How a Senior Engineering Leader Found Clarity, Confidence, and Executive Identity During a Critical Leadership Transition
When Burns & McDonnell began navigating a period of leadership evolution and shifting organizational priorities, senior leaders were being asked to operate with greater enterprise perspective, influence, and cross-functional alignment. For one high-performing Vice President, this moment created both opportunity and uncertainty. He was respected, successful, and viewed as a strong operator, yet the next stage of his career was not clearly defined. This coaching engagement supported him in stabilizing his leadership foundation, expanding his influence, and positioning himself for senior-level roles as the organization transitioned.
Key Themes of the Engagement
Leadership Identity Shift
Moving from operator to enterprise leader.
Executive Presence
Communicating with more clarity, context, and intention.
Influence Across the Organization
Building stronger relationships with peers, partners, and senior leaders.
Strategic Clarity
Focusing on what matters most in a high-complexity environment.
Career Navigation Under Ambiguity
Positioning himself while sponsorship, structure, and succession were evolving.
What was happening in the organization
Burns & McDonnell was experiencing natural tension points common in evolving engineering and construction firms. Market complexity was increasing. Client demands were shifting. Internal expectations for alignment, communication, and strategic clarity were rising. Leadership structures were being reevaluated, and succession pathways were less linear than before.
The introduction of new senior leadership created both opportunity and uncertainty across the executive bench. High-potential leaders needed to operate with more enterprise awareness, influence across offices and functions, and a leadership presence that could support a more interconnected, multi-disciplinary business model.
For many leaders, including the VP, this period required stepping out of a historically execution-driven identity and into a broader, more strategic, and more relational form of leadership.
Where the VP was in his leadership trajectory
The VP entered coaching as a proven leader with a strong operational track record. He had advanced steadily through the organization, built high-performing teams, and earned trust for delivering results in complex construction and engineering environments. He was viewed as capable of more, including advancement to SVP.
Yet this was a period of real ambiguity.
He was unsure what the organization needed from him next.
He did not know who his true executive sponsor was.
He felt caught between collaboration and competition with peers at his level.
And with a new CEO coming in, expectations were shifting, but not explicitly named.
He wanted to grow into a more senior role. He did not yet have clarity on the leadership identity or strategic posture that would support that transition.
This was the moment where reflection, recalibration, and intentional leadership development became essential.
How High Bridge Leadership supported the VP
Coaching focused on creating space for strategic reflection during a period where day-to-day momentum made that nearly impossible. Work centered on:
Slowing his pace enough to communicate with presence, clarity, and context
Reexamining how he built alignment across peers and functions
Strengthening cross-office relationships and influence
Understanding how the organization actually made decisions during a leadership transition
Clarifying what senior leadership would need to see to confidently position him for an expanded role
Reducing comparison and competition, and instead leveraging collaboration as a differentiator
Developing a steadier internal foundation so he could operate powerfully even without structural clarity
Through these efforts, he began showing up with more confidence, broader perspective, and stronger executive alignment.
What results came out of this work
The VP became more grounded, intentional, and effective in how he led across the business. He communicated with more presence, built stronger peer relationships, and contributed at a higher strategic level. His influence grew, senior leaders noticed the shift, and when the new CEO established their leadership vision, the VP was identified as a key contributor.
Shortly after the coaching engagement concluded, he was pulled into a position of expanded responsibility and promotion to SVP, a direct reflection of his elevated readiness and the organizational confidence he had built.