How To Embrace Your Power in Helping Leaders and Their Teams

As an executive and organizational development expert, I aim to provide outstanding service to my clients. I believe that my attributes play a significant role in achieving that. I am confident, calm, competent, and courageous, and I believe these attributes help me create the right environment for personal and professional growth.

In a surprising coincidence, while gathering resources for this article, I discovered a piece in the Journal of Perioperative Practice by Susan Hall, Julie Quick, and Andrew William Hall titled “The perfect surgical assistant: Calm, confident, competent and Courageous.” (2016). In the abstract, the authors write, “the ability to provide effective surgical assistance is an important skill that will have a lifelong impact on the surgical patient. Knowledge and technical ability are clearly important, but strong personal qualities are more so in the long run.” Clearly, their observations resonate with me.

The most memorable observation of my attributes came through a chance encounter with a stranger in a professional development workshop. When asked to describe me in a few words, the four attributes easily rolled from his lips. Of course, I was grateful for the description; it created a lasting personal impact. Since then, I have strived to grow and incorporate these attributes into my professional practice. While the words weren’t new to me (having both benefitted and survived multiple performance and psychological assessments), his clear and crisp delivery captured my essence.

In this blog post, I will discuss each of these attributes and how they influence and shape my work.

Confident

Confidence is an important attribute in any profession. From startups to multinational corporations, from the shop floor to the boardroom, I’ve gained confidence from my experiences working with clients. I suspect that the primary vehicle for growth in this arena has been feedback, and I’m reminded of a conversation with a C-suite executive at Marriott International. He advised me that when people approach their fifties, they stop listening and start directing, partly because they believe they’ve seen everything. His wisdom guided me to stay open to possibilities while developing the strength of my convictions.

In addition, I was trained by social psychologists Charlie and Edie Seashore, who are often identified as “masters of the feedback moment.” Under their supervision, I participated in many sensitivity T-groups (or sensitivity training groups), where I learned how my words and actions trigger emotional responses in others. Through those and other personal growth experiences, I’ve learned to be comfortable in my own skin and to work at developing my strengths and shortcomings.

Confidence is not merely about my self-assurance but also about recognizing the impact of my words and actions on others. It’s about remaining open to feedback, understanding our emotional triggers, and striving for constant growth. Today, in practice, I work on developing and transferring this attribute to my clients.

Calm

When clients come to me, they are often stressed and anxious about the challenges that they are facing. In my work, I strive to create an environment that allows clients to focus on their goals and objectives; my calm demeanor helps me to achieve this, allowing clients to open up and share their thoughts and feelings, which is essential for developing long-term behavioral strategies and approaches.

Psychologists assert that calm people do not endlessly anticipate problems. They don’t dodge issues, thereby reducing rising blood pressure and stress. Much of my calmness arose from early career experiences in labor-management relations, where tempers often flared and potential solutions were often dead on arrival. Facing CEOs and other powerful people early in my consulting career helped me to develop the resolve to remain calm and, therefore, remain present. Today, we might describe this as executive presence.

In short, I’ve discovered that remaining calm in the face of adversity and radiating confidence –while staying open to feedback — are key aspects of my executive presence. Today, this attribute strengthens my work with those at the top of organizational hierarchies. I attribute my calm demeanor to adding to my client’s resilience and abilities to continue to succeed.

Competent

Competence is vital in any profession and is no different for executive and organization development. Professional associations, including the International Coaching Federation and the Organization Development Network (ODN), maintain competency codes for practitioners. I was lucky enough to be on the Board of Trustees of the ODN when its initial competency model was being developed. These codes provide frameworks for effective practice and describe the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for masterful practice. Relationship building, effective communication, and an emphasis on development are hallmarks of these frameworks.

Becoming competent in coaching is a continuous and disciplined journey. To support the development of competence, I write and publish regularly. In 2023, I began a new-to-me coaching program in Positive Intelligence, invented by Shirzad Chamine. My teaching and administrative work at Golden Gate University connects me to students and requires me to stay at the leading edge of executive and organization development theory and practice. In addition, my service on the editorial board of the Organization Development Journal keeps me engaged in the field’s current state.

In short, I build my competence on the principles of continuous learning and engagement with the latest theories and practices in executive and organizational development, underpinned by adherence to competency codes established by professional associations.

Courage

Like many, the origin of my courage was the elementary school playground. I was never afraid to stand in the face of bullies and direct my energies to positive outcomes. I was willing to elevate issues and speak the truth. I’ve learned the value of a minority viewpoint, taking risks to operate at the margins by encouraging leaders to forge new paths. In “speaking truth to power,” I’ve learned that humanistic values — finding worth in every individual, honoring the process, fostering participation, and respect for all — promote and maintain my belief that everyone deserves to be loved.

Speaking truth to power, confronting undesirable behavior, believing in personal power, and having the tenacity to change and persist all add value to my approaches with clients. Courage is all about taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone; it’s having the ability to imagine new orders and possibilities despite present circumstances.

Courage ignites transformative actions, fuels resilience, and paves the way for innovative breakthroughs. It’s the pulse of true leadership, a testament to one’s resolve in the face of adversity, and a catalyst for impactful change. As my mentor, Dr. Darya Funches, observed in her poetry, “Yes, people can do change. Things fall apart and we can begin again, beyond our old limits, and into new terrain.”

Conclusion

I hope this account has effectively illustrated how the key tenets of my professional practice — confidence, calmness, competence, and courage — are not inherent traits but skills honed through a combination of lived experiences, structured education, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Unique to my personal narrative, these attributes have proven paramount in my interactions with top-tier leaders and organizational hierarchies. Not only do they bolster resilience, but they also act as a catalyst for meaningful, systemic change essential in the coaching relationship.

As we navigate our professional journeys, it is essential to reflect on our personal attributes regularly. Are we receptive to feedback, enabling us to grow? Do we maintain calm in the face of adversities, enabling us to remain present and focused? Are we continuously learning and engaging with the latest practices in our field? Do we have the courage to speak truth to power, take risks, and step out of our comfort zones? How do you describe your attributes?

In our professional paths, it’s critical to introspect and evaluate our personal traits regularly. Are we open to constructive criticism that facilitates our growth? Can we keep our composure in challenging situations, allowing us to stay present and focused? Do we commit to learning? Do we have the bravery to leave our comfort zones?

As I conclude this article with questions, remember Albert Einstein’s words: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” This statement is an ever-present reminder that our personal and professional growth is intrinsically linked to our willingness to adapt, learn, and evolve in the face of adversity. I stand ready to help you with the next steps of your professional journey.