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Has this ever been you?
You walk into the meeting with your game face on. Firm voice, crossed arms, and no room for questions, because that’s what you believe a “real leader” looks like.
And, while your team nods along, they also have already seen right through your act. It's too bad you haven't noticed it within yourself. Yet.
Authentic leadership starts the moment you notice you’re performing, and this episode shows you how to catch the act and lead as yourself.
Most leaders never decided to fake anything. They took advice, copied the tough boss who got promoted, and put on the face they thought earned respect. Then, years later they’re exhausted, their people keep a polite distance, and the mask comes home with them at night.
Ouch.
Bernadette sits down with coach and author Ev Foster, who spent years leading as a hard-nosed person she never was, until her own kids looked at her and asked what had happened to their mum.
Together they get honest about the “should” voice that drives many professionals to become performative leaders, why intuition belongs at work, and what to do when people don’t believe you’ve changed.
You’ll learn:
- Why your team spots a performed leadership style before you do.
- How the word “should” pulls you into someone else’s version of leadership.
- A two-minute check-in that brings your own judgment back between meetings.
- What performing costs your health, your trust and your home life.
- How to hold steady when people give you the side-eye after you change.
About the guest: Ev Foster is a coach trained in intuitive psychology and the author of Change Starts With Choice. After a career that included state agency work and losing a business, she now helps people, especially women in their fifties, lead their lives from the inside out. Website: https://www.changestartswithchoice.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evfoster/
Find out where you’re performing instead of leading. Take our free Leadership Gap Diagnostic: https://balloffirecoaching.com/opt-in
Ready to work on it together? Book a discovery call: https://coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall
Powerhouses, if this episode hit home, follow Shedding the Corporate Bitch and leave a review so more leaders can find it.
