system, elevating communication skills, and identifying personal strengths and sources of power |
| Result | D.S. reports feeling comfortable and validated as a C-suite member, and continues coaching with Fettner on an ongoing basis |
The Challenge: What Led D.S. to Executive Coaching?
D.S. was newly promoted into a C-suite role and found managing the political landscape of that position overwhelming.
Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, D.S. described breaking into the leadership circle and being seen as a credible authority as feeling impossible — not a skills gap, but a barrier to being recognized as a peer among peers.
The Objective: What Was D.S. Trying to Achieve?
D.S.’s goal was to understand the informal “political” system operating at the C-suite level, communicate in a way that matched the complexity of those dynamics, and build the confidence to be seen — and to see themselves — as a credible authority in the role.
The Strategy: Why Fettner Focused on the Political System, Communication, and Strengths
Fettner structured the engagement around three connected pieces: helping D.S. understand the bigger picture of the political system at play, raising D.S.’s communication skills to match the nuances of C-suite interpersonal dynamics, and identifying D.S.’s existing strengths and power. The approach combined direct challenge with active support throughout.
The Implementation: How the Coaching Engagement Worked
Fettner worked with D.S. to map the informal leadership dynamics D.S. was navigating, rather than leaving D.S. to try to decode them on their own.
Communication coaching equipped D.S. with tools to manage complex, nuanced interpersonal situations at the executive level.
Alongside that, Fettner helped D.S. recognize specific areas of personal strength and power already available to draw on — work D.S. described as the most important part of the engagement.
The Results: What Changed for D.S.
D.S. reported a clear shift in confidence, communication, and standing within the leadership team. In their own words:
“Managing the political landscape in my new role was overwhelming. Breaking into the leadership circle and being seen as a credible authority felt impossible. Marilyn’s guidance helped me understand the big picture of the ‘political’ system. She helped me take my communication skills to a higher level to effectively manage the complex and nuanced interpersonal dynamics. But most importantly, she helped me recognize and leverage my areas of strength and power. Her combined approach of both challenging me and supporting me helped me rebuild my confidence. I’m now much more comfortable and feel validated as a member of the C-Suite. I will continue to come back to coaching with Marilyn, as new challenges arise. I consider her an indispensable resource for my career growth.” — D.S., Chicago, IL
The Lessons Learned: What This Case Shows
In Fettner’s professional interpretation of this engagement, D.S.’s barrier wasn’t a single missing skill but three connected gaps — reading the informal political system, communicating at the level that system demanded, and recognizing existing strengths — that together kept D.S. from feeling credible at the C-suite level.
D.S.’s continued return to coaching as new challenges arise also points to executive coaching as an ongoing resource rather than a one-time fix.
This reflects one client’s documented experience and Fettner’s professional read of that engagement.
If workplace politics or confidence in a new role sound familiar, schedule a consultation with Marilyn Fettner to talk through what executive coaching could look like for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I gain credibility as a new C-suite executive?
D.S.’s coaching engagement with Marilyn Fettner focused on exactly this challenge — breaking into the leadership circle and being seen as a credible authority. Fettner’s approach combined helping D.S. understand the informal political system at play, raising communication skills to match C-suite dynamics, and identifying existing strengths to draw on.
How does executive coaching help with workplace politics?
In D.S.’s case, Marilyn Fettner joined with D.S. to map the bigger picture of the informal “political” system operating at the C-suite level, rather than leaving D.S. to interpret those dynamics alone. That framework was a central piece of the engagement, alongside communication coaching and strengths work.
Why does communication matter for executives moving into senior leadership?
D.S. specifically credited raising communication skills to a higher level as key to managing the complex, nuanced interpersonal dynamics of the C-suite — a skill area Fettner addressed directly as part of the coaching engagement.
How can I build confidence in a new leadership role?
For D.S., confidence came primarily from recognizing and leveraging existing areas of strength and power — described as the most important part of the coaching, ahead of the political-system and communication work. Fettner’s approach combined direct challenge with active support throughout.
What does an executive coach actually do?
Based on D.S.’s engagement, an executive coach can help a client understand informal organizational dynamics, strengthen communication in senior-level interactions, and identify personal strengths to apply under pressure — combining challenge with support rather than one or the other.
Is executive coaching a time-limited coaching engagement or an ongoing resource?
It can be either, depending on the client. D.S. stated they continue to return to coaching with Marilyn Fettner as new challenges arise, describing her as an indispensable resource for ongoing career growth rather than a single, time-limited engagement.
Does executive coaching guarantee results with workplace politics or executive confidence?
No. D.S.’s outcome reflects one client’s documented experience with Marilyn Fettner. It illustrates what this engagement produced, not a guaranteed result for every client or every coaching relationship. It is actually unethical to “guarantee” specific results.
Who is Marilyn Fettner?
Marilyn Fettner, LCPC, CCC, NCC, CPVC, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Career Counselor based in Northbrook, Illinois, with more than 25 years of practice and over 3,000 individual clients coached. She provided the executive coaching described in this case as part of her practice, which serves clients virtually nationwide.
About the Author
Marilyn Fettner, LCPC, CCC, NCC, CPVC, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Career Counselor who has coached more than 3,000 individual clients over 25+ years in practice.
Through Fettner Executive & Professional Career Coaching, she provides career, executive, leadership, and personal coaching to professionals ranging from mid- to advanced career stages — delivered one-on-one through personalized virtual sessions to clients in all 50 U.S. states.