Blog - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

Roadmap graphic for customer journeys 09.03.2026

What Leadership Coaching Actually Looks Like: Five Customer Journeys

September 4, 2026

People often ask me what leadership coaching actually looks like — what really happens in those conversations, week after week, year after year. Here’s what leadership coaching actually looks like, in practice: it starts with confidence, and everything else grows from there. Over the years, I’ve worked with leaders across industries — biotech, pharma, finance, science — who came to coaching for very different reasons. But if you look closely at what actually changed for them, the pattern is the…

Image of a man measuring a blade of grass for post about a perfectionist

I’m a Perfectionist. I Want to Be the Best at Everything.

September 2, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself

Do you hold back your best ideas in meetings because you’re not sure you’re good enough to speak up? A few years ago, a client made an admission in our first meeting that has stuck with me: “I’m a perfectionist. I want to be the best at everything.” The client was thoughtful, self-aware, and by every outward measure, successful. But in meetings, she often held back — not because she lacked good ideas, but because a quiet voice told her…

Stop Second-Guessing Yourself: A Live Workshop on Building Confidence

August 31, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself

I’m hosting a live workshop on building leadership confidence — Stop Second-Guessing Yourself — on September 30. Do you ever second-guess yourself or doubt your leadership confidence because you’re not sure how to speak up effectively? Have you ever spoken up and found that others disagreed, only to later find yourself holding back for months? Do you hesitate and lose the moment to speak because you have a little voice inside that whispers ‘you’re not good enough’? If you’ve ever…

Roadmap graphic to illustrate customer journey

What the Leadership Journeys Taught Me About Confidence, Empathy, and Trust

August 28, 2026

Customer Journeys

As I reflect on these customer journeys, I see leaders with different challenges — all learning the same lesson — that caring about people is at the core of leadership. The challenges looked different on the surface, but the lessons kept coming back to a truth I’ve believed from the beginning: leadership is more human than technical. Jim wanted leadership presence. Kami was navigating career growth. Marcus was searching for confidence. Susan was leading through change. Oliver was trying to bring…

Leadership Presence Starts With Leadership Fundamentals | Customer Journey: Jim, Part 6 of 6

August 27, 2026

Customer Journeys

What started as a desire to improve executive presence became a deeper understanding of leadership itself. Customer Journey Series: Jim This article is part of a customer journey series following “Jim,” a VP of Research and Development in a multi-national pharma company navigating shifting organizational demands, rapid leadership changes, and pressure to adapt and keep his team functioning. His journey explores leadership presence, empathy, decision making, managing low performers, and helping talented employees grow. Each post explores a real coaching…

Jim in his customer journey learning how empathy and listening are powerful leadership tools

Encouraging Career Growth | Customer Journey: Jim, Part 5 of 6

August 24, 2026

Customer Journeys

Promotions get harder the higher you go. Doing 80% right won’t get you there. You need the whole package to move up. Customer Journey Series: Jim This article is part of a customer journey series following “Jim,” a VP of Research and Development in a multi-national pharma company navigating shifting organizational demands, rapid leadership changes, and pressure to adapt and keep his team functioning. His journey explores leadership presence, empathy, decision making, managing low performers, and helping talented employees grow.…

Managing Low Performers by Putting the Right Person in the Right Role | Customer Journey: Jim, Part 4 of 6

August 21, 2026

Customer Journeys

It’s the leader’s job to make sure the assignment fits the person. Customer Journey Series: Jim This article is part of a customer journey series following “Jim,” a VP of Research and Development in a multi-national pharma company navigating shifting organizational demands, rapid leadership changes, and pressure to adapt and keep his team functioning. His journey explores leadership presence, empathy, decision making, managing low performers, and helping talented employees grow. Each post explores a real coaching conversation or leadership challenge…

A portrait of Marcus, an executive looking to move up

Build Confidence in Yourself — Marcus Post 6 of 6

August 20, 2026

Customer Journeys

If you’ve been waiting for someone else to boost your confidence, here’s how to build confidence on your own terms. When Marcus first came to coaching, he wanted help preparing for a job interview, but soon he found that what he really wanted was to build confidence in himself. Customer Journey: Marcus Marcus was a tech executive who came to coaching during a career transition. Over the years that followed, he navigated new roles, organizational change, difficult bosses, and periods…

Career Resilience: Get Out of the Weeds and Lead — Marcus, Post 5 of 6

August 20, 2026

Customer Journeys

Finally landed somewhere you feel valued, and now you have to get out of the weeds so you can lead? By the time Marcus found a place where he felt valued again, he had become a more mature leader and now had to start getting out of the weeds. Customer Journey: Marcus Marcus was a tech executive who came to coaching during a career transition. Over the years that followed, he navigated new roles, organizational change, difficult bosses, and periods…