What separates founders who successfully scale their companies from those who get stuck?
In this episode of The Conversation, Clint Padgett sits down with Alisa Cohn – one of the world’s top executive coaches and author of “From Start-Up to Grown-Up” – to explore the leadership lessons that founders and executives often learn the hard way.
Alisa has coached leaders at companies including Google, Microsoft, Venmo, Etsy, DraftKings, IBM, Pfizer, Dell, and many of today’s fastest-growing startups.
In this conversation, she explains why leadership begins with managing yourself, why your intentions don’t always match your impact, and how the habits that helped build a company can eventually limit its growth. They also discuss why founders’ words carry more weight than they realize, how to have difficult conversations without damaging relationships, why praise is one of the most underused leadership tools, and how structure, feedback, communication, and culture create organizations where people can do their best work.
Whether you’re a founder, executive, manager, entrepreneur, or aspiring leader, this episode is packed with practical leadership advice you can apply immediately.
In this episode:
-Why founders’ suggestions quickly become “orders”
-Leadership starts with managing yourself
-The hidden cost of avoiding difficult conversations
-Why praise is a leadership superpower
-How to ask for feedback that actually helps you grow
-The difference between your intentions and your impact
-Why structure creates freedom instead of bureaucracy
-Building trust and culture in hybrid and remote teams
-Managing imposter syndrome and embracing discomfort
-How great leaders continue learning as their companies grow
If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who leads a team or hopes to someday. #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Founder #ExecutiveCoaching #Management #BusinessLeadership #CompanyCulture #Communication #Teamwork #LeadershipDevelopment