“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
A few days ago, I had a conversation with Jules that took me by surprise. Jules thanked me, saying I had played a significant role in helping her become a better version of herself.
For a moment, I hesitated, wondering if there had been specific moments when I had intentionally tried to contribute to her growth. Just as I was about to ask what exactly I had done to help, Jules continued, sharing a few examples that stood out to her.
“What amazes me is how you consistently seek out different perspectives to make the best decisions—especially when navigating unfamiliar territory in your department. But beyond that, you always show genuine curiosity about other departments as well. You ask, ‘What if we tried this? How about this approach?’ It all starts with that interest and willingness to explore.”
Hearing this made me reflect on my approach as a manager. Coaching has been one of my core focus areas, especially given our company’s strong emphasis on it towards leadership. Through trial and failure, I’ve developed a few practices that I’ve shared with other managers. Over time, these practices have spread within our leadership team.
For example, when identifying quarterly focus areas for each department, I’ve made a habit of spotting topics that naturally tie back to coaching. I keep those in mind and apply them in conversations with team members. If there’s a monthly goal in progress, I ask open questions like, What outcome are you aiming to drive? What problem are you trying to solve? What do you want to learn from this experience? I then integrate these insights into coaching sessions.
In addition to this coaching practice, I also took a more tactical approach—partnering with another manager to shadow each other’s coaching sessions. We provided feedback by identifying what worked well, reflecting on areas for improvement, and discussing how we could refine our approach. As a result, every manager successfully conducted at least one coaching session per hour, serving as our key quantitative benchmark. More importantly, the number of team members who hadn’t received coaching within 14 days dropped significantly. This shift led to positive feedback from team members, who shared that coaching not only helped them stay focused on their responsibilities but also made them feel more supported by leadership
Through this experience, I’ve learned that supporting someone’s growth and development isn’t always about grand plans. More often, it’s about leading by example—checking in consistently, reinforcing good habits, and celebrating milestones together. Growth happens in those small, intentional moments, repeated over time.
SELF-MADE LEADERSHIP 