FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Straightforward answers to the most pressing leadership challenges, from a Michigan-based firm serving organizations across the United States.

How do we raise manager effectiveness without burning people out?

Quick answers:

  • Set a clear manager operating system, weekly 1:1s, simple priorities, visible role clarity.

  • Train for delegation, feedback, and time blocking, then inspect what you expect.

  • Reduce meeting load, protect focus time, and push written updates for async.

  • Track proxies: engagement pulse, regrettable turnover, cycle time.

Humanergy Solution: High Impact Leadership Training (HILT) builds consistent leadership practices, while Maximizing Time Management helps managers protect focus and reduce overload.

What’s the ROI of executive coaching for our leaders?

Quick answers:

  • Tie coaching goals to business metrics, not just personal growth.

  • Use before/after measures: revenue per head, retention of critical roles, time-to-decision.

  • Expect blended impact: coaching plus team agreements and manager training.

  • Pilot with a cohort, compare matched controls if possible.

Humanergy Solution: Insight Coaching (with ELP360™) and Impact Coaching tie personal growth to measurable business outcomes, showing clear ROI through pre- and post-measures.

How do we build psychological safety while keeping performance high?

Quick answers:

  • Make safety observable: frequent quick connects, clear norms, escalation paths.

  • Reward constructive dissent, publish decision logs.

  • Teach leaders to ask good questions and visibly close the loop.

  • Pair safety with standards by clarifying commitments and follow-through.

Humanergy Solution: Building Trust and Building Emotional Intelligence workshops strengthen safety, openness, and accountability across teams.

How do hybrid teams collaborate across time zones without after-hours creep?

Quick answers:

  • Default to written briefs, async updates, and rotating meeting windows.

  • Cap live meetings to decisions or sensitive issues.

  • Adopt team agreements on response times and quiet hours.

  • Measure meeting load, after-hours pings, and cycle times.

Humanergy Solution: Facilitate a Team Charter Workshop through What Great Teams Do Great and keep commitments on track using FACET.

What should new managers master in the first 90 days?

Quick answers:

  • Clarify outcomes, map stakeholders, and run skip-level listening.

  • Establish 1:1 cadence, draft a team rhythm, and prune meetings.

  • Learn to give and receive feedback weekly.

  • Deliver a visible 30-60-90 plan with 2–3 business wins.

Humanergy Solution: The Green Path Starter Kit provides an on-ramp for aspiring leaders, setting up early wins and avoiding costly missteps.

How do we make feedback frequent, safe, and useful?

Quick answers:

  • Standardize moments: weekly 1:1s, mid-mortems, deal or incident reviews.

  • Use the “what, so what, now what” structure, ask for self-assessment first.

  • Train micro-skills: be specific, focus on behavior not intent, ask-then-tell.

  • Track completion of feedback cycles and visible actions taken.

Humanergy Solution: Mastering Feedback for Better Relationships gives leaders the skills to deliver and receive feedback that drives growth and trust.

How should we handle conflict productively across functions?

Quick answers:

  • Define decision rights and tie-breakers, publish RACI for top workflows.

  • Normalize “disagree and commit,” timebox debates.

  • Use pre-mortems to surface risks before handoffs.

  • Track rework and blocked items as conflict signals.

Humanergy Solution: Managing Conflict equips leaders with practical frameworks to resolve disagreements constructively and move work forward. Facilitate inter-team agreements using WGTDG decision styles.

How do we lead change with clarity when uncertainty is high?

Quick answers:

  • Publish a one-page change brief: why, what, who, when, and how to measure.

  • Segment stakeholders and tailor messages, especially frontline managers.

  • Sequence quick wins and visible pilots.

  • Hold monthly open forums, log decisions and FAQs.

Humanergy Solution: Navigating Change equips leaders to reduce resistance, create clarity, and guide their organizations with confidence.

What are the few metrics that tell me my team culture is healthy?

Quick answers:

  • Track engagement pulse, turnover risk, mobility, and safety signals.

  • Monitor after-hours load and meeting hours per person.

  • Tie in customer impact with NPS/CSAT at the team level.

  • Pair numbers with monthly qualitative “voice of team.”

Humanergy Solution: Build a tailored Organizational Assessment with Humanergy, then review results through facilitated sessions that track trust, engagement, and performance.

Where does Humanergy provide executive coaching and leadership development?

Quick answers:

Humanergy is based in Michigan and our coaches work with organizations across the state, including Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Traverse City, Flint, and Battle Creek. We also partner with clients throughout the Midwest, across the country, and internationally.

Our virtual and on-site coaching options give leaders in any location access to Humanergy’s practical tools and high-impact development.

Humanergy Solution: Executive coaching, leadership training, and team alignment can be delivered in person or virtually, tailored to your region, industry, and leadership goals.