by John Chilkotowsky | Feb 25, 2026 | Executive Presence, Inspiration, Leader As Coach, Radical Candor
Hard skills are horsepower. Soft skills are steering. You can have enormous power — intelligence, expertise, decisiveness, strategic instinct. You can build plans quickly, make bold calls, restructure teams, close deals. But without steering? You just crash faster....
by John Chilkotowsky | Feb 25, 2026 | Growth Mindset, Inspiration, Leader As Coach, Radical Candor
(What hot air ballooning teaches us about why your team isn’t growing) You’ve just wrapped a team meeting. Direction is clear, priorities are set, everyone knows their role. Efficient. Purposeful. Thirty minutes, clean outcomes. Your team leaves. You feel...
by John Chilkotowsky | Jan 28, 2026 | Inspiration, Leader As Coach
Something just hit the fan You’ve just witnessed a team member storm out of a meeting. The room goes silent. Twenty people suddenly find their laptops fascinating. Everyone’s waiting—waiting for you to do something, say something, fix this.Your first...
by John Chilkotowsky | Jan 28, 2026 | Inspiration, Leader As Coach
You’ve just finished another one-on-one with your top performer. You covered the project status, reviewed next week’s deliverables, and confirmed the timeline in response to that client’s request. The meeting was efficient—twenty minutes, clear outcomes,...
by John Chilkotowsky | Jan 28, 2026 | Executive Presence, Inspiration
At long last, you have received a promotion to VP. You’re in your first executive leadership team meeting. The CEO asks each leader for their views on workforce planning. Everyone speaks confidently, assertively, and clearly as the discussion continues. They use...
by John Chilkotowsky | Jan 26, 2026 | Inspiration, Leader As Coach
Your boss asks you a seemingly simple question: “If you got promoted tomorrow, who on your team could step into your role?” You pause. You start to answer, then stop. You think about your team members—talented, capable people who deliver great work. But...
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