Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher. Have you ever walked into a room and instantly knew you had to take action as a leader? Maybe it was an awkward silence after a tough call or that gut feeling that something needed to change—but no one was saying it. Leadership is full of these moments, and today, I’m bringing you three quick but powerful lessons straight from the trenches of coaching calls and client conversations.
1. Stop Managing Perceptions—Start Managing Results
The Problem: I was coaching a senior leader at a mid-sized company. He wasn’t overworked in the traditional sense—his absolute exhaustion came from constantly trying to manage how he was perceived. He wanted to appear strong but not too distant, empathetic but not too soft, confident but not too arrogant.
The Solution: One day, after a tough quarter, I asked him, “If you stopped trying to look like a great leader and just focused on being one, what would change?” Too many leaders spend time on work that makes them look good rather than work that serves their team. You must invest equally in developing strong relationships and taking action that drives results. Leadership isn’t about crafting the perfect image but delivering real impact. When you focus on the work itself, perception takes care of itself.
Q: Are you spending more energy protecting your reputation than actually leading? Describe a time when you worked for or with someone focused on their image. What was it like to work with them? How did they affect your productivity? How long were they a part of the company?
2. Your Team Needs Clarity More Than They Need Motivation
The Problem: I was recently working with a Sales Leader who couldn’t figure out why her team was underperforming. She was rolling out incentives, hosting motivational meetings, and even bringing in a guest speaker to get them fired up. But sales didn’t move.
The Solution: “If I shadowed one of your reps for a day, would I know exactly what success looks like for them?” Her team’s Problem wasn’t motivation—it was clarity. Every team needs a crystal-clear roadmap of what success actually looks like. If you don’t define success for them, they’ll define it for themselves—and that rarely leads to great results.
Q: If I asked your team to describe what success looks like in their role, would they all give the same exact answer? What does success on your team look like? How should that answer be the same/different for each team member? Describe a time when you had a very clear understanding of success in your role. How did that clarity affect your performance? Was there ever a time when you had a low understanding of what success looked like? How did that affect your performance?
3. Don’t Confuse Kindness with Avoidance
The Problem: A CEO I work with has a great heart—he genuinely cares about his people. But there was a pattern in his leadership: he avoided tough conversations and put too much energy into kindness. He kept underperformers around too long, gave vague feedback to avoid hurting feelings, and rarely confronted difficult issues head-on.
The Solution: I spoke with this leader on a day when he had spent significant time trying to “soften” the impact of a difficult conversation, and I said, “You think you’re being kind, but you’re actually being selfish.” Leaders who avoid tough conversations are not protecting their team; they are protecting themselves from discomfort. If you truly care about someone, you’ll give them the feedback they need to grow.
Q: Have you ever worked for a leader who avoided confrontation? What were some of the results? How did their leadership affect you personally? The team? What factors do you think contribute to avoiding confrontation?
Application Activities:
Write down what you do every day. Then, write down the direct impact of each of those tasks. The result could include building relationships, driving key performance indicators, performance management, personnel development, etc. Finally, rank the importance of each of those tasks. The tasks that directly impact your team’s performance and your connection with your employees should be ranked the highest. Evaluate the tasks that rank the lowest. Can you delegate these tasks? Do they need to be done at all? Take time to ensure that you are spending your work hours on tasks that are helping you achieve what is most important.
Do your team members know exactly how success is defined in their role? During your one-on-one meetings this week, ask each of your employees these two questions. What does it look like for you to be a successful [job title] at this company? And what does success look like for you? Providing and helping your employees develop clarity in these two areas will help them take targeted action.
Who in your life needs truth from you more than they need comfort? Is there anyone who you have been avoiding giving tough feedback? Set aside time this week to give them the feedback they need.
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