A Picture Is Worth a 1,000 Words - But So Is a Good Quote
Over the past year, I have been fortunate to coach many leaders. Several of them have demonstrated profound insight, personal growth, and a wonderful sense of humor—some of my favorite human qualities.
My clients—executives and senior managers across companies, nonprofits, and public agencies—have had to navigate ongoing changes in their work and lives. They often respond with insightful, witty, entertaining, and occasionally downright quotable remarks.
Here are some memorable quotes shared anonymously, along with my commentary whenever I'm inspired to share insights I’ve gained from working with these clever and curious individuals.
Quote #1: “An organization's legacy lies in its culture.”
The Situation: This quote comes from a dedicated yet frustrated Senior Manager at a century-old tech product company. The company is preparing to go public, faced a product recall in 2024, and has appointed a new CEO along with other supportive leaders to guide it into the next phase. In summary, change is in the air. Comments from recruiters have shown that the company’s long-standing reputation as a great place to work is beginning to decline.
Coaching Focus: The complexities surrounding recovery from the recall and the leaders' fixation on a potential public offering are highly distracting for top executives. According to my client and others, leaders are generally anxious, leading to managers and other employees reporting increased feelings of intimidation and behaviors akin to narcissism. This creates a vicious cycle for long-time managers and leaders who have chosen to remain with a well-established private firm known for its thoughtful and supportive culture.
Coaching sessions have focused on managing stress, exploring career options that align with the client’s values in case things don’t improve, maintaining a positive attitude and approach, and being present and trustworthy for his teams.
Quote #2: “I’m reshaping how others see me by emphasizing the value of who I am, not merely what I accomplish."
The Situation: My client is a highly accomplished individual contributor and former manager in her late 30s. She is a favorite among the leadership team at a rapidly growing, late-stage startup in the fashion industry. She rarely declines work requests and frequently stays connected to her phone late into the evening, seven days a week. When I first met her online, she spoke so quickly that I could barely keep up with her words. She expressed frustration about always having a restless mind.
Coaching Focus: In coaching, we’ve explored her past experiences and current self-perceptions to understand how being the eldest daughter of two brilliant software engineers has shaped her perspective on the critical importance of achievement, often to the detriment of work-life balance. She learned early that being the fastest and “the best” at everything she does is a goal worth pursuing.
Over the past several months, we have focused on her energy and time management mindset while establishing new goals. These goals have allowed her to concentrate on what she loves—strategy, delegate much more effectively, and consistently walk five miles daily for 31 consecutive days! Watching her pursue a more balanced life is truly a pleasure. She recently shared that she is “changing so much that my co-workers may not recognize me.”
Quote #3: “I’ve decided to de-emphasize climbing the ladder and instead concentrate on cultivating greater satisfaction.”
The Situation: This concerns a client who has attained Director level at a global corporation and has been striving for a promotion to Vice President for several years. He has been with the organization for over 25 years and is a highly experienced and trusted manager and leader. He has been wondering when the promotion will finally take place. My client has some access to top-level intelligence and believes that globalization and quarterly profit expectations are continuing to promote the dominance of specific values at one of the largest companies in the U.S. Another significant change in top leadership indicates that change is ahead.
Coaching Focus: Considering my client’s increasing desire to align with his values as he progresses in his career, we divided the coaching experience into two parts: (1) examining his current values and their connection to his personal growth and development; and (2) evaluating how well his values are likely to be fulfilled by existing and anticipated changes in his broader corporate environment.
Throughout several months of coaching, my client came to believe that achieving personal satisfaction in both his personal and professional life was more important than continuing to invest effort in a promotion that seemed increasingly difficult to realize. We evaluated the indicators within the overall system and the feedback he received—both directly and indirectly—to assess his situation and options. Spending more time with family and friends and engaging in well-established hobbies climbed to the forefront. He also pursued several public and nonprofit board appointments to further enhance his personal satisfaction and visibility while contributing his significant expertise to community causes that inspired him, such as community policing and thoughtful city planning. One of the boards even offered a paid position, providing the “icing on the cake.”
