How Empower Project Developed Their Leaders Through Coaching 

Coaching as an Opt-In Support Resource

Empower Project, a national leader in relational organizing, partnered with us during the 2024 election cycle to support their team's resilience and effectiveness. Empower Project’s leadership team faced the dual challenges of intense campaign-cycle demands and the emotional toll of managing quickly constructed teams that are built to last only through Election Day. Recognizing the need for individual, tailored support, Amanda Brink, Empower’s Executive Director, sought coaching to help leaders manage stress, improve communication, and maintain focus on their mission. She wanted her team to be able to opt in, and she wanted them to understand that coaching space was their own, confidential, support resource.

The Program

Over the course of the 6 months leading up to the 2024 elections, Empower Project engaged us to support their quickly expanding leadership team. Amanda opened the opportunity for coaching to more staff in the final weeks before the election. By the time November 4th rolled around, we’d worked with 19 members of the Empower team, providing a combination of individual coaching and group coaching tailored to the unique pressures of their work. We adapted to the needs of each individual team member. Some people chose to meet with their coach weekly, others worked at different cadences. A few leaders opted to take a Prism Personality Assessment, which we then used as a tool in our coaching. Individual coaching was later complemented by group coaching sessions, 90 minutes each, offered to staff looking for support at the very end of the cycle.

Takeaways

Our coaching focused on developing emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and building habits to support effective team dynamics. Participants reported personal and professional growth, attributing improvements in their leadership skills and team collaboration directly to the coaching experience.

One Empower Project team member noted, "I think I have become more emotionally intelligent and aware of how I show up in the workplace." 

Another shared, "Coaching has helped me through a number of situations, and has helped me to think through how I can be a better leader."

A third reflected, “I always took a very left-brained approach before and now I'm better at thinking about how my team is feeling and letting that guide what they might need from me as a leader.”

The impact of the coaching extended beyond individual development. Participants reported enhanced cohesion and a greater ability to navigate the complexities of campaign work. One person observed, "I was able to try tactics in working with a team that I had not used before."

Ongoing Partnership

Our partnership with Empower continues. After the 2024 election, Amanda decided to retain our services for ongoing support. We continue to coach with a core group of members of the senior leadership team, in both individual and two-by-two coaching spaces. We’re honored to accompany the members of this incredible team on their leadership journeys.

Conclusion

Empower Project's collaboration with WBT and the comprehensive support we’ve been able to provide exemplify the value of targeted leadership coaching in high-stakes environments, delivered simultaneously to multiple members of the team. By investing in their team's development, they not only improved individual performance but also strengthened their collective capacity to drive toward ambitious outcomes.

For organizations operating in similarly demanding contexts, Empower Project's experience underscores the importance of proactive leadership development and support. Engaging with coaching programs like the one we built for the Empower team can be a strategic move to enhance team resilience and effectiveness.

If you’re curious whether leadership coaching could support your team, take our Leadership Development & Support Survey. It’s quick and eye-opening - and it could be the first step to building the leadership culture your team, organization, and mission deserve.

And if you're interested in exploring how leadership coaching can benefit you and your team. reach out - we’d love to chat.