Danielle Gerhart : Extraordinary Leader

Danielle Gerhart is a senior-level marketing & communications professional with experience building and activating strategies to help brands drive awareness, earn credibility, enhance reputation, and meet goals.

What is Empathic Leadership?

“Empathic leadership is meeting people where they are emotionally in order to understand their behavior. It's seeing situations from other people's perspectives; having the ability to connect with them; and make them feel seen, heard, and valued.”

What skills or competencies did you enhance through the coaching process?

“I'm learning how to tap into behaviors that don't come naturally to me, like being direct and inspirational. I'm a big believer in DISC!”

Share an example of a goal that you have realized as a result of coaching.

“I've become more comfortable with direct and goal-focused communication. This includes knowing when and how to say "no," setting expectations, and having more conversations face-to-face."

What do professionals need to start anticipating as the change needed to be a strong leader?

“Professionals cannot afford to overlook emotional intelligence and empathy as two critical leadership strategies. They will help you be more effective in your role and achieve better results.”

Describe Michael Sgro as a professional coach.

“I liked Michael the minute I met him! He is kind, a great listener, and passionate about his work. He always made coaching fun and has a way of making information stick. This is a long journey and can be tricky to fit into an already busy schedule, but Michael was always flexible and kept me motivated (and focused!) until the end. He has a way of making you feel like you're his only client.”

Anything else you want to share about leadership?

“Leadership is a journey, and anyone can be a great leader no matter their title. Be willing to get outside of your comfort zone and refuse to settle for doing things the way they've always been done. Our world continues to evolve and so should leaders.”

Our mission is to coach extraordinary leaders and to develop empathy as a core competency. We work with business owners, nonprofit organizations, professionals, universities and community members who are facing challenges in their personal and professional effectiveness or want to reach their full capacity as a leader.