# Loop Link Coachsulting™ — Blog — full content (page 1 of 1) > Articles published on Loop Link Coachsulting™ 's coaching website. Source: https://theresatruong.ca Articles on this page: 24 Total articles: 24 --- # Intensive vs Group Coaching: Which Path Clears Your Stuck Career Faster URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/intensive-vs-group-coaching-which-path-clears-your-stuck-career-faster Author: Theresa Published: 2026-07-11T13:00:29.570Z Reading time: 11 min > The Decision That Stops Most Career Changers Cold You know something has to change. The career you built no longer fits. The leadership role feels hollow. The... ## The Decision That Stops Most Career Changers Cold You know something has to change. The career you built no longer fits. The leadership role feels hollow. The life you designed five years ago isn't the life you want to live now. But the moment you decide to get help, you hit a wall: do you invest in intensive 1:1 coaching, or do you join a group program with other people navigating the same crossroads? This decision matters because it determines how fast you move, how much you spend, and whether you actually follow through. Choose wrong, and you'll spend months in a program that doesn't match your learning style or your timeline. You'll feel like you're wasting money. You might quit before you get the clarity you came for. The truth most coaches won't tell you: both work. Neither is universally better. But one will work faster and cheaper for your specific situation. Let's figure out which one that is. ## Side-by-Side: Intensive Coaching vs Group Coaching Factor 1:1 Intensive Coaching Group Coaching Programs Timeline to Clarity 3 weeks to 2 months (compressed, customized) 4 to 12 weeks (structured, paced) Cost $3,000 to $10,000+ (concentrated investment) $500 to $2,000 (distributed cost) Personalization 100% tailored to your specific situation Framework applied to your context Accountability Direct one-on-one, high stakes Peer accountability, shared experience Execution Speed Fast (you move at your pace, no group rhythm) Moderate (structured pacing, group cadence) Best For Urgent decisions, complex situations, executive-level clarity Building confidence through community, budget-conscious, methodical learners ## When 1:1 Intensive Coaching Gets You Unstuck Fastest An intensive coaching experience is a concentrated sprint. You're working directly with a coach who knows your entire situation, your industry, your leadership history, and your real constraints. Nothing gets lost in translation. No time is spent on someone else's problem. This model works because it compresses months of decision-making into weeks. A Crossroads Chapter Intensive, for example, takes you from stuck to strategy to action in three weeks. You don't wait for the next group cohort. You don't move at someone else's pace. You move when you're ready, and the coach moves with you. ### Pros of Intensive 1:1 Coaching - Speed: You get from confusion to clarity to action in weeks, not months. - Specificity: The coach tailors every conversation to your exact situation, industry, and constraints. - Privacy: You can be completely honest about your doubts, fears, and real numbers without worrying about being judged by peers. - Flexibility: Sessions happen on your schedule. You can move fast when you're hot and slow down when you need to process. - Executive-level depth: If you're in a complex leadership role or managing a high-stakes transition, you get someone who understands that world. - No group dynamics: You're not waiting for others to catch up or feeling rushed by people ahead of you. ### Cons of Intensive 1:1 Coaching - Higher cost: You're paying for the coach's full attention and expertise. That's expensive upfront. - No peer experience: You don't hear how others handle similar situations. You miss the "oh, I'm not alone in this" moment. - Pressure to move fast: Some people freeze under one-on-one intensity. If you're a slow processor, this can feel rushed. - No community: When the intensive ends, so does your support structure. You have to build that separately. - Requires high self-awareness: You need to know what you don't know. If you're in denial about your real problem, a coach can't fix that for you. ### Who Should Choose Intensive 1:1 Coaching You're the right fit for an intensive if any of these are true: - You're facing an urgent decision (you have six weeks to decide whether to take that job, leave your company, or restructure your role). - Your situation is complex and non-standard (you're a founder, an executive, or in a specialized industry where few people understand your world). - You've tried group programs before and felt like you were moving at someone else's pace. - You're willing to invest more money upfront to compress your timeline and get moving faster. - You learn best in one-on-one conversations and need someone who knows your full context to challenge your thinking. - You're the type who, once you decide, wants to execute immediately. Group pacing will frustrate you. ## When Group Coaching Builds Clarity Through Community A group coaching program works differently. You move through a structured process alongside other people who are stuck in the same way you are. The framework is proven. The pacing is consistent. And you're never the only person who feels terrified about what comes next. The Crossroads Clarity Method is built on this principle. It's a seven-step guided process designed for women who feel stuck between who they've been and who they're becoming. You get the framework, you get the structure, and you get the community. That combination does something powerful: it makes your transition feel real because you're watching other people do it too. ### Pros of Group Coaching Programs - Affordability: You're spreading the cost across a cohort, so the price per person is much lower. - Community: You hear how others are handling similar fears, decisions, and transitions. You feel less alone. - Peer accountability: You're more likely to do the work because you know you'll see the same people next week. Shame is a powerful motivator. - Structured process: You don't have to figure out what to do next. The coach has mapped the path. - Lower pressure: You're one of many. You can be messy and uncertain without feeling like you're wasting the coach's time. - Extended support: Most group programs run for weeks or months, so you have ongoing reinforcement, not just an intensive sprint. - Confidence through witnessing: When you see someone else move through the same fear and come out the other side, you believe you can too. ### Cons of Group Coaching Programs - Slower timeline: You move at the group's pace, not your own. If you're ready to decide, you might still be on week three of seven. - Less personalization: The framework applies to everyone, but your specific situation might need a different approach. - Limited coach access: You get group time, maybe some office hours, but not the depth of a 1:1 relationship. - Cohort dependency: You're locked to a start date and a group. If you miss a session, you fall behind. - Group dynamics: Some people dominate conversations. Some stay silent. Some move slower or faster than you. - Execution can stall: When the program ends, you lose the structure and momentum. You have to build your own accountability. ### Who Should Choose Group Coaching A group program is the right choice if: - You're budget-conscious and need a lower price point to say yes to coaching at all. - You're energized by other people's stories and learn better when you hear how others are navigating similar transitions. - You process slowly and need time to sit with ideas before you act on them. Pacing helps you. - You're the type who needs external structure to follow through. A weekly group meeting keeps you accountable. - You're not in an urgent crisis. You have time to move methodically and build confidence alongside others. - You want to be part of something bigger than yourself. A community matters to you. - Your situation is fairly standard (career pivot, life reset, quiet knowing that something has to change). The framework will apply well. ## When to Choose Which: Your Decision Framework Here's how to decide between intensive and group coaching in real time. ### Choose Intensive 1:1 if... You have a deadline. You're facing a specific decision point with a real timeline. You need to move fast because staying in limbo is costing you money, energy, or opportunity. You know your situation is complex and you need someone who can hold the full picture without any context getting lost. You've already decided you want coaching and you're willing to invest more to compress the timeline. The Crossroads Chapter Intensive is built for this exact scenario. Three weeks, personalized strategy, execution by the end. You move from stuck to moving. ### Choose Group Coaching if... You're not in a crisis. You have three to four months to figure this out. You're more motivated by community and accountability than by speed. You want to hear how others are thinking through similar decisions. You need to build confidence gradually, not overnight. You're budget-sensitive and a lower investment matters. You learn better in a structured environment with consistent pacing. The Crossroads Clarity Method is designed for this. Seven steps, four to twelve weeks depending on your pace, a community of women moving through the same transition at the same time. You get the framework and the people who make it feel possible. ### The Hybrid Path Some people do both. They start with a group program to understand the landscape, build confidence, and connect with community. Then they do an intensive later when they need to execute a specific decision. Or they do an intensive to get clear, then join a group to stay accountable while they execute. For more on this, it is worth reading [Your Business Grows When You Know What To Let Go](https://theresatruong.ca/blog/your-business-grows-when-you-know-what-to-let-go). Neither choice is wrong. But the timing and combination matter. > The real question isn't which coaching model is better. It's which one matches your timeline, your budget, your learning style, and your real situation right now. Choose based on that, not on what sounds impressive. ## What Most People Get Wrong About This Decision Most people assume intensive coaching is for serious people who are really committed. Group coaching is for people who are "just exploring." That's backwards. Group coaching is for people who are committed enough to show up every week for weeks. That takes discipline. Intensive coaching is for people who need to move fast because their situation demands it, not because they're more serious. The other mistake: assuming the cheaper option is the right one. Sometimes the most expensive choice saves you the most money because you move faster and stop spinning your wheels in confusion. Sometimes the cheaper choice is perfect because you don't need to move fast and community matters more to you than speed. Buy based on fit, not on price or prestige. ## The Real Cost of Choosing Wrong If you pick an intensive when you need a group, you'll feel rushed. You'll spend more money than you needed to. You might make a decision before you're ready. You'll miss the community that could have made this transition feel less lonely. You can find more resources and ways to work together over at [Loop Link Coachsulting™](https://theresatruong.ca). If you pick a group when you need an intensive, you'll get frustrated with the pacing. You'll want to move faster but you'll be locked into a group rhythm. You'll spend months getting to clarity when you could have gotten there in weeks. And if you have a real deadline, you might miss it. The cost of choosing wrong isn't just money. It's time. It's staying stuck longer than you need to. It's postponing the career or life you actually want. ## How to Know You're Ready for Either One You're ready for coaching, intensive or group, when: - You know something has to change but you can't figure out what on your own. - You've tried to make this decision alone and you keep going in circles. - You're willing to invest time and money to get unstuck. - You're open to hearing feedback that might challenge your current thinking. - You're ready to take action, not just think about it. If you're not ready on these fronts, coaching won't work. Not because coaching doesn't work. Because you're not the right fit yet. Wait until you are. ## Your Next Move You don't have to figure this out alone. But you do have to make a choice. And the choice between intensive and group coaching is the first real decision you'll make on your way out of being stuck. If you're facing an urgent decision and you have the budget, an intensive gets you clear and moving fast. The Crossroads Chapter Intensive takes you from strategy to execution in three weeks. You work directly with someone who understands your world. If you need community, structure, and time to move methodically, a group program gives you all three. The Crossroads Clarity Method walks you through a seven-step process alongside other women who are navigating the same transition. You get the framework, the accountability, and the people who make it feel real. Either way, you're moving. And movement is what matters. Staying stuck is free, but it costs you everything. --- # Building Leadership Presence Without the Imposter Voice: A Playbook URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/building-leadership-presence-without-the-imposter-voice-a-playbook Author: Theresa Published: 2026-07-10T13:00:04.463Z Reading time: 11 min > The Leadership Presence Gap Nobody Names You've earned your seat at the table. You have the experience, the track record, the skills. And yet, when you walk in... ## The Leadership Presence Gap Nobody Names You've earned your seat at the table. You have the experience, the track record, the skills. And yet, when you walk into a meeting, something shifts. Your voice gets smaller. Your ideas feel less solid. You find yourself over-explaining, hedging, waiting for someone else to speak first. This isn't imposter syndrome in the textbook sense. You're not actually a fraud. But there's a gap between what you know you can do and how confidently you're showing up in the world. And that gap is expensive. It costs you visibility. It costs you influence. It costs you the promotions, the board seats, the partnerships that go to people who show up with less self-doubt. It costs you the respect of your team, who are watching to see if you believe in yourself. And it costs you energy, because you're spending mental bandwidth managing your own internal narrative instead of focusing on the work that actually matters. The real problem isn't your competence. It's that nobody taught you how to build leadership presence intentionally. How to own your authority without arrogance. How to speak with conviction when your brain is still running the "who do you think you are?" soundtrack. This playbook gives you the framework. ## Play 1: Separate Your Competence From Your Confidence Here's what trips most executives up: they think confidence is a feeling. It's not. Confidence is a behavior, and it's built on a foundation that has nothing to do with how you feel on any given day. Start by naming the gap. Write down three things you know you're genuinely good at. Not things you think you should be good at. Things where you have real evidence: you've delivered results, people have told you, you've solved problems others couldn't solve. Now write down the stories you tell yourself that contradict that evidence. "I'm not strategic enough." "I don't belong in this room." "I haven't been here long enough." "Real leaders don't feel nervous." The gap between these two lists is your work. Your competence is real. Your self-doubt is a story. And stories can be rewritten. This is where most people get stuck. They try to feel confident first, then act. But that's backwards. You act first. You show up with your evidence, not your feelings. The confidence follows. ## Play 2: Own Your Narrative Before Someone Else Writes It Leadership presence isn't about being the loudest person in the room. It's about being clear about who you are and what you stand for before anyone else defines it for you. Too many executives wait. They wait to feel ready. They wait for someone to give them permission. They wait until they've learned enough, achieved enough, become enough. And in that waiting, other people write their narrative. Your narrative is the story people tell about you when you're not in the room. It's built from small moments: how you respond under pressure, what you prioritize, how you treat people, what you stand up for. It's built from what you say and what you don't say. Take control of it now. Decide: what do you want to be known for? Not what sounds impressive. What actually matters to you. What do you want your team to say about your leadership? What do you want your peers to respect you for? What legacy do you want to build in this role? Write this down. Make it specific. "I want to be known as someone who develops people and makes hard decisions clearly." That's a narrative. "I want to be seen as strategic and innovative." That's vague and forgettable. Now, every time you show up, you're building that narrative through your choices. You're not trying to impress people. You're being consistent with who you've decided to be. ## Play 3: Master the Three Pillars of Presence Leadership presence has three working parts. Master these, and you'll show up differently. Pillar What It Means How to Build It Physical Presence How you occupy space. Your posture, your eye contact, your stillness. Before a big meeting, ground yourself. Feel your feet on the floor. Sit or stand with your spine straight. Make eye contact. Slow your movements. One deliberate gesture beats ten nervous ones. Vocal Presence How you sound. Your pace, your volume, your pauses. Speak slower than feels natural. Pause between thoughts instead of filling silence with "um" or "you know." Lower your pitch slightly. People hear authority in a slower, lower voice. Record yourself in a meeting. Notice where you rush or get smaller. Mental Presence How focused and intentional you are. Your clarity, your questions, your listening. Go into every meeting with one clear intention. Know what you want to understand or decide. Listen to understand, not to respond. Ask one thoughtful question instead of talking more. Clarity reads as confidence. These aren't personality traits. They're skills. You can practice them. You can get better at them. And they compound. Pick one pillar this week. Focus on it. If you choose physical presence, spend five days being intentional about how you sit, how you stand, how you move. If you choose vocal presence, record yourself and listen. If you choose mental presence, show up to one meeting with complete focus and see what happens. ## Play 4: Stop Explaining Away Your Ideas One of the quickest ways to lose presence is to hedge. "This might be a stupid idea, but..." "I'm probably wrong, but..." "I'm not sure if this makes sense, but..." You're doing the work for people who were already inclined to dismiss you. You're handing them permission. Here's what changes: you make a statement instead of an apology. Not "I think maybe we should consider possibly trying..." but "Here's what I'm seeing. Here's what I think we should do." This doesn't mean never being wrong. It means being willing to be wrong out loud. There's a huge difference between "I don't know, let me think about it" and "I'm not sure, but here's my best thinking right now." The second one is confident. It's honest. It invites people in. The first one makes you look uncertain. Practice this in low-stakes moments. Stop hedging in emails. Stop softening your opinions in one-on-ones. Notice how people respond when you just say what you think. Most of the time, they respect you more for it. Not less. ## Play 5: Build Presence Through Consistency, Not Perfection The biggest mistake executives make is thinking presence is something you turn on in big moments. It's not. It's built in the small moments, every single day. How you respond to your team when you're frustrated. How you handle a mistake. How you show up when you're tired. Whether you follow through on what you say you'll do. Whether you remember people's names and what matters to them. Whether you admit when you don't know something. Presence is built from consistency. People trust you when you're the same person in the boardroom and in the hallway. When your values match your actions. When you do what you say you'll do. This is where real authority comes from. Not from being perfect. From being real and steady. Start tracking one thing this week. How many times did you follow through on what you said you would? How many times did you show up the same way regardless of who was in the room? Where did you hedge or shrink? This awareness is the first step to changing it. ## Play 6: Name Your Leadership Edge and Stop Apologizing for It If this resonates, you will get a lot from [How to Avoid Operational Setbacks with Systems Thinking](https://theresatruong.ca/blog/how-to-avoid-operational-setbacks-with-systems-thinking) as well. You have an edge. A way of thinking, leading, or solving problems that's distinctly yours. It might be that you're direct when others are diplomatic. You might be strategic where others are tactical. You might be empathetic where others are analytical. You might be the person who asks the question nobody else is willing to ask. Most executives spend their career trying to smooth out their edge. Make it more palatable. More like the "ideal" leader they think they should be. Stop. Your edge is your presence. Name it. What's the thing you bring that's different? What do people come to you for? What's your distinct leadership style? Then stop apologizing for it. Stop trying to be someone else's version of a leader. Stop waiting until you feel like the "right" kind of executive. The leaders people follow are the ones who know who they are and aren't trying to be anyone else. That clarity, that commitment to yourself, is what builds real presence. ## Play 7: Make Presence Visible in Your Actions Presence isn't just internal. It shows up in what you do and what you decide. Make one visible choice this week that signals your leadership. It could be: you speak up in a meeting where you normally stay quiet. You make a decision you've been avoiding. You have a hard conversation you've been postponing. You prioritize something that matters to your values instead of what's urgent. People notice these moments. They're watching to see if you actually believe what you say. If you're willing to take a stand. If you'll follow through when it's hard. You can find more resources and ways to work together over at [Loop Link Coachsulting™](https://theresatruong.ca). That's where presence becomes real. Not in how you sit or how you sound, but in what you're willing to do. > Presence isn't something you feel first and then act on. It's something you build through consistent choices that align your actions with your values. The confidence follows. ## What Results to Expect You won't wake up tomorrow as a different person. But if you follow this playbook, here's what changes: - People stop interrupting you. Your ideas get more air time. - You speak less but say more. Your words carry more weight. - Your team looks to you first instead of waiting for someone else to decide. - You stop mentally replaying conversations and second-guessing what you said. - You get invited to bigger conversations. Your opinion is sought out. - You feel less exhausted by the effort of managing your own self-doubt. - You start seeing opportunities you were too small to notice before. These changes happen because you've stopped waiting to feel ready. You've started building presence through deliberate action. And people respond to that. The tricky part is that this isn't a one-time fix. It's not something you do once and you're done. It's a practice. You build it over weeks and months. You get better at it. You slip back sometimes and catch yourself and start again. If you want to accelerate this work, most executives find it helps to have a framework and someone holding them accountable. The Crossroads Playbook walks you through exactly how to identify your leadership edge, own your narrative, and take the actions that build real presence. The Crossroads Chapter Intensive is a 3-week immersion where you get personalized support to translate this into your actual role, your actual team, your actual challenges. But whether you work with someone or do this on your own, the work is the same. You're building from the inside out. You're separating what's real about you from what's a story. You're showing up as yourself, consistently, and letting the presence follow. ## Your Presence Checklist - I've written down three things I genuinely know how to do well, with evidence. - I've named the self-doubt stories I tell myself about leadership. - I've decided what I want to be known for and what narrative I'm building. - I've picked one of the three pillars (physical, vocal, mental presence) to focus on this week. - I've identified one area where I'm hedging or softening my ideas, and I've planned how I'll change it. - I've named my leadership edge and the way I lead that's distinctly mine. - I've planned one visible action this week that signals my leadership to others. - I've committed to tracking my consistency: following through on what I say I'll do, showing up the same way regardless of who's in the room. Start with the checklist. One week. See what shifts when you stop waiting to feel ready and start acting like the leader you already are. --- # The Clarity-to-Execution Framework: Making Decisions That Stick for Career Changers URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/the-clarity-to-execution-framework-making-decisions-that-stick-for-career-change Author: Theresa Published: 2026-07-09T13:00:47.271Z Reading time: 15 min > The Gap Between Knowing and Doing You know the feeling. You sit in your car after a tough day at work and think, "This isn't it anymore." You scroll through jo... ## The Gap Between Knowing and Doing You know the feeling. You sit in your car after a tough day at work and think, "This isn't it anymore." You scroll through job postings at midnight. You talk to a mentor who says, "You'd be great at that." You even start researching programs or new industries. Then nothing happens. Not because you're lazy. Not because you're scared, exactly. It's because there's a chasm between the moment you realize you need a change and the moment you actually take the first real step. You have clarity about the problem. You don't have clarity about the path. And without a path, even the strongest conviction fades into the background noise of your real life. Most executives and career changers get stuck in this gap. You know something has to shift. But "shift" is too vague. So you stay in the job that doesn't fit. You put the dream on the "someday" shelf. You watch people around you make bold moves while you remain in the exact same place, month after month. The problem isn't you. It's that you're trying to navigate a major decision without a framework. You're making it up as you go. And that's exhausting. ## Introducing the Clarity-to-Execution Framework The Clarity-to-Execution Framework is a five-step method that takes you from that vague sense of "something needs to change" to a concrete first action you can take this week. It's built on one core principle: clarity without execution is just daydreaming, and execution without clarity is chaos. This framework works because it forces you to do the hard thinking upfront, before you waste time or money chasing the wrong direction. It also prevents the analysis paralysis that traps so many smart people. You're not trying to predict the future. You're trying to get clear on what you actually want, why you want it, and what your real constraints are. Then you move. The five parts are: Honest Assessment, True North, Reality Check, Decision Criteria, and Committed Action. Let's walk through each one. ## Part One: Honest Assessment Before you can move forward, you have to tell yourself the truth about where you are right now. This is where most people stumble. You've built a narrative about your current situation. Maybe it's "I'm stuck in a company that doesn't value me." Maybe it's "I've been here too long, so leaving would be stupid." Maybe it's "I'm too old to start over" or "I don't have the right credentials." These narratives feel true because you've been telling them to yourself for months or years. But they're usually half-truths layered with fear. Honest Assessment means separating fact from story. You write down: What is actually true about my current role right now? Not how it feels. What's factually accurate? Your salary. The actual scope of your work. The people you report to. The skills you use every day. The parts of the job that energize you and the parts that drain you. Be specific. "I'm unfulfilled" is a story. "I spend 60% of my time in meetings that have nothing to do with my actual job" is a fact. Example: An operations director told herself she was stuck in a dead-end role. When she did Honest Assessment, the real facts were different. She had autonomy over her department. She had a boss who trusted her. She had built strong systems. What was actually true was that she was bored because she'd solved the main problems in her role and had nothing new to learn. That changed everything about what she needed to do next. She didn't need to leave the company. She needed a bigger challenge in it. This step takes 60 to 90 minutes. Write it down. Don't skip it. ## Part Two: True North Now that you know where you actually are, you need to know where you're actually going. True North is not a job title. It's not a salary. It's the core of what matters to you in your work and your life. It's the answer to: If I could design my life without any constraints, what would be true about it? Not what should be true. What would actually feel right to me? This requires brutal honesty again. Maybe you realize you don't actually want the promotion everyone thinks you should want. Maybe you realize you want to work less, not more. Maybe you realize you care about impact more than money, or flexibility more than prestige. Maybe you realize you want to build something of your own instead of climbing someone else's ladder. True North has three components: the type of work that engages you, the environment where you do your best work, and the life structure that supports you. Not just the career part. The whole life part. Example: A marketing executive went through this and realized her True North wasn't a bigger title. It was autonomy, intellectual challenge, and the ability to be home by 6pm most nights because her kids were in a crucial development phase. That clarity meant she stopped applying for CMO roles at bigger companies and started looking at fractional CMO work and advisory roles where she could control her hours. She found a path that fit her actual life, not the version of herself she thought she should be. True North is not a one-time exercise. You come back to it. But once you have it clearly named, everything else becomes easier to evaluate. ## Part Three: Reality Check This is where most people's plans fall apart, because they skip it or minimize it. Reality Check means looking at your actual constraints and resources right now. Not what you wish were true. What is true. Do you have savings to cover a gap if you make a transition? Do you have dependents? Do you have a mortgage? Do you have time to learn a new skill, or are you maxed out? Do you have a network in the field you're considering, or are you starting from scratch? Are there certifications or credentials you'd need, and how long would they take? This is not about talking yourself out of your dream. It's about being clear about the actual cost and timeline so you can plan accordingly. The executives and entrepreneurs who successfully navigate transitions are not the ones without constraints. They're the ones who see their constraints clearly and build a plan that works within them. Reality Check has three dimensions: financial (what can you actually afford?), time (what is your actual capacity?), and knowledge (what do you need to learn, and how long will that take?). Write these down too. Example: A career changer wanted to start a consulting business. Her Reality Check revealed she had six months of expenses saved, which was tight. She had 15 hours a week available outside her current job. She had deep expertise but no business ownership experience. That reality check meant she didn't quit her job and jump in. Instead, she spent three months building the business as a side project while still employed, getting her first clients, proving the model, and building her confidence. Then she transitioned. She had a plan that worked within her reality, not against it. ## Part Four: Decision Criteria Now you have clarity on where you are, where you want to go, and what you're working with. The next step is to name the criteria that will help you evaluate your options. Decision Criteria are the measurable standards that matter most to you. They come directly from your True North and your Reality Check. If your True North is autonomy and flexibility, then "Does this option give me control over my schedule?" is a decision criterion. If your Reality Check shows you have limited time, then "Can I do this without leaving my current job immediately?" is a criterion. Most people make career decisions emotionally or reactively. They get offered something and say yes before they think. Or they get excited about an idea and chase it without checking if it actually aligns with what they need. Decision Criteria prevent that. They give you a filter to evaluate opportunities quickly and with confidence. You don't need more than five to seven criteria. Make them specific and measurable. Not "Is it a good fit?" That's too vague. "Does it align with my expertise?" "Will it give me the skill I'm missing?" "Does it pay within my range?" "Can I start within the next six months?" These are testable. Example: An executive exploring a pivot created these Decision Criteria: (1) The role uses my leadership experience; (2) The industry is growing, not declining; (3) The company culture values direct communication; (4) The role allows for remote work two days a week; (5) The salary is at least 85% of my current comp. When she evaluated opportunities against these five criteria, it became obvious which ones were worth pursuing and which ones looked good on the surface but didn't actually fit her life. ## Part Five: Committed Action This is where the framework shifts from thinking to doing. Committed Action is not a vague goal like "explore new opportunities." It's a specific action you commit to taking this week. Not this month. This week. And it's small enough that you can actually do it, but meaningful enough that it moves you forward. Examples of Committed Action: Schedule a call with someone working in the field you're considering. Draft an updated resume or LinkedIn profile. Research three companies that fit your Decision Criteria. Take the first module of a certification program. Apply for one job that actually excites you. Write down your True North and share it with a trusted mentor. The point of Committed Action is to break the spell of analysis. You've done the thinking. Now you move. Even a small move generates momentum, builds confidence, and gives you real information about whether you're heading in the right direction. You can't think your way to the answer. You have to start moving and learn as you go. Committed Action also serves as a proof point. If you can't find 60 minutes this week to take one small action toward your transition, then you know something is off. Maybe you're not actually ready. Maybe you need to get clearer on your True North. Maybe you need to address something in your Reality Check first. That's valuable information too. ## Putting It Together: From Framework to Action The Clarity-to-Execution Framework works best when you move through all five parts in order, but with intention, not perfectionism. Honest Assessment takes about 90 minutes. Spend an afternoon with your journal and write it out. Get specific about what's actually true. True North takes another 60 to 90 minutes. If you're struggling with this part, it often means you need to go deeper or get honest about something you've been avoiding. That's normal. Don't rush it. For more on this, it is worth reading [The 3 Most-Forgotten Client Feedback Touch Points (And How to Capitalize On Them)](https://theresatruong.ca/blog/the-3-most-forgotten-client-feedback-touch-points-and-how-to-capitalize-on-them). Reality Check is practical. A few hours of research and honest math. What are your actual constraints? Write them down. Decision Criteria flows from the previous three. You're just naming what matters. 30 minutes, maybe an hour. Committed Action is immediate. Pick one small thing you can do this week and put it on your calendar. That's it. The whole process takes a weekend or a few focused work sessions. Not months of deliberation. Not years of thinking about it. A weekend of real, honest work and then you move. Many executives do this work on their own and get great results. But this is also where working with a guide makes a difference. When you're in the middle of Honest Assessment and you hit resistance or emotion, it helps to have someone reflect back what they're hearing, ask the right questions, and keep you honest. When you're naming your True North, it helps to have someone who can sense when you're settling for what you think you should want instead of what you actually want. When you're in Reality Check, it helps to have someone who has seen many people navigate transitions and can say, "That's a real constraint, and here are three ways I've seen people work around it." That's the value of moving through this framework with support, whether that's a mentor, a coach, or a structured program like the Crossroads Clarity Method or a Clarity Challenge designed specifically for people at transitions. ## The Framework in Action: A Real Example A 42-year-old operations director had been in the same company for 12 years. She was competent. She was respected. She was also running on fumes. She knew she needed something to change but couldn't articulate what. Honest Assessment revealed: She had built strong systems and trained her team well, which meant her actual workload had become lighter but her role hadn't evolved. She was bored. She felt invisible because everything ran smoothly. The company had changed in ways she didn't align with anymore. True North: She wanted work that challenged her, where she could see the direct impact of her work, and where she had autonomy to shape how things got done. She also wanted to work with people she genuinely liked and respected. Reality Check: She had stable income and savings. She had a partner with a solid income, so she wasn't dependent on maximizing her salary. She had time to explore because her current role wasn't demanding. She had deep expertise in operations but had never run a department from scratch. Decision Criteria: (1) The role involves building or fixing broken operations; (2) The company is in growth mode; (3) I report to someone I respect; (4) The salary is at least 80% of current; (5) The role is within two hours of my home. Committed Action: This week, she would reach out to three people in her network who had made similar moves and ask for a 20-minute call to learn about their experience. Ready for support with this? Learn more about working with [Loop Link Coachsulting™](https://theresatruong.ca). That one action led to a conversation with a founder who was scaling a high-growth company and needed a Head of Operations. The founder sent her the job description. It checked every box. She applied. She got the role. Six months later, she was building an operations function from the ground up, working with a founder she respected, and feeling challenged and alive in her work again. That shift didn't happen because she got lucky. It happened because she got clear. The clarity made the decision obvious, and the decision led to action. Framework Part What You're Doing Time Required Key Question Honest Assessment Separate fact from story about your current situation 90 minutes What is actually true right now? True North Name what you actually want in work and life 90 minutes What would feel right to me without constraints? Reality Check Get honest about your actual constraints and resources 2 hours What am I actually working with? Decision Criteria Create a filter to evaluate opportunities 60 minutes What has to be true for this to be the right move? Committed Action Take one small, specific action this week Ongoing What's one thing I can do in the next seven days? ## Why This Framework Works When Others Don't Most career transition advice skips Honest Assessment and jumps straight to "What do you want to do next?" That's why it fails. You can't design a new path while you're still operating from a distorted view of where you are. You end up running toward something when you're actually running away from something. That rarely works. This framework also works because it respects your real life. It doesn't ask you to ignore your constraints. It asks you to see them clearly and plan around them. That makes the transition sustainable, not just a dramatic gesture you'll regret in six months. And it works because it moves you from thinking to doing quickly. You're not trying to figure out the perfect next move. You're trying to get clear enough to take the next real step. That step gives you information. That information informs the next step. You're not trying to predict the future. You're trying to move forward with confidence. > Clarity without execution is just daydreaming. Execution without clarity is chaos. The Clarity-to-Execution Framework closes the gap between knowing you need a change and actually making it happen. ## Your Next Move If you've been stuck between where you are and where you want to be, this framework will help you move. Not someday. This week. Start with Honest Assessment. Spend 90 minutes with a journal and get real about your current situation. Don't judge it. Don't try to fix it yet. Just tell yourself the truth. That one step will shift something. If you get stuck, or if you want to move through this framework with someone who can ask the right questions and keep you honest, that's what guides and coaches are for. Many executives and career changers move through the Clarity-to-Execution Framework on their own. Others find that working through it with support, like in a structured intensive or challenge designed for people at crossroads, accelerates the process and deepens the clarity. Either way, the work is the same. Get honest. Get clear. Get moving. That's how you go from stuck to unstuck, and from knowing you need a change to actually making it happen. --- # Best Decision-Making Frameworks for Leaders at a Crossroads URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/best-decision-making-frameworks-for-leaders-at-a-crossroads Author: Theresa Published: 2026-07-08T13:00:43.740Z Reading time: 11 min > When You're Stuck at the Crossroads, Your Framework Matters You're standing at a fork in the road. A promotion is on the table, but it doesn't feel right. Or m... ## When You're Stuck at the Crossroads, Your Framework Matters You're standing at a fork in the road. A promotion is on the table, but it doesn't feel right. Or maybe you've built something successful that no longer feeds your soul. Or you're the executive who just realized that climbing higher on someone else's ladder isn't the goal anymore. You know something has to change. But the weight of the decision keeps you frozen. The problem isn't that you lack information. It's that you lack a system to process it. Most executives, career changers, and entrepreneurs make big decisions the same way they've always made them: by listing pros and cons, asking trusted friends what they'd do, or waiting for clarity that never comes. These approaches fail because they don't account for what actually matters to you right now, in this season of your life. They treat every decision like it should be made the same way. It shouldn't. The difference between leaders who move forward with confidence and those who stay stuck isn't luck or privilege. It's the framework they use to decide. A solid decision-making framework cuts through the noise, surfaces what you actually value, and gives you permission to choose your own path instead of following the script you inherited. Here are five of the most effective decision-making frameworks for leaders navigating transitions. Each one works differently depending on who you are, what's at stake, and what kind of clarity you need most. ## 1. The Values Alignment Filter What it is: A method that strips away external pressure and asks one core question: Does this choice align with who I'm becoming and what I actually care about? How it works: You start by naming your top three to five values right now. Not your values from five years ago. Not what you think you should value. What you actually value in this season. Money, autonomy, impact, family, growth, stability, creativity, influence, legacy. Get specific. Then you take the decision in front of you and measure it against those values. Not on a scale of one to ten. Just yes, no, or unclear. If a promotion offers money and status but requires you to abandon autonomy and family time, and your top values are autonomy and presence, the answer becomes obvious. Not always easy. But obvious. Why it works: This framework works because it stops you from making decisions based on what looks good on paper or what other people expect. It anchors you to yourself. It also reveals when you're carrying old values that no longer serve you, which is half the battle in a transition. Who it fits: Anyone who feels torn between two good options. Anyone who suspects they've been living by someone else's definition of success. Anyone who's been promoted or offered opportunities that look perfect to everyone else but feel hollow to them. ## 2. The Reversibility Test What it is: A decision filter that separates truly irreversible choices from choices you can adjust or reverse. It's the antidote to decision paralysis. How it works: You ask yourself: If I make this choice and it turns out wrong, can I undo it, pivot, or recover within a reasonable timeframe and cost? Taking a lateral role to learn a new skill before stepping into a C-suite position? Reversible. You can move back or sideways. Signing a three-year non-compete that locks you out of your industry? Not reversible. Leaving a six-figure corporate job to start a business with no runway? Partially reversible if you have savings, but expensive if you don't. Once you know whether something is reversible, the decision math changes. For reversible decisions, the bar is lower. You can be more experimental. For irreversible ones, you need more certainty and more planning. Why it works: This framework kills the perfectionism that freezes leaders in place. You stop needing 100 percent certainty before you move. You only need certainty proportional to the permanence of the choice. Who it fits: Overthinking executives. People who've been burned by a bad decision and now fear making any decision. Anyone who confuses "this feels risky" with "this is irreversible." Anyone who needs permission to take a smaller step forward instead of waiting for the perfect moment. ## 3. The Future Self Conversation What it is: A narrative framework where you imagine yourself five years ahead and listen to what that version of you has to say about the choice you're making now. How it works: You close your eyes. You imagine yourself five years from now, on the other side of this decision. You've made your choice and lived with it. Now ask that future self three questions: What am I glad you chose? What do you wish I'd known before I decided? What did this choice teach me about myself? Write down what comes. Don't overthink it. The answers are often surprising because they come from a part of you that knows what matters most, even when your conscious mind is still arguing with itself. Why it works: This framework works because it bypasses the fear-based thinking that dominates most decisions. Your future self isn't afraid. She's already lived through the uncertainty. She can see what the choice actually cost and what it actually delivered. She speaks from experience, not anxiety. Who it fits: Visionary leaders. People who are good at strategy but struggle to trust their gut. Anyone who needs to reconnect with their own wisdom instead of relying on other people's opinions. Anyone who suspects they're making a decision based on fear instead of vision. ## 4. The Staged Commitment Test What it is: A framework that replaces the all-or-nothing decision with a series of smaller, testable commitments that build toward a bigger choice. How it works: Instead of deciding whether to leave your job and go all-in on a business idea, you ask: What's the smallest step I can take in the next 30 days that will either confirm or disprove whether this is the right move? Maybe it's launching a side project while keeping your job. Testing your idea with five potential customers. Taking a course. Having a conversation with someone who's done what you're considering. Each step generates real data that informs the next decision. By the time you're ready to commit fully, you're not betting on a feeling. You're betting on evidence. Why it works: This framework transforms a paralyzing binary choice into a series of manageable experiments. It also protects you from the "I should have tried this first" regret that haunts many transitions. You get to test your hypothesis before you burn the boat. Who it fits: Analytical leaders who need data before they commit. Entrepreneurs with limited runway. Anyone who's been burned by impulsive decisions and now needs proof before they move. Parents and caregivers who can't afford to make a big bet without testing it first. ## 5. The Identity Shift Framework What it is: A framework that asks not "Should I do this?" but "Who do I need to become to make this choice and live with it well?" How it works: You name the decision. Then you ask: What identity am I stepping into if I choose this path? What skills, beliefs, relationships, and habits does that person have that I don't have yet? What identity am I leaving behind? If you're moving from individual contributor to people leader, you're not just getting a title. You're becoming someone who thinks about systems, develops people, and lives with the weight of other people's careers in your hands. That's a different identity. It requires different practices. Once you're clear on the identity shift, you can ask: Am I willing to do the work to become that person? Do I actually want that identity, or does it just look good on LinkedIn? This framework separates the fantasy of a choice from the reality of living it. Why it works: Most transitions fail not because the external choice was wrong, but because the person making it didn't fully understand or commit to the identity shift required. This framework makes that shift explicit. You can't accidentally become a different person. You have to choose it. We went deeper on a closely related idea in [Your Business Grows When You Know What To Let Go](https://theresatruong.ca/blog/your-business-grows-when-you-know-what-to-let-go). Who it fits: Leaders stepping into bigger roles. Career changers who are nervous about whether they'll fit in a new world. Anyone who's successfully transitioned before and wants to do it more consciously this time. Anyone who's realized that a change of job isn't enough. They need a change of self. ## How These Frameworks Compare Framework Best For Time to Use It What You Get Values Alignment Filter Feeling torn between options that look equal 30 minutes Clarity on what actually matters to you Reversibility Test Decision paralysis and perfectionism 20 minutes Permission to move forward with appropriate risk Future Self Conversation Trusting your own wisdom over others' opinions 45 minutes Access to your own knowing and vision Staged Commitment Test Big bets with high stakes and limited runway Ongoing Real data to replace guessing and hope Identity Shift Framework Transitions that require becoming someone new 60 minutes Clarity on what the change will actually cost and require ## Which Framework Should You Use Right Now? You might use all five. Or you might find that one or two resonate with how you think and how you work best. Start here: What's the decision you're facing right now? Is it a values question, a risk question, a vision question, a testing question, or an identity question? Match the framework to the question. Then spend the time with it. Don't rush. Most leaders rush their decisions because they think faster equals smarter. It doesn't. A framework gives you permission to slow down, ask the right questions, and move forward with conviction instead of confusion. > The difference between leaders who move forward with confidence and those who stay stuck isn't the size of the decision. It's whether they have a system to process it. ## The One Framework That Changes Everything If you're going to choose one, choose the Values Alignment Filter first. Ready for support with this? Learn more about working with [Loop Link Coachsulting™](https://theresatruong.ca). Here's why: Every other framework assumes you know what matters to you. The Values Alignment Filter doesn't make that assumption. It forces you to get clear on what actually matters in this season of your life, separate from what you think should matter or what other people expect you to care about. Once you're clear on your values, every other decision becomes easier. You're not debating whether the choice is good. You're debating whether it's good for you. That's a completely different conversation. Most executives, career changers, and entrepreneurs never do this work. They inherit their values from their parents, their first boss, the culture they grew up in, the industry they landed in. They spend decades building a life that looks good on paper but feels hollow at home. Then one day they hit a wall and realize they've been living someone else's definition of success. Don't be that person. Get clear on your values now. Use that clarity to make this decision. Then use it to make every decision after this one. ## Moving From Stuck to Certain The frameworks above aren't meant to replace your judgment. They're meant to organize your thinking so your judgment can actually work. Right now, you might feel like you're standing at a crossroads with no map. That's because you're trying to make a big decision without a system to process it. You're relying on intuition, other people's advice, and hope. That's not a strategy. That's a lottery. A framework changes that. It gives you a way to surface what you actually know, test what you're assuming, and move forward with evidence instead of fear. The decision you're facing isn't going to make itself. And waiting for certainty is just another form of staying stuck. What you need is a way to think about it clearly. A way that honors what matters to you. A way that lets you see the real cost and the real benefit of each path. That's what these frameworks do. They take the fog out of the decision. They let you see what's actually true. And they give you the confidence to choose. If you're ready to move from stuck to certain, start with one framework. Spend time with it. Listen to what it tells you. Then take the next step based on what you learned. That's how you move through a transition with clarity instead of confusion. That's how you become the person who decides, instead of the person who waits. --- # 5 Transition Planning Mistakes That Keep Executives Stuck in Limbo URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/5-transition-planning-mistakes-that-keep-executives-stuck-in-limbo Author: Theresa Published: 2026-07-07T13:25:34.442Z Reading time: 9 min > The Cost of Unclear Transition Planning You know something has to change. Maybe you're running a business that no longer fits. Maybe you've been promoted into... ## The Cost of Unclear Transition Planning You know something has to change. Maybe you're running a business that no longer fits. Maybe you've been promoted into a role that doesn't align with how you actually want to lead. Maybe you're staring at your calendar and realizing you've spent the last three years building someone else's vision. The problem isn't that you're uncertain. The problem is that your uncertainty has no structure. No framework. No deadline. So you stay. You research. You talk to friends over coffee. You update your LinkedIn profile at midnight. You imagine the next chapter without actually planning it. Months pass. The discomfort grows. The cost compounds. Most executives don't fail at transitions because they lack ambition or talent. They fail because their transition planning mistakes turn a clear decision into a fog of half-steps and second-guessing. The good news: these mistakes are entirely fixable once you see them. ## Mistake 1: Planning Your Transition Without Naming Your Real Why You know you want out. Or you know you want in. But do you know why? This is where most transition planning breaks down. You tell yourself the story that sounds logical: better pay, less commute, more flexibility, a bigger title. These reasons feel solid. They're not. They're often just the acceptable version of why you're leaving. The real why lives deeper. Maybe you're leaving because you've been playing small to keep the peace. Maybe you're stuck because you're terrified of being seen as ambitious. Maybe the role you want feels impossible because nobody in your industry looks like you doing it. Without the real why, your transition plan has no anchor. You'll negotiate salary without knowing if salary is what you actually need. You'll take the next "logical" role and feel empty six months in. You'll sabotage yourself in interviews because some part of you doesn't believe you deserve to be there. The fix: Before you plan anything else, get brutally honest about what's driving this change. Not the LinkedIn version. The real version. Is this about proving something? Reclaiming time? Stepping into a version of yourself you've been hiding? Building something that matters to you? Healing something broken in how you work? Write it down. Sit with it. The clarity you get here will shape every decision that follows. ## Mistake 2: Treating Your Transition as a Solo Project You're used to solving things alone. That's how you got here. But a transition isn't a problem you solve in a spreadsheet. When you plan your transition in isolation, you miss the blind spots that derail you. You rehearse your pitch to yourself until you believe it, then bomb the actual conversation because you didn't anticipate the question that lands different in real time. You make assumptions about what's possible without testing them against someone who's actually done it. You stay stuck in your own narrative about what you're capable of. The executives who move through transitions fastest do one thing differently: they bring in perspective. Not a cheerleader who tells them what they want to hear. A clear-eyed mirror who asks the questions they're avoiding. The cost of planning alone is steep. You lose months to self-doubt. You make decisions based on incomplete information. You miss opportunities because you're not talking to the right people. The fix: Identify one person who understands your industry, your strengths, and your blind spots. Not your spouse. Not your therapist. Someone who can give you honest feedback on your plan and hold you accountable to it. If you don't have that person, find one. A mentor. A peer. A coach. The investment in that relationship will compress your transition timeline by half. ## Mistake 3: Confusing Exploration with Planning There's a difference between exploring your options and planning your transition. Most people get stuck in exploration and call it planning. Exploration is open-ended. You're gathering information. Testing assumptions. Staying curious. That's valuable. But exploration without a deadline becomes procrastination with a good narrative. You tell yourself you're being thorough. Really, you're avoiding commitment. This is the mistake that costs you the most time. You spend six months exploring five different career paths. You take courses. You read books. You have informational interviews. None of it moves you forward because you never actually choose. Real transition planning requires a decision point. Not a guarantee of the right choice. A decision. You pick a direction. You commit to a timeline. You move. The fix: Set a deadline for your exploration phase. Give yourself a specific date by which you will have gathered enough information to make a choice. Then stick to it. Once you hit that date, you move from exploration to planning. You stop researching and start executing. ## Mistake 4: Building Your Plan Around What You Think You Should Want This is the mistake that looks like wisdom but costs you years. You know what a successful transition looks like. You've seen it. Your peers have done it. There's a playbook: the title progression, the company types, the geographic moves. It's all mapped out. So you plan your transition around that map. Except the map was drawn by someone else's values. Someone else's risk tolerance. Someone else's life. You end up planning a transition to a life that looks great on paper but feels hollow when you're living it. You get the promotion and realize you don't want to manage people. You take the higher-paying role and find out you hate the culture. You move for the opportunity and discover you need to be home. The executives who feel aligned in their transitions did something different. They planned backward from their real values, not forward from someone else's template. The fix: Name three non-negotiable values for your next chapter. Not what you think you should value. What you actually value. Money? Autonomy? Impact? Time with family? Creative work? Clear boundaries? Write them down. Then test every option in your transition plan against these values. If it doesn't align with at least two of them, it doesn't belong in your plan. ## Mistake 5: Creating a Plan Without a Strategy for the Hard Conversations Ahead You have a transition plan. You know what you want. You know why. You've set your timeline. If this resonates, you will get a lot from [Re-Align With Your Mission and Bring Your Vision Back in View](https://theresatruong.ca/blog/re-align-with-your-mission-and-bring-your-vision-back-in-view) as well. Then you have to tell your boss. Or your business partner. Or your family. And suddenly all that clarity evaporates. The hard conversations are where most transition plans die. Not because the plan was bad. Because you weren't prepared for the resistance, the questions, the emotional weight of the conversation itself. You walk into your boss's office and she says, "This is a mistake. You're throwing away everything you've built here." And instead of holding your ground, you find yourself defending your decision. Explaining your reasoning. Talking yourself down. Or you tell your family about the career change and they respond with fear. They want you safe. Stable. Known. And you absorb their fear as evidence that your plan is wrong. The cost is high. You either abandon your transition or you move forward carrying the weight of unresolved conversations. Both options are painful. The fix: Before you have the hard conversation, script it. Not word-for-word. But know what you're going to say and why. Know what questions or objections might come up. Practice your response. Get clear on what you need from this person and what you're not open to negotiating. Then have the conversation from a place of clarity, not defensiveness. Transition Planning Mistake What It Costs You The Quick Fix Planning without naming your real why Months of confusion and half-steps Get honest about what's actually driving this change Treating transition as a solo project Blind spots, self-doubt, missed opportunities Bring in one clear-eyed perspective person Confusing exploration with planning Years of research without forward movement Set a deadline for exploration, then commit to a choice Building around what you think you should want Success that feels hollow Plan backward from your three core values No strategy for hard conversations Unresolved resistance, abandoned plans Script the conversation and practice your response ## Which Mistake Is Holding You Back? Read through these five mistakes again. Most executives recognize themselves in at least three of them. Ready for support with this? Learn more about working with [Loop Link Coachsulting™](https://theresatruong.ca). The question isn't whether you're making these mistakes. The question is which one is costing you the most time right now. If you're stuck in exploration mode with no decision point, that's your leverage. Set a deadline and commit. If you're planning around someone else's template instead of your own values, that's where you start. Name what actually matters to you. > Most executives don't fail at transitions because they lack talent or ambition. They fail because they never move from confusion to clarity to action. A structured transition planning process changes that. The executives who move through transitions fastest have one thing in common: they get clear before they move. Not someday. Not when conditions are perfect. Now. That clarity doesn't come from more research. It comes from a framework that forces you to name your real why, test your assumptions against reality, and commit to a timeline. If you're in a transition right now and you're tired of being stuck, the 7-Day Clarity Challenge is built for exactly this moment. You work through proven frameworks to identify your true path, reconnect with your leadership edge, and take your first bold step forward. Seven days. Crystal-clear direction. Unshakeable confidence. For executives who want a deeper dive, the Crossroads Chapter Intensive is a 3-week 1:1 process that gets you from strategy to execution in real time. You bring your specific situation. You get personalized guidance. You walk out with a plan you actually believe in and the confidence to move on it. The executives who regret their transitions aren't the ones who made mistakes in their planning. They're the ones who stayed stuck, waiting for clarity to arrive on its own. It won't. Start with the mistake that's costing you the most. Fix that one first. The rest becomes possible. --- # 7 Ways to Rebuild Career Confidence After a Major Setback URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/7-ways-to-rebuild-career-confidence-after-a-major-setback Author: Theresa Published: 2026-07-07T13:25:34.386Z Reading time: 10 min > You got passed over for the promotion. The business deal fell through. The role you were certain about turned out to be a misfit. Or you made a call you thought... You got passed over for the promotion. The business deal fell through. The role you were certain about turned out to be a misfit. Or you made a call you thought was solid, and it cost the team real money. Now you're standing in the middle of your own doubt, and it feels like the confidence you built over years just evaporated in weeks. This is the moment most people get stuck. They don't just process the setback. They let it rewrite their story. The internal narrative shifts from "I made a mistake" to "I am a mistake." From "This didn't work" to "I can't make things work." And that shift is what kills momentum. Rebuilding career confidence after a major setback isn't about positive thinking or pretending it didn't hurt. It's about getting brutally honest with what actually happened, separating the event from your capability, and methodically restoring your sense of agency. That's the only path back. ## 1. Name What Actually Failed, Not Who You Are The first move is surgical precision in language. You failed at something specific. A strategy. A hire. A pitch. A timeline. A decision made with incomplete information. You did not fail as a leader. You did not fail as a person. You did not fail as a professional. This distinction sounds like semantics until you realize how much energy you've been spending defending yourself against a verdict that was never actually true. Your brain wants to make the setback mean something about your core identity because that feels safer than accepting randomness, timing, or incomplete information. It's not. It's just a story you're telling yourself. Write down what actually happened in one sentence. "The product launch missed the market window because we didn't validate demand early enough." Not: "I'm not a good product leader." One is a tactical miss. The other is a life sentence. Do this today: Write down the setback in one factual sentence. No adjectives. No self-judgment. Just the event. ## 2. Conduct an Honest Debrief Without Shame Once you've separated the event from your identity, you can actually look at what happened. This is where most people either skip the work or get stuck in self-blame. A real debrief answers three questions: What did I assume that turned out to be wrong? What information did I not have? What would I do differently knowing what I know now? Notice what's missing: "Why am I so stupid?" or "I should have known better." Those are shame spirals, not learning. They feel productive because they feel painful, but they just cement the doubt. A debrief is clinical. You're a consultant hired to figure out what went wrong. You're not the problem. The gap between assumption and reality is the problem. And gaps close with information, not self-flagellation. Here's what this looks like in practice: An executive launched a new service line without checking whether the sales team had capacity to support it. The debrief: "I assumed sales had bandwidth because they said yes in the meeting. I didn't ask for a resource plan. I didn't check in with their manager. Next time, I get it in writing and verify capacity before launch." That's learning. That's a system you can change. Do this today: Grab a notebook and answer those three questions. Write fast. Don't edit. Don't justify. ## 3. Identify One Thing You Now Know That You Didn't Before Every setback is data. The cost of that data was high. So extract it. You now know something real about your market, your team, your process, your own judgment, or your industry. You didn't know it before. That knowledge has value. It's not compensation for the setback. It's the thing that makes the setback matter less than it feels like it does right now. An entrepreneur had a product that flopped. But the research taught them that their target customer didn't actually have the problem they thought they did. They pivoted to a different market segment and built a seven-figure business. The failure wasn't redemptive. It was informative. That information changed everything. Your setback taught you something. Maybe it's about your risk tolerance. Maybe it's about how to read a team's capacity. Maybe it's about when to trust your gut and when to slow down. Claim that knowledge. It's the only real asset that came out of this. Do this today: Write down one specific thing you now understand about business, people, or yourself that you didn't before this setback. ## 4. Find Evidence That Contradicts the Doubt Right now, your brain is running a highlight reel of everything you've ever gotten wrong. It's selective. It's not accurate. It's just how doubt works. Push back with data. Actual data. Not "I'm sure I've done good work." Specific wins. Decisions that landed. Teams you've built. Problems you've solved. Revenue you've generated. People you've developed. Write them down. Not as a pep talk. As a factual counter-narrative. You've succeeded before. You've made good calls. You've led people well. That doesn't disappear because one thing didn't work. An executive passed over for a promotion spiraled into "I'm not leadership material." Then she listed every deal she'd closed, every team she'd scaled, every person she'd mentored into their next role. The list was long. The setback wasn't. The perspective shifted immediately. Do this today: List five specific wins from the last two years. Be concrete. "Closed the X deal," "Built the Y team from zero to ten people," "Mentored Z into a promotion." ## 5. Take One Small Action That Proves You Can Still Execute Confidence isn't rebuilt in your head. It's rebuilt by doing something and succeeding at it. Even something small. The setback created a gap between who you thought you were and who you're terrified you might be. The only thing that closes that gap is evidence. You need to do something, anything, and have it work. This can't be huge. It can't be the comeback play that fixes everything. It has to be real, achievable, and connected to what you do. A meeting you nail. A decision you make and defend. A small project you ship. A conversation you handle well. Something that says to your nervous system: "See? You can still do this." A founder had a partnership collapse. For three weeks he was paralyzed. Then he reached out to an old contact, had coffee, and that conversation led to a referral. Small win. But it broke the spell. He went from "I can't" to "I can again." Momentum returned. Do this today: Identify one small, achievable action you can take in the next 48 hours that's related to your work and your strengths. Not the comeback. Just proof of concept. ## 6. Get Honest About What You Need to Move Forward Sometimes the setback exposed a real gap. Maybe you need a skill you don't have. Maybe you need a mentor who's been through this. Maybe you need a different environment or structure to do your best work. Maybe you need to talk to someone who can help you separate the event from your identity. We went deeper on a closely related idea in [How to Avoid Operational Setbacks with Systems Thinking](https://theresatruong.ca/blog/how-to-avoid-operational-setbacks-with-systems-thinking). This isn't weakness. This is clarity. The setback is feedback. Sometimes that feedback is "You need support to get through this and rebuild." That might look like finding an executive coach or joining a community of people going through career transitions who get it. It might mean getting specific training. It might mean having a hard conversation with your manager about what you need to succeed in your role. It might mean being honest that this role isn't the right fit and you need to look for something else. The worst move is staying stuck in the story, telling yourself you should be able to handle this alone. You can. But you don't have to. And getting support isn't evidence that you're broken. It's evidence that you're serious about moving forward. What You're Telling Yourself What's Actually True I should be able to figure this out alone The best leaders know when to ask for help Getting support means I'm weak Getting support means you're committed to your growth I don't have time for this process You don't have time to stay stuck This is too expensive Staying in doubt costs more in lost momentum and missed opportunities I should just move on and forget it Moving on without processing keeps the doubt alive for the next setback Do this today: Write down one thing you need to move forward. One conversation, one skill, one insight, one piece of support. Then commit to getting it in the next two weeks. ## 7. Reconnect With Why This Matters to You The setback didn't just shake your confidence. It probably made you question whether you even want to keep going in this direction. That's the real danger. Not the setback itself. The decision to quit because it hurts. Get clear on why you do this work. Not the title. Not the money. Not what you think you're supposed to want. Why does this actually matter to you? What are you building toward? Who are you trying to become? What impact do you want to have? The setback is temporary. Your purpose isn't. Reconnecting with that purpose is what gets you through the doubt and back to action. An entrepreneur had a product fail. She almost quit. Then she remembered why she started: She wanted to build something that gave people more autonomy in their work. That why didn't disappear when the product failed. It just needed a different vehicle. She rebuilt. Different approach. Same mission. And this time it worked. Want to go deeper? See how [Loop Link Coachsulting™](https://theresatruong.ca) can help you put this into practice. > Confidence isn't about never failing. It's about knowing that when you do fail, you're the kind of person who learns from it and comes back stronger. That's what you're proving right now. Do this today: Write down why this work matters to you. Not the surface reason. The real one. Why does it matter that you succeed at this? ## Which One Matters Most If you're going to do one thing, do number three. Find one thing you now know that you didn't before. Because that single shift, from "I failed" to "I learned," changes everything. It transforms the setback from a referendum on who you are into data you can use. And the moment you have data, you have agency. You're not a victim of circumstances. You're a person who encountered new information and adjusted. That's the difference between someone who rebuilds confidence and someone who stays stuck in doubt. The rest of the work flows from there. You'll get clearer on what actually happened. You'll gather evidence that contradicts the doubt. You'll take small actions that prove you can still execute. You'll figure out what support you need. And you'll reconnect with why this matters. But it all starts with extracting the learning. If you're in the middle of a major career transition, setback, or identity shift, and you're not sure how to rebuild your clarity and confidence, that's exactly what the Crossroads Clarity Method is built for. It's a seven-step guided process that helps you get honest about where you are, identify what's actually true about your capabilities, and build a path forward that fits your real life and your real goals. Whether you're recovering from a setback, pivoting to something new, or rebuilding after a major life change, the structure and community matter. You don't have to figure this out alone. Your setback is not your story. It's just one chapter. What you do next is what defines you. --- # How to Build a Top-Level Client Experience Team URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/how-to-build-a-top-level-client-experience-team Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:31:30.624Z Reading time: 5 min > Nothing feels better than reaching the point in your entrepreneurial journey where you have a steady roster of clients, you're making more than a livable wage,... Nothing feels better than reaching the point in your entrepreneurial journey where you have a steady roster of clients, you're making more than a livable wage, and you're ready to start planning for your next phase of growth. Furthermore, you're no longer hustling day-to-day just to get clients in the door. Instead, your existing clients are sending you referrals, your sales funnels are producing results, and you're confident it's time to focus on making the clients you currently have happier than ever before. Most likely, you already have some of the components in place. Maybe you have a welcome package you send to every new client. Or maybe you have an automated email sequence that is delivered to every customer over time. What you *haven't* yet accomplished, however, is creating an all-encompassing, holistic client experience that completes *all *the loops. Does this sound like you? If so, it may be time to start building a client experience team. ## What is a Client Experience Team? A client experience team refers to a cluster of professional roles within your business that are entirely dedicated to analyzing, monitoring, and optimizing every stage of your client journey in an effort to maximize success. ## What is the Importance of a Client Experience Team? Growth is the most common reason why creative consultants begin building a client management team. The more your business expands, the more in-depth your CX strategy will need to be in order to deliver a 5-star experience to *every* client, *every* time. As any experienced entrepreneur will tell you, it eventually becomes impossible to oversee all the necessary systems, strategies, and structures required to perfectly execute a CX strategy. **And since**[** every $1 invested in client experience yields a return of $100**](https://uxcam.com/blog/ux-statistics/?ref=theresatruong.ca), building a client management team isn't just critical to increase client success— it's also an extremely smart and lucrative financial decision. ## When to Consider Hiring a Client Experience Manager Client experience management is a key leadership position. Aside from you—the business owner— your client experience manager holds the most authority in terms of overseeing the bigger picture and overseeing the progress of your client experience initiatives. **Some responsibilities of client experience managers include:** - Driving client retention and reducing churn rates - Mapping the client journey and identifying gaps or opportunities for improvement - Conceptualizing and implementing new strategies for delivery value to clients - Monitoring the success of client experience strategies - Training and guiding other team members ## Signs You Need a Client Experience Manager 1. You have been so busy managing client work that it's distracting you from serving as the leader of your business. 2. You want to extend the life cycle of your clients but you don't have the time to develop a retention strategy. 3. There are gaps in your client experience but you don't have the available time to fix them. 4. You need someone to take accountability and ownership of client experience initiatives so you can get back to focusing on the overall operations and greater goals of your business. 5. Your employees constantly come to you for guidance and its hindering your ability to complete other projects. ## Other Client Experience Roles **In addition to a client experience manager, creative consultants should consider these positions when building a client management team:** ### Client Specialist A client specialist is responsible for executing your CX strategy. They use best practices to streamline client communications, identify patterns in client behavior, gather data, personalize solutions, and improve retention rates. ### CX Designer A client experience designer is responsible for constructing the frameworks of your CX strategy and ensuring they function as intended. These frameworks may include automated email sequences, mobile apps, sales funnels, customer service chatbots, and more. ### Client Experience Analyst For creative consultants wondering how to improve client experience, hiring an analyst is a wise consideration. Analysts are able to identify and compile key insights that the untrained eye can easily overlook. They use cutting-edge technologies and strategies to gather high-value data, allowing them to define high value clients, the lifetime value of clients, and ways of improving the consumer experience. ## Tips for Building a Top-Level CX Team ### 1. Gather Insights First Many creative consultants assume that hiring a client experience manager is the correct first step. But in actuality, this isn't the case. If you hire a manager before you've gathered a substantial amount of data, your manager will have little to work with. This is why hiring an analyst is a better choice. Your analyst will be able to deep-dive into your existing processes, data collection methods, and frameworks, providing you with the facts and figures you need to begin building customized, high-impact solutions. ### 2. Have a Clear Vision (And Communicate It) The more steadfast you are in your strategic objectives, the more likely you are to have a cohesive and collaborative team. Your client experience professionals will be more motivated and committed to their work if they understand the greater purpose of their roles. Include your team in brainstorming sessions, goal planning, and problem-solving. Give everyone an opportunity to provide constructive input. You'll overcome obstacles so much faster! ### 3. Don't Disregard The Power of Passion Some employees take a rigid, "find it and fix it" approach to their jobs. These individuals are less likely to engage in visionary thinking or come up with "outside-the-box" solutions to challenging problems. While there are professional roles where a more pragmatic and calculated working style is a benefit (computer programming, for example), when it comes to client experience, there is incredible value in hiring individuals who are passionate about serving your clients and providing them with service that is second-to-none. And, last but not least, remember to get out of the way! All of these tips become null and void if you aren't willing to step back from working *in *your business and commit to fully embracing a leadership role. You must be ready to trust the skilled and capable team members you hire. **There you have it! You're now better-equipped to begin building a client management team!** ## Your Move **Are you ready to make the shift from consultant to CEO? Do you want to start delegating client experience responsibilities?** I teach creative entrepreneurs how to fearlessly lead teams, vendors, and outsourced providers with clarity and conviction! --- # Why Goal Setting As A Team is More Successful URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/why-goal-setting-as-a-team-is-more-successful Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:26:53.171Z Reading time: 6 min > Goal setting as a team creates a culture of success. Success has never been a story of going at it alone. Success is achieved together.Goal setting as a team cl... **Goal setting as a team creates a culture of success. Success has never been a story of going at it alone. Success is achieved *together***. Goal setting as a team clarifies what constitutes meaningful results for them. It doesn’t matter if they are employees or contractors. If they are working with you to achieve an end goal, they are considered your team. Each team member has a role in the success of your systems and workflow. The more team members are engaged in setting results they desire to make, the more committed they are to achieving them. Gaining ideas and commitment at the beginning pays off in the longer term and is more successful. It's essential to frame the goal setting as a team so that the results the team commits to are challenging, precise, and are goals that the members value and recognize as necessary. Typically this involves a range of steps to realize the goals: - Set and establish the vision and purpose of the team. - Define a clear sense of identity and purpose. - Confirm the goals and intended results with others in the business. - Define the meaningful results the team is attempting to achieve - Develop clear guidelines on the performance required that will help to deliver meaningful results. - Outline the tasks the team must do to achieve meaningful results - Clarify which team members are responsible for which tasks Involve your team in adding the details to these steps. Think of it as a sports team. By involving them, it drives a business culture of excellence unlike any other. Here are some areas that are influenced when you set goals as a team. ## Transparent Communication Many businesses that have a successful team business culture often are achieved by a substantial buy-in of the vision. Taking that extra time and steps to have your team understand your vision and goals, and giving them the opportunity to believe in it, will likely mean they’ll be more inclined to push forward with you. Particularly if you have plans to improve upon workflows or systems, it becomes even more critical to include the parties involved. Change is a very uncomfortable movement for many. The fear of change is often the barrier to success. Before you begin goal setting as a team, build an open culture for communication by: - Communicating what your team can expect with the change. - Building trust to move forward together as a unit by listening. - Being transparent in the steps that are needed, big or small. - Allowing for feedback to understand risks, and plan for any gaps. ## Building Team Engagement Goal setting as a team should be specific and intentional. When you include your team of employees or contractors, it develops a unified mindset towards your business success. It's the prime opportunity to incorporate ideas from participants, their buy-in to row in the same direction, and clarification to speak the same language. The more they're involved, the more significant their sense of ownership and commitment will be. - With a staff team, remove silos and bottlenecks with a communication matrix. - Get everyone involved with contributions from their area of expertise. - Set goals as a unit, and goals within roles. ## Setting The Framework For Success As each goal is set together, creativity begins to bloom. Everyone has different tactics to accomplish goals in their own way. To build a team with a focus on the business goals, set a framework on how to prioritize the activities to keep everyone moving in the same direction. One of the best frameworks I’ve used with my teams to inspire high-performance is using the [Golden Circle that Simon Sinek speaks on](https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?ref=theresatruong.ca). Approach each activity with the understanding of why we do, how we achieve it and what it will look like. Once we’ve determined this framework, we can then take action to **DO, DELEGATE, or DUMP** it. This will keep momentum and mitigate getting stuck. ## Team Alignment I can’t express how important it is to gain team alignment on goals and initiatives. If you don’t want to involve success together, then you’ll end up going at it alone. When you have your whole team aligned with the goals and initiatives, you also have their buy-in into the WHY, the benefits, and the results They’ll be more inclined and motivated to achieve this together as a whole unit. To maintain team alignment, it’s best to: - Communicate metrics effectively with your team consistently - Set metrics for measuring the goal progress - Set up weekly 1:1 check-in meetings - Set up monthly check-in meetings with the whole team ## Stimulate Team Collaboration I’ve been in business cultures that have built silo mentalities. This is when several groups or areas of business do not wish to share information or knowledge with each other in the same company. This impacts efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration. To foster collaboration in your team of employees or contractors, here are a few tips: - **Communicate expectations.** Make it clear that collaboration is the minimum standard. Every team member needs to take responsibility for good outcomes. Communicating expectations will define roles, responsibilities and cultivates accountability as a team. - **Foster a creative environment. **Promote questions, feedback, brainstorming and an open framework. Nurture inspiration and cultivate a “yes can do” attitude. - **Build cohesion. **Include everyone in as many decisions as you can. Reduce duplication and redundancy through workflow communications. Conduct daily team huddles or toolbox talks to keep everyone in the same direction, building a cohesive team collaboration and culture. Don’t let yourself become the bottleneck in your business and the key barrier to reaching your goals in your business. With a timeline and guidelines, team collaboration will get you there faster. ## Team Motivation Goal setting as a team is more successful because it unites everyone. Have you ever been to one of those rallies, conferences or events where there was an energized or powerful speaker on stage? When they say, “Who’s with me?!!” and the crowd goes wild and responds “yes, we are!” By rallying your team around your goals, it opens up the possibilities in their mind that they don’t have to go at it alone. A sense of ownership is developed within the team, and everyone can make strategic decisions to make improvements autonomously or as a team. When your team is motivated, not only are their eyes set on the prize, but they’ll be actively looking to improve by being open to feedback from their whole team. It'll increase productivity, effectiveness and ultimately the profitability of the business. ## Your Move If you haven’t yet finished setting your goals and you have a team, take some time to include them. If you’ve completed your goals already, share them with your team. Be open to feedback, suggestions, and adjustments. Remember that success is together! --- # Are You a Bottleneck in your Agency and What to do About It URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/are-you-a-bottleneck-in-your-agency-and-what-to-do-about-it Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:25:53.884Z Reading time: 5 min > As the CEO, you're likely trying to avoid being the bottleneck in your agency. It sounds simple, but it's not easy!But as your agency is booming and clients are... As the CEO, you're likely trying to avoid being the bottleneck in your agency. It sounds simple, but it's not easy! But as your agency is booming and clients are flying in faster than you, or your team, can handle, you’re quickly realizing that you cannot do it all and you’re stretching yourself very thin. Your agency is consistently bringing in steady revenue which gives you inspiration on new ideas to implement. New services, new products, new offerings, that will maximize your profit and help serve more clients. But, the only problem is you don’t have the time to sit down and work through your ideas, admin tasks, managing and leading your team, and implement what you want. There’s no more headspace to take on more and you’re noticing that business is at a standstill, even with opportunities in the horizon. Here’s a hard truth; **you** could be the bottleneck in your agency. But, the sooner you realize that you’re getting in your agency’s way to achieving higher success, the sooner you can break the bottleneck cycle and find solutions to keep growing and scaling. If you’ve come to the realization that your agency has a bottleneck, and it is you, this post will tell you exactly what to do about the situation. ## Problem 1: Your Agency is thriving and you’ve got too many ideas Your agency is thriving and you continuously reach your financial goals each month, or quarter! Clients are lining up to work with you because of the amazing experience and relationship you’ve built with them. The downside to all this, you don’t have the capacity to take on more clients. You’ve had to close your doors and build out a waiting list for new leads and prospects. This may not sound like a problem, but if business continues this way, you know that you’ll reach a standstill without moving forward. All of the new ideas you have for your agency are pushed to the back burner because you need to focus on and serve your clients, first. Even with your team, you’re all working at maximum capacity. Although this sounds like a “good” problem to have, it is ultimately a problem that can stall your agency's growth. When you identify the bottleneck in your agency, you'll be able to craft creative solutions based on your business character, creativity, and culture that will… - Free up your headspace to focus on your vision - Give your team a clear direction on how to move forward - Highlight gaps in the team that can be filled to help smooth out workflows ## Problem 2: Your team is amazing but you don’t have the bandwidth to answer all their questions You’ve begun building a team, and they’re amazing and talented individuals… but, they keep [coming to you with questions](https://looplinkinc.com/your-business-needs-an-operations-manual-and-this-is-why/?ref=theresatruong.ca) that interrupt the time you need to focus on your agency vision. You’re noticing that a lot of your [team’s questions come from a lack of workflows](https://theresatruong.ca/why-sops-are-important-to-you-and-your-business/), which is causing more havoc than expected. You’re overwhelmed, unsure how to correct the workflows, and integrate your team all at the same time. If your agency continues like this, I quickly foresee a heavy dose of burnout and an impact on the client experience. You can quickly create a team survey with questions like: - ‘What do you feel I am currently holding up in the agency?’ - ‘Do you have a create solution to fix this?’ - ‘Are there any areas/things you would like to take over?’ With this survey, you’ll see where workflows can be streamlined, where the bottlenecks are, and how to integrate your team in different areas to help ease any roadblocks. After reviewing your survey results, it's highly encouraged to review the roles and responsibilities of your team. For example, you can review pros/cons as follows… **What are the pros of making changes** **What are the cons of making changes** **What are the pros of NOT making changes** **What are the cons of NOT making changes** ## The Bottleneck in Your Agency By working through an operations audit, and understanding where bottlenecks are hiding within workflows, systems, operations, or team/client experiences, you’ll be able to make educated and strategic decisions to keep your agency growing at a sustainable rate. Remember, if you have “too many clients” coming in and not enough time to take care of them, this is still a problem! And, if your team is amazing and talented but don’t have a clear direction, their talents can’t be utilized to grow your agency like you expected. ## Your Move If you’ve noticed that your agency is stalling, at a standstill, and not growing as planned… that is a sure sign that there is a bottleneck somewhere. Whether you are the main bottleneck or there are multiple others, here’s what to do to find, understand, and change the bottleneck in your agency: 1. Perform an audit on your systems, team, clients, and management to find bottlenecks 2. Determine creative solutions based on your agency business character, creativity, and culture 3. Create a team survey to see what your team needs support with 4. Review the roles & responsibilities of your team 5. Finally, review the pros and cons for implementing certain changes Unsure where to start with assessing and addressing bottlenecks? Is the bottleneck larger than you imagined? --- # What is a Fractional COO and Why You Need One URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/what-is-a-fractional-coo-and-why-you-need-one Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:24:46.056Z Reading time: 6 min > Have you ever had a moment in your Agency when you wanted to confide in an executive operations partner, but realized you don’t have one?When it comes to the da... Have you ever had a moment in your Agency when you wanted to confide in an executive operations partner, but realized you don’t have one? When it comes to the day-to-day operations, there may have been certain tasks you’d like to have handed off to an operations manager or specialist so you can focus on what you do best; being the CEO of your business. In a thriving and growing business, a Chief Operating Officer (COO) ensure processes and strategies are implemented. But in a small online business, it may be tough on your budget to find support a full-time executive leader that is so needed in your time of growth. I want to ask a very honest question, if you don’t have a COO on your team… what’s the reason? I’ve heard my clients tell me it’s because… - The budget for a COO is too high - They haven’t found the right COO - They haven’t found the right situation to bring one in If you’re scaling and growing your small/mid-sized agency, chances are you need the help of a COO to maintain operations while you continue building your vision. Let’s talk about a new option, the ***Fractional COO***. A fractional COO is someone who can bring in the expertise of an operations executive, but at a part-time or as-needs-basis. Let's cover what a fractional COO is and why it’s time you bring one into your agency! ## Benefits of a Fractional COO A fractional COO is a **key partner in your business**, providing operations-focused strategies and input on a part-time or hourly or retainer basis. They can offer executive-level leadership processes to help your [agency reach its goals](https://theresatruong.ca/why-goal-setting-as-a-team-is-more-successful/), whether that’s for marketing campaigns, finances, or scaling and expanding the business - think [hiring a larger team](https://theresatruong.ca/services/)! In short, a fractional COO is there to help make sure your business is positioned for extreme maximum growth, by working through specific roadblocks, bottlenecks, and inconsistencies in the business. But I’m not going to keep sharing about what a fractional COO is, I’d rather share what the benefits of working with one are - there are plenty! As the CEO of your agency, it’s not ideal that you take care of all logistics, operations, and processes. You’re there to keep the vision of your business growing and continuing to expand. It’s difficult to be the visionary while also focusing on the operational tasks that need to be carried out. So, imagine bringing in a COO that can spot trouble areas, such as… - Understanding and reorganizing the systems that you already have in place, to continue growth and continuously convert clients. - Deep diving into your current business operations to audit and streamline, finding opportunities to automate and scale. - Seeing crossroads in financial branches and creating a clear road map with actionable steps to help with execution.. - Guiding and organizing different teams and groups, to maximize team synergy and improve efficiency. And not only are these some of the benefits that a fractional COO can provide for your agency, they are also highly flexible and easy on a business’s budget. It’s one of the best ways to bring in executive-level expertise for certain hours or specific projects, at a much lower budget than hiring someone full-time. I’ve been working as a fractional COO with my clients for the last 2 years, (and before that, in my corporate life, I was part of the senior management team responsible for operations) coming in on an hourly basis each week to check in on teams, work through the roadmap for the month, and set financial revenue goals with the CEO of the company. I’ve seen that it is much more efficient to work with an agency in this capacity without putting any large financial burdens on their plate. ## When to Hire a Fractional COO You know, hiring a fractional COO can be a process… like most of the processes in your business. It can be another asset to your business for a certain period of time, or a long-term investment to continuously help your business grow. In my experience, it’s time to consider hiring a fractional COO when you hit these roadblocks: 1. You find that your time is spent managing your team and not moving the needle in your business forward. 2. You’re struggling with managing too many administrative tasks, taking away from time to grow your business and continue client outreach. 3. You want to expand your team but need help to logistically plan a successful hire. 4. You feel overwhelmed with the daily tasks that you can’t fathom how to reach the next level in your business. 5. You’re consumed with the churn of work that the client experience is being affected. If you’re experiencing any of those - it’s time to consider hiring a fractional COO. Someone who can give your business high-level project management and organization, quarterly strategic mapping, and be your right-hand team member to strategically plan. ### Get efficient and sustainable growth One of the most important factors I focus on with each of my clients is efficient and sustainable growth. This means really digging into the internal systems of a business and working on rebuilding them to grow efficiently and sustainably. Some questions to ask yourself if you’re deep in the churn and feel overwhelmed most days… - What are you best at and are you doing that to grow your business? - Where are the bottlenecks in your processes? - What does your team need to excel in their responsibilities? If you struggled to honestly answer any of those questions - it’s time to consider hiring a fractional COO. ## Your Move If your agency is continuously bringing in 6-7 figures of business, but you’re noticing that you’ve hit a plateau, or things are getting "wild", a fractional COO is one of the best solutions to consider. They’re able to bring in their executive-level expertise to your business to help work through the roadblocks, help manage the overwhelm, and strategically plan to help you move forward. Ready to bring in a fractional COO? Here are some things to consider: 1. Are you ready to hand off managing tasks to your COO and focus on where you excel in business as the CEO? 2. Do you want to get your time back to focus on sales, developing products/offerings, or other areas, and have your fractional COO manage your team? 3. Are you prepared to do the work and strategically plan to move your business forward for efficient and sustainable growth? --- # 5 Simple Ways to Leverage a Fractional COO URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/5-simple-ways-to-leverage-a-fractional-coo Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:23:52.774Z Reading time: 5 min > Experiencing growth in your agency is exciting when you repeatedly bring in 6-7 figure months and your team has expanded. The problem now is, you don’t have the... Experiencing growth in your agency is exciting when you repeatedly bring in 6-7 figure months and your team has expanded. The problem now is, you don’t have the operational expertise or experience to scale… so you’re sitting at a plateau and unsure how to move to the next level. There’s many ways to break through the ceiling, and one of those ways is to leverage a fractional COO (Chief Operating Officer) in your agency. It makes a difference to have someone who is operations-focused and has senior level experience that comes into your agency on a part-time basis to advise on your business model, operations, and growth strategies. **RELATED POST**: [What is a Fractional COO and Why You Need One](https://theresatruong.ca/what-is-a-fractional-coo/) Let’s talk through what are 5 simple ways to leverage a fractional COO in your agency. These are some of the most common services provided by a fractional COO executive: ## 1. Operational Assessment and Alignment Are your operations as efficient as they can be? Supply-chain networks, sales funnel management, internal communications, bookkeeping, and more. Have these operations been assessed, audited, and re-aligned to match your team’s growth? Under an operational assessment and alignment, a fractional COO will put every operational area in your agency under an “efficiency microscope”. By leveraging a fractional COO’s experience and expertise in a senior-executive level, your agency can benefit with streamlined operations in all areas, resulting in bringing in more revenue, increase customer satisfaction, and up-level team culture and morale. A fractional COO’s purpose in this scope is to look at everything that keeps your business running to make sure it is efficient and effective. In these types of services, I usually start with developing a roadmap and work through it with my clients to make sure their agency runs like a lean-machine! ## 2. Executive Project Leadership In this capacity, an agency can leverage a fractional COO’s experience by having them come in to execute a specific and time-sensitive project. Some of these projects can be transitioning from legacy software, preparing for a deal or large campaign, building out an automated repeat sales process, or hiring and training team members. A fractional COO will come in, part-time, and collaborate with the CEO of the agency to complete the task at hand, without costing the company a fortune or the more in-depth process of hiring a COO full-time. Throughout my experience, I have been brought on to help with an executive project to lead team members in transitioning to a new system, process, or software, hiring and managing team members, automating a repeat sales launch, and more. In each case that I’ve worked, I’ve seen that having a fractional COO gives the CEO of an agency the peace of mind they need without putting too much financial stress on a business. It’s a win-win partnership for the both of us! ## 3. Team Integration and Culture Development Is your team fully integrated and working to their best capabilities? Do you have the right team culture to boost team morale, excitement, and keep your client experience streamlined and at an excellent standard? Leverage a fractional COO to scale your team and train them is one of the best ways to streamline your hiring process and keep the standard within your agency. To build the right culture, there are a few aspects to focus on: - Communication - Efficiency - Transparency - And leadership development With the right fractional COO who has the executive experience, they will be able to understand and foresee any roadblocks to team integration and where your agency can avoid any miscommunication or “bad-hires”. ** *“You want to hire slow and fire fast”*** ## 4. Systems Optimization Systems, one of the essential parts of a business, tying in processes and operations. With the right systems implemented, an agency can flourish and optimize the team’s time, as well as, the CEO’s time. With the wrong systems, there’s a clear disconnect between team members, order of operations, client expectations, etc. A fractional COO has experience with many systems and tools to implement in any type of business and agency, their expertise is seeing and understanding which systems a business can grow into and which ones are causing bottlenecks. I’ve worked with different CEOs to audit their systems, rebuild them, and optimize them for maximum efficiency. Through my work, CEOs now have optimized platforms that onboard and offboard clients, build client relationships, lead capture, and workflows that are automated to take up less admin time and leaves them focusing on tasks that will grow the company. ## 5. Interim Executive Partnership If a company is looking to hire a full-time COO, an interim COO may be another great option to start. Some benefits of an interim COO include clear cost benefits and infrastructural advantages. Besides hiring a full-time COO and immediately integrating them into the team without know how the dynamic will be between the CEO and the team, hiring an interim COO is a great alternative to “test drive” the role. In most cases, an interim COO will be there to play the role as the CEO’s right-hand person, bouncing off ideas, seeing the gaps in the vision, and building the roadmap to help them reach their long-term business goals. In this case, many interim COO’s will work with the CEO to build a growth roadmap for the agency that team members can easily follow and implement. ## Your Move Having access to an executive-level person in your team doesn’t need to be a costly decision. There are alternatives to how you can leverage a fractional COO in your agency, as an integral part of your team and still continue to sustainable grow. Options to look into for a **fractional COO** include: 1. Operational Assessment and Alignment 2. Executive Project Leadership 3. Team integration and culture development 4. Systems optimization 5. Interim COO Is your agency optimized for growth or have you hit a plateau? I would love to hear about your experiences and where you want to go next! If you think it’s the right time to hire a fractional COO but aren’t sure which role is a high-priority, let’s discuss it on a free consult call. I’d be happy to help and see how we can build a strategic roadmap for agency growth! --- # How to Solve the 3 Common Problems when Managing a Team URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/how-to-solve-the-3-common-problems-when-managing-a-team Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:21:58.053Z Reading time: 5 min > When you begin to scale your agency beyond yourself, you’re likely considering hiring a team. A team means multiple moving parts within your business. This also means as you begin to scale, you’ll run into problems when managing a team. When you begin to scale your agency beyond yourself, you’re likely considering hiring a team. A team means multiple moving parts within your business. This also means as you begin to scale, you’ll run into problems when managing a team. I already nerd out about systems and processes, automation, workflows, and operations for an agency, but those are all tools created to help agencies run more automatically and systemized. Teams, on the other hand, are a unique part of running an agency. Managing them, is a different game because you’re working with different personalities, backgrounds, and cultures. Many of the clients I’ve worked with have scaled their agencies from themselves or a small team, to bringing on multiple hires at one time to take care of business operations. What happens is there are common problems that arise when you’re now in charge of managing the team. There are the 3 most common problems I see when managing a team and the easiest ways to solve them. ## Bottlenecks and Barriers to Managing a Team An easy problem to spot are bottlenecks and barriers, and issues that aren’t solved in a timely manner. For example, this can be tools not functioning as they should, lack of training on certain tools and systems, or a large bottleneck in the workflow that stops work. Because teams are already multiple moving parts in one machine, additional bottlenecks and barriers caused by systems can cause major setbacks in efficient work, resulting in a loss in revenue and profits. Take the time to train your team on tools and systems your agency uses. Have them go through online courses to help break-through certain challenges. Take an Agency Audit to unveil any systematic bottlenecks in your workflow and how you can automate more processes, making the work flow more efficiently for your team. You can implement this in your team management immediately, simply: 1. Include specific tools training in the onboarding process for new hires 2. Create a vault of online courses for team members to access, teaching them new skills or how to use a certain tool 3. Sit down and go through an Agency Audit to see how automated your agency is and where you can improve ## Lack of Communication One of the biggest problems, if not THE biggest and most common problem when managing a team is lack of communication. I see this time and time again, when there aren’t clear systems in place for communication between management and their team, or within team members themselves. When there is lack of communication, this gives space to assumptions, “unsafe” spaces for honest feedback, and drama. Assumptions are the killers of all team collaboration. They lead to inefficient work, frustrations built up, and unnecessary drama. As the manager of a team, it’s important to create a safe space for follow up or transparency. If you’re unable to create this space from the beginning, this harbors a lot of animosity between team members and management or between the team itself which could mean feelings of fear, afraid of disappointment, people pleasing, etc. The best way to combat this problem is scheduling regular monthly follow up and check-ins with your team, either as a group or individually. In these meetings you can review… - What’s working - What’s not working - How can you (as the CEO/leader) improve personally and as a leader - A space for you to have empathy and validate their ideas This opens the pathways for better communication and creates a safespace for your team to feel like they can share their ideas without backlash, it squashes any assumptions, and helps with transparency. ## Team Collaboration Is your team lacking unity? This could look like: - They’re great at their individual tasks and getting work done, but team collaboration is non-existent - Team members rarely pitch in and help their colleagues - There is no team synergy [Team collaboration](https://theresatruong.ca/how-to-make-your-team-communication-more-effective-and-collaborative/) and synergy is another problem that my clients face, regularly. Many times, in an agency, there are local team members and virtual members, which can cause a lack of unity. I’ve found the most efficient, productive, and profitable teams work together collaboratively on projects, share ideas, and are open and comfortable giving feedback and constructive criticism. Managing my virtual team for Loop Link and helping agency owners manage their own local/virtual teams, there are a few ways to build team unity within an agency: 1. Have semi-annual team events 2. Monthly/quarterly team events throughout the year This could be planning retreats for virtual teams or local team events like co-working days or team dinners! These events create space for bonding, and I am a big believer that bonding always happens over some sort of traveling and being in a new space! ## Effective Team Management Being aware of these before hiring team members will help make team management much easier. If you already have a team and are noticing these problems, here’s how to correct course and move forward: 1. Have a system in place to train your team on new tools 2. Integrate monthly check-ins and follow-ups in group and individual settings with your team 3. Plan team events to create space for bonding When you’re proactive about these problems, it can help your agency be more efficient, productive, and produce a higher quality client experience, leading to agency growth! ## Your Move Unsure how to implement these solutions within your team? Do you need an extra hand with team management? --- # 10 Small Business Interview Questions to ask Candidates URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/10-small-business-interview-questions-to-ask-candidates Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:19:23.610Z Reading time: 6 min > Choosing the right candidate for a job out of hundreds (or…*shudders*...thousands) of applicants isn't easy. After going through resumes, you will have to inter... Choosing the right candidate for a job out of hundreds (or…*shudders*...thousands) of applicants isn't easy. After going through resumes, you will have to interview your shortlisted candidates. Asking many interview questions. An interview allows for interpersonal communication and helps you decide if a candidate is a perfect fit for what you need. Whether you're conducting in-person or virtual interviews, you have the opportunity to evaluate applicants face-to-face. Below are 10 interview questions to help you achieve the best results from your interview process. There's no one-size-fits-all answer to each. However, the general information provided will help you decide if both parties have the same expectations. ## 10 No-Fail Interview Questions to Ask Candidates ### 1. What is the top skill you have that makes you perfect for this job? Your top priority is finding someone who understands the job and can get it done. This question will prompt a candidate to tell you, in their own words, if they qualify. In the right answer, the candidate should mention a skill that directly correlates with the position being advertised. If they don't offer further details, prompt them. Ask them about how they've applied those skills at their previous job. You want to be sure that an applicant isn't just making claims. ### 2. Tell me about your most significant professional achievement. Your interview candidates will show up with the intent to impress you. Give them the opportunity. Ask them about their most significant professional achievement. It could be an award or a certificate. It could also be their participation in a team that saved their former company from substantial loss. With this question, you're not only giving your candidate a confidence boost. You're also winning a chance to see if they are hardworking people who have gotten recognized for work done. ### 3. What is your biggest challenge with priority skill and how do you manage it? Remember that top skill we talked about earlier? Well, it's not just enough that your candidate has it. They should also be good at it. Unless you have a big budget, you're probably not looking to hire top-experts. However, your final choice should a problem solver who continually improves on their skill sets. They should be experienced at working around challenges or approaching the right people for help when needed. ### 4. Tell me about someone who you've worked with, and how you made a significant impact on their career. The answer to this question will indicate how they measure their impact. If the candidate talks about someone who is a superior career-wise, this could be an indication that they are only interested in looking good on paper. Your ideal candidate should be able to mention one person on their level, or below their level who they chose to help out in a significant way. This indicates team spirit and willingness to help even in the absence of personal gain. ### 5. Tell me about a disagreement you had with a colleague and how it was resolved. Soft skills, such as managing workplace relationships, are essential. As a small business, you probably work with a tight-knit team. While it is expected that disagreements will happen, your team members must know how to solve them quickly and efficiently. If your applicant's answer indicates that they may have been unprofessional or petty due to a disagreement, they may not be the right fit for your team. ### 6. What are your ideal working style and environment? The performance of an employee could be affected if they do not fit into the company culture. Their preferred working style and environment should match what you currently provide. Not only will they fit in better, but they would better trust your leadership. A study by [CultureIQ](https://go.pardot.com/l/455712/2017-11-23/d2qyhn?ref=theresatruong.ca) shows that 90% of employees at companies with good culture are confident in their company's leadership. Also, introducing someone with poor work values could affect the productivity of your company, especially with a small team. Ask this question to avoid hiring a bad egg. ### 7. Do you have a personal interest in what we do here? Passion is a known driver for success in business. Finding an employee who shares a passion for what your business is doing will be a major win. I don't expect that an employee's passion will match yours as a founder or member of top-level management. However, it's a bonus if they have a real interest in the mission of the brand. Such employees are often proactive and prioritize their tasks because it's about more than a paycheck to them. ### 8. Are you hoping to improve on any particular skills? According to [Udemy's 2018 Workplace Distraction Report](https://research.udemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FINAL-Udemy_2018_Workplace_Distraction_Report.pdf?ref=theresatruong.ca), more employees want training and skill advancement options. 70% of employees believe that training could help them become more focused on their jobs, and also help with time management. However, 66% of employees have spoken to their managers about these training benefits. From the start, you want to ensure that whoever you hire is interested in improving themselves and their skills. When you ask this question, you also want to establish the fact that training opportunities are open to members of staff. Remember that your interviewee is also trying to decide if you're a good fit for them or not. ### 9. Why did you decide to leave your job? This is a tricky question for applicants to answer, but it can't be ignored. If an applicant is currently employed, ensure that you ask this question before the interview is over. Look out for red flags in their answers. If they quickly jump into bad-mouthing their current or previous employer, then you do not want that person on your team. It's okay if a candidate is looking for newer challenges, a more exciting job, or even higher pay. However, if they keep talking about mean bosses and evil supervisors, quickly cross them off your list. Their experience with your company will most likely not be any better. ### 10. Do you have any questions you would like to ask me? Your candidates are equally curious about the company and what it offers. They probably have a few interview questions for you too. Most people will not jump right to their questions because they do not want to offend the interviewer. It's up to you to give them a chance to ask their questions and provide useful answers. As the interview progresses, don't be afraid to deviate from your pre-planned list of interview questions. Probe into interesting answers, and find out as much information as needed about your applicants. Find common ground to establish a connection with your candidate. Remember that this process is probably nerve-wracking to them. When you provide a comfortable interview environment for them, it becomes easier to get the answers you're looking for. ## Your Move Unsure how to implement these solutions within your team? Do you need an extra hand with team management? --- # The Future is Fractional: Fractional COO vs Full-Time COO URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/the-future-is-fractional-fractional-coo-vs-full-time-coo Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:18:25.682Z Reading time: 5 min > The Future: Fractional COOEvery business eventually reaches its operational threshold — the critical point where its CEO (or existing leadership team) can no lo... ## The Future: Fractional COO Every business eventually reaches its operational threshold — the critical point where its CEO (or existing leadership team) can no longer keep up with the day-to-day procedural demands of their enterprise. I have served many business owners who were facing this exact dilemma. In each scenario, the client had the same perspective: "I have to hire a COO". My response? "Yes and no." If you're confused— don't worry, my clients were too. Let me explain. There comes a time when a Chief Operating Officer can help scale your business to the next level. There are now new options to help fill the need of a COO that doesn't have to take the traditional approach of hiring a COO. Many entrepreneurs assume they need to set up an extra office, budget a full-time salary, and hire a qualified professional who will show up on site every day. After all, that's the way things have always been done. Well, until now, at least. Today, thanks to the rapid advancement of technology, business owners can hire Fractional COOs— a practice that comes with substantial benefits. I'll be sharing more about what those benefits are in just a moment. But first, let's lay a little groundwork. ## What is a Fractional COO? A Fractional COO is a qualified executive who offers their services on a contractual basis. Some Fractional COOs work on-site in their client's offices part-time, while others work remotely. ## What Does a Fractional COO Do? A Fractional COO is capable of completing any and all of the tasks a traditional Chief Operating Officer would be responsible for. They are, essentially, a COO consultant. The vast majority of Fractional COOs have served as executive leaders at major corporations or private companies, and eventually decided to offer their services on a freelance basis. **Typical Fractional COO services include:** - Analyzing business data (analytics, KPIs, etc.) and producing business reports - Providing unbiased and insightful strategic input - Overseeing staffing practices (Interviews, training, evaluations, etc.) - Delegating of tasks and projects to appropriate team members - Implementing processes and technological solutions to address productivity hindrances - Acting as second-in-command when major business decisions must be made ## Why More Businesses Are Choosing to Hire a Fractional COO There are many [advantages associated with hiring a part-time COO.](https://theresatruong.ca/leverage-a-fractional-coo-in-your-agency/) **Some of the most notable advantages include:** ### 1. Strategic Expertise As mentioned above, outsourced COOs are highly skilled and educated. The vast majority of Fractional COOs have several years of experience at the executive level. They understand the broad range of challenges that can impact a business and have the tactical skills required to navigate such challenges successfully. These individuals have the foresight, resiliency and competency to deliver COO services that will help business owners expand with excellence. ### 2. Flexibility Traditionally, hiring a COO meant recruiting a full-time team member. Unfortunately, however, many entrepreneurs and businesses do not have enough work to validate a full-time position, or they may want to maintain their ability to reduce services if they experience a slow period. In these cases, working with a COO consultant can be extremely favourable. It allows business owners to complete the loops within their companies in a sustainable, adaptable way without risking their future stability. ### 3. Affordability This is the most critical reason why entrepreneurs decide to hire a Fractional COO. After all, in business, every really does boil down to the bottom line. When seeking an executive leader to assist with operational demands, most entrepreneurs are entirely aware that they need to eliminate interruptions, inconsistencies and surprises— and they know they can't do it alone. They've acknowledged the problem and they aren't standing in their own way. Instead, it's their financial capacity to pay a full-time COO that's fencing them in, so to speak. Fortunately, hiring a Fractional COO is can completely resolve this concern. COO consultants can work as little or as much as the business requires, and many offer their services at a significantly lower rate than you'd spend on hiring a full-time executive. ## The Future is Fractional **Did you know:** - Between 2005 to 2017, there was a[ **159 per cent increase in remote work**](https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/?ref=theresatruong.ca)**?** - Studies predict that[** 73 per cent of teams will have remote workers by 2028?**](https://www.upwork.com/press/2019/03/05/third-annual-future-workforce-report/?ref=theresatruong.ca) - [**55 percent of C-level executives now work remotely**](https://www.owllabs.com/state-of-remote-work/2019?ref=theresatruong.ca)** **some or all of the time? - If workers that can work remotely did so even just half of the time, it would result in over[ **$700 billion in national savings**](https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/telecommuting-statistics?ref=theresatruong.ca)**?** ## How I Can Help I have been providing high-level strategy, business structuring, team leadership, and operational support to entrepreneurs for more than 10 years. My services are completely customizable, meaning I provide you with the time and attention your business requires, *without *over-selling you or encouraging you to commit to expenses that aren't currently necessary for your company. **If you think my Operations Coachsultant™ services could be the right fit for you, I highly encourage you to book a virtual coffee with me!** It is completely FREE and there is NO obligation! ## Your Move Unsure how to implement these solutions within your team? Do you need an extra hand with team management? --- # The 3 Most-Forgotten Client Feedback Touch Points (And How to Capitalize On Them) URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/the-3-most-forgotten-client-feedback-touch-points-and-how-to-capitalize-on-them Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:14:35.506Z Reading time: 5 min > Client feedback is one of the most crucial loops to complete for any service-based business. As entrepreneurs, it is so easy to fall into the trap of viewing ou... Client feedback is one of the most crucial loops to complete for any service-based business. As entrepreneurs, it is so easy to fall into the trap of viewing our business from one perspective (our own), which ultimately leads to analytical inaccuracies. One of the most detrimental mistakes business owners make when implementing a client feedback process is focusing on one or two touch points along their client journey, rather than asking for feedback at multiple points (in different ways). **We want to not *only* gather input from clients when they reach a particular milestone. We want to gather this input incrementally along their client journey, as it allows us to better understand how their perspectives, emotions, and pain points change *over time*.** Fortunately, there are a multitude of client touch points that can provide business owners with more in-depth and valuable feedback. Today, I'll be sharing a few of the most commonly overlooked feedback opportunities, and sharing some strategic tips for maximizing results. Let's get started! ## The 3 Most-Forgotten Client Feedback Touch Points (And How to Capitalize On Them) ### 1. Pre-Launch Surveys Have you ever expanded your service offerings or launched a new service without first determining if your target market would be interested? Most entrepreneurs have at some point in their career. And while this doesn't necessarily mean your launch will be a flop— it does reduce the likelihood. Pre-launch is one of the most valuable client touch points in terms of feedback. It allows you to gain insights from the people who would be most inclined to invest in your product or service. But in order to truly understand what would make your services more appealing (and what would deter a potential client from purchasing), you need to facilitate the conversation effectively. **TIPS FOR GATHERING PRE-LAUNCH FEEDBACK:** Select a focus group of 5-10 people (who match your ideal customer persona) Ask them to review your major competitor's services (What do they like? What puts them off? What are their thoughts on the price point? Branding? Etc.) Ask your focus group what services they feel are missing within your target market Get the group to analyze your new service offerings (What are they most excited about? What is their first impression?) Give control over to your focus group (If you could change anything about this service, what would you change? If you were marketing this service, what would you highlight or promote most?) ### 2. Post Account Creation Surveys Do you provide an online platform or website where your clients can log in and access information, services, etc? If so, this is a fantastic opportunity for getting client feedback. After your client has set up their account and explored the various features and capabilities of the platform, they'll likely have some thoughts on their user experience. Asking a client for feedback within a day or so after they've established their account is most effective, as this is when the experience is top of mind. Why not strike while the iron is hot? **TIPS FOR GATHERING POST ACCOUNT CREATION FEEDBACK:** Send an survey via email 1-2 days after the account is created (Extra points if you automate this process!) Keep the survey short and succinct (5-10 questions) Ask questions related to UX (Was the platform easy to navigate? Were the instructions clear? What was going through your mind while you set up your account?) Ask questions about design (Were the fonts readable? Were the icons/visuals helpful? Etc.) Ask questions about functionality (How quickly were you able to complete your desired task? Did the platform/app/site load fast enough? Etc.) ### 3. Midway Mark Project Catch-Up Calls I'm a huge advocate for midway mark catch-ups. They are one of my favorite client feedback strategies for service-based businesses. In general, people tend to be most motivated and excited about a project in the beginning and at the end (when results are about to be delivered). But when we're in the midst of putting in the elbow grease, our enthusiasm tends to taper off. Personally, I view midway mark catch-ups as not only an opportunity to gather valuable client feedback on how their experience has been to date, but also as an opportunity to keep the excitement alive! **TIPS FOR GATHERING MIDWAY MARK FEEDBACK:** Schedule a telephone or video call (A personal approach works best for major milestones) Prepare your questions in advance Ask questions related to communications (How satisfied are you with our communication process? Do you feel we are responsive? Have we adequately updated you throughout the first phase of your project?) Ask questions related to timelines (Are you satisfied with the progress thus far? Have we communicated any potential delays or setbacks effectively? Etc.) Ask questions related to process (Have you encountered any roadblocks when seeking support from us? Do you have any concerns about our invoicing or payment processes? Etc.) ## Next Steps (What to Do With The Feedback You've Gathered) Data is powerful. And we all know the saying— *"With great power comes great responsibility."* As business owners, it is our responsibility to utilize the data we gather from clients to further enhance our service delivery. How? By incorporating this data into our future **SYSTEMS**, **STRUCTURES**, and **PROCESSES**. ## Creating (or Updating) Your Client Experience Manual A client experience manual is a formal, detailed booklet that can be used by all members of your team to deliver a cohesive and consistent client experience to every individual you serve. **The key to maximizing the impact of your client experience manual is to use the feedback you gather from your clients to keep it as relevant and up-to-date as possible.** The more data-driven your client experience manual is, the more effective it will be. ## I've Done The Work (So You Don't Have To) I've created a downloadable and fully-customizable client experience manual business owners can use to **WOW** future clients. **This comprehensive manual includes:** - Checklists - SOPs - Templates - Swipe Files Plus a short "How-To" video to walk you through the document step-by-step! **It's everything you need to create the unforgettable experience your clients deserve.** ## ## Your Move Unsure how to implement these solutions within your team? Do you need an extra hand with team management? --- # Why Sustainability Matters More Than Growth URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/why-sustainability-matters-more-than-growth Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:12:05.511Z Reading time: 5 min > Most creative CEOs, consultants, and contractors eventually reach a point in their entrepreneurial journey where they need to make a monumental decision: grow t... Most creative CEOs, consultants, and contractors eventually reach a point in their entrepreneurial journey where they need to make a monumental decision: grow their business to meet an increasing demand *or* allow their operations to come to a standstill. If you're at all like the many agency owners I've worked with over the years, the latter option doesn't appeal to you. Despite the long hours and never-ending to-do list, you are passionate about your business and bettering the lives of the people you serve. You want your business to *thrive*. **But there is one major stumbling block that often gets the best of agency owners who are planning the expansion of their business**— **they focus on *growth* rather than *sustainability***. In some cases, this single decision is enough to irreparably damage their brand and profitability. My goal has always been to help creative CEOs, consultants and contractors expand with excellence, and building sustainable operations is an integral part of making that mission possible. This is why I wanted to dedicate today's blog to diving deeper into why sustainability matters more than growth. ## What is Operational Sustainability? Operational sustainability refers to the process of managing a business in a way that allows for continuous improvement *without *compromising future efficiency or profitability. ## What is Business Growth? Business growth is the pursuit of enlarging a business with the goal of increasing earnings. ## What Are The Benefits of Building Sustainable Operations? There are many ways a sustainable development plan can benefit a creative CEO, consultant, or contractor. Let's take a closer look at some of the positive results. ### 1. Client Loyalty People prefer to do business with brands and companies that have a proven, long-term track record for delivering their desired results. Thus, the longer your business is around and thriving, the easier it will be to acquire new clients and retain your existing ones. **In fact, 60 per cent of consumers prefer to purchase from a familiar brand as opposed to a new one. (**[**Source**](https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-releases/2013/global-consumers-more-likely-to-buy-new-products-from-familiar-b0/?ref=theresatruong.ca)**)** And this perspective applies to service-based businesses as well. A potential client will be more likely to hire you if they have seen you around, heard about your work via family and friends, and know you have been generating results for a great deal of time. ### 2. Risk Mitigation Scaling a business does not involve planning for potential setbacks or hurdles, but putting a sustainable development plan in place does. Sustainability is all about identifying gaps within your current operations and ensuring those gaps (as well as any deficiencies that may arise down the road) are accounted for. In order to successfully scale your business, you must be absolutely certain that you have the systems, structures, and strategies in place to accommodate growth and reduce the likelihood of major issues. ### 3. Effortless Performance One of the greatest rewards of operational sustainability is the freedom you gain from putting teams, tactics, and technologies in place that are capable of functioning flawlessly without your constant input. When CEOs and consultants have comprehensive strategies and systems in place, they are able to get back to doing what they are meant to do— serving their business from a leadership standpoint. Automation is a key component of building sustainable operations. It allows agency owners to completely "set and forget" certain tasks and projects, *without* compromising their peace of mind. Whether it's welcome emails, calendar invites, or sales lead scoring— automated systems can keep your business running like clockwork. ## What Are The Benefits of Scaling a Business? All of the advantages association with growing a business can be summarized under one umbrella term: increased profits. **These advantages include:** - Securing a larger inventory of products or materials - Generating more sales leads - Diversifying revenue streams - Increasing market share percentage - More partnership opportunities **While all of these outcomes are exciting and favorable, they can be compromised if the business has not put a sustainable development plan in place to support these advances over time.** ## Why You Need to Focus on Sustainability First I want you to think about a deep-rooted tree. No matter how ominous a storm may be, a deep-rooted tree isn't at risk of being ripped up from the ground. Why is that? It's because trees focus on building their foundations first. Long before we see their vibrant leaves, trees are busy beneath the surface expanding and strengthening their root networks. They seem to "know" that they can't expand their crowns and produce far-reaching foliage without first ensuring they are secured. **Our businesses are like trees. The more deep-rooted and supported they are, the more likely they are to thrive.** ## Start Building Sustainable Operations Today ### My Shift to Scale Accelerator Program Breaks The Process Down Step-By-Step In this one-of-a-kind program, I guide creative CEOs, consultants, and contractors through the process of establishing a rock-solid sustainable development plan. ### The program will take you through the four high-impact stages of sustainable growth: 1. **Simplifying:** Create a holistic snapshot of your agency to determine what’s working, what’s not, and what can be streamlined. 2. **Strategizing:** Identify the bottlenecks and leaks, and build a strategic roadmap to achieve the results and begin the shift. 3. **Systemizing:** Finetune the system, so it can consistently run without your direct involvement. 4. **Scaling:** Shift the agency to autopilot, so you can step back and let it run itself. Build ROI and continue to measure for results. ### Are you ready to create sustainable success? **LET'S DO THIS!** ## Your Move Unsure how to implement these solutions within your team? Do you need an extra hand with team management? --- # 5 Leadership Qualities That Will Make You Remarkable URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/5-leadership-qualities-that-will-make-you-remarkable Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:03:53.193Z Reading time: 4 min > Most people would like to become a great leader. Some people are born with the skills, and some have to work at it. The leadership qualities come in many forms... Most people would like to become a great leader. Some people are born with the skills, and some have to work at it. The leadership qualities come in many forms and using different skills. Being a leader requires making hard choices that must be made while bringing out the creativity in others. Taking risks and being creative can provide you with high rewards. Here is your chance to find out some ideas for taking charge and learning how to be that person that people need. Below lists 5 leadership qualities that will make you remarkable. ## 5 Remarkable Leadership Qualities ## 1. Ethics and Morals Honesty is a fundamental characteristic to have as a leader. Leaders are responsible for earning the trust of their team. A leader should be trustworthy. When people are aware that they can rely on and trust you, they also respect you. Maintain high morals when you are leading. Make sure you will be able to live with your decisions. You need to make a decision that will leave you feeling completely comfortable with your morals and do what feels right. Ethics is a huge role in any successful business. Customers will keep coming back if they know you care about them. If you set moral standards for your employees, you will ensure success. **2. Delegation** Use your leadership role as leader to build a strong team that can work together well. Be available to talk to your team about a problem they may be having and answer them honestly and to the best of your ability. Your team ought to be able to work without you interfering too much pressure and micromanagement. The team you have surrounding you is what will make or break you, so make each person feel important. ## 3. Communication Communication is a two-way street. Learn how to listen to people who work for you or are a part of your team. Successful leaders know how to listen to their people and seek out their feedback on issues. They might give you ideas for new products or how to improve production. Never hesitate to ask your team's opinions because you are afraid of what they may have to say. This will show your team the opportunity to be heard and builds trust. Make sure you're taking the time to help your team with clarity in understanding what is expected of them and all instructions are clear. Check in at regular intervals to make sure everything is on track. ## 4. Confidence There are going to be days when things aren't going as planned. Like any business in all different sizes, this is bound to happen, and the key is to stay calm. Putting out fires and maintaining the team morale will be an integral part of your leadership. Stay calm, collected and confident, when your team sees this in you, they will take cues from you. ## 5. Attitude of Commitment and Positivity Leadership roles often make huge demands on people. If your expectation of your team is to produce high-quality content, then you must lead by example. When you work alongside everyone else, it shows commitment and handwork that doesn't exclude someone of your caliber. Stay true to your actions and also your promises. Respect is earned by your team when they see you uphold your word and commitment, and will likely deliver higher than expected quality work. Keep your team motivated with positive words and actions. Show that they are a part of the continued success of the company by engaging them through quality engagement. ## Remarkably Inspire Others Running a business often involves many different *qualities of a leader* with remarkable abilities, especially the ability to inspire and forecast the vision of success. Leading others can be a tough job, but it can come with many rewards. You bring benefit to the lives of others, and these are important qualities a leader. Many people need that boost that a leader provides; be an inspiration that others want to model after, and most of all, **move them** to be the best that they can be. --- # Your Business Grows When You Know What To Let Go URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/your-business-grows-when-you-know-what-to-let-go Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:02:51.400Z Reading time: 4 min > Growing your business is an adventure. It is an investment of time, nurture, and risk. It requires us to show up every day. Particularly in the early years of b... Growing your business is an adventure. It is an investment of time, nurture, and risk. It requires us to show up every day. Particularly in the early years of business, it’s common for a solopreneur to wear all the hats in their business. We owned it from start to finish because we had to. But as you begin to grow, you need to know what to let go of and allow others to help you build your business and dreams. When I started my consulting business in 2005, I love learning about every aspect of my business. I felt in control of my business, and that I truly owned it. From building a business plan to building quotes and developing my website, I did it all. Tight control meant everything had to be perfect before I was satisfied with it. This ended up costing me a lot of time and spending my energy and taking my focus away from important things. Such as securing clients and work. Part of this perfectionism resulted from fear. I worried about making a mistake that would make me less of professional. Nothing would go out until it was close to perfect and accurate. Well, let me tell you, I wish I knew then what I know now, that it’s about progress and not perfection. When it comes to your own work, you naturally feel more precious about it. It’s part of our nature to want to make it perfect before releasing it. But when you are at the edge where you can't do it all yourself any longer, you must let go of tasks and the little things for your business to grow. You may have decided it’s time to start building your dream team if: - You’re increasingly overwhelmed with the minor day-to-day tasks. You can’t break free of them to focus on your next course, service or product creation. - You’re trying to do everything and instead end up completing nothing. - You’re progressing slowly and know you need a second set of hands to speed things up. - You’re ready to rely on the experts so that you can focus your energy and time on building your business. ## Grow With Trust If you’ve made the decision to grow your business by adding team members, you’ll need to be able to work collaboratively and cohesively. Be clear and concise with instructions and details brings synergy and success. It may take some time at the beginning of the collaboration for everyone to find their footing. A delegation is a form of trust not easily given. Especially if we’ve felt we were able to do it successfully on our own for so long. It’s essential that you do trust your team. They are specialists that you hired. It’s an exercise and opportunity to allow your business to grow when you know what to let go of. When you let go and trust others to support you and your business, you can experience benefits such as: - Focus helping clients with their struggles, challenges, and bringing new solutions to them. - Finding time to go on an extended balanced vacation (let’s face it, we still tend to add a little mix of work at times!) - Feeling less pressure - not having to go at it all alone. - Developing new products to bring in more profits and launch your business growth to the next level. ## Do you Know What To Let Go Of? Letting go brings about various thoughts and feelings. If you do not deal with those, it may affect the performance of your team. **They can tell when you don’t trust them. They can tell when you’re trying to micromanage everything**. If you are starting to build your dream team or thinking about it, this exercise may come at the perfect time for you. It could also be a refresher for you if you already have team members. ## Your Move Wearing all the hats gives us total control, but can also bring more stress, pressure and high expectations of ourselves. Take a moment to reflect what you need to let go of in your business today. --- # The 5 Warning Signs of a Fixed Mindset URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/the-5-warning-signs-of-a-fixed-mindset Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:01:45.215Z Reading time: 6 min > Patricia Aburdene, a highly-acclaimed author and former Forbes contributor, once said something about leadership that resonated with me the very instant I first... Patricia Aburdene, a highly-acclaimed author and former Forbes contributor, once said something about leadership that resonated with me the very instant I first heard it:*"The cornerstone of leadership is self-mastery".* Her words are absolutely and unequivocally true— leadership is an *internal* skill with *external* benefits. We can not guide others and create change without first commanding our own mindset. **But how do we even decipher what our current mindset is? And how do we know what needs changing?** These are profound and consequential questions that every entrepreneur encounters along their path to excellence. You've likely pondered these questions (or ones very similar to them) multiple times over the course of your self-employment. There's just one problem with asking ourselves these questions: we don't have all the answers. That's not to say we shouldn't ask anyway, of course! Self-reflection is necessary for development and expansion. We just need more than our own evaluation system. We need to know the warning signs of a poor leadership mindset and put a system in place for assessing our own perspectives. Which, as the title of this blog suggests, I'll be providing today. **But before we get cracking, we need to define a fixed mindset and understand why it's a concern.** **What is a Fixed Mindset?** When an individual has a fixed mindset, they view their skills and abilities as firm, set-in-stone traits. Essentially, they look at tasks or challenges and think "I'm either good at this or I'm not", without seeking to learn or adapt. **Fixed Mindset VS Growth Mindset** The opposite of a fixed mindset is a growth mindset. Those with a growth mindset choose to look at challenges and skills as opportunities to learn and improve. They do not see their abilities as fixed traits but as building blocks that they can acquire and assemble over time. Another key difference between a fixed mindset and growth mindset is willingness to accept feedback and criticism. When we are in a fixed mindset, we tend to place limits around ourselves and are more resistant to the input of others— even if the input is constructive and could benefit us in the long run. **What Are The Warning Signs of a Fixed Mindset?** Now that we've discussed what a fixed mindset actually is, it's important to understand how we can recognize the presence of a fixed mindset (or fixed thought patterns) within ourselves. **Below are a few key indicators to watch for:** **1. Fear of Failure** As leaders, it is our job to motivate others and instill confidence in our teams— a feat that becomes nearly impossible when we're constantly in panic mode. While it is healthy to consider possible outcomes and forecast for the future, there is a fine line between being proactive and operating from a place of fear. Remember, people are often more perceptive than we give them credit for. If you are over-thinking, questioning, and full of doubt, your team members will likely notice how tense and on-edge you are. Or worse, they may lose confidence in your mission and vision because you do not seem to be certain yourself. If you find yourself thinking "This isn't going to work" or "What if I can't pull this off?", remember that these are limiting statements. Try to shift your mindset by telling yourself "This may be difficult but I am capable". **2. Jealousy** Do you find yourself checking out your competitors on social media or envying the talents of other leaders within your industry? If so, it's time to take note, as this is one of the most detrimental examples of a fixed mindset. Since we see traits and talents as "unchangeable traits" when we're stuck in a fixed mindset, we tend to look at others and think they "hit the genetic jackpot" or "were simply born with it"— but that's absolutely not the case. By making the shift to a growth mindset we can begin to see desirable traits in others as skills they studied and developed over time. And since *anyone* can study and practice, it will soon become apparent that we can strengthen our own abilities and possess the very skills we see in others. **3. Viewing Results as Either "All Good" or "All Bad"** Do you set firm expectations for your teams, projects, or initiatives? Do you often feel discouraged when things don't go exactly according to plan? Yep, you guessed it— this is another fixed mindset warning sign. If you were maintaining a growth mindset, you would be able to see setbacks or unexpected outcomes as opportunities for learning and improvement. You would also be more open to adapting your plans and finding new ways to achieve your goals. A fixed mindset tells us that success is a specific, pre-determined outcome. A growth mindset, however, tells us that success is growth and advancement— regardless of how it is achieved. **4. Losing Steam** It's human nature to feel unmotivated when our desired result seems unattainable. This is another aspect of what's so dangerous about leading with a fixed mindset. We see achievements as hurdles that we must be inherently equipped to jump over. So, if we fail to achieve our goals, we tend to dismiss them thinking "it wasn't meant to be" or "I'm just not cut out for this". With a different perspective, however, we can learn to build our stamina and fine-tune our skill until we are able to leap over these hurdles with ease. So, the next time you feel uninspired, remember— anything is possible. Learn. Adapt. Practice. Try again. **5. Undermining Effort** Another key difference between fixed mindset VS growth mindset is how we value the *process *of our work. With a fixed mindset, we focus more on results, which can cause us to view our efforts as "wasted time" if we do not achieve our end goal. A growth mindset takes a different approach, seeing value in the journey as well as the destination. For CEOs, this is a critical component of effective leadership, since undermining the efforts of our team and only celebrating completed goals can lead to a hostile culture and loss of job satisfaction. As Arthur Ashe once said, "The doing is often more important than the outcome". Acknowledge how hard your team is working at every point along the way— *not *just at the finish line. Now that you are familiar with the five most consequential fixed mindset warning signs, have you noticed any that apply to you? How will you begin to shift to a growth mindset? Leave your thoughts in the comments! --- # How to Avoid Operational Setbacks with Systems Thinking URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/how-to-avoid-operational-setbacks-with-systems-thinking Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T17:00:33.558Z Reading time: 5 min > The way we think as CEOs and agency owners can have a profound impact on many aspects of our business. We know this, of course, because business magazines and i... The way we think as CEOs and agency owners can have a profound impact on many aspects of our business. We know this, of course, because business magazines and industry thought leaders continuously speak about the importance of our “mindset”— but do we actually know *how *we think? While reminders to remain positive and view problems as opportunities are certainly needed, they don’t give us a concrete method by which we can model our cognitive processes. Instead, they are simply short-lived tips. This is where learning about systems thinking can be beneficial. Unlike the vast number of entrepreneurial mindset tips that can be found online, systems thinking *isn’t* a single tweak or modification. It’s a perspective that results in better problem-solving and increased efficiency. One that can help us sidestep a wide spectrum of issues (if we successfully make the shift). ## What is Systems Thinking? As [superbly defined by ](https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/systems-thinking?ref=theresatruong.ca)[WhatIs.com](http://WhatIs.com), systems thinking is a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems. Or, simply put, it’s the practice of seeing problems as complex, multidimensional challenges with many components. ## Systems Thinking VS Linear Thinking Before making the shift to systems thinking, many of us approach life with a linear perspective, as this is somewhat of a default setting for humans. With linear thinking, we view problems as equations that can only be solved using the same step-by-step process. We tend to view every challenge with an identical (or extremely similar) perspective, and expect to be able to fix any issue by using the one procedure or approach we are most familiar with. ## How to Use Systems Thinking to Avoid Operational Setbacks There are many reasons to use systems thinking in business, but one of the most beneficial is to prevent performance mishaps. ### Here are a few examples of how this can be accomplished: ### 1. Strengthen Your Sense of Purpose When we use systems thinking in business we are able to see the full impact of our “why”. We understand that each action or initiative is part of the difference we make on a daily basis. This allows us to make changes and eliminate activities that are not directly connected to our mission, vision, and values. **For example: **If you are using linear thinking and you notice your team members are no longer feeling inspired in their roles, you might plan an employee appreciation day and expect it to reignite morale. With systems thinking, however, you’d take a closer look at what factors are contributing to low motivation and the various consequences of an uninspired team. From there, you’d develop a strategy to address each factor and a plan to monitor team engagement for the next three months (with engagement being one of your core values). ### 2. Fix Feedback Problems When we consider “Why is systems thinking important?”, this is one of the shining examples. Feedback is an integral part of any successful business operation. We need to be able to effectively gather the thoughts and observations of our team members as agency owners and CEOs. Otherwise, we’ll never have a full understanding of how our workflows and strategies are panning out. And, unfortunately, when we rely on linear thinking to address this issue, it can make matters worse as opposed to better. **For example: **With linear thinking, we view an issue with our internal communications as far simpler to resolve than it actually is. We may ask a particular team member to provide us with an update at predetermined project milestones, only to later realize that the team member is unable to provide comprehensive updates because of delays in the transfer of information from other employees. By taking a systems thinking approach, however, we would look at communication practices both within teams and across departments. We would then identify the most prioritized bottlenecks and develop strategies for each barrier in efficiency. ### 3. Identify HR Gaps Before Hiring This is another noteworthy example of the value of systems thinking for CEOs and an excellent way to implement it. Who we hire (and when) has the potential to make or break our business. We must ensure our decision to expand our workforce supports our higher goals and objectives. With systems thinking, we are able to look at each position as part of a bigger picture. We look at the gaps in our operational performance, the potential for revenue generation, and the negative impact on our quality of service, and use our findings to make informed, strategic hiring decisions. **For example: **From a linear perspective, we might assume we need to hire more delivery drivers because our current drivers are not able to keep up with demand. But when we use systems thinking, we might look at how delivery calls are being dispatched and organized and see that we can increase the efficiency of how routes are being planned. Next, we might incentivize our drivers to take additional calls and offer training to our dispatchers to ensure they are aware of scheduling best practices. ## Your Move Now that we’ve discussed how to use systems thinking to avoid operational setbacks, there’s just one thing left for you to do— assess your own operational performance. Ask yourself, “Where are the setbacks within my business?” and then use systems thinking when seeking solutions. Remember, every aspect of your business is connected and has far-reaching impacts. --- # Adapting to Change VS Leading Change: What CEOs Need To Know URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/adapting-to-change-vs-leading-change-what-ceos-need-to-know Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T12:09:55.850Z Reading time: 4 min > If 2020 has forced us to embrace anything, it's change.COVID-19 caught us all off guard, leaving us no choice but to improvise and do our best from moment-to-mo... If 2020 has forced us to embrace anything, it's *change.* COVID-19 caught us all off guard, leaving us no choice but to improvise and do our best from moment-to-moment— and there's no shame in that. After all, flexibility and resourcefulness are among the most essential principles of entrepreneurship. **But as creative CEOs and agency owners, we must stop at some point and ask ourselves one critical question:** "Am I being *proactive* or *reactive* in my approach to change?" This is question I want you to consider today. ## Adapting to Change VS Leading Change: What's the Difference? During times of uncertainty, we often praise the ability to adapt to change. One quick Google search will turn up a never-ending list of tips and strategies for adapting to change. But it adapting really the ultimate goal? Here's the thing— adapting is a *reaction. *It is a response that is subsequent to a prior event or action. Leading change, on the other hand, is *proactive. *It is the act of anticipating change and laying the groundwork *today* so that we may thrive *tomorrow*. ## Why Change Leadership is Important The impact of change leadership is far-reaching. ### Below are some of the advantages of being a change leader: 1. Team Unity Your ability to overcome turbulent times is reliant upon team performance. The more your team operates in harmony, the more resilient they will be when challenges arise. By setting an strong example of poise, determination, and self-command during COVID-19, you'll empower your team members to match your standards and personal conduct. Additionally, as you work to create an environment where employees feel supported, heard, and engaged, you'll notice your team will have a deeper connection to their work and an increased motivation to contribute to company success. 2. Agility A key indicator of successful change management is the amount of time it takes you and your team to address and overcome an unexpected event. When you take a proactive, forward-thinking approach to change, you can put processes, systems, and structures in place— making it easier to absorb the impact of curve balls down the line. Remember, it is not the strong who survive, but those who are most adaptable to change. Thus, preparing in advance for future adversity is the absolute best strategy for increasing agility and the likelihood of success. 3. Sustainability If you've been reading my content for awhile, you'll know how strongly I feel about sustainability in business. I highly encourage checking out my previous blog, [*Why Sustainability Matters More Than Growth*](https://theresatruong.ca/why-sustainability-matters/)*, *to better understand the importance of continuous improvement that doesn't put your future efficiency at risk. Leading change is the only way to maintain any amount of control over how surprise events impact your business. When we rely solely on adapting to change, we do not equip ourselves with the tools, tactics, or resources required to take charge of unforeseen problems in the future— leaving us vulnerable to hardship. ## Tips for Leading Through Change To successfully navigate challenging times, we must maintain the right CEO mindset. These tips can help you progress with the big picture in mind. 1. **Put Your Purpose First** When leading change, the purpose of your business should serve as your guiding north star. Take the time to clearly define what you want to accomplish and how you want your clients to benefit in the coming weeks and months. Then share this greater purpose with your team members and engage them in the planning process. Every employee (or contractor) will play a vital role in fulfilling this greater purpose— make sure they understand your vision so they can bring it to life. 2. **Operate in Order of Priority** It is impossible to tackle every issue while leading through change. Your routines, processes, and schedules will all be challenged in ways you haven't experienced before. Thus, you'll need to implement a ranking system and address concerns in order of urgency and consequence. Again, clear communication with your team will make all the difference here. Provide your employees with your ranking system and exact instructions to follow should they be unsure how to proceed on a specific task. 3. **Acknowledge Performance Achievements** You can have a seemingly fool-proof change leadership plan, but if you fail to acknowledge the extra effort your team members are putting in to make that plan possible, they'll quickly lose steam and you'll be left holding the bag. I can not stress enough how integral celebrating achievements is for change management success. Pay for coffee when employees stay late or work extra hours. Send a thoughtful, personal email and praise the recipient for a job well done. Host a team meeting where the sole purpose of the gathering is to share accomplishments and boost team morale. Change is hard. Let your team members know you understand and you value what they're bringing to the table. Now that we've discussed the difference between adapting to change VS leading change, how will YOU make the shift from reactive to proactive? --- # The CEO’s Guide to Coordination URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/the-ceos-guide-to-coordination Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-06T12:04:19.388Z Reading time: 4 min > One of the most exciting parts of being a creative CEO is when you finally reach the stage where you can begin expanding your business beyond yourself and start... One of the most exciting parts of being a creative CEO is when you finally reach the stage where you can begin expanding your business beyond yourself and start serving even more clients. I call this process “making the shift from [Consultant to CEO](https://theresatruong.ca/consultant-to-ceo/)” and it’s a phase I have helped hundreds of creative agency owners navigate successfully. There are key leadership and management skills that CEOs must develop and fine-tune in order to emerge victorious on the other side of this shift— and effective coordination is arguably one of the most critical. When leaders excel at coordination, they see a range of benefits within their businesses, including: - Increased efficiency - Higher employee retention rates - Improved utilization of resources - Enhanced business continuity - A stronger sense of unity across departments and managerial hierarchies But here’s the catch— CEOs must keenly understand the meaning of coordination and implement it effectively on a daily basis if they want to reap these high-yielding advantages. So, let’s discuss how to do just that! ## The Meaning of Coordination in Management The [Management Study Guide website](https://www.managementstudyguide.com/?ref=theresatruong.ca) does a great job of defining coordination. In their terms, coordination is “the unification, integration, and synchronization of group efforts so as to create unity of action in the pursuit of common goals”. Or, in simple words, coordination is the process of organizing and overseeing multiple groups or people to ensure maximum efficiency. ## The Elements of Coordination Every CEO Should Know **1. Planning** The process of listing and prioritizing the various tasks required to meet a specific objective. **2. Organizing** The act of compiling and allocating the necessary resources (and information) required to meet a specific objective. **3. Directing** The process of instructing and guiding the performance of team members to ensure a goal is achieved. **4. Controlling** Comparing the current status of a project (performance, timelines, etc) with preset plans, guidelines, or requirements to achieve maximum efficiency. **5. Communicating** Consistently providing all team members with any and all relevant information required to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. ## How to Begin Coordinating Work With Ease Now that we’ve touched on the importance of coordination and the various elements it requires, let’s focus on actionable steps you can take to sharpen this essential skill. **1. Establish a clear "Why"** As human beings, we are hardwired to connect with emotions, stories, and sentiments. So, before you begin setting goals or delegating tasks, determine why this project is important to your business— then *communicate* that with your team. Your employees can’t fully share your vision if they don’t understand the greater meaning of the work they’re completing. Be transparent about why their contribution matters. **2. Create a Timeline** Don’t just list tasks for others to complete. Add them into a master timeline or calendar and set specific milestones so your team can stay on track. It also helps to schedule check-ins after each project phase to discuss any roadblocks or setbacks the team has encountered and to ensure optimal performance moving forward. **3. Get to Know Your Employees on a Deeper Level** Is your computer programmer also an avid photographer outside of work? Does your receptionist also enjoy planning events? Is your in-house marketing specialist better at big-picture thinking than managing minute details? You’ll never know if you don’t get to know them! Ask your employees if they have any other special skills or interests. Have them take a personality test so you can better understand their traits and tendencies. Invite them to contribute in new and exciting ways. The more you know about the people you work with, the more you can utilize their skills and ensure they are satisfied in their role. By implementing these steps, you’ll be well on your way to mastering effective coordination and expanding with excellence. Let’s not forget—continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success! --- # How to Build an Empowered Team Culture URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/how-to-build-an-empowered-team-culture Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-05T21:05:57.875Z Reading time: 3 min > Success is something that every business owner and CEO wants to achieve. It’s one of the reasons you started your business, right? Although success is a common... Success is something that every business owner and CEO wants to achieve. It’s one of the reasons you started your business, right? Although success is a common end goal, it doesn’t look the same for everyone. For some, it may be growth and profitability. For others, it could be customer satisfaction or even reducing your business’ carbon footprint. No matter what success means to you, it’s your job as a leader to get your company to that end goal. ## 3 Ways to Build an Empowered Team Culture The journey looks like a staircase with four major steps - Leadership, Empowered Team Culture, Strategy and Success. In order to get to the top, you need to successfully master each step before you move forward. If you are a leader, you know that culture and leadership go hand in hand but, having a top-notch team and an empowered culture are two different things. It doesn’t matter how skilled or knowledgeable your team is. A positive culture can take your business all the way to the top, while a negative culture can be detrimental to your strategy. If you care about the success of your business, you need to care about the culture. To help you apply this to your business, I’m sharing the three ways to build an empowered culture. ### Team members need to understand why their work matters When your company’s mission, vision, values and goals are clearly communicated and all team members share a collective mindset, everyone will be able to understand the role they play in your organization and why their work is important. If your team members know that their job and the work that they do is of value, they are able to unleash their creativity, feel more motivated and gain focus. ### Align values and foster your team's passion No one likes to do things that they aren’t passionate about. So why not match members of your team with a role that speaks to their passion or skill set? As a leader, you may notice your employee’s interests or strengths on your own and other times, they may vocalize it themselves. Use their skills as an opportunity to make your team stronger and improve productivity. When you establish business values, it holds you and your team members accountable, and creates a culture of trust. It also helps you get to your end goal faster because your team is engaged and working towards common goals. ### Give autonomy, get results, see them flourish Do not confuse empowerment with delegation. When you delegate a task, you are telling someone what to do and how to think. The explanation of why the task is important is left out and employees will proceed to do the job just because someone told them to. When you encourage autonomy, team members can think creatively and achieve goals that allow you to stop micromanaging and provide them with empowerment. ## YOUR MOVE Do you need more help with managing or empowering your team members? --- # Re-Align With Your Mission and Bring Your Vision Back in View URL: https://theresatruong.ca/blog/re-align-with-your-mission-and-bring-your-vision-back-in-view Author: Theresa Published: 2026-04-05T20:42:22.119Z Reading time: 3 min > As leaders, it is important for us to keep our business’ mission at the forefront of what we do. When you started your business, chances are that the first thin... As leaders, it is important for us to keep our business’ mission at the forefront of what we do. When you started your business, chances are that the first things you nailed down were your mission and vision. These two crucial pieces of information define your company, its goals and values. Your mission statement is your “why”. It lets you, your team and clients know the reason your business exists and what your purpose is. Then, your vision outlines your end goal and objectives. Despite their best efforts, even the best businesses can lose sight of their mission over time. Whether it’s the demands and responsibilities of being a business owner, the circumstances in your company that change, or unknowingly allowing a disconnect to happen, any of these factors can make you lose sight of your business’ “why”. If you find yourself drifting away from your mission, it’s time to realign and bring your vision back into view. ## How to Re-Align With Your Mission and Bring Your Vision Back in View ## RECONNECT TO YOUR WHY No matter what stage of your business you are in, it’s always important to routinely revisit the core purpose of your business, the reason you started it and why it exists. Ask yourself questions like “what does my business stand for?”, “what am I trying to accomplish” and “why is that important to my company”. You should also evaluate if there have been significant changes in your business that would require you to adjust the execution of the mission. Perhaps your business model and objectives have shifted which has caused a disconnect. There is nothing wrong with this scenario, it means you need to re-strategize. ## MAKE A PLAN Your vision is the roadmap to your goals. Your mission is the vehicle that gets you there.Think about where you see your company in one, five or ten years. What actions and strategies will help you get there? Base your decision-making processes on what you are trying to accomplish. You can also plan reviews of your mission statement with your team. This could be done monthly, quarterly or annually, for example. Whatever you choose to do, be sure that your mission and vision alignment translates into daily routines and practices. ## COMMUNICATE As the saying goes “communication is key”. One of the best things you can do to realign your mission is to articulate it to your team and be as clear and concise as possible. Your mission must reflect the values and principles most important to your business. Ensure that your team knows your company’s purpose and how it relates to their role. Don’t just think it or say it. It’s important that you embody your mission and the values it supports. You can also reward your team when they demonstrate actions that are consistent with your business’ vision or mission. When you follow this guideline, you will be able to realign your business mission and bring your vision back into focus. ## YOUR MOVE As leaders it is our job to communicate and take actionable steps to ensure our mission and vision are aligned. Remember, the strength of your purpose, dedication, and consistency is what helps you to avoid drifting away from your mission. It takes a lot of discipline and a strong understanding of your “why” to successfully align these elements. ---