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Beyond the Role You Were Once Known For
A personal brand is not always something we build from scratch. Sometimes, it is something we outgrow. That is a part of this conversation I do not think gets enough attention. Because by the time many senior professionals start thinking seriously about personal brand, they are not trying to invent who they are. They are trying to close the gap between who they have become and how they are still being perceived. And that gap can quietly shape opportunity. I wrote some time ag
katrincharlton
2 days ago7 min read
The shadow side of what matters most
Some of the qualities we are most praised for can also become the source of our greatest blind spots. That is what makes values so powerful and, at times, so tricky. We often talk about values as if they are automatically positive. As if naming them is enough. But in leadership, it is rarely that simple. Values are like an inner compass. They shape what matters to us, what we prioritise, and what feels right, important, or worth protecting. Shalom Schwartz, one of the key res
katrincharlton
Mar 117 min read
Beyond External Validation: The Power of Self-Feedback
In many of my coaching conversations with senior leaders and founders, a quiet pattern keeps emerging. High performers waiting. Waiting for the next performance review. Waiting for stakeholder feedback. Waiting for someone senior to say, “Well done.” External feedback absolutely matters. We are wired for it. Yet something powerful is often overlooked: Our capacity to give ourselves meaningful, grounded feedback. Not empty self-praise. Not harsh self-criticism. But thoughtful,
katrincharlton
Feb 274 min read
Executive Presence and Kindness
Can we be too nice? This is a question I’ve been carrying with me for a long time. Not because I ever doubted the value of kindness. I don't. It is one of my core values. However, because something about the way niceness showed up in my own experience never quite settled. There were moments when being described as kind or warm felt slightly uncomfortable. Not wrong. Just incomplete. At times, I wondered whether it was holding me back. I noticed that people who were more di
katrincharlton
Feb 64 min read
Rethinking Feedback
“Can I give you some feedback?” Even when it’s well-intended, that sentence often lands with tension. Shoulders tighten. Attention narrows. Defences quietly come online. That reaction isn’t weakness or sensitivity. It’s human biology. Somewhere along the way, feedback became synonymous with criticism - something delivered formally, infrequently, and often too late to be genuinely useful. And that’s a problem. Because growth doesn’t happen in annual rituals. It happens in ong
katrincharlton
Jan 244 min read
Human Dynamics
This is a topic I’ve been meaning to write about for a long time. Not because it isn’t important — quite the opposite. But because I needed time to properly get my own head around it first. Questions about influence, power, and what happens beneath the surface come up again and again in my work with leaders and HR professionals. Yet every time I tried to write about it, something felt off. Too neat. Too binary. As if it missed the lived complexity of what people were actually
katrincharlton
Jan 65 min read
The In-Between
As the year draws to a close, many people sense a shift. Something ending. Something wanting to begin. And a quiet discomfort in the space in between. I’ve written before about transition moments — the small, often invisible shifts we move through every day — and how the energy we carry from one moment into the next shapes our presence and performance. This piece stays with the in-between itself a little longer. Because year end has a way of bringing it into focus. Change a
katrincharlton
Dec 29, 20255 min read
Inner Standards
This is a topic I’m deeply passionate about (my clients know:) - because I’ve seen, time and again, how quietly powerful values are when things get hard. Not in theory. But in real life. A moment that stays with me I remember a client saying to me, halfway through a session: “I know what the ‘right’ decision is — I just don’t know if I’m brave enough to act on it.” When we slowed things down, it wasn’t a capability issue. It wasn’t even a strategic one. It was a values moment
katrincharlton
Dec 22, 20253 min read
Taking It Personally
Why it’s normal – and why or how you don’t have to believe every thought you have. No greeting. No “thank you”. No feedback. Just a short email in response to a piece of work I had put real thought and care into. Almost immediately, my mind filled the gap. I haven’t done a good job. I’ve missed the mark. This reflects badly on me. Nothing like that had been said. And yet, the conclusion felt instant and real. This is often how taking things personally starts – not with facts,
katrincharlton
Dec 20, 20253 min read
Grace & Grit
Can you hold high standards and be kind to yourself? It’s a question that comes up again and again… and at its heart, for me it really a conversation about grace and grit. For years, many high performers — and the organisations they lead — assumed that kindness weakens performance. That to stay competitive, you need to stay tough. I used to believe that too. But over time, and thanks to some brilliant coaches I’ve worked with, I realised it’s not a contradiction at all — it’
katrincharlton
Dec 17, 20252 min read
Transition Moments
Why What You Carry In Shapes What Comes Next We often think of transitions as the big moments in life – the new role, the restructure, the move, the shift in identity. But the truth is: we transition constantly. In a single day, we might move from strategic leader ➝ parent ➝ negotiator ➝ coach/mentor ➝ colleague needing support ➝ decision-maker in a high-stakes meeting ➝ back to parent and partner➝ and then friend or daughter or son. We switch roles, expectations and energy s
katrincharlton
Dec 10, 20254 min read
The Quiet Fear That Follows Success
A little while ago, I sat with a senior leader who had just stepped into a much bigger role. From the outside, he looked composed — confident even — the sort of person everyone turns to when things get tough. But as soon as he settled into the chair, he exhaled and said quietly: “I’m waiting for someone to realise I’m not as good as they think.” This wasn’t a junior manager. This was someone respected, trusted, and repeatedly promoted. And yet, this sentence comes up again an
katrincharlton
Nov 27, 20254 min read
Filtering, Not Fencing
How leaders stay open without being drained Ever left a meeting or conversation feeling heavier than when you walked in? That subtle tension in your shoulders, the mental fog afterwards, or the thought that keeps looping in your head long after the discussion ends? In leadership, these moments happen often — difficult conversations, emotionally charged topics, or people who seem to drain more energy than they give. And while it’s tempting to push through, leaders who constant
katrincharlton
Nov 7, 20253 min read
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
Revisited Through the Lens of Neuroscience and Modern Organisations I first read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey back in school. At the time, I didn’t know how deeply it would shape my approach to life — and later, to leadership and coaching. Years on, I still come back to it — especially when working with senior leaders and organisations navigating transitions. Because while the world has changed, these principles haven’t. What’s changed is how we a
katrincharlton
Nov 4, 20255 min read
Beyond Answers: The Quiet Strength of Inquiry
For much of our careers, we’re rewarded for having the answers. We’re praised for being decisive, confident, and knowledgeable — the ones who “get things done”. But here’s the paradox: the very trait that helps us rise often becomes the one that holds us back. At senior levels, leadership stops being about knowing — and starts being about asking. It’s about trading certainty for curiosity. Answers for questions. Speed for space. ✨ In this blog, I’d like to share why I believe
katrincharlton
Oct 23, 20253 min read
Build Your Parachute Before the Plane Shakes
When I worked in the corporate world, I learned quickly that competence alone doesn’t open doors . I remember delivering a flawless presentation—well-researched, data-backed, polished. Yet, it went nowhere. Why? Because I hadn’t invested in relationships. I hadn’t thought about who in the room really mattered . Now, as a coach working with leaders and founders across the globe, that lesson feels sharper than ever. Success rarely hinges on skill or effort alone—it depends on w
katrincharlton
Oct 6, 20254 min read
Delegation: From Control to Growth
This is often the story when companies grow—but not only there. I’ve seen the same pattern play out with founders, senior leaders, and...
katrincharlton
Sep 30, 20255 min read
Getting It Right vs. Getting Better –
Why a growth mindset matters. Here’s a confession: this is a challenge I am always up against myself. Whether I’m creating a new course,...
katrincharlton
Sep 21, 20253 min read
From Values to Action: Living What You Stand For
In a recent coaching conversation, a client had just finished defining their values. Growth. Authenticity. Loyalty. Courage. They paused,...
katrincharlton
Sep 16, 20254 min read
🌿 “Take in the Good”
Why Leaders Who Thrive Know How to Rewire Their Brains A senior client once admitted after a tense board review: “I can’t stop replaying...
katrincharlton
Sep 3, 20254 min read
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