The Leader You Were Won’t Get You Where You’re Going | Michael Neuendorff (Pt. 1)

Send us Fan Mail

🎧 Ep. 227 The Leader You Were Won’t Get You Where You’re Going | Michael Neuendorff (Pt. 1)

The skills that get you promoted aren't always the skills that will make you successful at the next level.

In Part 1 of my conversation with executive coach Michael Neuendorff, we unpack what really changes when you step into a bigger leadership role, and why some leaders grow into that responsibility while others simply survive it.

Michael's own journey started with a deep fear of public speaking. What began as an effort to build confidence eventually opened the door to a career dedicated to helping leaders become more self-aware, decisive, emotionally intelligent, and effective.

We talk about the subtle traps that can hold even high-performing leaders back: failing to delegate, waiting for perfect information before making a decision, allowing old feedback to shape how you see yourself, and trying to carry the weight of leadership alone.

We also explore the growing role of AI in coaching and why technology can be an incredible tool, but may never fully replace the trust, challenge, vulnerability, and accountability of having the right person in your corner.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the skills that got you here may not get you where you're going

• The three mistakes leaders often make after stepping into a bigger role

• Why senior leaders have to become orchestrators instead of doers

• Making high-stakes decisions without perfect information

• How old feedback can quietly shape your leadership identity

• Why real self-awareness requires outside perspective

• The loneliness and isolation that can come with leadership

• Why great leaders need people who challenge them, not just affirm them

• AI coaching vs. human coaching

• How to know whether your emotional intelligence is actually improving

🔑 Key Takeaways

Your next level requires a different version of you.

The behaviors that made you successful in one role can become the very things that limit you in the next.

Senior leadership requires letting go.

As responsibility grows, your job shifts from doing the work to orchestrating the people, decisions, and relationships that make the work possible.

Decisiveness doesn't require certainty.

Leadership often means making high-stakes decisions with imperfect information and being willing to adjust as you learn more.

Feedback can become a story you carry for years.

Something said about you early in your career can quietly become part of your identity long after it stops being true.

Leadership can be incredibly isolating.

The higher you rise, the easier it becomes to believe you're supposed to have everything figured out. Great leaders intentionally build relationships with people they can be honest and vulnerable with.

The best coaching doesn't just affirm you.

Whether the coach is human or AI, growth requires someone, or something, willing to challenge your assumptions and show you what you may not see yourself.

💡 Quotes to Remember

“Sometimes leadership can be isolating.”

“Talking to a coach can help you to have conversations that you are only having in your head.”

“They don't want to be flattered. They want someone to tell them what they're missing.”

Connect with Michael

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelneuendorff/

Bay Area Executive Coach on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bay-area-executive-coach/?viewAsMember=true

YouTube: