What Is Identity-First Leadership? A New Framework for Leadership and Coaching
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Leader Identity
Why Leadership Behaviors Don’t Stick Without Identity
You’ve seen it before: A leader goes through a training. They learn how to motivate the team, engage a crucial conversation, delegate, hold one-on-ones, or communicate more clearly. For a few weeks, they try out their new skills. But soon old patterns creep back in. Or worse, the “new behaviors” vanish under pressure. Why? Because … Read more
The Missing Metric: Why Knowing Your Self-As-Leader Is Your Most Powerful Performance Strategy
In our relentless pursuit of productivity hacks, meticulously tracked performance metrics, and the latest leadership frameworks, we’ve inadvertently overlooked the very foundation upon which all of these rest: identity clarity. Not personality tests.Not style assessments.Not generic competencies. Who you are—and how congruently you lead from that place—is the most predictive variable of your leadership effectiveness. … Read more
Finding Your Leadership Sweet Spot: Balancing Connection and Boundaries
We often think of leadership in terms of strategy, execution, and achieving results. But in today’s dynamic work environment, something more nuanced is required for the relationships you lead: emotional precision. At the heart of effective leadership lies the delicate art of balancing genuine human connection with clear professional boundaries – a “sweet spot” that … Read more
The Psychology of Leadership Identity: Why Knowing Yourself Is Step One
In my coaching work with leaders, I’m often asked how to become more confident, more effective, or more inspiring. And often we find ourselves backing up to a more foundational truth: you have to know who you are before you can decide how you lead. Leadership isn’t just a collection of skills—it’s an extension of … Read more
How to Be an Empathetic Leader Without Losing Authority
Empathy is an essential leadership skill, strengthening relationships, building trust, and improving team morale. Yet many leaders hesitate to lean into empathy for fear of seeming weak or overly accommodating. Striking the right balance between understanding and authority is key to maintaining leadership effectiveness. Empathetic leadership does not mean lowering standards or avoiding difficult conversations. … Read more
Navigating Work-Life Integration: Tips for Women in Leadership
Women often face the dual challenge of excelling in their work roles while also fulfilling personal responsibilities and pursuing individual well-being. This delicate balance, often termed work-life integration, is especially crucial for women in formal or informal positions of leadership, who juggle myriad responsibilities across all facets of their lives. Achieving this integration is not … Read more
The Role of Coaching in Elevating Women to Leadership Identity Confidence
Coaching has emerged as a pivotal force in guiding ambitious women toward achieving their leadership aspirations. The journey to the top, often riddled with unique challenges and systemic barriers for women, necessitates more than just hard skills and perseverance. It requires the transformative power of targeted coaching, designed to unlock and affirm personal potential and … Read more
Becoming YOU! Women in Healthcare Leadership Retreat Project
I met the incredible Dr. Britney Grayson on another project during which we connected quickly in our shared vision to support women in healthcare leadership. Dr. Grayson has been training surgery and anesthesia residents from several African countries since 2020. Based on the results of a survey her training workgroup compiled, she invited me to build and … Read more