How a Fast-Paced CEO Increased Accountability & Trust in an Unusual Way

Change is hard. Sometimes a subtle embodied shift makes it easier.

Angela was a first-time CEO and already a great leader. People described her as having high integrity, a passion for learning, and a dedication to developing others. She was also a driven achiever who loved to win and move fast. After the initial onramp and six months into her role as CEO, Angela needed to cultivate a culture of excellence and build a winning team of executives.

The Challenge

Though Angela provided clear guidance to her team regarding their roles and responsibilities, the issue she needed help with was their need for more accountability and ownership. The team continually deferred to her to make decisions, and although she pushed back and repeatedly told them they needed to own and drive, it wasn’t entirely sinking in. 

The Coaching Conversation 

In one of our coaching conversations, Angela was animated as she described how many changes she planned for her second year as CEO. The vision was clear, her push to hire and integrate some top talent showed signs of progress, and subtle shifts in the team’s culture were starting to show. It had been a promising and highly successful first year of hitting targets. Angela was pleased with the progress and quickly moved to her aspirations for the next phase.  

As I listened to her, I could feel my energy rising in intensity. Like an engine revving at the starting line, her pace was palpable, and I could sense it in my breathing and heart rate. She wasn’t saying it out loud, but in her presence, I felt like a voice was saying, “Go, go, go!” 

When she finally paused to take a breath, I took the opportunity to share what I was noticing. 

Me: I’m feeling a lot of energy in my body as I listen to you. I feel revved up like I’m a rocket about to take off. Does this resonate with you?  

Angela grinned. Yes, that’s definitely how I feel. 

Me: If you had a piece of paper that stood vertically running through the midline of your body, dividing you into two sections, front and back…

(Angela nodded, seemingly following.) 

Me: How much of your energy is in the front half? How much of your energy is in the back half? 

Her face lit up in surprise, then a huge grin as she leaned back. 

As soon as she did so, I could feel a shift in my own body, and I relaxed a little. 

Angela: Wow. 

Me: Could you feel a difference?

Angela: Yes! All my energy seemed to be in the front. I wasn’t sensing anything in the back. But now that you brought that to my attention, I can feel more of my back energy, and something just clicked. 

Me: Yes, I could feel that too. My breathing slowed and deepened, and I felt more relaxed in your presence. Humans have mirror neurons; this is how my body can tell when you shift from high-strung (front energy) to relaxed. If I can feel it, might others too? 

Angela nodded.

Me: I wonder what the implications of this are for your pacing. 

In prior conversations, we discussed her need to pay attention to pace because her work was much more akin to a marathon than a sprint. 

Angela: I think this front versus back energy could make a difference in my pacing. I can see how I’ve been moving hard and fast, and it may sometimes feel relentless or even counterproductive. 

Me: Would you be willing to play with this front vs. back energy in the coming weeks? 

Angela: Sure. What would that look like? 

Me: Maybe you set a reminder before your next meeting or put a post-it note on your monitor that says, “Check: front vs. back!” To make it easier to do this on demand, I recommend a regular practice that brings your awareness to the back half of you. I know you have a standing desk setup - otherwise, I’d suggest feeling the back of your chair at specific intervals throughout the day. 

Angela: I could practice in the morning while sitting still for 10 minutes of meditation. 

Me: Perfect. 

After practicing this daily for several weeks, she could more easily sense this distinction without thinking about it. Depending on what was happening, she could call upon front or back energy. This new ability to switch back and forth was vital in the coming months and would prove helpful in multiple contexts. 

The Insight

Angela realized her tendency to teach and lead by example - two great strengths - was no longer helping her leadership. Because she would always step in to fix or solve, this perpetuated the pattern of people coming to her to fix and solve their challenges. Even though this was clear cognitively speaking, it wasn’t until Angela had an ah-ha somatically - in her body and her bones - that she could change how she led. It’s striking and worth noting how simple the shift was and how quickly she could disrupt her default way of working.

The Results

Within the next 6 months, her team had stepped up in new ways, driving decisions and holding themselves accountable. In addition, she received the following feedback from one of her direct reports, a member of the executive team who had worked with her for several years:

“I’m impressed with how her leadership has evolved. She’ll tee something up, step back, and allow authentic dialogue, even with the ebbs and flows in the conversation. She’s good at letting the space play out. The impact? It provides the space for me to hold my position in leadership and be heard without being guided to a specific destination or everyone aligning around what they think the CEO wants. Angela creates space for us to have a dialogue. It signals trust. I’ve seen a level of maturity in her in the last nine months that wasn’t present before.”

Her direct report beautifully describes how the CEO’s “maturity” affects how she leads. It’s subtle.  In effect, Angela was coaching and guiding rather than leaning in to fix or solve. This person doesn’t realize this shift happened because the CEO enrolled her body to change her pace. Bringing more back energy daily helped slow her pace enough to increase patience. With more patience, she could coach and uplevel her leaders rather than fix and solve things for them.

Want this for yourself?

If you are interested in this type of coaching, message me directly to see if you might be a fit for a sample session. I have availability for one new client.

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