How Do I Help My Boss Without Doing Their Job For Them?

Coaching Real Leaders

Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

Sessions, Business, Hbr, Society & Culture, Careers, Executive, Harvard, C-suite, Management, Leaders, Leadership, Review, Coaching

4.8 • 759 Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

She's energized by her company and the possibilities of her role, but keeps running into tension with her boss around how they work together. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches her through examining her approach, understanding what her boss actually needs from her, and deciding what she's willing to do about it.

For further reading:

How Can I Get Along with My “Difficult” Boss?: https://hbr.org/podcast/2022/09/how-can-i-get-along-with-my-difficult-boss-from-hbrs-women-at-work

5 Reasons Your Boss is Holding You Back: https://www.fastcompany.com/91277735/5-reasons-your-boss-is-holding-you-back

10 Signs Your Boss is Holding You Back: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/11/27/ten-signs-your-boss-is-holding-you-back/

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In the race to scale with AI, you need data infrastructure that can match your pace.
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0:26.4	With Everpure, you're not just in the race.
0:28.5	You're built to win it.
0:37.1	I'm executive coach Muriel Wilkins, and this is coaching real leaders.
0:42.0	I've spent over 20 years working with highly successful leaders who've hit a bump in the road.
0:47.6	My job is to help them get over that bump so they can lead with a little more ease.
0:52.8	I typically work with clients over the course of several
0:55.5	months, but on this show, we have a one-time coaching meeting focusing on a specific leadership
1:01.2	challenge they're facing. Today I'm coaching someone will call Kate to protect her confidentiality.
1:11.6	She previously worked for a large company for many years, steadily moving up the ranks and even getting some unexpected, exciting opportunities.
1:20.1	I got the amazing opportunity to rebuild part of the organization, to essentially re-scope, rebuild it, give it a purpose,
1:30.4	and working really with the executive leaders of the company to assign a purpose,
1:36.4	like an added value to the company.
1:38.4	But even with that growth and the interesting challenges, she felt like it wasn't enough.
1:43.6	I was really haunted by the desire to grow up. and the interesting challenges, she felt like it wasn't enough.
1:44.2	I was really haunted by the desire to grow even more, but I wasn't able to find a place
1:53.1	to grow in the company.
	...

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