

Coaching Real Leaders
Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins
We all want to get to the next level of our career, but so many of us get stuck. Longtime leadership coach Muriel Wilkins takes you inside real-life leadership coaching sessions with high performers working to overcome professional challenges and grow as leaders. Listen in on real conversations and leave with new insights and practical guidance for your own career. The views expressed on this podcast are those of its hosts, guests, and callers.
Episodes
Mentioned books

9 snips
Jun 13, 2022 • 41min
How Do I Move from a Specialist to a General Leadership Role?
He’s developed a stellar reputation at his organization as the go-to person to solve some very specific, complicated problems. But he worries that the organization has pigeon-holed him as a subject matter expert, limiting his ability to lead more broadly.
He speaks with host Muriel Wilkins about how he can break out of the specialist role to reach his goal of becoming a more general business leader.
Further reading:
All Hail the Generalist
Generalists Get Better Job Offers Than Specialists
Generalists Versus Specialists: The Winner Doesn’t Take It All
When Generalists Are Better Than Specialists, and Vice Versa
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 snips
May 30, 2022 • 48min
How Do I Fast-Track My Career?
She has risen very quickly in her career, often being the youngest in the room. She’s ambitious and wants to make it to the C-suite eventually, but she doesn’t know the right moves to make in the short term to fast-track her way to the top.
Host Muriel Wilkins coaches her through how to align her career path with her goals.
Further reading:
How Ambitious Should You Be? (HBR.org)
Do You Want the Corner Office Someday? (Dear HBR)
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

52 snips
May 16, 2022 • 48min
How Do I Hold My Team Accountable?
She’s heading toward the apex of her career and wants to play a more strategic role in her company because she feels that’s where her strengths lie. While she’s great at creating the vision, she’s struggling to set direction and then follow through with her team.
Host Muriel Wilkins coaches her through how to lead with more accountability.
Further reading:
More About the Myers-Briggs Personality Test
The Right Way to Hold People Accountable
Does Your Team Have an Accountability Problem?
Managers: Compassion and Accountability Aren’t Mutually ExclusiveSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 snips
May 2, 2022 • 48min
How Do I Become an Intrapreneur?
He’s part of a real estate organization and loves his work but wonders what his future looks like at the company and how his role could grow in the coming decades.
Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through how he might use some of his entrepreneurial muscles to shift his career track toward a business leadership role within his current organization.
Further reading:
Why You Should Become an Intrapreneur
Recognize Intrapreneurs Before They Leave
The Strategic Side GigSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 18, 2022 • 2min
Coming Soon: Season 3
Coaching Real Leaders returns May 2 with new coaching sessions, new career challenges, and new leadership lessons. This season, host and longtime executive coach Muriel Wilkins will tackle questions like:
How do I move from subject matter expert to business leader?
How do I hold myself and my team more accountable?
How do I navigate my entrepreneurial interests within a large established company?
Listen in on coaching sessions with real leaders from around the globe, as they work out the challenges they face at work.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 snips
Dec 22, 2021 • 40min
How Do I Navigate a New Senior Role?
No matter how driven and capable you are, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by a promotion and a new seat at the table. Host Muriel Wilkins speaks with a newly promoted leader who wants to make sure she’s as effective at this new level as she has been in past roles.
Further reading:
The Next Level, 3rd Edition: What Insiders Know About Executive Success
Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership PresenceSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 15, 2021 • 47min
Why Do I Keep Getting Passed Over for the C-Suite?
He’s a senior-level executive with a goal to make it to the C-suite. While he’s come close, he’s been turned down and is not sure why. Host Muriel Wilkins helps this leader plan his next moves.
Further reading:
What to Do After a Final-Round Job Interview
Cracking the Code That Stalls People of Color
What Do Black Executives Really Want?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 8, 2021 • 38min
How to Handle Feeling Overworked
As we head into the holidays after a very stressful year, many of us are struggling with burnout. This week, we revisit a conversation from earlier in the year with a leader on the brink of burnout.
She’s ambitious and has always leaned into opportunities to lead. But in her leadership role, her responsibilities just keep growing, making her feel like she can’t keep up. Now she’s questioning whether she even wants to lead anymore.
Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader through her burnout toward strategies she can take to focus her energy and scale up her leadership.
Further reading:
● “6 Causes of Burnout, and How to Avoid Them”
● “If You’re Overworked, Learn Which Tasks to Hand Off”
● “Stop Doing Low-Value Work”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6 snips
Dec 1, 2021 • 46min
How Do I Get My Confidence Back?
He’s been at his company for many years and has worked his way up from an entry-level position to a director role. Now, he wants to get to the next level in his career, but he feels stuck and unsure of himself.
Host Muriel Wilkins coaches this leader on how to regain his confidence so that he can move forward.
Further reading:
To Strengthen Your Confidence, Look to Your Past
Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It
Don’t Let Self-Doubt Hold You Back
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 24, 2021 • 41min
How Do I Get Sponsorship Support?
No matter how hard you work and how good you are at executing tasks, there are always less tangible reasons people get tapped for more senior roles. Executive presence matters, as does finding the right sponsors.
Host Muriel Wilkins speaks with a rising leader who understands the importance of sponsorship but doesn’t know how to get there – starting with learning to tell her own story.
Further reading:
The Relationship You Need to Get Right
The Key to Landing Your Next Job? Storytelling.
Sponsorship: Defining the RelationshipSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


