Aesara Partners 

At Aesara Partners, our mission is simple: enable you to be the best version of yourself. We offer a range of focused services that unlock the potential of people, teams and cultures to maximise business performance. 

Collectively our Partners and Associates have decades of experience both in executive coaching and as board level leaders themselves working in multiple sectors across global markets.

Partner & Executive Coach

Doshisha University

Professor of Strategic Management, Global MBA Program

The CFO Coach K.K.

The CFO Coach K.K. is a boutique executive coaching firm specializing in developing High-Performance​ Financial Leaders and Teams.

Founder & Executive Coach

Kansai Gaidai University

•	Awarded President's Global Education Award (Teacher of the Year).

Professor of Leadership & Management

Benesse Holdings, Inc. (USD 4.5B; Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 9783)

•	Member of the Board of Directors for Berlitz Corporation; Benesse Corporation; and Benesse Style Care.  Chairman of Audit Committee for Berlitz Corporation. Member of Benesse Holdings Pension Committee.
•	Global CFO covering all 40+ Benesse group companies
•	Championed and supported multiple cash generation initiatives including a CFO led "Save to Grow" initiative to improve Company Financial performance and to identify significant savings for business reinvestment
•	Enhanced Finance bench strength and hired a high potential team to start financial business consulting
•	Implemented several process and capability best practices to move group companies towards global standards

Global Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Senior Vice President

McCann Worldgroup Holdings

• Overall Responsibility for Operations (Finance, IT, Legal, and Administration - 10 legal entities) 
• Successfully turned around long term loss making lead agency by delivering double digit margin improvements within two years
• Delivered double digit margin improvements for all six MWG Group companies 
• Built a new Finance team and moved from Scorekeeping to Business Partnership and improved business performance
• Major projects within last two years include: 
  - Shared Service center creation/migration
  - New Financial System Migration
  - Acquisition & Divestiture
  - Business Turnaround
  - Retirement Plan consolidation/change
  - Office relocation/rent reductions

Group Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, and Member of The Board

Becton, Dickinson and Company

• Led Finance, Procurement, General Affairs, and Rebates teams (43 staff) to deliver multi-million dollar cash and profit performance improvement for first year and beyond. Exceeded all budget expectations.
• Engaged Japan Management Team and Global Finance Leadership Team on company objectives to deliver best outcome (Finance Transformation initiative, Sales effectiveness improvement, Key Account Management, Business Continuity plan, and strategy/selection of backup distribution center).  Led process for 2012-16 Business Plan development
• Developed and executed Finance department strategy and vision to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Implemented job rotation program and hired several high potential employees to improve bench strength.
• Championed multiple Finance and Procurement initiatives including definition and implementation of new 401k Retirement Plan; divestiture of non-core business; change of primary banks (reduced bank fees by over 30%); vendor reduction process, and new travel expense management system 
• Taught New Manager Essentials program and selected as leadership trainer for PEPFAR program in South Africa to teach Leadership and Change Management to African Health Ministry officials

Finance and Administration Director

Avon Products Inc.

•	Implementation project leader for Avon Sales Leadership Framework (ASLF) – Highest priority project for the Company to adapt to a new Sales Model.  Completed project implementation in record timing.  Awarded regional award as part of ASLF Team. Only person in Asia recognized for both Top-line and Bottom-line contributions in the same year.
•	Defined and executed new vision and mission and led Sales Support department to complete over 40 initiatives (within a six-month period) as part of Team’s new journey towards field motivational excellence. Incorporated new processes to deliver high impact incentives, and to create Sales energy and momentum for sales turn-around.    
•	Achieved highest employee engagement scores with Sales Support Department significantly exceeding country results in over 95% of categories.  Previously had also led Finance department to highest employee engagement scores.
•	Global Project leader for a high potential, multi-functional, multi-national team to study and recommend actions to improve Global Sales Incentive management/spending process.
•	Oversaw execution of a variety of Company and Public/Media events ranging from Sales Conferences to Philanthropic events including Annual Awards to Women, and Pink Ribbon Campaign support.

Executive Director and Member of the Board

•	Responsible for Financial policy making/implementation and reporting for Avon Japan as a public company (including statutory/public, and Board Meetings). All year-end financial documents audited with no comments/exceptions.
•	Defined and executed new department Vision and Mission, and recruited, trained and developed a completely new Finance team (80% new hires within a six month period) to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Finance team formed core of country high potential list.
•	Consistently over achieved profit performance commitment under adverse conditions of sales decline by aggressively managing strategic business needs with cost cutting; Delivered zero overhead growth during all years; Japan winner of regional awards for best cost management performance, and for boldest transformation strategy.
•	Provided leadership and support for critical decisions and strategy development as Japan Leadership Team Member.  Actively led change management process within company.
•	Consistently achieved best internal control results in Asia-Pacific/Avon over a period of eight audits.  Japan one of only two countries with highest audit rating. Outstanding performance generated support to remove Japan from list of High Coverage countries.
• Co-developed strategic/financial business case, and obtained approval for number of campaign reduction in 2006 making Avon Japan only country ever in Avon to undergo campaign reduction. 
• Independently analyzed and provided strategic direction for Plant study which challenged and reversed previous recommendation by outside consultants on plant closure.
• Provided leadership in several restructuring initiatives by providing an achievable plan to achieve 12% people related cost reduction.  Played lead role in this study representing Finance, Supply Chain and HR 
• Consistently achieved highest performance rating and nominations to several high potential programs
• Elected (and re-elected) to Board of Directors

Executive Director, CFO and Member of the Board of Directors

Delphi

• Prepared Asia-Pacific regional messages / presentations for Delphi Strategy Board, and for Delphi Board of Directors.
• Supported development and implementation of critical Asia-Pacific strategies.  Performed competitive intelligence and other special studies to identify risks / competitive threats and outlined regional / corporate response.
• Provided Miller Heiman strategic selling process training to Asia-Pacific personnel to improve value propositions and increase sales effectiveness.

Director Asia-Pacific Planning

• Management responsibilities for Finance, HR, General Affairs, and Six-Sigma.
• Active member of the Japan Strategy Board and Japan management team.  
• Six-Sigma Deployment Champion for Delphi Japan.

Delphi Japan – CFO & Administration Director

Country Responsibilities:
• Managed all finance functions including accounting, budgeting / forecasting and treasury.
• Lead development of cross-functional and cross-divisional Internal Control Review Board.
• Lead and supported strategic initiatives including venture development support, site enhancement, competitive analysis, transfer pricing, and cost reduction studies.
• Represented Japan in Asia-Pacific Financial Task Team.

Regional Responsibilities:
• Coached country CFO and staff to implement common financial reporting processes.
• Supervised and provided training for engineering / commercial / plant / site analysts.  Coordinated regional financial training programs for the sector in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Coordinated the regional budget, business plan, and capital management process.
• Supported development of common financial practices among ventures including:  Loan monitoring, F/X and cash management, compliance with accounting principles, report submission, etc. Provided regional oversight of venture risk exposure.

Asia-Pacific Senior Finance Mgr.

Executive Coach | MBA Professor | Ex-Global CFO

I help senior leaders master complexity, elevate strategic impact, and lead with authentic authority.

I bring over 25 years of C-level and boardroom experience as a former Global CFO for a $5B publicly traded company, combined with a deep commitment to human-centered leadership development.

Today, I coach global executives, CEOs, and leadership teams — specializing in executive transitions, strategic leadership, high-performance teams, and Asian leadership development.

I am also an MBA Professor of Leadership and Strategic Management, blending research-driven frameworks with boardroom-tested insights to develop transformational leaders.

Based in Kyoto, fluent in English, Urdu, and Japanese.

Connect with me: arif@thecfocoach.jp

Website: www.thecfocoach.jp (please sign up on my mailing list to receive future announcements and newsletters)

Arif Iqball

Career, Business & Executive Coach | Mindset & Mental Fitness Coach | DISC® Certified | Mentor

👋 Hi, I’m Monica.Most founders and business owners don’t need more strategy. They need more internal bandwidth.I coach founders to think more clearly, lead better, and run a business that doesn’t burn them out.I’ve spent 30+ years leading teams across corporate and start-up environments, responsible for people, revenue, and operations. I understand the pressure at the top - and what happens when the founder tries to carry it all.Those decades taught me one thing:If the founder is overwhelmed, the business will be too.No strategy fixes a leadership bottleneck.My coaching isn’t generic leadership training. It’s deep, personalised, evidence-based work grounded in performance psychology, neuroscience, and practical leadership experience.Credentials:• ICF-accredited Performance Coach• Neuroscience of Change certified• Positive Intelligence Coach• Certified Neuroscience Coach• CIPD Associate in HR ManagementSince starting my practice, I’ve coached founders and leaders from organisations including Nike, Amazon, Warner Bros, and the NHS -  but my focus now is singular:➔ founders navigating growth, decision fatigue, and the pressure to lead.Does this sound familiar?✔︎ You’re making nonstop decisions but trusting yourself less✔︎ Your team asks for things they should handle alone✔︎ You’re busy all day but key work isn’t moving✔︎ You’re dragged into fires instead of thinking strategically✔︎ Stress is rising and your headspace shrinking✔︎ You want growth but can’t keep leading like thisYou don’t need another masterclass.You need support tailored to you and your business.We work across three layers:1. Lead YourselfBuild the clarity and headspace to make better decisions and stay out of reactive mode.2. Lead Your TeamGet your team thinking for themselves, taking ownership, and solving problems without everything coming back to you.3. Lead Your BusinessMake clearer decisions, cut through noise, focus on what drives progress, and create momentum.Client results:✔︎ Simplified their business → revenue up 40%✔︎ Fixed costly team issues (incl. a £250K mis-hire)✔︎ Rebuilt confidence in communication and leadership✔︎ Stepped out of firefighting and regained thinking time✔︎ Reduced stress at work and at homeClients often say I make complicated things feel simple, and create a space where they can think clearly and make decisions they trust.📩 If you’re ready to lead with more clarity - and build a business that performs without burning you out - book a free 30-minute consultation.

Monica Federico, Assoc. CIPD

You can be a boss without being a leader.
Most founders learn that the hard way.

Building a business is one thing.
Leading one is another.

Most founders get pulled into the work.
I see it with my clients all the time.
Successful. Smart. Still “too busy.”

Almost every founder I coach thinks their problem is lack of time, but it’s usually leadership.

They run operations.
Solve problems.
Put out fires.
And somewhere along the way, the leadership part gets pushed aside.

It usually comes down to three layers:

1. Leading yourself
↳ Your clarity becomes the team’s clarity.
↳ Your emotional state sets the tone.
↳ Your habits set the pace.
Operate from a calm, focused, clear space and everything else steadies.

2. Leading your team
↳ Give direction, not micromanagement.
↳ Don’t get stuck in the weeds. Delegate.
↳ Help your team develop and grow.
Culture and alignment start here.

3. Leading the business
↳ Strategy becomes cleaner.
↳ Decisions get simpler.
↳ You shift from reacting to building.
This is where growth becomes predictable.

Founders often think leadership is something to revisit when things calm down.

But things calm down when leadership becomes the priority.

You can be a boss by default.
Becoming a leader is a choice.

And it always starts with how you run yourself.
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Monica Federico

Founder Leadership & Performance Coach | Helping founders think more clearly, lead better, and build a business that doesn’t burn you out | Based in 🇬🇧 supporting clients worldwide 🌎

Nobody likes to be disliked.

But in leadership, it’s inevitable.

John Lennon said, “Being honest might not get you a lot of friends, but it always gets you the right ones.”

It’s a life principle.

But if we are in charge, it becomes a requirement.

Because when the need to be liked outweighs the need to be honest, our leadership will suffer.

I’ve seen people-pleasing cost leaders more than they realise:

❌ Agreeing to business decisions they didn’t believe in because they didn’t want to upset a strong-headed team member.

❌ Letting unrealistic demands from senior leadership hit their team because they didn’t want to be seen as difficult.

❌ Avoiding giving new hires the guidance they needed because they didn’t want to come across as a micromanager.

People-pleasing isn’t harmless.

It leads to poor decisions.
It leads to underperformance.
It slowly erodes your authority.

The fix isn’t about being blunt for the sake of it.
It’s about leading with clarity, not appeasement.

Here’s where to start:

✅ Know your non-negotiables.
Decide what you will and won’t compromise on before you step into the room.

✅ Prepare for trigger moments.
Before a meeting or one-to-one, ask yourself: “Where could I slip into people-pleasing here?” Plan your response instead.

✅ Speak early.
Address concerns before they snowball.

✅ Separate disagreement from disrespect.
Challenging an idea isn’t the same as undermining the person.

✅ Anchor in shared goals.
Frame honesty around what’s best for the mission.

Being honest, even when it’s uncomfortable, is how you create teams that perform, trust you, and stay aligned under pressure.

Popularity is easy.
Credibility is what gets results.

What’s one thing that’s helped you speak up more as a leader?
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Leadership & Performance Coach | For founders who want to lead with clarity, calm, and strategic focus | Based in 🇬🇧 supporting clients WW 🌎

Your leadership won’t outperform your habits.
And neither will your team.

After coaching leaders and founders across industries, I see the same pattern repeatedly:

👉🏼 Your daily habits become the culture your team works inside.

When leaders are clear, intentional, and grounded, performance rises.

When they’re reactive or stretched thin, the whole system feels it.

Here are the 9 laws I see consistently in high-performing leaders who navigate pressure, build trust, and make better decisions under stress.

Which one is your favourite?
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Leading from the front

Doesn’t require doing every job.

Many still misunderstand what "leading by example" means.

Mainly because they’re stuck in the early-stage version of it.

When your team is small, rolling up your sleeves works.

It proves you’re willing.
It builds trust.
It keeps things moving.

I learned this firsthand.

When I was leading a team of 5, doing everything did work.

But when that team grew to 35, the exact same instinct started breaking things instead of building them.

And I see this pattern in every team that scales:

❌ If you keep doing every job, you stop doing your job.
❌ If you stay everywhere, your team stays dependent.
❌ If you signal commitment through hours, you teach exhaustion is normal.
❌ If you fix everything, they never learn to think without you.

At scale, “leading by example” changes shape completely.

✅ It becomes calm over chaos.
✅ Clarity over noise.
✅ Boundaries over burnout.
✅ Delegation over micromanagement.
✅ Thinking time over constant busyness.

Because your team doesn’t copy what you say.
They copy what you model.

📌 And what you model becomes the culture.

Switching from the old version to the real version isn’t dramatic.

It’s a series of small, deliberate choices that shift how your team operates, even when you’re not in the room.

If you want a team that leads, stop showing them leadership means doing everything.

Show them what leadership looks like now.
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The smartest founders are often the most overwhelmed.

Not because they lack intelligence.
But because their minds never stop generating solutions.

Every problem gets a new tool.
Every challenge gets a new framework.
Every dip gets a new strategy.

More apps.
More advisors.
More methodologies.

It happens quickly.
You see possibilities everywhere.
And the very thing that makes you effective starts to scatter your focus.

When you can see ten ways to solve something, it’s tempting to try all ten.

Meanwhile, the simple answer sits there.
Ignored.

Under pressure, switching to something new gives the mind a quick sense of relief.
It feels like progress, even when it isn’t.

Complexity doesn’t create clarity.
It buries it.

I’ve seen founders stack system on top of system.
Each one made sense on its own.
Together, they created chaos.

The team couldn’t keep up.
The direction blurred.
Momentum dipped.

Mental clarity isn’t about hunting for better solutions.
It’s about creating space to use the ones you already have.

One strategy, fully executed, beats ten half-started.
One clear metric beats a dashboard of noise.
One focused quarter beats a year of pivots.

The founders who operate at their best don’t collect everything.
They commit to what matters.

In a world built to sell you endless solutions, the real power is knowing when to stop adding.

What’s one thing you could pause this week to see things more clearly?
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20,000 followers 🥳
Some call it a vanity metric.
I call it 20,000 humans who chose to be here.

That's the capacity of O2 Arena in London.
That's Madison Square Garden in New York.

Of course, not everyone's online at the same time.
Not everyone reads every post.

But still - it's a community!
And when I think about it like that, it's genuinely humbling.

Thank you so much 🙏🏼

Many of you are relatively new here.
So let me reintroduce myself.

I'm Monica. I'm 56, with a 37-year career behind me – much of it in management and leadership.

That experience comes in handy now.

I work with founders who are feeling the pressure and realising they need to evolve as leaders if the business is going to keep growing.

Over the last 4 years, I've integrated applied neuroscience into my coaching practice.

Always learning something new about how our brains work under pressure.

It helps my clients perform better without the burnout.

I'm based in London, working with clients worldwide.

I mostly work from home, which means I could be anywhere.

And if I had the choice? Sydney, without question.
Lived there for a couple of years in the nineties and it still calls to me.

Some personal bits:

😻 Obsessed with cats (and all animals, really)
🦝 Have one cat, Plato, but would happily add two more cats, a raccoon, and a dog if my lifestyle allowed :)
💄 Own a ridiculous makeup collection. It's meditative, like painting with colour and shape

A nice counterbalance to the strategic thinking I do all week.

Now your turn.

Tell me one thing I should know about you.
What brought you here? What are you building?

Let's turn this number into real connections.

PS: And if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
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3 ways to stop avoiding the hard conversations.

It’s not conflict that makes some conversations hard.

It’s our resistance to discomfort.

Most of us don’t need another course in communication.
We just need to get better at staying in the awkward bits.

Here are three ways that help:

1️⃣ Notice your escape routes.
 • Delaying, softening, or joking to dodge tension
 • All small ways of saying I don’t want to feel this
 • Pause instead. Let the silence do some work.

2️⃣ Stay with the feeling, not the story in your head.
 • Discomfort doesn’t mean you’re wrong
 • It usually means you care
 • Breathe. Name it. Keep going.

3️⃣ Choose honesty over harmony.
 • Awkward moments pass
 • Avoidance lingers
 • The more truth you speak kindly, the more trust you build

The best leaders aren’t fearless.

They’re the ones who can feel the heat 
and still keep the conversation open.

PS: How do you handle the moments that make you squirm?
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Thank you to Loren Rosario for reminding me of this quote 🤍

Failing twice doesn’t make you a failure.

But losing perspective will.

Most people don't spiral because they fail.
They spiral because they forget to zoom out.

A missed target feels like a disaster.
A tough week feels like proof they're not good enough.

But it's rarely the event.
It's the meaning we attach to it.

When stress kicks in, the brain's threat system takes over.
Focus narrows. Confidence dips.

We stop seeing the full grid of wins and zero in on the two red crosses.

That's not failure.
That's distortion.

Here's how to reset perspective when you're in it:

✅ Ask yourself: "What would I tell a client in this exact situation?"
(You already know the answer. You just can't see it for yourself.)

✅ Write down 3 recent wins before analysing any loss.
(Your brain needs evidence that you're not actually failing at everything.)

✅ Set a 24-hour rule before calling anything a failure.
(Most "disasters" look different after a night's sleep.)

High performers don't avoid mistakes.
They manage their state when mistakes happen.

Because when you can hold perspective under pressure, you can handle anything.

PS: What helps you zoom out when everything feels too close?
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Image inspo: psychologyposts_ on IG.

When your head is overloaded, big productivity systems don’t help.

Your brain doesn’t have the bandwidth for them.

I get to this point almost every year.
And I know I’m not alone.

Many of us hit this stage where half of our brain is planning for next year.

We’re trying to tidy up the loose ends of this one.

And we’re noticing the things we thought we’d finish…
and didn’t.🤷‍♀️

It creates a quiet mental clutter that sits in the background.

Nothing dramatic.
Just a little less clarity.
A little more noise.

And that’s when I reach for these tools.

They’re simple.
But they’re effective.

They might sound basic.
But they’re grounded in performance science.
And each one targets a specific mental state.

They work because they help your brain do what it struggles to do
when it’s overloaded.

Five different tools.
Five different states.
About five minutes each.

If your head feels full right now,
pick one and give it a go.

PS: How's your brain doing right now? Just me? 😉
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5 quick & easy ways to declutter your mind

You can’t master the 4 quiet habits.
Without mastering no.5 first.

Plan. Pause. Reflect. Simplify.

They sound simple.
Until real life gets in the way.

That’s why high performers rely on no.5:
the habit that makes them work.

 👉🏼 Saying no to everything that isn’t these four.

You can’t Plan in back-to-back meetings.
You can’t Pause when everything’s urgent.
You can’t Reflect while solving everyone’s problems.
You can’t Simplify when you keep adding more.

The highest performers get this.
Founders, executives, even ambitious juniors.

They protect these four habits.
By declining everything else:

• The meeting that hijacks planning
• The chat that kills pause time
• The “quick question” that breaks reflection
• The new idea that ruins simplicity

They’re not being difficult.
They’re being disciplined.

These quiet habits only work in actual quiet.
And quiet doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens when you guard it.
When you say “not now” to the urgent.
When you choose depth over being liked.

High performers don’t rely on quick fixes.
They protect the habits that matter.

Because that’s what keeps them high performing.

PS: Which of these 4 habits gets interrupted most in your day?
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Red flags get all the attention.
But green flags are what leaders should reward.

Our brains are trained to spot the gap.
The problem.
The risk.
The person who isn’t pulling their weight.

That’s the brain doing what it’s built to do.
It prioritises threat over everything else.

Useful for survival.
Terrible for leadership.

Because when we’re glued to what’s wrong,
we miss what’s working.

We miss our steady performers in the middle.
We miss the green flags that quietly keep everything moving.

And the irony?
What we reward gets repeated.

So this week, try switching the lens.

✅ Spot the green flags.
✅ Name them.
✅ Reinforce them.
✅ Make the good behaviours visible.

People rise when they feel seen for what they’re doing right.
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Earlier this month my brain felt like it had 39 tabs open and a YouTube ad playing somewhere in the background.

I kept pushing… until last week, when I finally had to take my own advice.🤦🏼‍♀️

As a performance coach, I spend my days helping people optimise their minds.

But even I forget that peak performance is not built on hacks.

It comes from recovery.
It comes from maintenance.
It comes from the boring habits most of us overlook.

Looking after your brain is not just about feeling better.

It is about:

- clearer business focus
- better decision making
- better emotional regulation
- being able to show up fully for your team, your work, and the people you care about

So I went back to my own checklist, the simple habits that keep my mind sharp without burning me out.

And as soon as I made a couple of small tweaks, I could feel the difference almost immediately.

So here is my invitation to use the infographic as a little self-audit 👇🏼

You do not need to tick every box on the checklist by Monday.

You can add a change or two per week.

And since it is Friday, consider this your permission slip to start small this weekend.

Give your brain the conditions it needs to show up fully next week.

PS: Happy Friday!
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72% of founders report feeling burned out. 

And it’s not just “the hustle.”

It’s bandwidth overload.

Burnout for founders rarely shows up as “I can’t do this anymore.”

It shows up as:

– Making slower decisions
– Snapping at tiny things
– Losing creative sharpness
– Feeling busy but oddly unproductive
– Carrying the whole business in your head
– Working all day but making no real progress
– Never having space to think beyond tomorrow

That’s not weakness.

That’s cognitive overload from running an entire company on a low bandwidth.

Most founders don’t burn out because of hard work.
They burn out because they’re:

✔️ the chief problem-solver
✔️ the decision engine
✔️ the emotional shock absorber
✔️ the strategist
✔️ the operator
✔️ the culture-setter
✔️ the safety net for everyone else

And you were never meant to hold all of that alone.

Here are 7 signs your leadership bandwidth is overloaded...and what to do before it costs you clarity, your team, or the business.👇🏼

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Sources:
– Startup Snapshot, State of the Startup Report (2023)
– Startup Snapshot & Intel Ignite, Founder Wellbeing Update (2024)
– MindForward Alliance, Wellbeing in Startups (2022)
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The highest performers I know share one secret.
They've lost more deals than they've won.

Not because they're bad at selling.
Because they refuse to sell their integrity.

Sales targets and high-pressure environments are where our values get tested most.

I've seen it throughout my entire career. 
↳ Talented people at every level making dubious choices under pressure.

From founders fudging numbers to junior team members being pushed to bend the truth by leadership.

The temptations are always the same:

• Exaggerating capabilities to close the deal
• Hiding limitations until after the contract’s signed
• Creating false urgency to push decisions
• Omitting information because they didn't ask
• Overpromising timelines you know can’t be met

Here's what people don’t tell you.
Every bent truth is a loan you’ll pay back with interest.

➔ The client you deceive today becomes the damaged reputation tomorrow.
➔ The shortcut that hits this quarter’s target creates next quarter’s crisis.
➔ The impossible promise you make to close the sale becomes the team burnout that costs you your best people.

True high performance isn’t about winning at any cost, but being able to build something sustainable.

And nothing built on compromised values ever lasts.

The highest form of accomplishment?
Standing by your principles when they’re tested.

Even when – especially when – the pressure is on.

Because integrity beats quarterly targets.

Every single time.

PS: What’s the hardest values test you’ve faced in business?
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Leaders alway teach us something.

Sometimes we teach what not to do.

We’re shaped by the leaders we admire… 
and the ones we hope we never become.

It starts early.
Watching the adults around us.

Noticing what lifts people up.
Noticing what shuts people down.
Quietly thinking "Right. I won’t be like that."

And the same thing happens at work.

We learn from the brilliant leaders.
The ones who stay calm, clear, present.

But we learn just as much from the overwhelmed ones.
The reactive ones.
The ones who stopped paying attention.

Those lessons stick.
They shape how we make decisions.
They shape how we treat people.
They shape the culture we create when it’s our turn to lead.

Here’s what most people forget.
Someone has learned from us in the exact same way.

A team member.
A colleague.
A friend.

They’ve watched us at our best and at our worst.
And they’ll carry those lessons forward…
including the ones we never meant to teach.

That reality can sting.
But it’s also the wake-up call most leaders need.

Because it brings the focus back to the only thing we control.
How we show up today.
How we set the tone.
How we correct ourselves when we realise we’ve gone off-track.

Your behaviour becomes someone else’s blueprint. 
Make it worth repeating.

PS: What's a lesson that stood out for you?
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Have all a fantastic week!
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Successful people master one underrated skill.

Saying no to almost everything.

Most people think success comes from doing more.

Taking more meetings.
Chasing more ideas.
Saying yes to more opportunities.

But the best leaders don’t play that game.
They choose subtraction over addition.

Every “no” protects their energy.
Every “no” sharpens their focus.
Every “no” keeps them on the path that matters.

Steve Jobs rejected over 90% of Apple’s ideas.

Not because they were bad,
but because they distracted from the few that would change everything.

The same is true for founders and leaders I coach.
They rarely suffer from a lack of ideas.
They suffer from too many good ones.

If you want more clarity,
start cutting.

Say no to work that doesn’t align.
Say no to clients who drain you.
Say no to meetings without purpose.
Say no to perfectionism disguised as progress.
Say no to busywork that makes you feel productive but changes nothing.

Success isn’t built by doing more.
It’s built by having the discipline to stop.

PS: What’s on your “stop doing” list next week?

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A little important reminder:
Your mind builds your future before your actions do.

Your brain is constantly building mental shortcuts.
And the sentences you repeat become the shortcuts you rely on.

We usually treat our thoughts like harmless background noise.

But your brain is always listening, and always learning.

And the phrases we default to are often these:

“It’s so busy right now.”
“There’s so much to fix.”
“It’s hectic … I must work late.”

They feel accurate.
They feel small.
But repeat them often enough… and they become a filter.

A filter that scans for chaos → notices chaos → reinforces chaos.

Not because it’s the full truth, but because it’s familiar.

This is how leaders end up stuck in constant firefighting mode.

You slowly train your mind to prioritise problems over possibilities.

Here’s a simple 3-step reset to break that loop:

1️⃣ Catch the sentence

Interrupt the pattern by naming the exact phrase you keep repeating.

2️⃣ Reframe it (without pretending everything is perfect)

Swap “It’s chaos right now” with:
“This is a demanding moment, and I can navigate it.”

Same reality.
Different mental instruction.

3️⃣ Redirect your mind toward opportunity

Ask:
“Where’s the leverage point here?”
Your mind will follow the instruction.

This isn’t about being positive.
It’s about taking control of your mental defaults.

Because intentional thinking is a competitive advantage.
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Most businesses get this backwards.

Many moons ago, when I was in corporate, we were going through a major rebrand.

On the surface, the business was doing well.

But underneath, three things were slipping:

• Client retention
• Employee retention
• And the ripple effect: declining customer experience

The obvious instinct
↳ fix the customer journey first

The real solution
↳ fix the employee experience first

So instead of rewriting scripts or tightening KPIs, 
we shifted our focus inward:

• We invested in the team
• We rebuilt the employer brand
• We opened decision-making from the bottom up
• We made development, recognition and communication part of the strategy

Very quickly, it became clear:

✅ When people feel supported, customers feel it too.
✅ You can’t build a strong customer brand on an undervalued or exhausted team.

The lesson I took with me:

✍🏼 If you want better customer outcomes, start internally.

Ask yourself:

• Are people genuinely heard?
• Do they understand the why behind decisions?
• Are we developing them consistently?
• Would they recommend this as a workplace?
• Are our employees true ambassadors of our business and brand?

Because when your people believe in what you do, they take care of your customers.

And your customers take care of your P&L.
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Some days you’re able to be successful.
Some days you’re not.

Some days it’s your turn.
Some days it’s not.

My week wasn’t bad.
It just wasn’t my turn.

And for a moment my mood dipped… 
nothing dramatic, just that wobble we all get.

It passed.
I know how to bring myself back now.

But when we’re ambitious, it’s easy to forget that slower weeks still move us forward.

That’s why I like the message in this video.👇🏼

In sport there’s no real failure.
What we call failure is often just progress we haven’t recognised yet.

Not every day feels like a win.
Not every week feels like progress.
But none of that means we’re off track.

Some weeks are momentum.
Some weeks are maintenance.
And all of it counts.

If this wasn’t your week either, nothing’s wrong.

Enjoy the video and have a lovely weekend!
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Video source: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks post-game press conference, 2023.
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I help people get clarity.
This week, I was the one getting it.

I had an interview for a feature about my work with Executives Diary Magazine.
And it made me stop in a way I haven’t in a while.

Talking things through forced me to look at my own path with fresh eyes.

When you’re deep in the day-to-day, you rarely pause to ask the bigger questions:

Why do I do this work?
What impact am I trying to have?
What actually matters to me as a coach and a leader?

Some answers surprised me - not because they were new, but because I hadn’t said them out loud in a long time.

A few things came up:

→ The calm I bring to clients isn’t accidental. It’s intentional.
→ Helping founders and leaders think clearly is still the most meaningful part of the job.
→ And self-leadership isn’t a concept for me. It’s the thread that’s shaped every chapter of my career.

The interview reminded me of all of that.

Sometimes it takes someone else’s questions to reconnect with your own direction.

So this post is really a thank you.
Not just for the feature,
but for the clarity the conversation sparked.

It’s easy to keep moving and forget the deeper reasons behind the work.

This week gave me a moment to stop, look up, and remember.
And it felt really good.

Here is the article: https://lnkd.in/etuxJW-d
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Open article: Integrity over Approval: Monica Federico’s Truth about Leadership That Lasts by magazine.executivesdiary.com

Integrity over Approval: Monica Federico’s Truth about Leadership That Lasts

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