Gwen, Inc. specializes in executive coaching for Black women executive leaders under the trademarked brand The Unexpected Leader®. This concept recognizes the unique experiences Black women have as they lead at the intersection of race, gender, and leadership. Specifically, Black women leaders navigate the following dynamics when hired or promoted to positions that cause them to shatter the glass/cement ceiling:

• Being the First Only and Different- Unexpected Leaders simultaneously make history and deal with the isolation of being the only or one of a few Black woman executive leaders in a company or organization.
• Gaining and Sustaining Credibility – Unexpected Leaders are always qualified and exceed expectations. Yet they struggle to be experienced as credible leaders due to unchecked racism, sexism, implicit bias and microaggressions.
• Legacy Building – Unexpected Leaders realize their historical hirings are often done from a perspective of risk management. Given this they are highly aware that perceptions of their effectiveness set the tone for whether other Black women leaders have access to executive positions and opportunities.

The experience of unexpectedness serves as a backdrop to this executive coaching engagement. Thriving through these dynamics requires Black women leaders to develop philosophies, skills, and behaviors of effective leadership. This calls for being grounded in a strong personal mission, vision, values, goals, and specific leadership skills.

Unexpected Leader executive coaching is a blended approach that includes leadership profile assessment, executive coaching, leadership consultation and technical assistance support. These services support individual leaders in addressing topics or issues impacting the ability to lead effectively; both personally and professionally. Topics are identified by the client in partnership with Gwen. Gwen Webber-McLeod works with clients during sessions to identify strategies for addressing each topic.

Companies, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions desire to find ways to demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of their work. Gwen, Inc. uses an organization development approach in offering professional facilitation to help achieve this outcome.

Professional facilitation services offered include:

• Creating strategic framework documents to guide decision making about diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Design and facilitation of topic specific diversity, equity and inclusion business discussions for leaders charged with implementing diversity, equity and inclusions initiatives.
• Assistance in creating advisory boards, employee relations groups or community conversations in support of achieving diversity equity and inclusion goals.

Executive briefings are two-hour educational sessions for executive leaders charged with leveraging outcomes of initial DEI initiatives to yield ongoing greater impact and outcomes in a company or organization. Executive briefings provide a high-level overview of best practices/topics our company recommends leaders focus on when transitioning to new phases of DEI work.

During this high energy interactive presentation, participants will discuss these and related topics:

• Why Executive and Operational Leadership Matters in Diversity 2.0 Initiatives
• Changing Demographics and Diversity 2.0 Initiatives
• Recruitment and Retention of a Diverse Workforce (Unexpected Leaders ®)
• Success Strategies for Managing Diverse Teams
• Company Strategies for Moving to DEI 2.0

Executive briefings are two-hour educational sessions for executive leaders charged with managing change to yield ongoing greater impact and outcomes in a company or organization. Executive briefings provide a high-level overview of best practices/topics our company recommends leaders focus on when managing a team through change.

During this high energy interactive presentation participants will discuss these and related topics:

• The manager’s role in leading and supporting staff and the organization through change
• The dynamics of imposed and chosen change and how they affect workplace teams
• Specific strategies for helping the workplace team thrive during change
• The attributes of an effective change agent and what this means to members of workplace teams

• Factors that lead to a low trust environment Behaviors of a high trust culture
• Specific strategic priorities to create a high trust environment
• Methods used to maintain a high trust environment to increase your company’s productivity