Success Stories

Karen I. Relucio, M.D.
(Chief Public Health Officer, Napa County)

Executive Coaching Success Story

As a supervising physician in the San Mateo CountyHealth System, Dr. Karen Relucio was required to wear many leadership hats - Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases at San Mateo Medical Center; Medical Director,Public Health Clinics & STD/HIV Program; Medical Director, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, and more.

The Doctor's Dilemma

Dr. Relucio was placed in a leadership role during an H1N1pandemic and for her first eight months, she managed in an emergency-related, command-center atmosphere, where orders were given and followed as though it were wartime.

Not having any other leadership training or experience, when the emergency was lifted, Dr. Relucio continued her commanding style of leadership, to the detriment of her teams.

Eventually, Dr. Relucio came to realize that, "command was not the right way to manage doctors - and I was really feeling disengagement from my teams."

She knew that people were unhappy, and that she needed to change what she was doing.

Without any other experience, however, she was in need of some guidance.

Confidential Executive Coaching

When Dr. Relucio realized she needed to develop her leadership skills, she turned to Kristi Royse of KLR Consulting.

Dr. Relucio says, "I was impressed by the passion that Kristi showed when she talked about her work. She is so dedicated to helping people, and especially helping executives to reach new heights in their work, and that made an enormous impression on me."

It was also important to Dr. Relucio that Kristi had worked with C-suite executives. "She understands the pressures and problems faced at that level of leadership."

Finally, Kristi is flexible and available to work around Dr. Relucio's tight schedule.

KLR Consulting's Approach

"Really, I'm a work-in-progress, developing and growing all the time," says Dr. Relucio, "but Kristi's guidance has given me tools that have already made a big difference in the performance and engagement of my team members."

Kristi's work with Dr. Relucio:

• Helped the Doctor to learn to communicate more clearly.
• Provided tools for better understanding her direct reports, their communication styles, and their needs, including DiSC assessment.
• Created an ongoing program of study and practice for Dr. Relucio, including her day-to-day activities and reading assignments.
• Is flexible for scheduling formal coaching sessions, and is available more casually when Dr. Relucio needs advice.

The Results

Dr. Relucio's teams have gone from being disengaged,disgruntled, and generally part of the problem, to more:

• Cohesive
• Participatory
• Engaged
• Solutions-oriented
• Loyal

She says, "I've learned to relax a little with meetings,scheduling a smaller agenda and leaving more room for discussion." Her team members feel more like they are heard and valued, and their level of trust in Dr. Relucio has risen.

This team member was procrastinating on an important project, and was a good six months behind.With Kristi's help, Dr. Relucio discovered that he needed more attention, so she started meeting with him regularly, giving him smaller, interim goals, and holding him accountable. Once the project was successfully completed, he became a different person, showing initiative and really being present and an active member of the team.

"Kristi is a very effective coach, in part because she cultivates her own leadership skills. She believes that great leadership comes from within, and she applies that belief to her coaching."

Doctor Reluccio has since leveraged her enhanced leadership skills to become the Chief Public Health Officer for Napa County.