She was preparing for a senior leadership interview at a tech company.
We ran through her examples, strong achievements, clear results, smart strategies. It all sounded great.
But when I asked about examples relating to a time she failed, something shifted. Her answer became vague. The story lost direction.
And I could tell that she wasn’t comfortable going there.
That’s a problem.
If you’re a seasoned leader, you’ve made mistakes. Probably a few big ones. Maybe even repeated some. That’s part of the job. It's also human.
What matters is whether you’ve learned from these mistakes, and able to talk about that with clarity and confidence.
Because when you avoid those moments or try to bypass them, it may still show. Slight gestures could tip your interview.
So we broke it down. Picked 2-3 real examples.
Mapped the lesson, reframed the outcome, rehearsed until she could speak about the examples like any other leadership decision, with honesty and ownership.
Now she sounds like the leader she is.
The interview is coming up. I’ll share how it goes.
If you’re preparing for your next role or promotion, and want to show up ready, mistakes and all....I’m happy to help.
email me: [email protected], or DM