ShelisaB - Business and Leadership Coach

ShelisaB - Business and Leadership Coach CEO @ Catapult | Certified Executive Coach and Consultant | Speaker | Trainer

Today's TILT: Your Org Isn’t Too Slow. It’s Too Cluttered“We’re moving too slow.”Sure. That’s what everyone says.But di...
10/03/2025

Today's TILT: Your Org Isn’t Too Slow. It’s Too Cluttered

“We’re moving too slow.”

Sure. That’s what everyone says.

But dig deeper, and what you usually find isn’t a speed issue...it’s a traffic jam.

Meetings stacked on meetings.

Priorities breeding like rabbits.

Projects no one remembers approving but somehow still exist.

It’s no wonder teams can’t move. They’re trying to sprint through a swamp.

When we come in, we start clearing the mess. Not by handing out to-do lists or telling people to hustle harder, but by helping leaders figure out what actually matters, and (this part’s wild) giving people permission to drop the stuff that doesn’t.

The result?

Less noise.

More focus.

Actual progress.

Think of it like this:

It’s not a speed problem. It’s a clutter problem disguised as urgency

Today's TILT: Get Out of the Boardroom and Into the Work.One of the biggest risks in any change effort? Leaders disappea...
10/02/2025

Today's TILT: Get Out of the Boardroom and Into the Work.

One of the biggest risks in any change effort? Leaders disappearing into strategy-land while the rest of the company deals with the challenges.

It’s not that they don’t care. Sometimes it's just… meetings. So many meetings.

But when leadership gets too far removed from what’s actually happening, their well-intentioned decisions start to sound like punchlines.

Or worse, they quietly make everything harder.

We tell execs to:

Go where the action is.

Show up where the problems are happening.

Listen more, broadcast less.

Not hover. Just to stay connected to the actual business, not the PowerPoint version of it.

Think of it like this:

Strategy built in isolation usually creates problems in bulk.

There’s this obsession with moving fast.Everyone’s racing to hit the next milestone, ship the next update, tick the next...
09/30/2025

There’s this obsession with moving fast.

Everyone’s racing to hit the next milestone, ship the next update, tick the next box.

Because if it’s not fast, is it even progress?

Except here’s the thing: real change doesn’t work like that.

It’s not a sprint.

It’s not even a well-organized relay.

It’s more like a very messy hike with unexpected detours and a questionable map.

We build space into our process for thinking.

For reflection.

For adjusting when things (inevitably) go sideways.

Because we’ve learned the hard way that rushing usually leads to rework...and rework costs more than just time. It burns people out.

So yes, we suggest the occasional pause, to reflect and assess. On purpose. Scandalous, I know.

Think of it like this:

Charging ahead without a pause is a great way to arrive somewhere no one actually wanted to be.

If your change effort needs an internal marketing campaign, custom branding, and a mascot just to get attention… you mig...
09/29/2025

If your change effort needs an internal marketing campaign, custom branding, and a mascot just to get attention… you might be solving the wrong problem.

We hear a lot about “securing buy-in,” as if it’s something you can brute force into existence.

Newsflash: no one is buying what they don’t believe in, especially if it makes their job harder or doesn’t solve anything they care about.

When we design change, we skip the gimmicks and start with relevance.

What’s actually broken?

What’s in people’s way?

How do we make their lives easier, not more complicated with new acronyms?

Once the work matters, the “buy-in” sort of takes care of itself. Imagine that.

Think of it like this:

If the destination makes sense, people don’t need a pep talk to get in the car.

You’d be amazed how many strategic decisions get made in rooms with zero representation from the people who’ll be expect...
09/26/2025

You’d be amazed how many strategic decisions get made in rooms with zero representation from the people who’ll be expected to carry them out.

Timelines are set. Goals are announced. PowerPoint animations are deployed.

And somewhere between the boardroom and the team kickoff, reality quietly exits the building.

No one asked, “Can this actually be done?”

No one checked, “Does this align with how work actually flows?”

And definitely no one said, “Let’s talk to the people doing the work before we publish the roadmap.”

We see this all the time: plans built in isolation, then handed down like commandments.

And then everyone is surprised when delivery stalls, morale dips, and assumptions get exposed.

We work with teams to reconnect strategy with ex*****on. Not by simplifying it, but by grounding it - by bringing the people who understand ex*****on into the room before the ink is dry.

Because if you want the thing to fly, maybe talk to the folks who are going to build the wings.

Think of it like this:

Strategy built without the builders, rarely survives the build.

I’ve sat in more than one meeting where a team debated a decision for weeks - metrics, slide decks, internal perspective...
09/25/2025

I’ve sat in more than one meeting where a team debated a decision for weeks - metrics, slide decks, internal perspectives - until someone finally asked:

“Has anyone actually talked to a customer?”

Cue crickets.

We get so good at business cases and internal alignment exercises that we forget the most obvious thing:

That customers are literally out there.

With opinions.

And experiences.

And sometimes, actual ideas.

When we support change, we encourage our clients to go outside (figuratively and sometimes literally).Talk to real humans. Ask weird questions. Observe how your product or service is actually being used.

You’ll get better answers than any spreadsheet could ever provide, and usually with fewer pivot tables.

Think of it like this:

If your customer’s voice isn’t in the room, you’re just guessing with confidence.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked into a client meeting and asked:“Why are you doing this?"Only to be met wi...
09/24/2025

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked into a client meeting and asked:

“Why are you doing this?"

Only to be met with awkward silence or a vague nod toward a mission statement buried in a slide deck.

And I get it.

When you’re in the thick of change - juggling timelines, budgets, stakeholder noise - it’s easy to forget to anchor back to purpose.

But here’s what I’ve seen over and over again:

If the work doesn’t feel connected to something meaningful, people check out. They disengage. Or worse, they fake it just enough to get by.

We treat purpose like a GPS.

The kind that actually shows you where you’re going and why that's the best path.

Because let’s be honest: change is hard.

And if you’re going to ask people to stretch, learn, and lead differently, they need to know it’s for something bigger than a KPI.

Think of it like this:

Purpose is the GPS. Without it, change feels like driving in circles. With really expensive gas.

Here’s something I say to every new client:If this only works while we’re here, it doesn’t really work.I’ve seen so many...
09/23/2025

Here’s something I say to every new client:

If this only works while we’re here, it doesn’t really work.

I’ve seen so many change efforts launch strong - with energy, focus, external support - only to collapse shortly after external support packs their bags.

That’s because the people inside the business were never set up to carry it forward.

It’s like giving someone a spaceship with no manual. Sure, it’s shiny and sounds powerful, but good luck keeping it in orbit.

We build for independence from day one. We transfer the knowledge, build leadership muscle, and make sure no one’s left wondering: “Wait… how did that thing work again?”

We want you to graduate. Proudly. Without feeling like you're cramming for the final.

Think of it like this:

If it only runs with us driving, it’s not change...it’s chauffeuring. And that’s not what you hired us for.

Whenever a change initiative hits a wall, one of the first places we dig is leadership.Not the vision decks. Not the tow...
09/22/2025

Whenever a change initiative hits a wall, one of the first places we dig is leadership.

Not the vision decks. Not the town hall recordings. But the real stuff: the day-to-day behaviors, decisions, and conversations that signal what’s truly expected.

Are leaders walking their own talk?

Do they actually make room for change...or just demand it from everyone else?

Are they aligned behind closed doors...or just playing nice in meetings?

Because if leaders aren’t steady, clear, and actively leading the shift (not just narrating it) then the whole thing starts to wobble.

Fast.

Teams feel it. Culture absorbs it. Progress slows to a crawl.

We don’t sugarcoat what we see. And we don’t let leadership off the hook. This is where the work begins. Not in the boardroom. In the behaviors. In the decisions. In the discomfort.

We work with leaders to step all the way in...or step aside.

Because change isn’t something you delegate. It’s something you drive with belief.

Think of it like this:

Wearing the jersey isn’t enough. People follow the ones who are actually in the game.

Before you close the week (and hopefully the laptop), here’s a simple question worth asking:What actually moved forward ...
09/19/2025

Before you close the week (and hopefully the laptop), here’s a simple question worth asking:

What actually moved forward this week?

Not the busywork. Not the meetings.

But the conversations that brought clarity.
The small shifts that made things smoother.
The decisions that cleared a path instead of adding another one.

Fridays are a good moment to stop and notice.

Because momentum isn’t always loud.

Sometimes it looks like fewer meetings, a quicker decision, or a team that didn’t need you to weigh in at all.

Celebrate those moments. They’re signs you’re building something that works.

Think of it like this:

Progress doesn’t always feel big. Sometimes it just feels a little… lighter.

I’ve worked with enough organizations to spot the panic moves.Something isn’t working, so leadership decides to blow it ...
09/18/2025

I’ve worked with enough organizations to spot the panic moves.

Something isn’t working, so leadership decides to blow it all up.

New tools, new org charts, maybe even a brand refresh. Fast decisions. Big energy.

And sometimes? Big mess.

It’s like swinging a sledgehammer at your house because the kitchen tap’s leaking.

The intention is good. They want things to get better. But in the rush to change, they skip over the part where they actually understand what’s already working...and what’s quietly holding everything together.

We always start with a bit of curiosity (and maybe a flashlight). We look for the load-bearing beams. Because if you tear down the wrong thing in a business, it’s a lot harder to fix than drywall.

Think of it like this:

Oftentimes you don't need a wrecking ball - you just need a wrench.

As someone who has led teams for decades, supported countless executives and business owners, and created more leadershi...
06/26/2025

As someone who has led teams for decades, supported countless executives and business owners, and created more leadership artifacts than I can count, I deeply understand what it takes to show up as a leader.

To be the person others rely on for direction, clarity, and inspiration. To lead with purpose while serving those around you.

Which is why when my 12 year old son came home with this handwritten note from his teacher, recognizing his leadership in the classroom, I felt a combination of excitement, pride and joy.

It's a great reminder that leadership isn’t about titles or tenure. It’s about how you choose to show up for others. Especially when no one’s watching.

And sometimes, the most meaningful recognition doesn’t come from the boardroom. It comes from a little boy bringing home a folded piece of paper that says, “I see the way you lead.”

Thank you, Mrs. Adams, for recognizing the qualities that make him such a thoughtful and capable young leader, and for taking the time to let him know you noticed.💖

Address

Toronto, ON

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ShelisaB - Business and Leadership Coach posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to ShelisaB - Business and Leadership Coach:

Shortcuts

Share

Category