Month: September 2025

At Berman Leadership, we’ve seen firsthand how coaching is evolving—and so are clients’ expectations.

In a recent conversation, Berman Leadership founder Bill Berman put it simply:

“Companies want somebody who knows what they’re going through.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean a coach must have walked in their client’s exact shoes. They don’t need to be a former lawyer to coach lawyers, or a healthcare executive to support a hospital system. But they do need to understand the pressures, vocabulary, and rhythms of that world.

Why does that matter?
Because it helps clients feel seen.

When a coach brings contextual fluency—when they “get it”—clients don’t have to waste time translating their experience. They can go deeper, faster. That sense of being understood builds trust, which unlocks more powerful coaching outcomes.

At Berman Leadership, we build our team with that principle in mind. Our coaches come from diverse backgrounds but share a core ability: to connect deeply with the lived realities of the leaders they support.

Because coaching isn’t just about insight. It’s about relevance.
And relevance is what makes coaching truly resonate.

Learn how our coaches help leaders feel seen—and succeed:
https://bermanleadership.com/our-approach

Leadership isn’t about waiting until the end of the year to reflect. As Bill Berman and Suzanne Joseph discussed in a recent internal conversation, meaningful leadership development happens when we make space to pause, learn, and reset—mid-year included.

So what’s the real difference between mid-year and year-end reviews?

According to Suzanne, it’s not about the structure.
It’s about the mindset:
“What did we learn, and where do we go from here?”
This question grounds both conversations in forward-looking growth—not just past performance.

At Berman Leadership, we coach executives to lead with clarity and intention, even in moments of ambiguity. Reviews—whether formal or informal—are powerful when they help leaders connect the dots between self-awareness and strategic alignment.

We encourage leaders to ask:

• What have I learned about myself and my team in the last six months?
• What small shift would create greater alignment—personally and organizationally?
• Where am I stuck, and what would help me move forward?

You don’t need a big reset—just a thoughtful one.

When feedback becomes a habit of reflection instead of a ritual of evaluation, leaders begin to move with greater clarity, confidence, and impact.

Learn how we help executives navigate complexity with intention:
https://bermanleadership.com/our-approach

Leadership is often described as the ability to get work done through others. But what’s less often discussed is the quality and intentionality behind those “others.” Who are they? What do they expect? And how do those relationships shape outcomes?

Scott Serviss, Chief Operating Officer at Berman Leadership, recently posed a simple but essential question:
“We all know leaders get work done through others. The question is whether they’ve thought intentionally about that.”

It’s easy for leaders to default to habitual modes of communication—texting a colleague, emailing a client, updating a board member—without taking time to consider the broader network in which they operate. But leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It unfolds within a complex system of relationships, both internal and external.

A thoughtful leader might ask:

• Who do I need to be in alignment with in order to succeed?
• What are the expectations—explicit or unspoken—of those people?
• Have I built the right network for what’s ahead?

While internal relationships with teams and peers are critical, they’re just one piece of the picture. External stakeholders—customers, regulators, partners, board members, investors—often influence what’s possible more than any one internal decision.The good news is that stakeholder strategy isn’t innate. It’s a skill, and like any skill, it can be learned and strengthened. Leaders who take the time to map their landscape, understand key relationships, and communicate with intention tend to be more resilient, more effective, and more trusted.

In short: Relationships aren’t just part of the job. They are the job.

Executive coaching is often framed as a conversation between coach and client. But the most effective coaching happens when that conversation is rooted in context—when the coach understands not just the individual, but the environment they’re navigating.

Dr. Bill Berman recently outlined four key dimensions that shape how leaders grow. These broader factors provide essential context for any coaching relationship:

1. The Marketplace
   Leaders don’t operate in a vacuum. Economic conditions, industry disruptions, and shifting customer expectations all influence what leadership looks like in practice. Coaches who understand these external pressures are better equipped to help leaders adapt with clarity and purpose.
2. Organizational Culture
   Every organization has its own unwritten rules. Culture determines which behaviors are encouraged, which are avoided, and which are invisible until missteps occur. Effective coaching requires sensitivity to these norms—especially when a leader is trying to shift the culture or navigate misalignment.
3. The Team
   Leadership is relational. The size, structure, and dynamics of a leader’s team can either support or constrain progress. Understanding how the team works—its roles, trust levels, and shared goals—helps coaches identify what’s really needed to improve performance.
4. Stakeholders
   Executives are accountable to many people: board members, peers, direct reports, customers, investors. Each has expectations—some clear, others unspoken. Good coaching helps leaders surface and manage those expectations, while also clarifying what the leader can reasonably expect in return.

When coaches take these four contexts seriously, the work becomes more relevant, more strategic, and more effective. Leadership is never just about the individual. It’s about how that individual functions within a larger system.