January, 2026 - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

smiling confident leader of other leaders

From Managing People to Managing Other Leaders

January 16, 2026

When stepping into managing other leaders, most people notice that leadership starts to feel very different. Instead of managing a front line of people with less experience, you start managing other leaders who are peers or former peers. Key Takeaways for This Leadership Transition What was working before with junior personnel stops working. When leading other leaders, people feel freer to question your authority and ideas. They get offended when they feel you want to take away their autonomy. Recovering…

paper airplanes as a metaphonr for the value of leadership skills banner

The Business Value of Strong Leadership

January 14, 2026

Motivation and a Culture of Performance

The Value of Strong Leadership Shows Up in Results The value of strong leadership isn’t abstract or theoretical. It shows up in faster execution, fewer mistakes, lower turnover, and teams that solve problems before they escalate. In most organizations, managers at the same level are judged on similar criteria: results. Everyone is busy. Everyone has their own work to deliver. What separates effective leaders from struggling ones is not effort or authority—it’s how well their teams perform. Organizations don’t just…

How to Calculate the ROI of Leadership Coaching (And Why It’s Higher Than You Think)

January 12, 2026

Find a coach

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is leadership coaching worth it?” — the numbers say yes. Most people think of coaching as an expense. In reality, the ROI of leadership coaching is one of the strongest returns you can get as a professional: measurable financial gains, stronger team performance, and lower turnover — often within the first 6–12 months. The question isn’t “Is coaching worth it?” The real question is: “What is it costing me not to improve my leadership skills right…

woman looking at a gap as an image of hidden career costs of leadership

The Hidden Career Costs of Leadership Gaps (And Why They Go Unnoticed)

January 9, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself

The hidden career costs of leadership gaps don’t usually appear as a single failure or dramatic moment. The hidden career costs of leadership gaps show up gradually—missed opportunities, stalled momentum, rising frustration, and teams that never quite perform at their potential. Most leaders don’t ignore growth on purpose. They work hard, care deeply about results, and genuinely want their teams to succeed. But leadership gaps create visible outcomes long before leaders recognize what’s happening—and those outcomes often shape how careers…

blind spot in the mirror as an image of self-awareness in leadership

Why Self-Awareness in Leadership Is Harder to Build Than Most People Expect

January 8, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself

If experience automatically produced self-awareness in leadership, leading would get easier every year. But many capable, experienced leaders find the opposite happens. They work harder. They carry more responsibility. And yet certain problems keep resurfacing—miscommunication, friction, disengagement, decisions that don’t land as intended. This isn’t a lack of intelligence or effort.It’s a misunderstanding of how self-awareness in leadership actually works. Key Takeaways: Why Even Smart, Experienced Leaders Still Miss Things The Two Types of Self-Awareness Leaders Need Self-awareness in leadership…

diverse leader looking over a balcony as an image of self-reflection in leadership

Why Experience Alone Stops Working at the Next Level of Leadership

January 5, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself, Uncategorized

Why self-awareness in leadership matters more as responsibility increases Self-awareness in leadership becomes increasingly important as roles get bigger, more complex, and more visible. Early in your career, experience does most of the teaching. You try things. You learn what works. You adjust. Progress feels fairly linear. But at some point — often without warning — experience alone stops delivering the same returns. The problems get more complex. The stakes get higher. And despite working harder, leaders often find themselves…

Archive