Setting the Foundation for Executive Success

Interview With: Sherilyn Charles-Smith

Leadership often comes with immense pressure and isolation. Few understand this better than Sherilyn Charles-Smith, Co-Founder of C3 Effect, whose mission is to transform how executives are supported and sustained. With over 15 years of experience as an executive leader and coach, Sherilyn knows firsthand the weight leaders carry. C3 Effect was born from this understanding: to stand beside leaders as trusted partners, helping them lead with clarity, purpose, and confidence while fostering environments where both people and performance can thrive. I recently sat down with Sherilyn to learn more about her experience.

1. C3 Effect was founded on the belief that leaders need more than strategies, they need true support. What drove you to start this work, and what gap were you seeing in how executives are supported?

For years as a senior leader, I felt the pressure to constantly deliver. I felt I was always working extremely hard and yet it often felt like little was truly being accomplished.

The truth is I got caught into this cycle: chasing results, feeling undervalued, and seeing the toll that took on employees. Even when something great happened, there was little room to pause, to celebrate, or to make sure people were truly seen. It was lonely. And that loneliness didn’t just affect me - it affected how I led. What stood out to me was the lack of real support for executives. Leaders were carrying the weight of their teams, their peers, the organization, and their families, often feeling like they had to figure it all out on their own. They had to constantly deliver and prove their worth.

Executives weren’t just burning out physically, they were becoming disconnected from the very purpose that drew them to leadership in the first place. We wanted to focus on driving change in organizations in a way that was sustainable but realistic and we realized that starts with the individual, not the company.

We come alongside leaders as thought partners and executors, helping them find purpose, clarity, confidence, and peace in their roles. When a leader feels supported, seen, and equipped, not only do they thrive, their families, teams and organizations thrive too.

For me, this isn't just work, it's personal. It’s a calling. Every leader deserves to feel purposeful and to know they don’t have to carry the weight of leadership alone. That’s why C3 exists: to help leaders not just deliver results but do work that truly matters.

2. What strategies do you use to help leaders lead authentically, even in complex or competitive environments?

Authentic leadership begins with self-awareness. We help leaders clarify who they are, what they value, and what they stand for. Once that’s clear, the daily “check” becomes: Am I leading in alignment with my values? Because the more you try to fit every environment or demand, the more you erode your peace and integrity.

When you lead from your values, you have an anchor in the midst of complexity. For example, if kindness is one of your core values, you choose to treat people with kindness, even on stressful days. If you slip, it’s a signal to recalibrate, not to blame others.

This approach creates freedom. Leaders realize they don’t have to chase every expectation or play every political game. They can say consistent with who they are, which builds trust, steadiness, and influence. Authenticity isn’t about the environment; it’s about a leader’s commitment to being who they said they would be.

3. How can executives quickly establish credibility with their teams, Boards, and peers when stepping into a new leadership position?

Credibility isn’t built by your title, it’s built by how you show up. When you step into a new role, the fastest way to establish credibility isn’t talking about what you can do but getting curious about the people around you.

Five ways to build credibility quickly:

1. Get Curious About People. Understand your team, your boss, your peers, your Board. Ask questions, listen deeply, and show you value what matters to them.

   
   

2. Build Trust Through Relationships. Credibility grows when people know you care about them beyond the tasks at hand.

   
   

3. Keep Your Word. Follow-through builds reliability, the foundation of trust.

   
   

4. Lead With Integrity and Authenticity. Be true to your values, even in complex or competitive environments. Authenticity makes your leadership believable.

   
   

5. Take People on the Journey. Don’t rush to prove yourself. Invite others into your process. Shared vision builds alignment and lasting results.

   
   

At the end of the day, credibility comes from care. When people feel seen and valued, trust follows.

4. When leaders feel pulled in too many directions, how do you help them realign without losing momentum?

When leaders feel overwhelmed, it’s often because they’re stuck in the day-to-day. They find themselves on the “dance floor” instead of the “balcony.” We start by identifying why. Sometimes it’s unclear expectations, team gaps, avoidance of hard conversations, or simply a lack of clarity on what success looks like.

We conduct an assessment to understand the culture, relationships, and dynamics, then bring leaders into what we call a One-Day Sprint, a focused reset. We clarify their true role, top priorities, and how their team can best support them. By the end of that day, leaders have a clear roadmap with priorities, timelines, and built-in support. The feedback we hear most is: “I didn’t realize how much I needed this.”

That clarity lifts the weight. Leaders move from reaction to intention with focus, confidence, and calm.

5. When a leader steps into a new role, how do you help them focus on what’s truly important?

When leaders step into a new role, their natural instinct is to start executing and to prove their value quickly. But the reality is, they don’t yet know what’s truly important and that’s where mistakes often happen. We start by doing the opposite: we pause.

We begin with an assessment to understand their strengths and blind spots, the expectations of the role, and what “success” looks like. Not just in their mind, but in the eyes of their boss, their peers, their team, and their stakeholders. If that clarity doesn’t exist, we help them define it.

One of our key tools is the listening tour. We help leaders map their stakeholders and ask consistent, intentional questions. This builds trust and gives them a grounded understanding of what people truly value. Too often, leaders fail because they try to replicate what worked elsewhere, without recognizing that the context is different.

From there, we help them distill insights into a handful of clear priorities that become their anchor. Once you’re clear on what matters, you can set boundaries, say no to distractions, and empower your team to focus on impact, not just activity.

6. If I could give one piece of advice to every executive stepping into a new role tomorrow, it would be this: pause before you prove.

You were hired because you’re ready. You don’t need to spend your first weeks proving your worth. Lead with confidence. Take time to listen, understand the culture, and define what success really means in this context. The fastest way to build credibility isn’t by showing how much you know, it’s by showing people that you see them. When people feel seen and valued, they’ll follow you.

Lead from your values. Authenticity and trust will create the influence you’re looking for.

In the end, leadership isn’t about how fast you can deliver results, it’s about how well you bring people with you. Do that well, and the results will follow.

Leadership can feel heavy sometimes. If you’re navigating a new role, leading through change, or just need a sounding board, I would love to chat.  You can reach out to me at sherilyn@c3effect.com.