We all know the feeling of anxiety sitting deep in our stomachs with our heart beating out of our chests before an important meeting. If you have ever taken the time to talk to a friend about how you feel even just for a minute before you deliver a speech or attend a media interview, you know the relief it can give you. Having a second or even third opinion is another comfort you can find in this time of great stress.

From the very top of the ladder all the way to the bottom, every single individual has their own fears, struggles, backgrounds, problems and emotions. Leaders in particular are pressured to have a mask that should never crack and this causes a new layer of stress and anxiety to always be completely put together.

Former management consultants Elena Bothelo and Kim Powell, co-authors of The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People Into World Class Leaders, set out to research the key aspects of becoming a CEO and staying there for the long haul. They analyzed a 10-year data set that included over 18,000 C-suite executives and the results were not surprising - luck, habits, behaviors, and mindset were the most important shared factors. The research findings shed a new light on the communication aspect of this too. They found that candidates who talk too much and are “I” oriented instead of “We”, were less successful. 30% of leaders struggled with communication skills. A third of CEOs described themselves as introverts. These shared drawbacks show the gap between being good and being great.

I, as an experienced communications professional, had the opportunity to work with different types of C-Suite executives, watch them while working publicly or privately and I saw their vulnerable, human side. This experience gives me the belief that executives need objective people by their side and they need them not only when everything is planned, they need them very often ad-hoc, based on their immediate circumstances.

What I offer is trust, confidentiality, objectivity and flexibility. I am not your colleague, not your family member and not your competitor. I represent society and voice their opinion.

I will be your red team that will question and prepare you for the event, meeting or presentation.

And I also can be your blue team, that will support you, listen to you and encourage you every step of the way.

So, before a strategic meeting/presentation/offer/negotiation if you feel that you are not sure of what you are doing, you can always reach me and get an objective “second eye” on the issue. It is Ok to ask for help. I always do.