Leadership Lessons from a Child Actor
When I was 8 years old, I auditioned for my first talent agent. I sang "Castle on a Cloud" for the woman who would later represent Anne Hathaway. Her feedback to my mom? "She's too shy."
As a driven kid, I was determined to prove her wrong. I learned how to transform from mumbling and looking at the floor to being "on" – making eye contact, projecting my voice, and owning my presence in a room. I didn't do it all the time, but I learned how to turn it on when I needed to. And I still do.
I see this same journey playing out with many of my executive clients today – especially thoughtful, highly-skilled leaders who worry about coming across as arrogant. Here's what's fascinating: the leaders who most fear seeming arrogant are often those who have the deepest commitment to their teams' success. Their concern about overstepping actually reflects their greatest strength – their ability to build trust and bring people along with them.
These leaders already have the essential foundation: deep expertise and a track record of delivering results; strong emotional intelligence and collaborative instincts; solid relationships built on trust.
What they often need isn't to dial back their considerate nature – it's to match it with an equal measure of conviction and bold presence. To trust that their voice matters, that their expertise has value, and that owning their power actually serves their team better than holding back.
In the entertainment industry, they use the term "range" to describe actors who can authentically inhabit many different types of characters. Great leadership requires this same kind of range. Your team and organization need you to be able to: drive accountability while maintaining psychological safety; challenge assumptions while building buy-in; lead from the front while empowering others to step up.
With my clients, I challenge them to: speak up earlier in meetings, rather than waiting for the perfect moment; state their viewpoint clearly, without excessive caveats; hold people accountable firmly but fairly; share their expertise with confidence, knowing it helps others grow.
You are not fixed in one style. The art of great leadership is expanding your range while staying true to your core values.
What part of your leadership range are you ready to expand?
Business highlights: leading workshops and offsites across the country for Instacart; kicking off new work with Ilia; leading the final session of a 5-month custom manager training for family offices, gearing up for cohort 3.
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