Feb 09 I Can’t Fix You. But I Can Help You Lead!
There have been countless moments when an executive has turned to me and said, “I need you to fix a leadership problem on my team,” expecting me to wave a magic wand.
What I tell them is this:
I’ve never seen a coach or consultant successfully fix someone else’s problem for them.
Fixing isn’t what I do.
What I will do is help you fix the problems on your own, by sharing proven-in-the-trenches methods and techniques. I’ve helped countless Fortune 500 executives and leading entrepreneurs implement them. My leadership tips uncover the deep-seated dynamics holding you and your team back from reaching peak performance.
I will guide you with insight and support you as you work to address these challenges.
I will hold you accountable for following through on your commitments and won’t hesitate to call you out when you don’t.
I will teach you new strategies and share proven approaches my top-level clients have used to build high-performance teams.
But I won’t do the hard work for you. That’s your job as a leader, and you learn and grow by doing the hard work.
Here are six foundational truths you need to embrace to create a culture of accountability and dynamic leadership within your organization:
1. Own the Challenge
A few years ago, I worked with a senior leader at a large consulting firm who was reluctant to promote his top performer to a higher role in another company division. But as we dug deeper, the real issues became revealed. The leader was afraid to acknowledge his own mindset and beliefs that promoting this person to a different division would hurt his team’s high-performance rankings. This avoidance eroded trust with this individual, started impacting the engagement of existing staff, and tarnished his overall brand as a senior leader who developed and promoted his team members. Effective leadership begins with owning your part in the problem. It’s a difficult realization to swallow and accept. But until you do, meaningful change is impossible.
2. Be Prepared for Tough Decisions
Transforming a team requires making tough decisions that sometimes include addressing underperformance head-on. I’ve been repeatedly asked to “fix” a team by recommending who should stay or go. Here’s my stance: firing and hiring are the leader’s responsibility. These deeply personal and impactful decisions define your leadership and set the tone for the team’s culture. Delegating these tasks to someone else—or avoiding them altogether—sends the wrong message to your team. Leadership demands courage, especially when it comes to making difficult calls.
3. Lead from the Front
High-performance teams are built on alignment and trust. For that to happen, your people need to see you actively engaged in the change process. Be a front-line change agent. If you’re implementing a new initiative or driving a cultural shift, talking about it in meetings is not enough. You must model the behavior you expect from others and show your commitment daily. Visible, present, and consistent leaders inspire their teams to buy into the vision. Without this alignment, even the best strategies will fail to gain traction.
4. Profound Change Doesn’t Happen Overnight
True transformation takes time. Change is no different. It requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to navigate setbacks. When leaders rush the process, they miss critical opportunities to build trust and embed new behaviors. Instead of searching for quick fixes, focus on taking deliberate, consistent actions that will lead to lasting results.
5. Foster Open Communication
Teams thrive when leaders create an environment where feedback flows freely, creating space for healthy debate and collaborative input. Encourage your team members to voice concerns, offer ideas, and constructively challenge the status quo. Open communication strengthens trust and uncovers blind spots you might otherwise miss. Leaders who listen and adapt based on feedback create a foundation for continuous and sustainable improvement and team buy-in.
6. Stay Consistent in Your Actions
Change initiatives often fail due to inconsistency. If you’re enthusiastic about new strategies one week and disengaged the next, your team will lose confidence in the vision. Stay the course, even when progress feels slow. Consistent actions and messaging reinforce your commitment and inspire your team to stay enthusiastically engaged over the long haul.
The Hardest Part: Commitment
The most challenging part of leading a high-performing team isn’t identifying what needs to change; it’s committing to the change process. As a former senior executive with a Fortune 100 firm where I led large teams, I can offer insights, strategies, and my own measurable accountability as an executive coach. But the transformation happens only when you—as the leader—decide to lean in, do the work, and lead by example.
I don’t fix you. I do one better! I equip you with the tools and strategies to fix yourself—and, in doing so, to lead your team to success.
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Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, is the go-to-expert in working with leaders and companies to create successful corporate DNA. As an executive coach, consultant and speaker she collaborates globally with clients and brands such as Deloitte, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark, Sherwin-Williams, Home Depot and other leading organizations.
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