Good Leaders Show Up. Great Leaders Get Coached.with Geoff McLachlan
July 15, 2026
Think you're a good leader? Cool. This episode is about what it takes to become a great one, and it's not more hustle. The panel gets personal about the bosses who shaped them, the books that rewired their thinking, and the actual math behind why coaching pays for itself many times over. Fair warning: this one might make you rethink who's in your corner.
Good Leaders Show Up. Great Leaders Get Coached.
Every leader thinks they're doing fine. Fine isn't the goal. This episode is a shameless (their word) case for why the leaders who go from good to great all have one thing in common: they stopped trying to figure it out alone.
The Line Between Good and Great
Good leaders have decent instincts and maybe a solid mentor somewhere in their past. Great leaders keep doing the work long after they've "arrived." The panel breaks down why coaching, not talent, is usually what separates the two.
Good leaders have decent instincts and maybe a solid mentor somewhere in their past. Great leaders keep doing the work long after they've "arrived." The panel breaks down why coaching, not talent, is usually what separates the two.
Lessons From the Best Bosses They Ever Had
Each panelist shares a personal story about a leader who changed how they lead today. The throughline: consistency, ownership, and the difference between being nice and being kind. One panelist puts it bluntly: telling someone the truth without softening it into a lie is the real test of good leadership.
Each panelist shares a personal story about a leader who changed how they lead today. The throughline: consistency, ownership, and the difference between being nice and being kind. One panelist puts it bluntly: telling someone the truth without softening it into a lie is the real test of good leadership.
Leaders Are Readers
The group runs down their go-to leadership books, from the classics to the ones that quietly rewired how they manage people. The takeaway isn't which book to start with. It's that you never stop.
The group runs down their go-to leadership books, from the classics to the ones that quietly rewired how they manage people. The takeaway isn't which book to start with. It's that you never stop.
The Numbers Nobody Argues With
Coaching isn't a soft perk. The panel lays out the actual return on investment, from the low end to the high end, plus what it really costs a company to replace an employee who walks. Spoiler: it's a lot more than most leaders think.
Coaching isn't a soft perk. The panel lays out the actual return on investment, from the low end to the high end, plus what it really costs a company to replace an employee who walks. Spoiler: it's a lot more than most leaders think.
The Bottom Line
You can be a good leader on instinct. You cannot be a great one without outside eyes on your blind spots. Coaching is how good leaders become the ones people would run through a wall for.
You can be a good leader on instinct. You cannot be a great one without outside eyes on your blind spots. Coaching is how good leaders become the ones people would run through a wall for.
Tune in for:
- The real dollar return on coaching, and why it's higher than most leaders guess
- What separates a boss people tolerate from a leader people follow
- A stack of leadership book recommendations worth actually reading
- The one-word difference between "nice" and "kind" that changes everything
Great leadership was never a solo project. Go find your coach.
Have questions, suggestions or just a great story to tell about some Leadership BS you have experienced? Let us know by emailing us
Today's Featured Coach -
Have questions, suggestions or just a great story to tell about some Leadership BS you have experienced? Let us know by emailing us
Today's Featured Coach -
Geoff McLachlan - Motivational Speaker, Trainer and Coach, Bringing Fun Back Into the Workplace, Owner/Founder of Professionals At Play Reach Geoff directly at geoff@professionalsatplay.com or 509-869-4506
The rest of the gang:
- Jeff Conroy - Organizational and Non-profit Expert, Motivational Speaker, Coach - Executive Leader | Difference Maker for nonprofits in strategic planning, operations, and fundraising and development. Owner/Founder of Conroy Leadership Consulting, LLC. Reach Jeff at jeff@ConroyleadershipConsulting.com or 208-215-6285
- Myra Hall - Individual and Team Coaching, Midlife Mentoring- Helping you get excited about life again as you overcome the things that keep you from living and loving a life that counts. - Owner/Founder Waypoint Coaching Group Reach Myra at Myra@WaypointCoachingGrp.com or 765-623-9711
- Jeffrey Geier - Motivational Speaker, Trainer, and Coach - Helping You Win in Work & Life Owner/Founder of Phoenix Coaching LLC Reach Jeffrey at Jeff@PhoenixCoachingLLC.com or 509-553-9248