From Silos to Influence: How One Leader Found His Voice in a Matrixed World
“I’m a better leader, a better husband, and a better father because of what I’ve learned.”
At The Leadership Development Group (TLD Group), our coaching engagements often begin with a clear objective—enhancing a leader’s presence, communication, or strategic influence. In a recent engagement, TLD Group senior coach, Jenifer Hill, collaborated with a senior executive at a global foodservice distribution organization.
Operating within a complex matrix structure, the leader was charged with driving results across fragmented, under-resourced business segments while aligning with multiple stakeholders across the enterprise. The organization’s work—delivering essential food and nutrition services to hospitals and care settings—adds another layer of urgency and coordination, making the ability to lead through influence, not just authority, a critical skill.
This engagement centered on helping the leader break through internal silos, build cross-functional alignment, and step into a more strategic, empowered leadership voice.
Uncovering the Real Barriers to Influence
The leader Jenifer worked with was navigating a highly matrixed, under-resourced business unit within the organization. While he regularly presented to senior executives, his efforts to advocate for his team often fell flat. His influence across silos remained limited.
He initially came to coaching looking to sharpen his executive presence and storytelling. But early sessions revealed a desire to get to the root of the issue—to move beyond quick fixes and invest in deeper, more sustainable change.
A Coaching Journey Rooted in Insight and Action
Jenifer approached the engagement with curiosity, structure, and a belief in the leader’s capacity for growth. The coaching began with 360 interviews and the Enneagram assessment to build self-awareness and surface recurring patterns. From there, they co-created an Individual Development and Action Plan (IDAP), providing a roadmap for targeted, meaningful development.
Throughout the engagement, Jenifer drew on a robust toolkit that blended the Intentional Change Model, StrengthsFinder domains, neuroscience-informed practices, nervous system regulation strategies, and experiential learning. Each element was carefully woven into the process to support the leader’s goals and learning style.
As the leader built confidence and clarity, he began stepping more fully into his own leadership voice, becoming more intentional in his communication, more grounded in his decisions, and more effective in influencing across functions.
From Executive Presence to Empowered Leadership
The impact of the engagement was both measurable and deeply personal. The leader reported quarter-over-quarter improvement to plan and higher engagement within his team, as reflected in the company’s internal survey. His growth in key leadership competencies, executive presence, stakeholder management, emotional regulation, and talent development—was noted by peers and superiors alike.
Beyond the business outcomes, the leader shared that the experience fundamentally reshaped how he showed up in all areas of his life:
“I now feel like I know myself in a way I never have. I understand what triggers me—and more importantly, why. I am a better leader, a better husband, and a better father because of what I have learned.
Transformation That Goes Beyond the Office
For Jenifer, the engagement reinforced the power of going beyond surface-level development.
“It’s not about teaching someone how to perform in the room,” she said. “It’s about helping them understand how they show up in the room—and why.” “When clients are willing to do the deeper work, they do not just grow as professionals. They grow as people. That is the real power of coaching.”
TLD Group supports leaders navigating complexity across industries. Today, as organizational structures become increasingly matrixed and interconnected, our coaches help leaders build the awareness, confidence, and influence needed to thrive.
Ready to help your leaders lead with clarity, confidence, and influence? Reach out to work with TLD Group today!