Coaching Real Leaders

New from the HBR Presents podcast network: a show that takes you inside real-life coaching sessions with leaders working to overcome professional challenges. Host Muriel Wilkins is a longtime executive coach who has helped highly successful professionals – from team leaders to CEOs – get unstuck and grow as leaders. That work is often done behind closed doors, but on this show she opens that door to everyone...

Her out-of-the-box approach to solving business problems has made her successful in her current role, but she’s been passed over for a promotion that would put her on track to the C-suite. Host Muriel Wilkins talks this leader through how she can reposition herself for a top leadership role at her company and what steps she can take to get there.

Her boss is white. Her staff are people of color. She’s been walking a tightrope between addressing her boss’s microaggressions and making her team feel safe. But so far, it’s not working. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through this tension toward the actions she can take to improve the situation and build a healthier culture at her organization.

He’s a senior executive leading a division made up of professionals who are much younger than him and come from different racial backgrounds. He’s committed to helping his team members grow professionally, while generating positive results for the company. But he’s struggling with how to engage and motivate them. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through bridging those generational and racial differences, so that he can learn how to better support his team.

She’s ambitious and has always leaned into opportunities to lead. But in her current leadership role, her responsibilities just keep growing, which makes her feel like she can’t keep up. If this is what leadership is all about, she questions whether she even wants to lead anymore. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through her burnout toward strategies she can take to focus her energy and scale up her leadership.

She’s demonstrated her leadership ability throughout her career, advancing to some of the most senior leadership roles. But her C-suite peers haven’t always valued what she brings to the table. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through how to demonstrate her value as an executive as she joins a new organization.

He’s been successful in his industry but feels like he’s been typecast in his role. Now he’s hoping for a change and wants to make sure his next position helps him redirect his career. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through figuring out what he really wants before he commits to a new company.

As a leader, she has always tried to find a balance between being directive and collaborative. But she has also struggled to bridge the gap between how she sees herself – and how her team experienced her as a leader. Now she’s building her own start-up and wants to make sure she is seen as a strong, effective leader in that new venture.

He’s spent much of his career successfully being a problem solver. Now, as he works his way up, he’s realizing that always trying to fix everything won’t let him focus on leading – or help his team succeed. How can he adapt his approach to lead more effectively?

She’s relatively new to the organization and more junior than most of her stakeholders. But her success hinges on her ability to lead initiatives cross-functionally. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this emerging leader through how to cultivate strategic relationships and increase her influence without the formal power of a senior title or position.