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 Carmen to protect her confidentiality.

She cares about achieving success in her career and about the culture in which she works.

I've tried to maximize my impact, look for the roles where I feel like I can be the most successful in advance the most, while also having a really positive impact on the company

that I'm with. I need to be strongly connected to the mission of my organization. When I think about

the places that I've done my best work

and I've felt the most engaged, I have that kind of dynamic duo of a place with a mission

that I really believe in and a team and a group of people and a culture that is one where I can

really be myself, where you really feel like everyone has your back.

You get to do the work that is mostly uniquely suited to your skill set, and people are open and happy.

Carmen has always been a high achiever from her time in school and throughout her career so far. I feel like every

sort of step of the way I've done the predictable thing or kind of the right path, right? I've

gotten the promotion on the right timelines. I've moved up. I've continued to kind of take on

increasing levels of responsibility, increasing, you know, spans of

control in an organization and kind of moving up the ladder, if you will. I would say I have always

been a high performer most of my life and my career from a young age and courage to always get

straight A's, to always go to the best school,

...