I'm Ariel Wilkins and this is Coaching Real Leaders, part of the HBR podcast network.

I'm a longtime executive coach who works with highly successful leaders who've hit a bump in the road.

My job is to help them get over that bump by clarifying their goals

and figuring out a way to reach them so that hopefully they can lead with a little more ease.

I typically work with clients over the course of several months, but on this show, we have a one-time

coaching meeting focusing on a specific leadership challenge they're facing.

Today's guest is someone will call Robin to protect her confidentiality.

She's been at her current company for her entire career, and she's honed her focus as a leader there over time.

I like to say I grew up here.

There's a great amount of gratitude that I have to the company for shaping me into the

professional that I am today.

I've been fortunate to work throughout the company across all lines of business and functions.

I am focused on people, and that has always been an interest of mine,

how people respond, how people are inspired, how people are motivated. And I am an agitator of that and a

believer in the unlimited potential that people have. I have anchored always back to that

as my core foundation. Robin's journey led her to her current position, which she considers a dream

role. But her transition into the role was not without its challenges. I've never had any

transition like this in all of my

transitions, and I would say this is most difficult trying to maintain all of the responsibilities.

When I came in, the team turned over, so I was not only transitioning in that first 90 days, but I also was doing

that alone and trying to navigate and quickly orient myself around what I needed to know,

knowing that I would be on my own for a while until I was able to rehire some staff.

...