B.O.O.S.T. Podcast
B.O.O.S.T. Podcast
Walking the Leadership Ledge: How New Leaders Build Confidence in Times of Change with Tess Fyalka | EP176
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In this episode, acclaimed leadership development coach and award-winning author Tess Fyalka. Her book, Walking the Leadership Ledge, has become a lifeline for new and emerging leaders navigating today’s unprecedented pace of change. We’ll unpack why stepping into leadership feels more daunting than ever (amid hybrid teams, AI disruption, shrinking budgets, and rising expectations) and what the “leadership ledge” truly represents in this moment.
Tess offers a grounded at the fears and pressures new leaders rarely admit out loud, and she reveals the one essential move every leader must make to build confidence. She also shares a practical, doable strategy for strengthening resilience without slipping into burnout.
Whether you’re a first-time manager or a seasoned leader guiding others through uncertainty, this conversation delivers clarity, courage, and a refreshing reminder: you don’t have to navigate the ledge alone.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-fyalka-cpcc-pcc/
Complete the Leader’s Reality Check Assessment: www.walkingtheleadershipledge.com
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You're standing on the edge of this next iteration of you, and you have to take that step. And you don't know if when you step off that ledge, that drop is going to be, you know, 10 inches or 10,000 feet.
Kelly LeonardThat was Tess Fyalka. Tess is an acclaimed leadership development coach and the author of an award-winning book, "Walking the Leadership Ledge, the New Leader's Guide to Building Resilience and Confidence at Every Step". In today's episode, she breaks down how to secure your thought leadership space. I'm Kelly Leonard, and this is the Boost Podcast.
AnnouncerWelcome to the BOOST Podcast, the podcast created to ignite your business and career potential. In each episode, host Kelly Leonard and her guests dive into one aspect of Kelly's signature BOOST framework, ensuring you get practical, actionable insights, tips, and takeaways to build your brand, optimize relationships, obtain more leads, secure thought leadership space, and tap into new markets. And now, here's Kelly Leonard.
Kelly LeonardHey Tess, welcome to the Boost Podcast.
Tess FyalkaThank you, Kelly. I love your show. And that's one of the best parts of experiencing these podcasts is I find these wonderful podcasts like yours. So thank you so much for having me on. I appreciate it.
Kelly LeonardOh my goodness. Thank you. Thank you. And so for folks who are hearing your name for the very first time, tell us a bit about yourself.
Tess FyalkaSo I am a leadership development coach and a corporate trainer and a newly published author. And I spend, I've spent many, many years in the leadership development space. And that's um one of my passions, in addition to pickleball.
Kelly LeonardLove it. Love it, love it, love it. And so now, while we're on the topic of leadership, I mean we're going to talk about all things leadership development right now, but really quick. So as you're thinking about and as we're watching new leaders step into roles during this time of like super rapid change between hybrid teams, AI disruption, shrinking budgets. I mean, just to name a few things, from your perspective, why um does the transition into leadership feel especially difficult for so many right now?
Tess FyalkaWell, you know, Kelly, it's always been hard. It's never been easy. And the and now to your point, everything is changing so rapidly, and we are really in such a state of complexity. And, you know, by that, yeah, if we if we look at like the 20th century, and it was it was much more, or at least seemingly much more linear. And so when you were when you went into leadership in in you know, not every industry, but many industries, it was you came up through the ranks. And so by the time you got to leadership or management, you know, if we just think about yeah, the factory, you had been working the factory line. And so you knew the ins and outs, you knew what was gonna be coming at you. And today it's yeah, we don't, we don't have that luxury, it's not so linear because it is, you know, it what what's gonna what's gonna be going on in the world that I'm not anticipating? What are the issues that my team members are are gonna be facing that that we we can't possibly anticipate? What what's gonna change in the in procurement, in what what in the gas prices, what whatever it is. And and so so it was always difficult. So there's that piece of it, but the other piece of it is that individual contributors are thrown into leadership or management with pretty much no trading, no development. And it it's the you know, it's like, oh, we see Betsy, and Betsy is a really amazing accountant. And so, all right, so we on the leadership team in the C-suite, we're like of the mind, well, if Betsy's that good, you know, and the joke in the office is that she can write an Excel spreadsheet that could do the dishes, okay? She's that good, right? So um, if if we can put Betsy in a management position, well, then everyone around her is going to be just like Betsy. And you know, and so Betsy, she sees this promotion as a great opportunity, you know, and she's like, Oh, well, you know, that it's all gonna be fine because they just need to do what I do, you know, read the job description, do what I do, and and you know, all it's just a matter of me making sure that they're doing it right, okay, my way. And so then, you know, Betsy gets into leadership and she's completely in over her head. You know, she she's struggling to connect the team to the bigger strategic mission. She's struggling to hold difficult conversations, she's struggling to hold people accountable. She's not sure. Well, how do I develop my team member? And and she falls into a trap of if there's an issue, she just steps in and does it herself because, well, she likes the way she does it. And, you know, she's struggling to delegate. And so she's she's applying the skills that served her so well as an individual contributor to being the manager or being the leader in the department. And you know, in the more the immortal words of Marshall Goldsmith, you know, what got Betsy here is not going to get Betsy here. And so, but she has not developed the skills that she needs because it's a completely different set of competencies. And so it's, you know, organizations are throwing people into leadership positions and management management positions, and then uh they're scratching their head and wondering why is why is the strategy not being implemented? Why, why is there turn this this bloodletting and we this turnover so so high? And and 80% of the strategy gets done at the front line, but yet those leaders and managers have the least opportunity for training.
Kelly LeonardYeah. And another really interesting part of what you shared too is that oftentimes Betsy, since we're gonna let's keep Betsy in the example, Betsy also sees this opportunity to lead people as an opportunity to get more compensation. And so, because of that, even though Betsy may be apprehensive about, oh, I don't even know. Number one, I don't have the skill set to lead people. Number two, I don't want to lead people. But number three, I like that paycheck associated with leading people. And so oftentimes Betsy may say, you know what? Let me just sort of, you know, back in the day, you you know, smooth spoons full of sugar makes the medicine go down. So she plugs her nose and she just says yes to the opportunity, but to your point, not being set up for success all along.
Tess FyalkaExactly. And then it just it ends, it ends poorly for Betsy, it ends poorly for her team, it ends poorly for the organization. And yeah, and the thing is, it's it's like helping people to step into leadership or management with a few of the necessary skills. Um, just and it's just just starting with a few things to help them to develop those skills. I mean, uh it is absolutely a journey and it's going to take time, but to throw them in with virtually no preparation, it's it is so short-sighted. And you know, the the mindset of, well, we've got to get a warm body in there, you know, we we gotta get, you know, until we're all replaced by AI anyway, you know, we have to get somebody in there with a pulse. And so, so, you know, there's this pressure that that leadership may have to fill the position, and they're not thinking through, what do we really need from this position? What do we really need from this team member? What, how, and how can we set this person up for success?
Kelly LeonardYeah, yeah. And so um, let's talk about your book a bit because I know your book, it's titled Walking the Leadership Ledge, which is such a vivid sort of like image. So, what does the ledge represent in sort of today's leadership landscape? And why do you why do so many new leaders feel like they're really standing on or at the ledge?
Tess FyalkaYes, and and I would say, yeah, well, you can be a new leader at many, many times in your career. It's not just from that individual contributor to to leadership or management. And you take a new position in a in a new organization, you've got a new team, uh, you you've moved from middle management to the C-suite, you you are a new leader. And so, so the leadership ledge is really the liminal space, the space in between, where you're moving from that that place where yeah, you were good, you you had the answers, you knew what you were doing, you you delivered, you you were fast, you were on task, you know, people loved you. That's why they've given you this opportunity. And so that space where you really knew what to expect. It was much more comfortable and and it was secure and safe, if you will. And so now you're standing on the edge of this next iteration of you, and you have to take that step. And you don't know if when you step off that leadership and step off that ledge, that that drop is gonna be, you know, 10 inches or 10,000 feet. And frankly, depending on the day, it it done some days are gonna be 10 inches and other days are gonna be 10,000 feet. And so, how how do you climb back up? And and and how do you then step more fully into the next iteration of you as that leader or manager? And and what does that require of you? It's that transition space.
Kelly LeonardOkay, wow. And so if you had to narrow down, sort of narrow it down to really one essential move, so the single most important step a new leader can take to set themselves up for success, what would that sort of one essential move be, especially given sort of the fast-moving and ever-changing environment that we're seeing in the marketplace?
Tess FyalkaYeah. Well, they're kind of like Siamese twins. So so I'm going to connect them. But one of the most important things is to allow yourself to say the words, I don't know. Because you cannot possibly know it all. And and in my work with with leaders at at virtually every level, but especially in in the the from individual contributor to to stepping into manager, and then those stepping from middle management into the uh C-suite, that it is so hard. And it's so hard for us as human beings because because we're wired for certainty. So that that acknowledgement of I am uncertain, I don't know, it doesn't mean you're never gonna know, and it doesn't mean that you're not gonna find out, but giving yourself the space and the grace to acknowledge that you don't know. But the other piece of that, so so the Siamese twin, the the other side of the other side of that coin, two sides of the same coin, is the curiosity and that that willingness to be genuinely curious and and the seeking to understand because you cannot possibly know. And so if we if we can curb that urge to try to come up with the answer or make an assumption, seeking to better understand what's the situation I'm dealing with, and who is the leader that I need to be in this particular situation? Gotcha.
Kelly LeonardYeah, and so that kind of leads me to a question about um something I know you talk about a lot is resilience and and confidence. And so with so many leaders feeling really super stretched thin and perhaps feeling like, hey, I don't know, or ill-equipped, or even questioning if they have what it takes to really do their job effectively, what's one practical way that a new leader can build resist resilience without burning out?
Tess FyalkaWell, courage comes before confidence, and we can't wait to be confident before we begin to experiment. And and it does go back to acknowledging, no, you don't have all the answers, but but there's experimentation and a willingness to acknowledge, you know what, we're gonna try this. We we might call it uh, you know, a little mini pilot or a little test. We're gonna we're gonna try this. We're gonna see what we learn collectively because I, as the new leader, I cannot have all the answers. I do not have all the answers, but I am willing to test this, whatever it is, this pilot, this initiative, this whatever, and and seek feedback, seek input from the smart people that are around me, my team, where I'm tapping into that collective intelligence. And it it is giving themselves permission, a not to have all the answers to not to know it all, and not to not to think that they have to do it all. You cannot possibly do that.
Kelly LeonardSo now let's realistically, there's certain cultures, so corporate cultures that I think everything that you share will work ideally in because perhaps they're they leave grace and space for people to perhaps operate in sort of this messy middle and make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. And then there are other environments where that may not be the case. Like in in the latter instance, where perhaps you're in an environment where it is very sort of cutthroat, and really it's like you you just don't have the space or the grace to be able to say, either I don't know, or to mess up. What would you, what kind of guidance or or advice would you would you give to someone who's in that kind of environment?
Tess FyalkaYeah, and I think in that situation, it is you have to make a decision. Is this is this am I willing to to come in and go through this daily grind and this stress every day? Because you are always at choice. Yes, that choice may not be great. I mean, I'll give you that. Absolutely, it may not be a great choice. So, but you are you are making a decision to stay in that environment and and also during that time, it can be it, it can be a mindset of I'm going to be in this space and I'm going to learn everything I can about this culture. I'm gonna learn how do I tend to react and respond in this culture, and I'm going to use that as wisdom and knowledge going forward because everything is indeed a learning experience. You are always at choice. And so, what what do you choose to do in that? And also the uh going back to mindset, how do I want to look at this particular situation? And in fact, you know, the the building may be burning down and I have to get out of the building, or I'm I'm interpreting everything around me as being so bad and so stressful, and perhaps not everything is so bad and so stressful. And what is one nugget that is sort of my peace nugget where it's like, okay, that's my little corner where I can hold on to that to get me through until I'm ready to make my next move. Love that. Love that.
Kelly LeonardBecause the other thing, to your point, there had to have been something about your level of confidence, your level of competence that even got you the opportunity to lean into a more expansive leadership position. So I definitely appreciate your suggestion for folks to sort of like reframe their reality and to recognize that we are in choice. Tess, for anyone who's listening in, perhaps they want to grab a copy of your book or they want to connect with you directly. What's the best way for them to be in touch with you?
Tess FyalkaSo, LinkedIn, uh, it's the one social network that I'm on. So connect with me on LinkedIn. And you can go to my website. The book website is WalkingTheLeadershipLedge.com. There's a quick little two-minute little assessment that you can take and you can get a sense of where you are on your leadership journey. It's going to give you a customized development, mini development plan, mind you. But that you some things that you can apply right away. And um, so that's one place, actually, two places. You can also go to my business website, anglecoaching.com, and I'd I'd love to chat with you and get to know you. My book is on Amazon, in in paperback, in in Kindle, and in audio.
Kelly LeonardAwesome. And we will include all of those links in the show notes. Tess, thank you so much for sharing your brilliance with us today. My pleasure. It's been a blast. Well, that concludes this episode of the BOOST Podcast. Thank you again for listening in. If you don't mind, if you could like, subscribe, or share the podcast with a friend, I would greatly appreciate it. For more information on anything BOOST related, you can visit our website at www.kellytleonard.com.
