Shawn Michael

Great question, @Nora Gianna! I realized after years in leadership and coaching that tactics and skills only get you so far. When leaders face high-stakes challenges, they don't fall back on their strategies—they fall back on their identity. That turning point made me realize we were starting the leadership journey in the wrong place. Identity-Driven Leadership was born out of a desire to help leaders do the deep internal work first so their outer leadership becomes effortless and authentic.

Shawn Michael

1 like • 2d

@Nora Gianna, this hits close to home. I'm not building a community on Skool, I'm here as a participant and participation here (Skool communities) has given me a lot. Where I'm actually building is on my Substack, True North, and eventually my own paid space once the book is out. Your instinct is exactly right though. I catch myself wanting to skip to the mechanics, pricing tiers, content calendars, before I've done the harder work of asking who the space is really for and what it does to someone's self-concept, not just their calendar. Identity first, structure second. Always in that order.

Cheri Thompson

8d •

General discussion

Anyone else experience something similar?

Stop the madness! I was helping a Director who was looking for a new job. I asked her why. (She had a great job with a Fortune 100 company) She told me that she didn’t get along with her new VP. 12 years with the company. She was consistently promoted and was getting insane perks She managed a platform which drove 60% of the company’s revenue. She helped the company go virtual during the pandemic. She developed management-level leaders. She co-led global teams. But her VP didn’t like her “style of leadership” and criticized her every move. After 6 weeks, she resigned. Within 2 hours, she received a call from the C-suite. “What’s going on? You know we are in the middle of a critical transformation.” Short story, she said, “It’s a toxic environment. I dread each day, and I'm being set up to fail. I'm sorry.” She will quickly find a new role. In fact, recruiters will fight over her. But this will be a huge blow to an “industry-leading company.” Your employees are human BEINGS, not human DOINGS. They are your greatest assets. Let their voices be heard.

New comment 2d ago

Shawn Michael

1 like • 2d

@Cheri Thompson, yes, every time, and it never starts where people think it starts. The book keeps circling back to this. Presence, communication style, even the tools you use to hold yourself accountable, all of it sits downstream of identity. Same thing here. 'Style of leadership' was the downstream symptom. Her self-concept was the upstream cause, and it had already outgrown the room. Twelve years, 60% of revenue, leading the org through a pandemic. That's not a style. That's an operating system he never had to upgrade. Identity always wins over effort, and apparently over office politics too.

Cheri Thompson

11d •

Introductions

Welcome our new friend

Hi @Shawn Michael Tell us a little about yourself and drop a line to your site, if available. I look forward to growing with you.

New comment 8d ago

Shawn Michael

1 like • 9d

Thanks for the warm welcome. I am a leadership and identity coach, writing my book "Identity-Driven Leadership," and the founder/creator of the Identity Breakthrough Engine - a AI coaching infrastructure engine that allows the human coach to work more powerfully with clients. https://getidentitydriven.com https://successblueprintconsulting.com/home

Shawn Michael

1 like • 8d

@Cheri Thompson you are so right, the alignment and congruency is so important in the current era and I have a vision of creating a movement with the book release as well as licensing the methodology to make a larger impact in leadership. Really appreciate the support you have offered for the book launch.

Cheri Thompson

9d •

Introductions

Welcome our new friend

@Angel Williams introduce yourself and drop a link to your site, if available. Looking forward to learning from you.

New comment 9d ago

Shawn Michael

2 likes • 9d

Welcome @Angel Williams looking forward to getting to know you along with the other members here.

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