Hi, we’re Helen Zink and Dr Cathryn Lloyd. We work closely with leaders and teams, and we know that leaders face an array of challenges. We’re sharing a series of 10 coaching superpowers for leaders to experiment with.
We’ve broken them down into two categories:
5 Mindset superpowers: How you think and show up.
5 Behavioural superpowers: What you do, your actions.
These superpowers often blend together.
⭐ Superpower 5: candour
Authentic and vulnerable leadership is important in fostering an environment of learning, innovation, and accountability in teams. Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety highlights that teams thrive when members feel safe to speak openly, without fear of blame or judgment. Brené Brown reinforces this idea, emphasising that leaders who communicate with honesty and transparency create trust and alignment.
A few ways to model candour:
💡 Share openly - with honesty, kindness and empathy.
💡 Give others direct, constructive and respectful feedback - reflect how your feedback can help the other person.
💡 Invite others to do the same.
💡 Clear communication provides clarity - clear is kind.
This superpower is linked to superpower one, self-awareness. Role modeling candour demands both a high level of self-awareness and intentionality.
📌 Practical tip - straight talk sessions
Create structured opportunities for open dialogue. First set simple ground rules - feedback must be constructive, specific, and focused on solutions. Then ask:
“What’s one thing we could improve as a team?”
“Is there anything I’m not seeing as a leader that we should discuss?”
By consistently making space for honest conversations, leaders normalise candour as part of the team culture. Stay tuned as we share more coaching superpowers.
We’d love to hear how you are experimenting and applying these ideas.
Image: Cathryn Lloyd
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