HBR Presents.

I'm Muriel Wilkins, and this is Coaching Real Leaders, part of the HBR Presents 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.

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 we'll call Ellie. She's a leader

who's done well in previous technology roles, but always felt like she's ready for more in terms of leadership responsibility.

When she was offered the opportunity to lead at a startup, she stepped up.

And her ability to figure things out and get things done is exactly what's valued in that fast-paced environment.

So it's a startup, which means we don't have a lot of the basic foundation that most

companies would have that are doing similar things.

So there's a lot of people wearing many hats, and there's a lack of experienced leadership

who can just come into the company and say,

I know how to build this practice, build it, and then it's done.

So we have people who are having to kind of figure it out, and I'm one of those people

that's one of the figuring it out types.

And while Ellie's resourcefulness and work ethic is driving her success at the startup, it's also

causing her to feel burned out and to question her ability and desire to lead.

It is burnout, but it's also just, I don't think, I either don't think I'm not, I'm capable of

the job. So maybe I don't have those leadership skills or maybe I'm not quite ready for it that people thought I was. And now that I'm capable of the job. So maybe I don't have those leadership skills or maybe I'm not quite

ready for it that people thought I was. And now that I'm in it, I'm realizing I'm maybe not.

I'm very floppy about it because I do actually think I'm quite good at it. So now I'm in this

...