admin - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

Confident leader in naval uniform standing at attention, embodying calm, steady leadership presence.

How Leadership Presence Brings Your Values to Life — Especially on the Hard Days

December 12, 2025

Leadership presence is tested when pressure rises, emotions run high, and people look to you for steadiness. Key Takeaways When things are calm, leadership presence is easy. Most leaders show up as their best selves. Values feel clear. Decisions feel rational. Teams feel steady. But leadership isn’t measured by the easy days. Who you are as a leader—and how others see you and respond—is defined by how you handle the hard stuff. Leadership presence is what allows you to live…

Person journaling beside a winter window, reflecting on personal leadership values.

A Simple Exercise to Define Your Signature Leadership Values

December 10, 2025

Trust at Work

Leaders make their biggest leaps when they plan who they want to be when things get hard — and dedicate themselves to those values. Key Takeaways Why defining leadership values matters: Leadership presence isn’t charisma, confidence, or polish. It’s the steadiness that comes from knowing what you stand for and being able to return to those values in the moments that matter most. Your values shape the culture your team experiences every day — how people communicate, raise concerns, solve…

Bright north star shining in a clear night sky, symbolizing clarity and direction in leadership.

Why Every Leader Needs a Signature Leadership Style (and Why Values Are Your North Star)

December 8, 2025

Trust at Work

When things get tough, great leaders lead from values and get results. Skills like managing deadlines, resolving conflict, running meetings, and inspiring teams all matter. But the leaders people remember — the ones who build trust, inspire commitment, and deliver results — anchor those skills in something deeper. They lead with a signature leadership style, shaped by a small set of values that guide their hardest decisions. In unpredictable times, values become a north star. They steady you, strengthen your…

employee engagement vs employee satisfaction at work

Employee Engagement vs Employee Satisfaction: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters for Your Business

December 5, 2025

Motivation at Work

When comparing employee engagement vs employee satisfaction, which should you measure? If your company is still relying on employee satisfaction surveys, it may be time to shift toward measuring employee engagement — the metric most strongly linked to performance, retention, and profitability. For more than a century, researchers have tried to understand what helps employees thrive and what drives productivity. Today, most organizations focus on employee engagement, not satisfaction, because engagement is what truly predicts effort, innovation, and long-term value.…

manager giving effective feedback in the moment

Effective Feedback: How Great Managers Help Their Teams Grow

December 3, 2025

Motivation at Work

If you want to give your team effective feedback that actually helps them grow, focus on making it future-forward, specific, and frequent. Most of us have negative experiences with feedback—criticism that felt harsh, vague, or demotivating. No wonder so many managers hesitate to offer it. But here’s the good news: research shows that when people receive meaningful employee feedback, they learn faster, perform better, and stay more engaged. So, the question becomes: How can we make giving feedback a positive,…

How to Get Promoted: 5 Traps That Hold High Performers Back | Dec. 1

December 2, 2025

Motivation at Work

Thnking about how to get promoted can bring out the best in us — or the worst. Trying to figure out how to get promoted can bring out the best in us — ambition, motivation, the desire to grow. But it can also trigger habits that quietly work against us. Most people assume promotions come from working harder or talking more. In reality, leaders are promoted for how they make others feel: respected, included, aligned, and empowered. If you’re aiming…