admin - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

leader wondeing why leadership stops working at scale

Why Leadership Stops Working Even When You’re Doing Everything Right

January 21, 2026

If you’re wondering why leadership stops working, consider the impact of the scale of your job. Has encouraging others replaced doing it yourself? In my clients, I see why leadership stops working pretty often. For example, a senior leader I worked with had doubled his firm’s size and revenue and could clearly see a path to doubling again. Yet he was increasingly frustrated. Mistakes were creeping in, and his team didn’t seem as committed as he was. As the organization…

Six Leadership Styles—and How They Affect Team Performance

January 20, 2026

Trust and Building Teams

Strong leaders rely on a variety of leadership styles, adapting how they lead based on context, people, and stakes. Key Takeaways about Leadership Styles Decades of leadership style research—including Daniel Goleman’s work on leadership styles and performance—show that how you lead directly affects results. Some leadership styles consistently improve engagement and outcomes. Others quietly undermine them, even when intentions are good. Think of leadership as a toolkit. Leaders with limited tools tend to overuse the same approach—often at the expense…

smiling confident leader of other leaders

From Managing People to Managing Other Leaders

January 16, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself

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…

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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…