Wilkinson Coaching

The qualities that make you a strong leader can look very different when you’re under sustained pressure.

High standards can become perfectionism. Responsibility can become carrying everything yourself. Optimism can become avoiding what needs your attention.

The Enneagram gives us a useful way to recognize these patterns and respond more intentionally as stress builds.

In our latest article, we explore how pressure can show up across all nine Enneagram types, and why self-awareness matters long before we reach burnout.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-happens-your-leadership-strengths-under-stress-dbogc/

The 80/20 Rule for Crunchy Conversations™

Leaders, when giving crucial feedback to your team, 20% of your approach drives 80% of the impact.

Here’s how to make it count:

🔹 Focus on the vital 20%.
Don’t try to correct everything. Identify the 1-2 behaviors that, if changed, could create 80% of the improvement you’re looking for.

🔹 Spend 20% preparing to make the other 80% more productive.
Get clear on the outcome you want, the examples you need to share, and the message you want the person to leave with.

🔹 Talk 20%. Listen 80%.
Share what needs to be said, then get curious. Ask questions, listen to their perspective, and give them space to process.

🔹 Spend 20% looking back and 80% looking forward.
Address what happened, but keep the majority of the conversation focused on what can change and what success looks like moving forward.

🔹 Remember the final 20%: follow-up.
The conversation itself is only part of the work. A quick check-in, recognition of progress, or continued coaching can make the difference between a good conversation and lasting change.

Crunchy Conversations™ don’t have to be painful if they’re intentional. Where can you apply the 80/20 rule in your leadership today?

Coaching or feedback? Knowing which one your team needs can make all the difference.

Both are important leadership tools, but they serve different purposes.

💬 Feedback provides information.

It helps someone understand what worked, what didn’t, and what they might do differently next time. It’s most useful when there’s a specific behavior, outcome, or expectation to address.

💡 Coaching creates discovery.

Instead of immediately providing the answer, coaching uses thoughtful questions to help someone reflect, explore possibilities, and determine their own way forward. Over time, this can build confidence, self-awareness, and stronger problem-solving skills.

So, before jumping into a conversation with someone on your team, ask yourself:

Do they need my perspective right now, or do they need help discovering their own?

Great leaders know how to do both. The real skill is recognizing which one the moment calls for.

How do you balance coaching and feedback with your team?

Leading others can be challenging, especially when someone on your team feels stuck.

Our instinct as leaders can be to jump in, solve the problem, or offer advice. But before you do, it can help to step back and understand what’s really getting in the way.

A few questions to consider:

👉 Am I seeing the results I want?
👉 Is there a gap in competence or skill?
👉 Is confidence getting in the way?
👉 Was this person set up to succeed in the first place?

The answer can help you determine what they actually need from you – whether that’s clearer expectations, development, encouragement, additional resources, or simply the space to work through the challenge themselves.

Great leadership isn’t always about providing the answer. Sometimes it starts with asking the right questions.

If questions like these help you think differently about how you lead, join our newsletter for monthly leadership insights, practical tools, and reflections you can bring into your own work: https://wilkinsoncoaching.com/leadership-insights/

“If I ask for help, will they question my capability?”

It’s a concern that can become harder to voice as leadership responsibilities grow.

When you’re the person others look to for answers, direction, and reassurance, admitting that you don’t know, or that you could use another perspective, can feel uncomfortable.

But strong leadership doesn’t require having every answer.

It requires enough self-awareness to recognize when it’s time to step back, ask a different question, seek another perspective, or get support navigating what comes next.

Some of the strongest leaders stay curious about their own growth, even after years of experience.

Asking for support doesn’t diminish your capability. It can expand it.

Who do you turn to when you need a fresh perspective?

When someone on your team is struggling, what do they actually need from you?

Our instinct as leaders can be to jump in with advice or feedback. But sometimes the better response is a thoughtful question – or simply taking the time to listen.

In this article, we explore how to recognize what a difficult (or crunchy!) conversation really calls for and how choosing the right approach can create greater clarity, growth, and trust.

Read the full article and let us know: which comes most naturally to you – coaching, feedback, or listening?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-does-your-team-really-need-from-you-difficult-ywk8c

Some of the words clients have used to describe their experience with Wilkinson Coaching mean so much to us:

💬 “A partner. Open. Ease. Soft landing. Eyes wide open. Light to see a new perspective.”

That’s the kind of partnership we strive to create at Wilkinson Coaching: a trusted space to think out loud, see a challenge differently, and find greater clarity in how you want to move forward.

If you’re looking for a trusted partner in your leadership development, learn more about our coaching services today: https://wilkinsoncoaching.com/coaching-services/

In honor of National Read a Book Day, we’re sharing a few books that have been inspiring us lately:

📖 Hidden Potential by Adam Grant: An exploration of how we grow, develop new capabilities, and create environments that help other people reach more of their potential.

📖 Dare to Lead by Brené Brown: A look at courage, vulnerability, trust, and why some of the most important leadership skills require us to be willing to have difficult conversations and show up authentically.

📖 The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson: A deeper dive into the Enneagram as a tool for self-awareness, helping us better understand the motivations and patterns that shape how we think, behave, and relate to others.

Reading is a fantastic opportunity to step outside of our own perspective. A great book can challenge an assumption, introduce a new way of thinking, or give us language for something we’ve been experiencing but haven’t quite been able to name.

Leadership development is really about staying curious.

What’s one book that has influenced the way you lead, work, or think? Drop your recommendations below! 📚

What could a 32.1% increase in profitable productivity mean for your organization? 📈

In a study conducted at Philips, mid-level managers who received coaching saw a 32.1% increase in profitable productivity compared to those who did not.

That’s a powerful reminder that investing in leaders can have an impact far beyond individual development.

When leaders have dedicated space to strengthen how they think, communicate, make decisions, and support their teams, those shifts can show up across the organization – in stronger performance, healthier teams, and better business outcomes.

Leadership development isn’t just an investment in your people. It’s an investment in what your people can make possible.

How are you investing in the leaders who drive your organization forward? Let’s talk: https://calendly.com/bethwilkinson/60min