Saba Imru-Mathieu

27/09/2026

A Sunday in the life of a coach.

12/09/2026

💡 Many leadership challenges are not knowledge problems.

They are awareness problems.

We already know many things that would help us become more effective leaders.

The real question is whether we notice what is happening within us while we lead.

What triggers us?

What energizes us?

What patterns keep repeating?

Awareness is often the first step toward meaningful change.

💭 What have you noticed about yourself recently?

09/09/2026

Too often, self-leadership is treated as something personal, inward, or somehow separate from the “real” work of leadership.

I believe that self-leadership is an personal capability that has organizational consequences.

A leader’s self-awareness, emotional regulation, focus, resilience, and clarity of purpose do not stay within the individual. They shape conversations, decisions, relationships, trust, and the conditions in which people work.
And those conditions matter for performance.

So while self-leadership does not automatically produce business results, it does influence some of the human mechanisms through which results are created.

That is the focus of my latest article: How Self-Leadership is Linked to Business Results.

If you are interested in leadership development, coaching, or the deeper foundations of organizational performance, I hope it offers a useful perspective.

Self-leadership is sometimes placed in the “personal development” category: useful for the individual, perhaps, but somewhat removed from the serious business of organizational performance. I think that interpretation misses an important point.

11/08/2026

Emotional Self-Regulation: Leadership Under Pressure

Leadership is often tested when emotions run high, for example a difficult conversation, receiving critical feedback, a project setback or stakeholder pressure.

In these moments, technical expertise alone is rarely enough and what often makes the difference is emotional self-regulation.

One insight I frequently explore with coaching clients is that many of us have a surprisingly limited emotional vocabulary. We may describe ourselves as stressed, frustrated, or fine.

But are we anxious, disappointed, overwhelmed, concerned, discouraged? The subtle difference between these emotions is not insignificant. The ability to identify and name emotions more precisely helps us understand what is really happening beneath the surface.

Research suggests that naming emotions can help reduce their intensity and support clearer thinking. We cannot regulate what we do not recognize, and we cannot recognize what we cannot name.

Emotions are extremely rich information, they help us identify when boundaries have been overstepped, when a situation requires our full attention, what motivates us and they act as an internal compass that guides decision-making.

Recognizing and naming our emotions sheds light on why we feel in any given way in certain circumstances, and it enables us to more easily choose response over reaction.

💭 What emotion have you been experiencing most often at work recently?

         Resilience ExecutiveCoaching EmotionalAgility WorkplaceLeadership

17/07/2026

✨ The moment we become aware of a habit, a belief, an emotion, or a behavioural pattern, something important happens. We gain options.

🔴Instead of reacting automatically, we can choose our response more intentionally.

🟡 That small space between awareness and action is where much of leadership development takes place.

💭 How has greater awareness helped you make better choices?

15/07/2026

🔴 The most common request I get from leaders today isn't about strategy or vision, it’s about managing stress.

🔵 When I started coaching executives, topics like stakeholder management and strategic planning dominated conversations. But lately, the first thing leaders want to address is often coping with the rising tide of stress.

🟢 The workplace has become faster, more uncertain, and more demanding which in turn exarcerbates usual leadership challenges such as managing a team, dealing with conflicts in the management team or balancing work and personal life.

🟡 Stress was once considered an inevitable consequence of a demanding career. Today, it is recognised as a critical issue that requires deliberate attention. Although many sources of stress lie outside a leader's control, coaching enables leaders to develop the self-leadership skills needed to respond effectively, safeguarding both their wellbeing and their performance.

15/07/2026

🔴 The most common request I get from leaders today isn't about strategy or vision, it’s about managing stress.

🔵 When I started coaching executives, topics like stakeholder management and strategic planning dominated conversations. But lately, the first thing leaders want to address is often coping with the rising tide of stress.

🟢 The workplace has become faster, more uncertain, and more demanding which in turn exarcerbates usual leadership challenges such as managing a team, dealing with conflicts in the management team or balancing work and personal life.

🟡 Stress was once considered an inevitable consequence of a demanding career. Today, it is recognised as a critical issue that requires deliberate attention. Although many sources of stress lie outside a leader's control, coaching enables leaders to develop the self-leadership skills needed to respond effectively, safeguarding both their wellbeing and their performance.

13/07/2026

The foundation of effective Leadership is Self-Leadership.

Let's start with the first step:

Self-Awareness, the foundation of Self-Leadership. Many leadership challenges are not knowledge problems.

They are awareness problems. Most of us already know many things that would help us become more effective leaders. We know we should listen more carefully, manage our reactions, establish better boundaries, and seek feedback.

The challenge is often not a lack of knowledge.

It is a lack of awareness.
Awareness of our habits.
Awareness of our assumptions.
Awareness of our triggers.
Awareness of the patterns that support—or undermine—our effectiveness.

Before we can change a behaviour, we must first notice it.
Self-awareness is where self-leadership begins.

Which aspect of yourself do you understand best—and which aspect remains a mystery?

19/06/2026

Check out our Leaders Today Newsletter - 20 years of leadership and coaching updates 🙂 https://sh1.sendinblue.com/w24hl1oclpfe.html?t=1781875601650

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