About Whitney Faires:

Whitney Faires is an internationally recognized executive coach, keynote speaker, and leadership advisor with 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Formerly Chief of Staff to the CFO at Intuitive Surgical, she led high-impact organizational health initiatives, launched global leadership development programs, and coached rising professionals into senior roles. Her multifaceted career spans sales, finance, and commercial operations, where she spearheaded the creation of a $2 billion international leasing portfolio.

As the founder of Whitney Faires Coaching, she developed the Courageous Leader Roadmap—a practical approach for leaders to show up authentically, navigate adversity, and drive meaningful results. She is an ICF-accredited PCC coach and is passionate about helping leaders elevate their influence and build high-performing teams.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Whitney Faires discuss:

Leading from default instead of intention
Defining a leadership identity before leading others
Connection as a competitive advantage
Why tough conversations separate great leaders
Preparing people for leadership before promotion

Key Takeaways:

Define your leadership identity by committing to six or eight specific principles you will share with your team about what they can expect from you.
Ask yourself where you want to be in five or ten years, what work you enjoy most, and what skill gaps you want to develop before pursuing a leadership role.
Call two or three trusted colleagues and ask about their transition into leadership, the skills they had to learn, and the hardest parts of the job.
Assume the best intent and seek to understand before reacting when frustration rises in a leadership moment.

"I think leaders are oftentimes going so fast that they're leading from default, a bit lost, a bit uncertain about who they need to be right now.” — Whitney Faires

Connect with Whitney Faires:

Website: https://whitneyfaires.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-faires-14955a38/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitney_faires

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Dean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw

Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/

The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/deannewlund

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/

Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com

Phone: 1-800-926-7370

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