A leader who is open and honest with their team—asking for feedback, taking ownership of mistakes and engaging in collaborative problem-solving—demonstrates that it is okay to be imperfect. By exhibiting vulnerability, they emulate self-empathy and model that owning one’s limitations is healthy and human. This fosters trust and collaboration and promotes strong teamwork. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark, Dynamic Team Solutions

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Nothing frustrates people more than a lack of information or answers that are shallow or incomplete. It damages their trust and often causes a level of rebellion. Be thorough in explaining the reasons for change. Was it an error in planning? A failed initiative? Changed goals? Being transparent will help people trust you, and they may even rally around the change. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark, Dynamic Team Solutions

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

“A truly great manager understands that their role is to support their team. This is only possible when they build trust, provide mentoring and remove hurdles to success. One hurdle managers frequently ignore is their role in addressing areas of friction or conflict. Only when teams work fluidly together can anyone succeed.”- Candice Gottlieb-Clark

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Collaborative communication is key. Startup businesses can set their own culture and create their own platform for success by engaging in intentional communication. When meeting as a team each week, each member needs to share what they are working on and where they are encountering issues, and then invite others to comment or contribute. By doing this, a true and trusting team will evolve. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark, Dynamic Team Solutions

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

“Encourage the men in your company to sponsor a woman or a colleague from any other disenfranchised group. Have these men compete to promote that person’s growth and opportunities, to identify and speak to that colleague’s strengths, and to build their sponsee’s recognition as a high-potential member of the business, while advocating for the sponsee’s salary and title to match their contributions.”- Candice Gottlieb-Clark

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Speak Authentically About Your Purpose

Speak authentically about your purpose in hiring a more diverse population and how you have made your environment an inclusive one. Are you looking to bring in new viewpoints, or to improve alignment with your clients or community? Do you encourage brave conversations that build perspective? Lastly, ensure that your efforts stretch beyond race, age and gender. Invisible aspects of diversity count too. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Trust Your Gut Response

To identify harmful criticism, trust your gut response. Did it feel supportive? Was it kind? Did it provide you with new insights or information? If not, then it was not helpful. As a new professional, unfamiliar with the culture or landscape, the best way to address this is with curiosity. Ask if their tone was meant to sound harsh, or their words critical. Then, tell them how you learn best.

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Incorporate Organizational And Team Dynamics

I provide prescriptive coaching for issues where loss of talent or litigation are of concern. My holistic approach goes beyond individual coaching to further incorporate organizational and team dynamics. The core differentiator in my skills comes from my background in counseling and conflict resolution (mediation). Through those, I have developed expertise in interpersonal workplace dynamics. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Insufficient Trust, Role Clarity And/Or Conflict Management

When it comes to workplace dynamics, I have found that leadership gaps arise from weakness in one or more of three areas (I call this the three-legged stool of leadership): trust, role clarity and conflict management. The gaps are identified by the team’s behavior. Low accountability, silos, unwanted turnover, frequent complaints and poor teamwork are some of the key warning signs of these gaps. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark

Click here to learn more at Forbes.com

Who coaches the coach? Whether the focus of a coaching practice is on helping clients improve their businesses, careers, leadership skills or personal confidence, without finding guidance in their own lives and tending to their own needs first, a professional coach may struggle to help others do the same.

Many members of Forbes Coaches Council, understanding the immense value of the work they do, opt to engage with a coach themselves. Below, 16 members share what they’ve learned from those experiences, exploring how working with a coach has impacted where they are today in their practice and how they deliver services to their clients.

Click here to learn more