Saber Coaching

Saber Coaching Inspiring leaders to effectively master their craft | coaching individuals, teams, and organizations

06/19/2026

I've found a sweet spot with people who are too successful to admit that they're stuck.

They have success on paper, the nice job, the nice title, but something's missing.

This could be founders feeling real pressure, a new VP quietly wondering if they're ready, or co-founders who've started to drift apart.

I've been in all those spots, so I recognize what's underneath.

That's where I do my best work.

06/18/2026

"I don't feel like who I am has profoundly changed, but I feel like who I can be within any given moment is a little bit more open-ended. I never would have even considered the concept of 'picking some fights'... but I can go there. If I need to, I can."

When Ken started our nine-month coaching engagement, he was overwhelmed, spiraling, and feeling isolated.

He was juggling his doctorate, trying to level up to VP, and felt like he had to do everything himself.

His accountability shifted from feeling responsible for every detail to holding others accountable and truly leading.

He stopped being an individual contributor in a leadership role and became an actual leader.

This transformation helped him reach VP level while maintaining his authentic self.

He went from jumping around between everything to clear, focused leadership.

06/17/2026

A good day doesn't require doing everything on your list.

A good day requires doing three things from it.

Pick three shoulds, mark the calendar, and build the streak. That's the whole system.

06/16/2026

Before you tell yourself you have imposter syndrome, check the room.

What if this feeling is not a glitch in your capabilities or your confidence, but accurate data about the environment?

First, this imposter thing is a phenomenon, not a syndrome.

Second, sometimes how we feel speaks more to the context we're in. Three things to check:

1️⃣ Are you in an ultra-competitive culture that celebrates the grind or up-or-out (medicine, law, consulting, technology)

2️⃣ Is there an absence of role models and weak onboarding

3️⃣ Is there a lack of representation and you're the only

Ask yourself what would change about how you feel in a different environment.

Have you ever said it's not me, it's you?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below 👇

06/15/2026

Every team says they want more trust. Few take the time to define it.

A simple equation from The Trusted Advisor: trustworthiness equals credibility plus reliability plus intimacy, divided by self-interest.

Most leaders score themselves high on credibility and reliability. The growth edge is often intimacy, the willingness to be real, and lowering self-interest, the willingness to put the team ahead of yourself.

The exercise that moves teams the most is simple. Have each leader reflect on how trustworthy they are and identify one to two actions they could take to grow it.

Then break them into duos. One person shares while the other listens without interruption. Then they switch.

The tone softens. Peers say things like, "you're a tough grader," or "I heard something real today." Self-awareness plus intimacy pulls them closer, and behaviors quietly start to change.

That undefinable thing called trust? It doesn't grow from a workshop or a values poster. It grows when people stop performing and start hearing each other.

How do you build trust with the people you lead? Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇

Why does your smart, high-EQ team keep going in circles on decisions?Watching an executive team try to decide can feel l...
06/12/2026

Why does your smart, high-EQ team keep going in circles on decisions?

Watching an executive team try to decide can feel like a tennis match where no one is trying to hit a winner.

Everyone is trying not to offend, half the team is waiting for the leader, and the best answer has been on the table for 30 minutes.

The fix is deciding how you decide:



1️⃣ When does the leader decide
2️⃣ When is it the CFO's call
3️⃣ When do you need full consensus
4️⃣ When do you disagree and commit

How does your team decide? Share your thoughts in the comments 👇

06/11/2026

"I'm now comfortable saying explore versus I'm going to spend a sh*tload of time making a very rigid plan and rolling it out, and because I put so much time in it, come hell or high water, that plan is going to go. Instead, let's see if this fits."

Ken was surprised how creative activities unlocked this breakthrough.

He drew his path forward with colored pencils, mapping what belonged on it: PhD, speaker, subject matter expert, healthy relationships, VP role, beach house.

And what didn't belong.

This artistic work helped him shift from forcing rigid plans to exploring what fits.

He went from muddy, unclear creation work to clear focus.

This clarity helped him reach his VP goal while staying true to himself.

Leaders often get frustrated when their team delivers late or off-quality, and the instinct is to push harder.But the re...
06/10/2026

Leaders often get frustrated when their team delivers late or off-quality, and the instinct is to push harder.

But the real fix isn't being a drill sergeant, it's getting crystal clear on the five Ws:

1️⃣ Who is the primary owner of the task

2️⃣ What does a good job look like, or what is the performance standard

3️⃣ When is it due, and when will you follow up

4️⃣ Where can this person go to get support

5️⃣ Why does it matter, and how does it drive the business forward

Once that's defined, the only thing left is the courage to follow up.

What's the one W your team is missing most right now? Share your thoughts in the comments 👇

06/09/2026

Managing paradox is a power skill that separates the great executives from the good ones.

We often face opposing forces, especially when working with co-founders or department heads.

Picture two co-founders: one is the freedom guy who wants exploration and test-and-learn, the other is the structure guy who wants clarity and frameworks.

So who's right? Before you pick, slow the conversation down and go one at a time.

Walk through the benefits of freedom, then the risks of too much of it.

Do the same for structure. Once leaders look at the best of both, conflict settles and growth resumes.

What's a paradox showing up in your organization? Drop your take in the comments 👇

One of my best productivity tools started when I was nine days deep in a Haagen-Dazs binge.I was in a total downward spi...
06/08/2026

One of my best productivity tools started when I was nine days deep in a Haagen-Dazs binge.

I was in a total downward spiral. I wasn't running, I wasn't eating healthy, I was drinking more, I was having a down quarter.

I'm like a light switch. Either all my habits are good or all of them are off, and both can be exhausting.

So I just made a list of all the things I felt I should be doing. Reading, exercising, eating healthy, doing pushups, seeing friends, and on and on. The list was huge.

Then I made one simple rule:

1️⃣ A good day means doing three things from the list

2️⃣ I can do more than three, but I can't do all 25

3️⃣ I mark each day on the calendar and aim for an unbreakable chain

I stole the chain part from Jerry Seinfeld and his writing practice.

What I love about this system is that it lowers the bar without lowering the standard.

You're not aiming for a perfect week you'll never actually have. You're aiming for three shoulds, today, then tomorrow, then the day after.

That's how the chain builds. That's how identity quietly shifts.

What's your best go-to productivity tool? Share it in the comments 👇

Address

Boston, MA

Telephone

+16179387993

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Saber Coaching posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category