A few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have written this blog. Actually, that’s not true. Twenty-five years ago, I definitely wouldn’t have written it.
Early in my corporate career, I picked up a copy of Meditation for Dummies. At the time, my interest in meditation had very little to do with leadership. I was exploring it as a tool for my personal life and, if I’m being completely transparent, hoping to manifest some of the things I dreamed about—the husband, the beautiful home, the perfect family, the life I imagined for myself.
I achieved much of that, by the way!
What I didn’t realize when I picked up that book was that meditation would eventually become one of the most valuable tools in my leadership toolbox. Not because it magically created the life or career I wanted, but because over time, it helped me quiet the noise, become more self-aware, trust myself, and feel more connected to what I know to be true.
Today, as an executive coach, I see just how much leaders need that kind of space.
So many of the leaders I work with are smart, capable, successful high achievers who are managing a lot. Their minds are still running long after the workday ends. They’re thinking about the meeting that didn’t go well, tomorrow’s presentation, the difficult conversation they need to have, the organizational change coming around the corner, and the 47 other things on their list. They have trouble turning it off at night, transitioning from work to home, and creating boundaries between all the different parts of their lives.
I often describe it as living on the hamster wheel.
For years, I’ve talked about helping leaders get off that wheel so they can become more intentional about their choices and how they show up. But lately, I’ve been thinking there may be an opportunity to go a little further.
What if leadership isn’t only about becoming more intentional? What if it’s also about becoming more aligned?
And this is where things might get a little “woo woo.”
Many of us learned how to compartmentalize as we moved through our careers. I certainly did. Work went in one box. Family went in another. Stress, fears, dreams, relationships—they all had their own boxes too. We became incredibly skilled at packaging things up, putting them on the appropriate shelf, and opening whichever box the situation required.
In my corporate leadership years, that served me well. I followed the rules, worked hard, delivered results, and did what needed to be done. I always had a thread of care, concern, and heart running through my leadership, but I was still separating parts of myself rather than considering how all those pieces fit together.
Over time, that began to change. I became more intentional about how I showed up and more attuned to the people around me. In the workplace, we called some of that emotional intelligence and empathy. Later, I described it in my book as “leading with heart” and being intentional in how you show up.
Today, I think I would describe it a little differently.
I would call it aligned leadership.
Aligned leadership is what happens when your values, intuition, actions, energy, and intentions begin working together rather than competing for your attention. You aren’t leaving parts of yourself at the door when you walk into work because, really, none of us do. We are one whole human being showing up every day to interact, connect, influence, impact, and lead other whole human beings.
When you begin leading from that place, something shifts.
I have a coaching client who is incredibly open to growth. He rarely comes into our conversations with a perfectly packaged coaching topic. Instead, he brings whatever is occupying his mental real estate at that moment—a relationship, an anticipated conflict, a challenge, or something he can’t quite stop thinking about.
Our conversations are fluid. We explore what’s happening, look at it from different perspectives, and consider how he wants to show up. And then, inevitably, the thing we’ve been talking about seems to appear in his work.
Sometimes within days. Recently, it happened within an hour of our coaching conversation.
We joke about these moments, and he calls them coincidences. He would also really like us to spend more coaching time talking about his college football team so he can speak another national championship into existence. 😂
But I’ve come to believe there are very few coincidences. Maybe there are more coordinated incidents.
When something occupies our thoughts, attention, and energy, we become more aware of the opportunities, patterns, people, and circumstances connected to it. We notice things we might have missed before. We’re more prepared when the situation arrives, and because we’ve created space to consider our intentions, we can respond differently when it does.
Is that “woo woo”? Maybe.
But it’s also incredibly practical leadership.
Leadership is fundamentally about awareness, and that awareness has to start with ourselves. The most effective leaders don’t just understand business metrics, market conditions, and organizational challenges. They understand what’s happening inside themselves, too. They recognize when they’re operating from fear instead of confidence, reacting instead of responding, or forcing an outcome instead of creating enough space for clarity to emerge.
Meditation has helped me create that space, but meditation isn’t the only answer. I have clients who use apps like Headspace, while others insist they “aren’t good at meditating” because they can’t turn their brains off. My response is always that the goal isn’t necessarily to turn your brain off.
Find what works for you.
Maybe it’s exercise, a long walk, time in nature, prayer, journaling, or even a walking meditation. Maybe it’s simply ten quiet minutes before everyone else wakes up. The practice matters less than your willingness to create enough space to hear yourself again.
Because beneath all the business buzzwords we use—resilience, agility, adaptability, change leadership—there is something much more human: connection.
Connection to yourself. Connection to your purpose. Connection to the people you lead.
My own journey to understand this has been decades in the making. From watching Oprah as a teenager in the '80s, to Tony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, Abraham Hicks, Gabby Bernstein, and so many others along the way, I’ve absorbed ideas and inspiration that have ultimately helped me arrive at my own sense of what I know to be true.
And today, that feels grounding. Calm. Confident. Connected. There is less forcing and more knowing.
Maybe that sounds “woo woo” to some people. I’m okay with that.
Because I’m beginning to think the leaders we need for the future aren’t those who get better at compartmentalizing, pushing harder, or running faster on the hamster wheel. We need leaders who are deeply connected to themselves so they can more authentically connect with others. Leaders who create space to listen, notice, trust, and choose. Leaders who bring their whole selves to the responsibility of leading other human beings.
Perhaps that is the next evolution of intentional leadership.
A little less forcing. A little more alignment. And yes, maybe even a little more “woo woo.”
If you’re ready to get off the hamster wheel and explore what greater intention and alignment could look like in your own leadership, let’s connect. Sometimes the most powerful shift starts by simply creating enough space to hear what’s already there.
I have never been great with directions.
When my son was a toddler sitting in his booster seat in the back of the car, he would confidently tell me which way to turn when I got flustered and unsure.
Imagine that — a tiny human calmly navigating while I was second-guessing every intersection.
Some people just seem wired with an internal compass. He clearly did not get that from me.
Over the years, I’ve realized my relationship with direction has shaped more than how I travel. It has shaped how I lead. And I know many leaders quietly wrestle with the same thing — making decisions and moving forward without complete clarity.
In fact, I think I know exactly where my own sense of direction comes from. My mom often tells the story about when my dad took me with him on a quick errand to the post office. What was supposed to be a short trip turned into four hours. He got completely lost. She was home with my baby brother worried about what might have happened.
Somewhere along the way, I adopted a similar relationship with direction. Not just on roads and highways, but in life too.
There have been many seasons where I have not felt one hundred percent clear about where I was headed. Times when I made what felt like the right turn only to realize later it meant recalculating. Times when I wondered if progress would lead to a breakthrough or simply a U-turn.
If you are a leader, you probably know this feeling.
Today we have incredible tools to help us find our way. GPS. Strategy frameworks. Leadership models. Data dashboards. AI. Advisors and coaches. All of these can help us move faster. They can reduce friction and provide guidance when the path feels uncertain. And yet, tools are not perfect.
Even now, when I travel to a client’s city filled with tall buildings and unfamiliar streets, my GPS will occasionally fail me. I will confidently start walking only to realize a few minutes later that I am heading in the wrong direction. Sometimes the signal drops. Sometimes the map spins. Sometimes I simply misinterpret what I see.
Leadership is no different.
You can have a beautiful strategic plan and still feel unsure. You can have access to more information than ever before and still wrestle with doubt. You can be surrounded by smart people and still need to make a decision without full clarity. The myth that great leaders always know the exact direction keeps many talented people stuck.
Where in your leadership might you be waiting for perfect clarity before taking the next step?
For years I tried to fix my lack of directional confidence in very practical ways. I challenged myself to get better. I would hear my mom’s voice in my head reminding me that streets run north and south and avenues run east and west. It is a grid. It should be simple. Some days that helped and other days it made things more confusing. Kind of like leadership advice.
Over time, my focus shifted. Instead of obsessing over always knowing the precise route, I began practicing something more important — trusting that clarity often comes after we begin moving.
Directionally, I might know I need to go that way. Not with perfect certainty. Not with a fully mapped path. Just with a quiet internal nudge.
So I step forward.
Sometimes the GPS locks in and confirms I am exactly where I need to be and sometimes I need to adjust. Occasionally, I have to turn around completely. None of that means I am lost. It means I am learning.
One of the most defining moments of “moving before I was fully clear” came when I made the decision to leave corporate.
For most of my career, I never imagined I would step away from that world. I loved leading teams, the pace and the impact. My identity was deeply connected to being an executive.
But a serious health scare became the nudge that said, go that way.
Or maybe more accurately… take a left here.
I did not have a perfectly mapped path. I did not know exactly what my next chapter would look like. I only knew that staying where I was no longer felt aligned.
Over the past nine years since making that decision, the road has not always been clear. There have been unexpected turns. There have been U-turns. There have been moments of recalculating and there has also been so much growth, purpose, and joy.
I made a commitment to myself to keep the road open — to stay curious, to listen for new direction, and to trust that adjusting along the way was part of building a meaningful journey.
Leadership often asks us to do the same.
Modern leadership requires both external guidance and internal connection. We absolutely should use the tools available to us. They make the journey more efficient and often more effective. But we cannot outsource our intuition. We cannot silence the voice that tells us when something feels aligned or when a different path might serve our people better.
Intentional leadership is not about having every answer before you begin. It is about developing the self-awareness and courage to move forward while listening deeply.
When leaders learn to trust their inner compass, they give their teams permission to do the same. They create cultures where movement matters more than perfection and learning matters more than always being right.
If the path ahead feels unclear right now, here are three practices that can help:
Perhaps the most powerful shift for me has been making peace with imperfection. I may never be the person who can instantly orient herself in any city without help. I may still have moments where I second-guess a turn. I may still find myself walking a block or two in the wrong direction. And that is okay.
Because I trust that I will find my way.
Leadership is not about flawless navigation. It is about resilience. It is about adaptability. It is about the willingness to keep going even when the signal drops or the map spins. The practice is not just about knowing where north is. It is about strengthening your inner compass so you can move with intention even when the path is unclear.
I am still learning. Still recalculating. Still listening.
It is not perfect.
But I am getting better. And that feels like exactly the right direction.
If you are navigating uncertainty in your leadership right now, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Coaching can help you strengthen your inner compass, build confidence in decision-making, and lead with greater intention. If this message resonates, I would love to connect and explore what direction might look like for you.
Years ago, I was working closely with a large sales organization, and there was one business book that seemed to be circulating through every corner of the team.
The book was Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard, and the concept quickly became a favorite among the sales leaders I worked with.
The idea behind the book was simple: when you create an experience that truly stands out, you don’t just earn satisfied customers—you earn advocates. People who talk about you, recommend you, and share their experience with others without being asked.
Looking back, I’ve often thought of that concept as the precursor to something most organizations measure today: Net Promoter Score. That familiar question many companies now ask their customers:
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?
But what always stood out to me about Raving Fans wasn’t the measurement itself. It was the mindset behind it. The goal wasn’t simply to satisfy customers—it was to create an experience so positive that people naturally talked about it.
You created raving fans.
I remember our sales team even turning the idea into a bit of a friendly contest. The idea stuck with them so much that some created playful posters hanging in their cubicles that looked like those old bulletin board flyers you might see in a laundromat—“Roommate Wanted” or “Guitar Lessons”—with the little tear-off phone number tabs along the bottom.
Their posters said something along the lines of Raving Fans Wanted.
It was clever and interestingly the memory resurfaced recently during a coaching conversation with a leader who was feeling frustrated in her career.
She had been passed over for promotion twice and was struggling to understand why. Her results were strong, her work was thoughtful and consistent, and she was respected by the people who worked closely with her. Yet she kept coming back to the same question:
Why wasn’t her work speaking for itself?
As we talked, it became clear that the challenge wasn’t capability or performance. It was visibility—and more specifically, how uncomfortable she felt with the idea of promoting herself. She felt awkward, almost self-serving, highlighting her accomplishments. She preferred to focus on doing great work and trusted that others would notice. At the same time, she was watching colleagues around her openly share their successes and make sure their contributions were visible ... sometimes appropriately and sometimes a little generously.
This is a tension I see often with leaders I coach, and especially with women. Many thoughtful, high-performing leaders believe that if they simply do excellent work, it will eventually be recognized. For many women, advocating for themselves can feel misaligned with how they want to lead, so reframing visibility through the lens of advocates and champions often feels far more authentic. But the reality inside most organizations is that many of the conversations that shape careers happen when you are not in the room.
In many ways, this is really a conversation about leadership visibility, how your reputation and contributions are understood and advocated for even when you’re not present.
Leadership teams regularly gather to discuss promotions, succession planning, and new opportunities. When those conversations happen, people inevitably begin talking about people, about who might be ready, who has demonstrated leadership potential, and who could step into the next opportunity.
In those moments, reputations travel through the room. And often, the most influential voice advocating for you in that conversation isn’t your own.
It’s someone else saying, “Let me tell you about her.”
That realization brought me back to the concept of Raving Fans, because the idea applies just as much to leadership as it does to customers.
Instead of asking, How do I promote myself?, a more helpful question might be:
Who are my raving fans?
Who are the people who will speak about your leadership when you are not in the room? Who has experienced your work closely enough to advocate for you? Who believes in your judgment, credibility, and the way you lead?
Those voices matter. In many cases, they carry far more influence than anything you could say about yourself. This doesn’t mean leaders should ignore visibility altogether. Part of leadership is helping others understand the impact of your work and the value you bring to the organization. But effective visibility isn’t about constant self-promotion, it's about building trust, relationships, and credibility so that others naturally talk about your leadership when the moment calls for it.
So how do you intentionally build the kind of reputation that creates these advocates?
In my experience working with leaders and teams, raving fans are rarely created through self-promotion. They are created through consistent leadership behaviors that others experience firsthand.
Deliver meaningful results that others experience.
Strong work matters, but it becomes far more powerful when people experience it directly. When colleagues or leaders work alongside you on important initiatives and see how you think, solve problems, and navigate challenges, they gain firsthand insight into your leadership.
Make your impact visible without making it about you.
One of the most effective ways to share your contributions is to frame them around outcomes and team success. When leaders communicate progress, lessons learned, and results achieved, they help others understand the value of their work without needing to center themselves in the story.
Build strong relationships across the organization.
Advocates rarely come from people who only know you through reports or occasional meetings. They come from people who have worked with you, collaborated with you, and seen how you show up in real situations.
Support and elevate others.
One of the most powerful ways to create advocates is by becoming one yourself. Leaders who notice great work, recognize others publicly, and speak positively about colleagues create a culture where advocacy becomes mutual.
Over time, these experiences build trust and credibility. They shape how others talk about your leadership when you’re not present and this is when the real power of reputation begins to show up.
There is another side to this idea that I believe is just as important.
If you’re in a leadership role today, you also have the opportunity to become someone else’s raving fan. When leaders speak up for others in the room, recognize their contributions, and advocate for their potential, they create moments that can shape careers. Some of the most meaningful moments in my own career came from leaders who did exactly that—leaders who believed in my capabilities and spoke up for me when opportunities were being discussed. Those moments matter more than we sometimes realize.
So here’s a question worth reflecting on.
If your name came up in a leadership conversation tomorrow, who would be your raving fans? Who would be the person in the room willing to say, “Let me tell you about her.” And perhaps just as importantly—whose raving fan are you becoming?
Because leadership impact doesn’t grow only through the work we do. It grows through the trust we build, the experiences we create for others, and the people who believe in the way we lead—enough to say our name when we’re not there.
If you’ve ever struggled with how to advocate for yourself without feeling like you’re self-promoting, you’re not alone. Many of the leaders I work with—especially women—are navigating how to make their impact visible in a way that still feels authentic.
Building credibility, cultivating advocates, and ensuring your work is recognized in the right rooms are leadership skills that can transform a career.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to connect.
I see it all the time—smart, well-intentioned, “nice” leaders who pride themselves on collaboration and respect. Meetings are calm, conversations are polite, and people nod in agreement. On the surface, everything looks good. But underneath, something’s off.
There’s frustration that isn’t voiced.
Ideas that never see the light of day.
And decisions that take too long because no one wants to rock the boat.
It’s what I call the “niceness epidemic.”
And it’s costing teams clarity, energy, and speed at a time when they can’t afford to slow down.
We’ve all been there—sitting in a meeting where something needs to be said, but no one says it. Maybe you’re protecting harmony. Maybe you’ve tried before and been dismissed. Maybe you’re just tired of the conflict.
Whatever the reason, staying stuck in niceness doesn’t serve anyone. It keeps teams operating at the surface when they need to be working in the deep end—where trust, accountability, and real alignment live.
So what keeps us there?
In my work with leadership teams, three common dynamics keep people quiet when they should speak up:
Whatever the reason, “niceness” isn’t a strategy. It’s avoidance. And in today’s complex, fast-moving environment, avoidance slows everything down.
The antidote to niceness isn’t aggression—it’s vulnerability.
Vulnerability isn’t oversharing or venting emotions. It’s having the courage to be real. It’s the leader who says, “I think we’re out of alignment,” or “We need to pause and clarify what success actually looks like.”
That moment—when someone speaks truth—cracks something open. And that crack lets trust in.
With trust comes clarity. With clarity comes accountability. And with accountability comes momentum.
This is what Patrick Lencioni calls vulnerability-based trust—the foundation of any cohesive team. Without it, people comply. With it, they commit.
Executives often tell their teams to “move faster” or “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Here's the paradox: sometimes, we need to go slow to go fast.
Going slow doesn’t mean delaying action—it means taking the time to get aligned on direction and expectations before racing toward execution. When teams pause to talk about what “faster” really looks like, they save time later by avoiding rework and confusion.
In this era of stacked, continuous change, clarity doesn’t happen on its own. It takes intention, communication, and modeling from the top. As leaders, we have to contextualize what we mean by “speed” and give teams tangible examples of what it looks like.
Because clarity is the new speed.
When leaders stop avoiding the hard stuff and start naming what’s unsaid, the payoff is huge:
Teams that build this kind of trust don’t just move faster—they move together.
So how can you start modeling something other than surface-level niceness? Try this:
I’m not pretending this is easy. For those of us who value harmony (and I count myself in that group), niceness can feel like a badge of honor. But sometimes, that badge keeps us from saying what needs to be said.
The truth is, harmony isn’t the same as health. Healthy teams can debate, disagree, and recover stronger.
So what’s one action you can take this week to move from nice to real—for your own growth, for your team, and for the work that matters most?
If your team is ready to move beyond niceness into deeper trust, clearer alignment, and stronger results, let’s talk.
When I work with leaders, our conversations often start with the whirlwind of today—the challenges they’re navigating, the pressure to deliver, the teams they’re managing, and the strategies they’re refining. And understandably so. There’s a lot coming at leaders right now.
But one of the most important roles I play as a coach is to help them lift their gaze beyond today’s fire drills. To pause the urgency just long enough to ask: Where are you going? And are you building the team, the function, and the strong relationships today that will support that future?
In today’s complex, fast-moving environment, strong relationships are no longer a nice-to-have. They’re a differentiator. A strategy. A lifeline. And they’re often what separates leaders who thrive in ambiguity from those who feel stuck in it.
We often think of leadership in terms of output—decisions made, goals hit, change managed. But beneath every major achievement is a network of relationships that either helped get it done or made it harder.
Years ago, I heard someone describe relationships at work like a bank account. You make deposits by showing up, following through, being helpful, building trust. And yes, you make withdrawals—especially when things go sideways, the stakes are high, or you need support.
That metaphor stuck with me throughout my corporate career—especially in my operational roles where I was constantly supporting sales and execution. I knew that in times of high pressure, I’d need to rely on others. And if I hadn’t made enough deposits? Those asks would come up short.
I called them “chits.” You never want to be in a storm with no chits in the bank.
Building strong relationships used to be something that happened over time—through projects, hallway chats, shared experiences. But let’s be real: the world of work looks very different today. Hybrid environments, heavier workloads, and increasingly matrixed organizations mean that relationships don’t build themselves anymore.
In fact, they often get de-prioritized.
That’s a mistake.
Because the complexity we’re navigating today means our relational bank accounts are being depleted faster than ever. The volume of change, the demand for cross-functional collaboration, and the sheer speed of decision-making require a new level of relationship equity.
So instead of hoping relationships will form organically, I encourage leaders to be intentional about building them—strategically, proactively, and authentically.
Let’s talk about how relationships are built today. In my coaching conversations, I’ve found that strong, strategic relationships form in three main areas:
One challenge I hear often from leaders is that building relationships feels awkward. Do I just randomly set up a coffee chat with someone? Won’t that seem strange?
Maybe. But when done with intention, it doesn’t have to.
Start with those you already collaborate with. Set up brief check-ins that include space for more than just status updates. Ask how you can support their priorities. Use your existing network—your inner circle—to help connect you with others.
Think of it like networking, but within your own organization.
As Korn Ferry recently shared in their article, "5 Ways to Be Sure Your Boss Sees Your Good Work“, many professionals feel uncomfortable promoting themselves or asking others to advocate for them. But enrolling your close-in circle in your success is not self-serving—it’s strategic. And it’s part of building that bank account.
If you’ve built trust with someone, let them know what you’re working toward. Ask if they’d be willing to share your contributions, advocate for your work, or make introductions to help expand your impact. You’re not asking for favors—you’re cultivating relationship equity.
Final Thought:
The complexity of leadership isn’t going away. If anything, it’s increasing. But your relationships—your leadership bank account—can be your most powerful asset.
Be intentional. Build early. And remember: the leaders who thrive in today’s world aren’t just managing tasks—they’re nurturing connection.
Let’s build something together.
If you're looking to elevate your leadership impact by strengthening your relationships and influence across your organization, I’d love to connect.
Connection is the currency of leadership.
And it compounds over time—sometimes in ways you don’t even see until someone reminds you, years later, that you made a difference.
A few weeks ago, I received an unexpected message.
In it was a link to an article, along with a short note that simply said, “I read this and thought of you.”
It was a Forbes article, “The Hidden Cost of Remote Work: Lost Rituals and Human Moments”. It explores how the informal rituals we once took for granted—like walking to the parking lot together after a long day, catching up at the coffee machine, or pausing for a birthday celebration—have faded in the modern workplace.
These rituals might seem small, but they held meaning. They built connection. And they made work feel human.
As I read, I was nodding along. This message was so aligned with everything I believe—and everything I strive to help leaders embrace. Meaningful leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through small, intentional acts that build trust, spark belonging, and make people feel seen.
Sometimes, those moments come full circle.
In leadership, we often think of legacy as something we leave behind. A title. A project. A metric of success. But legacy is also how you make people feel.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve heard me say:
Legacy isn’t someday. It’s every day.
It’s not about a title or a milestone. It is about how you lead right now.
The way you listen
The tone you set
The care you bring to each interaction.
We live in a fast paced world, one where many of us work remotely or hybrid, and it can be easy to default to tasks over connection. But leadership isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about how people experience you along the way.
Too often, you don’t know you’re leaving that kind of legacy until much later. That’s why I believe so deeply in showing up with intention every day, especially in the smallest of ways—because those small moments are the true currency of leadership.
The rituals of work might look different now, but that doesn’t mean that connection is gone. It just means we need to be more intentional about how we create it.
Think about your own team. Are there routines or touch points that used to create a sense of belonging? Can you reinvent them?
Here are a few practical ways to bring more meaning and connection into the everyday:
Meaningful leadership happens in all these moments. These small acts build trust, deepen connection, and remind people that they matter. They are, in fact, the currency of leadership.
The article wasn’t just powerful because of its message. What made it truly special was who sent it.
It came from someone I worked with over 20 years ago. Back then, she was on my team and I enjoyed supporting her in her career interests and goals. We had a strong connection through the shared grind and growth of corporate life, and while our paths diverged over the years, we’ve stayed loosely in touch.
She recently shared with me that I had made a lasting impact on her career—and what I probably never said enough is that she also made an impact on me.
So when she sent that article—when she thought of me in the context of a piece about meaningful leadership and human moments—it truly meant something.
It was a reminder that the small ways we show up, care, connect, and lead can ripple out in ways we don’t always see. Sometimes, years later, they come back around and remind you that you made a difference.
So, thank you, Jane. For the article. For the connection. And for reminding me that legacy lives in the everyday moments.
Curious how your leadership is experienced by others? Take the Heart Leader Assessment to discover your heart score and learn how to lead more meaningfully and intentionally today.
Or book time with me to explore how we can help your team create more human moments in a hybrid world.
Let’s connect.
In my work with senior leaders across industries, one conversation comes up again and again—especially for leaders stepping into VP or senior leadership roles for the first time.
They say:
“I know how to deliver results. I’ve built my career on execution and getting things done. But now, the expectations feel different. I’m not just leading a team; I’m expected to influence across the organization, partner with the C-suite and think far beyond my function. How do I make that leap?”
That’s what I call the growth edge—the space between where you are today and the leader you need to become to thrive at the next level.
The shift from delivering results to driving strategy can feel like stepping onto a completely different playing field. And that’s because, in many ways, it is.
At the Director level, success often comes from execution excellence—delivering projects on time, leading teams to hit targets and ensuring operational efficiency. Those skills don’t disappear at the VP level, but they become table stakes. They’re the minimum expectation, not what sets you apart.
At the VP level, the spotlight widens. Suddenly, you’re:
It’s not like there’s a playbook or checklist for this shift. No one hands you a “how to VP” manual. The roadmap is unwritten because the real growth edge isn’t about what you do—it’s about how you show up.
Your growth edge is in your how.
This is where the biggest mindset shift happens—and where many leaders get stuck.
At this level, your how matters more than your what. How you engage your peers. How you frame and communicate ideas. How you build trust across functions. How you elevate the conversations you’re in.
Your growth edge is defined by how you step into that bigger, broader, more visible leadership role. It’s less about the technical mastery that got you here and more about the leadership presence and strategic thinking that will keep you here—and help you thrive.
As I recently shared recently with a team of senior leaders, those who successfully navigate this shift do three things consistently. These aren’t just “nice to do”—they’re essential for leaders operating at the VP level and beyond.
At the operational level, it’s easy to get caught up in the what—tasks, deliverables, and updates. But senior leaders don’t need (or want) to be in the weeds. They care about the why—the business impact, the risks, the opportunities.
Every time you communicate—whether to your team, peers, or boss—ask yourself: Am I framing this conversation around why it matters? Am I connecting this work to the bigger picture?
This small shift in framing elevates your voice and positions you as a strategic partner, not just an executor.
At higher levels, the ambiguity factor skyrockets. Change happens fast, decisions are made with limited information and senior leaders often operate in gray areas. In these moments, clear communication is a superpower.
If you don’t shape the narrative, someone else will. Be intentional about how you communicate, whether it’s a status update, a team meeting, or a one-on-one with your boss. Ask yourself:
Clear, intentional communication helps you manage up and foster alignment across your peers and teams.
It’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day grind. But the leaders who thrive at the VP level are the ones who carve out time to zoom out. They don’t just execute—they ask bigger questions:
That shift—from short-term tactics to long-term strategy—is a hallmark of leaders who own their growth edge.
The truth is, no one is going to tap you on the shoulder and say, “Here’s exactly what you need to do to succeed at this level.” The most successful leaders write their own playbook, one built on intentional leadership.
Intentional leaders know that how they show up matters as much as what they deliver.
That’s why your growth edge isn’t just a career milestone—it’s a mindset shift. It’s about owning how you show up, how you add value and how you lead when the path forward isn’t always clear.
So, I’ll ask you the same question I asked that senior leader: What’s your growth edge right now?
Maybe it’s elevating your voice in executive meetings. Maybe it’s becoming more comfortable navigating ambiguity. Or maybe it’s building stronger cross-functional relationships to drive enterprise-wide initiatives.
Wherever your edge lies, I encourage you to lean into it—intentionally. The biggest growth happens when we’re willing to step into the discomfort of not having all the answers—and lead anyway.
If you’re navigating this shift—or preparing for it—I’d love to help you explore your growth edge and build the intentional strategies to thrive. Let’s connect to discuss how executive coaching or leadership workshops can help you (or your team) make the leap.
As we step into the new year, many of us carry the weight of rising costs, economic uncertainties and personal pressures. These challenges don't remain outside the workplace; they walk in with us each day and we are faced with how to navigate overwhelm.
I've noticed this firsthand in my recent coaching sessions. Despite having some downtime over the holidays, many of my clients have jumped straight back into the grind. Instead of easing into the year, they're displaying a mix of excitement and stress behaviors, with urgency and anxiety running high. It's as if there's no time to pause, organize, or gain clarity before diving back in.
This observation underscores a critical point: as leaders, we must balance supporting our teams with caring for ourselves. Let's explore how we can navigate both.
When external pressures mount, leaders have a unique opportunity to create stability and connection within their teams. Here are three actionable ways to support your team during challenging times:
Supporting your team is crucial, but you can't pour from an empty cup. Leaders face their pressures, which can lead to frustration, disengagement, or even burnout when these go unaddressed. Korn Ferry's recent article on the rise of Cranky Boss Syndrome highlights this growing trend among leaders.
Here are three strategies for self-care and personal growth:
When leaders invest in themselves and their teams, the ripple effects are transformative. Teams become more connected, aligned and motivated. Leaders, in turn, feel more equipped to handle challenges without succumbing to overwhelm.
This isn't about striving for perfection—it's about showing up with intention. Your ability to manage stress and lead with empathy can make all the difference in how your team navigates difficult times. While external stressors may not disappear overnight, the culture you create can provide a sense of stability and purpose that helps your team thrive.
You don't have to do it alone if you're navigating the challenges of leading through stress and overwhelm. Executive coaching can help you stay grounded, maintain a growth mindset, and lead your team with clarity and heart. Learn more about my coaching services and explore how coaching can support you on this journey.
AI is no longer just a concept of the future—it’s here, reshaping how we work, innovate, and grow. According to the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report from Microsoft and LinkedIn, 75% of employees are now using AI at work, with nearly half adopting it in the past six months. That pace of change is remarkable and organizations are rushing to answer critical questions like:
But as leaders grapple with these questions, there’s one that often gets overlooked:
How are we leading the people side of this transformation?
This question is at the heart of successful change leadership. And it’s one I’ve seen ignored far too often, both in my corporate career and in the work I do today with leadership teams navigating transformational change.
Let me take you back to the early 2010s when I was part of a leadership team tasked with driving a digital transformation at a large company. By the time I joined, the initiative had been ongoing for more than five years without measurable success. Our private equity firm was frustrated, our CEO was under pressure, and consultants from Bain were brought in to diagnose the issue.
I’ll never forget the day Bain presented their findings to the executive leadership team. They told us bluntly:
“The problem isn’t your digital roadmap, your go-to-market strategy, or your products. The problem is right here in this room.”
Their message was clear—we would continue to fail until we focused on engaging the hearts and minds of the people executing the change. As I looked around the room, I realized they were right. We weren’t aligned as a leadership team and I wasn’t convinced we could rise to the challenge.
Shortly after that meeting, I left the company and 11 months later, it filed for bankruptcy.
That experience taught me a profound lesson: Transformation is about people. It starts with an aligned leadership team that models the behaviors they want to see throughout the organization. When leaders fail to engage their people, focusing only on systems, processes and outcomes, the change is doomed before it begins.
Fast-forward to today and I see echoes of this lesson in my work with a leadership team driving their own transformation. They’re integrating data and AI into their strategy—critical enablers for long-term growth. At a recent offsite, the head of this team used the word “collectively” seven times in a 15-minute kickoff.
He wasn’t just throwing out corporate jargon. He was intentional, using the word to paint a vision of a future where silos are broken, alignment is strong and friction is replaced with seamless collaboration.
Transformation, whether AI or any other major shift drives it, requires more than technical skills and strategic plans. It demands relationships built on trust, respect and shared purpose. It’s not just about what gets done; it’s about how it gets done.
AI represents one of the most significant shifts in how work gets done. It’s a game-changer for efficiency and growth—but its potential will only be realized if leaders prioritize the people behind the change.
In a recent panel discussion I facilitated, technology thought leader Peter High with Metis Strategy shared a powerful insight: 80% of focus should be on the people and process aspect of AI.
It’s not just about implementing AI tools, it’s about helping people understand them, use them effectively and embrace the change. That requires intentional leadership and it requires engaging hearts and minds.
Every major change initiative hinges on how leaders guide their teams. If you’ve ever been part of a failed change effort, you’ve likely heard these sentiments:
These are symptoms of a lack of intentional leadership. When leaders focus solely on what they want to achieve—efficiency, cost savings, or productivity—they miss the opportunity to inspire their teams to fully buy-in and execute the change.
By contrast, when leaders focus on how they lead—fostering alignment, building trust, and engaging their people—the change becomes achievable and sustainable.
AI is here to stay. It’s transforming how we work, but its success depends on how well leaders navigate the people side of change. So, as you think about AI at work and its role in your organization, ask yourself:
The biggest ROI in the AI equation isn’t just about the tools—it’s about the people.
Want to measure your own intentionality as a leader? Take my Heart Leader Assessment to discover how your leadership style supports transformational change and connects the “how” with the “why.”
In my work with teams, I often emphasize the importance of trust—especially vulnerability-based trust—where members can admit mistakes, ask for help, and feel safe sharing their perceived weaknesses. But we don’t talk about another aspect of trust enough: trusting ourselves.
For leaders managing both personal and professional responsibilities, self-trust is the foundation of their leadership and personal growth. Trusting yourself isn’t just about competence or confidence. It’s deeper. It’s about silencing that inner critic, overcoming self-doubt, and believing you can navigate whatever challenges come your way. This is a lesson I’ve learned personally, having spent a portion of my corporate career doubting my capabilities, even when my results told a different story. I estimate I spent 5 of my 25 years in corporate America questioning whether I was good enough. I doubted myself more than I trusted myself—and that self-doubt robbed me of opportunities to reach my full potential.
I’ve learned that trusting yourself is an ongoing practice. Recently, this concept became clear while hiking in Colorado with my husband. Hiking is a newer hobby for me, and while I’m not tackling the “14ers” as my family does, I’ve let them push me to more challenging hikes. This past weekend, we embarked on a difficult trail—one that felt more like rock climbing at times than simply hiking.
As I climbed, I found myself wondering: What’s harder, going up or coming down? For me, going up feels more controlled and more predictable. It’s tough, but I can stop, breathe, reorient, and feel confident about where to place my next step. But on the way down, I realized that trust plays a much bigger role.
When hiking down a steep trail, especially where the footing is uncertain, you don’t have the luxury of pausing with each step. You have to trust yourself. You have to trust where you place your feet, that you can navigate the terrain, and that even if you stumble, you’ll catch yourself before tumbling down the mountain. It’s a moment-to-moment practice of believing in your ability to manage the challenge.
Here are three reasons why hiking down a steep trail requires trust in yourself—reasons that also apply to leadership:
Just like hiking down that steep trail, trusting yourself in leadership requires intention and practice. It’s not always easy, but the more you rely on self-trust, the more confident you’ll become in navigating challenges and embracing opportunities. So, how do we strengthen this vital trust in ourselves? Here are three ways to get started.
Building self-trust doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a skill that requires practice and patience. Here are three ways to deepen your trust in yourself:
Trust in yourself allows you to fully step into your potential as a leader. It gives you the courage to navigate difficult paths, the resilience to bounce back from mistakes, and the momentum to keep going when things get tough. Like hiking down that steep trail, your leadership journey will have moments when the footing feels uncertain. But with self-trust, you can keep moving forward—step by step, building confidence and flow along the way.
If you’re ready to explore how trusting yourself can help you reach your full potential, let’s talk. Sometimes, all it takes is the right support to unlock what’s already within you!
