Case Study: Central Carolina Community College

August 2019

Goal

To help the Financial Aid Director improve the voice of the financial aid office on campus.

Situation

Zilma Lopes, Director of Financial Aid at Central Carolina Community College, felt she was not being included in important discussions, projects, and initiatives with campus leaders. Lopes wanted to become a better advocate for herself and her financial aid team.

Solution

Blue Icon Advisors provided Lopes with one-on-one coaching. Prior to the coaching sessions, the Blue Icon consultant spent time learning about the culture of the institution and division, as well as the reputation and impact of the financial aid director and office, by meeting with key institutional staff, including the financial aid director's supervisor and divisional leader, the director of Human Resources, and the controller. Each of these meetings were held off-site by phone or video conference call. Once the research was complete, the consultant and director met via video conference call one hour a week for seven weeks to develop and implement an action plan based on the consultant's observations and recommendations.

Outcome

By the end of the coaching engagement, Lopes had developed a customized advocacy plan, received guidance on preparing for a presentation with the president, including an opportunity for role-playing, arranged a relationship-building meeting a key campus colleague, and developed metrics for current and future presentations. Lopes believes that the professional advice, encouragement, and support provided by the consultant were helpful. Lopes noted, "The coaching I received from Blue Icon helped me become a better advocate for myself and my team. Working with the consultant brought clarity to the challenges I was facing and led to an action-oriented plan. It's been six weeks since my coaching sessions ended, and I've already made progress in improving my voice within the institution."

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