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Student Feature
Empowering Effective Leaders
by Ran Wei Baker
Early in my career, I came to understand leadership as the ability to create clarity. In moments of uncertainty, the person who could step in, make sense of what was happening and help others see a path forward often became the leader — the one everyone in the room turned to.
For years, I leaned into that role. I learned to value speed, decisiveness and a strong point of view, especially in fast-moving, results-driven environments where momentum matters.
Then I entered Harding’s graduate coaching program.
Almost immediately, I realized that some of the instincts that had helped me grow quickly as a leader were also the ones I now needed to hold more gently as a coach.
Coaching invites a different posture. Instead of offering direction, coaches stay curious. Instead of filling silence, coaches learn to hold it. Instead of assuming the challenge is only what appears on the surface, coaches ask questions that allow someone else to uncover what’s underneath.
At first, this felt unfamiliar, even inefficient. Why ask a question when I could help someone solve it faster? Yet over time, I began to see that my leadership instincts weren’t wrong. They were simply incomplete, reflecting only one facet of leadership.
One of the biggest shifts for me has been learning what it really means to listen without nodding along while preparing my own response. Instead, I set my own agenda aside and stay fully present with the person in front of me.
In coaching, we listen for what’s being said and what isn’t. We pay attention to tone, energy, assumptions and the quiet hesitation that sometimes sits behind confident words. We slow down just enough to give someone the space to hear themselves.
Bringing this listening into my day-to-day leadership changed my interactions almost immediately. In one-on-one conversations, instead of asking, “What’s the update?” I now often ask, “What’s feeling most challenging or most energizing for you right now?” That small shift opens the door to a different level of honesty and reflection. The person grows. The work becomes clearer. And decisions, somewhat surprisingly, become easier because they are grounded in a fuller understanding.
There’s a common misconception that coaching means being passive. In the past year in the program, I’ve found the opposite to be true. Coaching is about being intentional.
In my corporate role, people still look to me for direction. I still provide it. But now I also bring a different tool into the conversation: thoughtful, well-timed questions.
“What outcome would feel most meaningful here?”
“What options have you already considered?”
“What do you think the real blocker might be?”
These aren’t formal coaching prompts. They’re simply coaching-informed. These questions shift the dynamic from leader-as-problem-solver to leader-as-thinking-partner. What I’ve noticed is that when people arrive at their own clarity, their commitment to the path forward is much stronger than if I had simply handed them an answer.
One of the most unexpected lessons for me has been the value of silence. In professional settings, silence can feel uncomfortable, like a signal that you should step in and keep things moving. As a female leader, I quickly realized that the person who speaks first can shape the direction of the room. For a long time, that taught me to form a point of view quickly and put it forward without hesitation. Coaching has gently softened that instinct. It has given me permission to pause. To listen more than I speak. To trust that presence can be just as powerful as speed.
In coaching, silence is often where the most important insight emerges.
Learning to leave that space, without rushing to rescue or redirect, has changed how I show up as a leader. I find myself less reactive and more attuned, more focused on what a person needs, not just what the situation demands. That presence has deepened my relationships with my team and elevated the quality of our conversations.
In many corporate environments, “coaching” often means mentorship and direction. It looks like sharing experience, offering perspective and helping someone avoid the mistakes I’ve already made. What I’ve been learning in this program is a complementary meaning of coaching. Coaching is guidance rather than direction; it’s creating space for someone to reach their own clarity and potential without imposing my point of view.
Holding both perspectives has reshaped how I lead. I still draw on my experience when it’s needed. But more often, I find myself stepping back first so the other person can think out loud. By letting them test their own ideas, I make space for confidence to grow when the solution truly becomes theirs.
I’m realizing that human-centered leadership isn’t about being softer. It’s about being wiser. It’s about understanding that empathy and inquiry don’t compete with performance. They strengthen it.
If the earlier part of my career was defined by how clearly I could speak, this chapter is increasingly defined by how deeply I can listen. That’s a meaningful evolution, not just as a coach, but as a leader and a person.
Ran Wei is the head of marketing for Microsoft for startups as well as a leadership coach pursuing a graduate coaching certification at Harding University. Her work focuses on building high-performing teams through presence, curiosity and strengths-based leadership.
