Let’s get real

There are some great things about being a leader. Beautiful homes. Excellent schools. Making an impact. Having control.

But while others might envy the gifts of your life, you have to deal with the challenges. The constant stress. The costs to your family. The never ending need for growth. And the persistent fear of screwing it all up. Because true leadership isn’t measured by the size of your wins. It’s measured by the size of the mistakes you’re empowered to make.

It’s not easy having so many people counting on you, every day. And if you’re like most leaders, the demands keep growing.

At the same time, leadership can be such a rush that it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. It’s not like you’re going to quit the game. But you may no longer see how you’re going to win it, either.

This challenge shows up in many different ways. Here are some of the patterns that we’ve seen.*

* Identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality

The Adrenaline Addict

As a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, John’s motto was “work hard, play harder.” He hit the gym five days a week, thrived on stress, juggled twelve things at once, and could push through any problem. But once he turned 40, he started losing his edge. He couldn’t “amp up” the way he used to, and that scared him.

The Over Giver

One year after Sarah was named the SVP of Marketing, her husband was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. At work, she was the perfect boss, always attentive to the needs of her people. Yet during the four years it took to nurse him back to health, Sarah didn’t tell a single person he was sick, because she “didn’t want to be a burden to her team.”

The Technical Genius

Mathew was such a brilliant technical manager that he was interviewed to be the SVP of Engineering. Three times, at three different companies. Each time, a wave of fear came up and he blew the interview. He wasn’t offered the position. And then quit in a huff. After uprooting his family three times in five years, Mathew’s confidence was shot and his wife was pissed.

The Rock of Reliability

Karen was a senior partner at one of San Francisco’s largest law firms. For twenty years, she was the epitome of reliability. She was always collegial. She never got emotional. And no matter how stressful the work was, she always got the job done. But Karen was miserable, her family was struggling, and she felt like she was losing control.

The Over Achiever

As the founder of one of New York’s biggest hedge funds, Steven seemed to have it all. Fame and fortune, beautiful houses and a gorgeous wife and kids. It looked like he’d won the game. Yet emotionally, he felt like he’d fallen off a cliff. He was deeply depressed, starting to act out in self-destructive ways, and he didn’t know what to do.

The Real Problem

Leaders deal with the problems that other people can’t. It’s what we do. We buckle down. Hit the target. Make it happen. Get things done. The problem is that the problems just keep on coming. One after the other. Faster and faster. Without a break.

The stress keeps escalating, until something gives. A health crisis. Family issues. A critical mistake. Or a major burnout. The reality is that most leaders just keep on pushing, until they hit a wall.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Leadership isn’t something you do. It’s something you develop. Day after day. Year after year. For each level of responsibility you take on, there’s a new level of leadership you need to master.

This is a simple principle that is difficult to practice. You may know that you need to develop your next level of leadership skills, and you may want to do so. But with all the demands on your time and energy, it can be extraordinarily difficult to do this on your own.

Our Mission

At Core Coaching, we help executives, entrepreneurs and professionals grow their leadership in practical, efficient and highly effective ways. In working with clients, we’ve discovered that the “soft skills” of business are often a lot more challenging to learn than the “hard skills.” And the biggest issues in companies are often emotional, not intellectual, in nature.

We help you address these problems through personalized, powerful, confidential relationships, where we help you develop your next level of leadership. On the job. In real time.

We only work with leaders who are ready to change. Before we take on a client, we slow down, listen deeply, and determine if there is a mutual fit. In doing so, our clients are able to achieve more – often a lot more – in less time and with a lot less stress.

If you’re interested in learning more, contact us today for a complimentary, confidential consultation.

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Without the work we did with Core Coaching, our company probably would have gone bankrupt. Instead, we’re thriving, I can’t believe how much I’ve grown as a leader and I’m loving my life.

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Sandi G. Co-Founder, SVP Marketing
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