Self-Awareness - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

Emotional self-awareness is the most important skill for leadership effectiveness.

A hockey team as an image of what happens when you have self-awareness in leadership

Self-Awareness in Leadership: Why Your Team Relies on You More Than Each Other

April 11, 2026

Self-awareness in leadership helps you create the right kind of presence with your team—not too close, not too far. Self-awareness in leadership helps you create the right kind of presence with your team—not too close, not too far. Paired with empathy, it allows you to support your team without becoming the center of everything. Many leaders work hard to build strong relationships with their team. They’re available. Responsive. Supportive.They step in when things stall. They help people move forward. And…

Professional woman smiling as an image of confidence in leadership

Confidence in Leadership: Why Strong Leaders Still Stall

March 27, 2026

Confidence and Managing Yourself

Confidence in leadership doesn’t mean becoming someone else. It means trusting that you can handle what comes next. Confidence in leadership is often misunderstood. Many leaders who plateau are not lacking skill. They understand strategy. They build trust. They align teams. They make solid decisions. But confidence in leadership at senior levels is different. It’s not about expertise. It’s about self-awareness under pressure and trusting your own judgment when information is incomplete or conditions are ambiguous. Confidence in leadership…

professionals with leadership maturity asking better questions

Why Mature Leaders Ask Better Leadership Questions — and Fewer of Them

February 20, 2026

Alignment and Effective 1:1s

Mature leaders use leadership questions to shape thinking rather than to manage behavior. As leaders mature, their leadership questions — and the impact of those questions—begin to change. They don’t ask more questions to stay in control. They ask fewer, better questions to create clarity, ownership, and trust. Early in a leadership career, questioning often looks like interrogation. Leaders probe for details, ask rapid‑fire follow‑ups, and jump quickly from one line of inquiry to another. The intent is usually good—understanding,…

senior leader showing that he has made the shift from execution to ownership

From Execution to Ownership: The Shift Senior Leaders Must Make to Have Leadership Impact

February 2, 2026

Motivation and a Culture of Performance

As a leader you are measured by your leadership impact, not by your individual output. As your career grows, so does your leadership impact. At some point as you rise into the ranks of leadership, doing excellent work is no longer enough. Not because the work isn’t good—but because leadership is no longer measured by individual output. It’s measured by impact. At senior levels, leadership stops being about what you deliver and becomes about what others are able to do…

Senior leader aware of his leadership blind spots

How Early Wins Create Leadership Blind Spots: The Misleading Comfort of Past Success

January 30, 2026

Decision Making Under Pressure

The most dangerous phase of leadership is often not early struggle, but sustained success when assumptions become leadership blind spots. Leadership blind spots arise because success is reassuring. It tells leaders that their judgment is sound, their instincts are reliable, and their approach works. But at senior levels, past success can quietly become a liability. Many of the leaders I work with are accomplished, capable, and respected. They have succeeded beyond what they once imagined. Yet they find themselves surprised…

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…