The power dynamic problem
The power dynamic makes honesty expensive. No matter how approachable you are, you still impact their raises, their projects, their career trajectory. That asymmetry shapes every interaction.
Executive coaches have known this for decades. The first thing a good coach does is interview the people around you — leadership, peers, direct reports — to build a picture of how you're actually perceived.
They ask questions you can't ask. They hear things people won't say to your face. They anonymize the sources and synthesize it into patterns you can act on.
This is the work that costs $25,000 and takes months. It's also the work that separates managers who plateau from leaders who keep growing.
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