One of the foundations we hold is that coaching and leadership begin with who we are being, not just what we are doing. In an increasingly complex, fast-moving and uncertain world, technical expertise and problem-solving alone are not enough. Leaders and coaches are called into a deeper level of self-awareness, presence, and courage.

This is not about fixing people or giving answers. It's about creating conditions where people can think, reflect, and lead themselves more effectively. This means we all need to keep developing the capacity to listen deeply, ask brave and sometimes provocative questions and challenge with compassion and integrity.

It means holding others as whole, capable, and resourceful, even when they cannot yet see it for themselves. This approach becomes especially important when leaders are navigating complexity so they can approach it from different and empowering perspectives.

From Doing to Being: A New Paradigm for Leadership

The old model of leadership, where certainty, control, and having the answers were expected and rewarded, doesn't work in a complex world anymore. To navigate the many systemic factors impacting experiences and outputs demands humility, curiosity, and a willingness to slow down and reflect.

Complexity asks leaders to step out of performance mode and into a relationship role with people to understand the systemic impact of choices, systems, habits, connections, communication, capacity, resources, environment, economy, people and more.

Of course, to be able to challenge someone’s thinking, the relationship must be rooted in safety, trust, and belief. Without this essential foundation, a challenge can be received as confrontation. With safety, the challenge becomes transformational. 

Our Coaching Partners Don't Need 'Fixing' - They Are Whole!

Ian Day, a leadership coach, psychologist and author of 'The Coaching Leader: Coaching Skills for Leading through Complexity', powerfully articulates this when he shares: “I don’t believe they (our coaching partners) are broken, I don’t believe they need to be fixed, I believe they’re whole and resourceful.”

This belief sits at the heart of Empower World's coaching philosophy. When we truly hold this view of the people we work with, we can challenge assumptions, name what is not being said, and invite new perspectives, all while maintaining psychological safety.

We live in a culture of rewarding doing, achieving, and pushing forward. And yet the deeper growth happens when we have the courage to stop, slow down and pause long enough to get curious about ourselves and our ways of being.

One of the most powerful questions a leader or coach can ask is not about strategy or outcomes, but about their identity. As Ian puts it so simply: “Who am I being as a leader?”

This is not a question to answer once, but a question to live and grow with. It invites the exploration of values, patterns, reactions, and choices. It brings leadership back to the human being, rather than the role or title.

In our role as a coach, one of our responsibilities is not to be the expert offering solutions, but to model and enable a reflective way of being. To listen with openness, be willing to challenge perspectives, holding space for uncertainty without rushing to resolution. As we bring both compassion and challenge to our work, we support leaders to navigate complexity with authenticity and resilience.

Questions Asked in Presence, Not Performance-Based Questions

As you take this into your own coaching and leadership practice, Empower World invites you to pause and sit with these questions. There is no need to rush to answers – let them unfold over time.

• Who am I 'being' as a coach and leader right now?
• What assumptions or beliefs might I be holding that are limiting how I listen or challenge?
• Where might I need to slow down and create more space for reflection: in myself and in others?
• How willing am I to be influenced by the people I work with?
• What becomes possible when I truly hold others as whole, capable, and resourceful?

These are not performance questions. They are presence questions. And it is from presence that meaningful, sustainable leadership and coaching emerge.

From this place of presence, deep listening and connection - being available to those you are leading - provides for more authentic, courageous coaching conversations which can support sustainable leadership to emerge: for ourselves, for the people we serve, and for the complex systems we are all part of.

And when we choose to lead from who we are 'being', not just what we are doing, we unlock the possibility for transformation that extends far beyond the individual, rippling into teams, organisations, communities - and the world we are collectively shaping.

Be Empowered

www.empower-world.com

If you would like to hear these themes explored more fully, you can listen to the full conversation with Ian Day on the Empower World Coaching and Leadership Podcast Episode 244 - The Coaching Leader: Navigating Complexity with Vulnerability and Challenge via the podcast links below:

YouTube: ------ https://bit.ly/YT-Podcast-EP-244

Direct Link: ---- https://bit.ly/Podcast-EP-244

Spotify: ------- https://bit.ly/SP-Podcast-EP-244

iTunes: -------- https://bit.ly/IT-Podcast-EP-244

Upcoming Empower World Events and Programmes

The Empower World's world-class ICF Approved Professional Coach Training and Leadership Programme for Level 1 starts on 23 January 2025 in Doha, Qatar. You can find out more here.

Coaching Skills Mentoring Programme with an MCC mentor for ICF credentialing purposes, starting 16 January 2026. Find out more about how you can step into masterful coaching here.

The Reignite Coaching Community supports coaches to rebuild confidence, reconnect with their purpose, and return to coaching with clarity and momentum. Through practical resources, peer coaching, expert-led sessions, and a vibrant community, you gain the experience and growth, together with encouragement and feedback to enhance your skills, pursue credentials, and create a thriving, sustainable practice - no matter where you are on your coaching journey, from beginner to highly experienced. Find out more here.

You can also follow us on:

Website: https://www.empower-world.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empowerpeopletraining

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empower_world/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@empower-world1695

You can listen to The Empower World Coaching and Leadership Podcast on the following platforms.

YouTube: https://bit.ly/yt-ew-podcast

Spotify: https://bit.ly/ew-podcast-spotify

iTunes: http://bit.ly/EW-Podcast-iTune