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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Tag Archives: Margaret Smith business coach

June 10, 2026 Lifting Up Others Through Mentoring

Few people “make it” in any profession or position without a little help. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and receive support from the people around us–bosses, co-workers, and outside mentors. In my career, I have benefitted from several different “teachers,” who have lifted me up as I aimed to improve myself and my work. I didn’t take that for granted, and I’ve tried to also raise up others through mentoring.

Every job comes with its own set of challenges. If you’re lucky, you’ll start your position with a few contacts and some basic skills, but if can be difficult to distinguish yourself from a large pool of talent. Young professionals, in particular, do not have the benefit of having experienced an industry for a decade or two like their superiors. Mentoring others provides a unique opportunity to fill in the gaps for these workers and offers many rewarding benefits:  

1 . Better Outcomes and Relationships

Mentoring, like tutoring, is an interpersonal skill. When people feel their voice is heard and being encouraged to grow, they are much more likely to remain engaged with their work and voice concerns more confidently. Any time you can foster better feedback from your team, the stronger the team becomes.

2. Reputation

Building a reputation as a mentor in your industry can become a distinguishing part of your career. Often, companies seek to draw upper-talent from pools of candidates that are known in professional circles to be helpful leaders and actively collaborative. Mentoring your employees demonstrates both of these skills easily and clearly, particularly for mentors who’ve done so throughout their career. As the adage goes: “You get back what you put in.”

3. Professional Development

Just because someone can benefit from the guidance of a mentor doesn’t mean they’re without skills to bring to the table. New workers, especially young people, often come with the proficiencies or strategies needed to approach new technology or use new software. You can take advantage of the personal relationship you strike with your mentee to have them teach you how to effectively use these tools. You both walk away more competent.

4. Networking

Life is long and careers often take unexpected twists and turns. The analyst that started at your company five years ago may quickly rise in the ranks of the industry to a sector you’re interested in doing business with or simply learning more about. The more people you can foster a mentoring relationship with, the wider you cast your net across the next generation of leaders. These relationships may end up among the most important in your working life.

5. Personal Fulfillment

Any teacher can attest to this last benefit. Mentoring is an opportunity to open yourself to others whose perspective may be entirely different from your own. Learning from one another about subjects that extend beyond the scope of your job will enrich you personally and professionally.

Mentoring others is essential to bridging the gap between generations of workers. Stepping up to help guide colleagues through this process will not only reward your mentee and yourself, but your industry as a whole. So take a leap and share what you know!

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.

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March 4, 2026 Why Checking In is Meaningful

Throughout the years on this blog, I have often talked about heart-led leadership. This type of leadership is rooted in empathy and genuine care for others. It is not weak and does not involve being a pushover. Rather, it centers around building others up, engaging and empowering your team, and creating positive motion and change. This week, I want to address one specific aspect of heart-led leadership: checking in.

Far too often, we dive straight into business without taking the time to ask how the other person or people are doing. And I’m not talking about surface-level pleasantries that typically go, “How are you?” “Fine.” I’m talking about creating the space to let people be a little honest and vulnerable if they choose. No one should feel obligated to share anything they don’t want to share, but all people should feel invited to share it they’d like.

How might this look in practice? If you’re leading a meeting, you could take a few minutes at the beginning to let people open up. If something big has happened at work or in the local community (either good or bad), you could also acknowledge that. For example: “I know it’s been a tough week for everyone since we lost Client ABC, so I wanted to check in to see how everyone’s feeling and if you have any brief thoughts related to that.”

Another example: “I know the city has been chaotic lately with recent events, so I want to check in to gauge everyone’s headspace and see if I can offer extra support in some way.”

Keep in mind, this approach may not be appropriate for all groups at all times. You probably wouldn’t have this type of check-in with teams you barely know or when you only have a quick meeting scheduled. Use your judgement.

Alternatively, it can often be best to check in with others individually. In fact, you should probably do this anyway, regardless of whether you decide to check in with an entire group. An individual check-in is more personal, and if the other person really feels the need to open up about something, they can do so in private. But you have to build trust first! Demonstrate that you are respectful, a good listener, discrete with sensitive information, and that you genuinely care.

Checking in with team members helps create a safe and supportive space where people are free to be, well…people. Imperfect, stressed, frustrated, sad—we all feel these types of emotions sometimes, and it’s nearly impossible to stop their effects from trickling into the workplace. So why attempt to stop them? It’s better to get an idea of what the people in your office are going through and feeling so you can offer whatever resources, support, or allowances they need.

In short: a human workplace is a welcoming workplace.

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.

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January 21, 2026 How to Play to Your Strengths

two business people high fiving at a table with a laptop between them

With retirement from UXL on the horizon, I have been reflecting on various lessons I’ve learned as a manager, a career coach, and a mentor. One of the lessons that came to mind recently is how we each have different strengths, interests, and attributes. This diversity of thinking and being is an incredible asset to the workplace. With the right mix of creatives, “techies,” leaders, organizers, etc., an organization can operate more smoothly and have a greater reach.

This acceptance of variety/diversity in the workplace allows people to really stretch their abilities and be their full selves—to capitalize on their strengths and interests. Furthermore, as an individual contributor, you often have the power to lean into your strengths and deflect or delegate assignments that are not a great fit.

While it may not seem “sporting” to pass a certain task or project to another, it can ultimately be the best option for all parties involved. I think about a time when I was assigned a project that was not a great fit. I waffled for a while, trying to figure out how to approach it, and then it dawned on me: My boss didn’t care who completed this project, he just wanted it done. With this in mind, I decided to approach my colleague Tom, who was much better suited to the project than I was. He was analytical, where I was more creative. He enjoyed spreadsheets and charts, while I tended to get sleepy just looking at them!

In exchange, I picked up one of the projects on Tom’s plate that was better suited to my skillset and interests. We kept our boss in the loop about the switch and, as suspected, he didn’t care which people tackled the projects, as long as they were completed satisfactorily. With our tasks ahead of us, Tom and I worked on our respective projects, kept in touch, and handed off the work when we were done. The results were great, and we were encouraged to collaborate in this way for future projects.

This story brings up several lessons, including the following:

Be honest with yourself. Recognize both your strengths and shortcomings, and have the humility to admit when you’re in over your head (or when you’re simply uninterested in or put off by a project or task).

Recognize others’ strengths. Make an effort to learn about your colleagues, and start building an understanding of their abilities and interests. Talk openly and honestly with them to get a sense of who they are as an individual, and what makes them “tick.”

Frame your ask in a positive way. Just because you’re dreading a certain assignment doesn’t mean it’s an “undesirable” task. Different people are drawn to different types of work. Some people enjoy the rhythm and logic of data entry. Some like contacting/surveying customers. Others revel in all things creative and truly shine when it comes to brainstorming ideas or coming up with imaginative designs. In other words, handing someone an unwanted assign isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it just doesn’t fit with your disposition or abilities.

Offer to reciprocate. Whether immediately or down the road, it’s important to be open to reciprocating the work. Make it clear that you will gladly take on one of your colleague’s unwanted tasks in exchange for them taking on yours.

Results are more important than the path. This is something I’ve learned over and over. It doesn’t really matter how an individual or group winds up at the “end point.” What matters are the results. If achieving those results means shifting project responsibilities, then most people will be open to that shift.

We all have varying strengths, interests, and wheelhouses. Instead of letting an undesirable project eat away at you, consider enlisting help from others or shifting project responsibilities. It doesn’t serve you, your work team, OR the business to struggle and ultimately produce subpar work. In short, play to your strengths.

MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY (AND DEEPER DISCOVERY) LICENSED PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF UXL. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE.

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