Unpacking Authentic Leadership and Coaching for Sustainable Success
By Helen Wada with Helen Dann
Redefining Leadership: Human-Centred Success in the Modern Workplace
In a compelling episode of the Human Wise Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Helen Dann, Head of Talent Development for Europe at Samsung Electronics, whose two-decade career in learning and development places her at the forefront of human-focused leadership. Our conversation offered profound insights into the real essence of being human at work, the transformative power of coaching, and the distinctive advantages of self-awareness in navigating high-pressure, commercial environments.
Helen Wada : “Ultimately, the ‘H’ is about How you show up... until we truly understand who we are, we can't be our whole, true self at work, or have the right kind of conversations with our clients, stakeholders, and teams.”
Let’s explore how human-centred leadership paves the way for sustainable business success in today’s challenging landscape.
The Foundation of Authenticity: Knowing Yourself to Lead Others
Dann’s journey is a testament to the power of self-awareness as the cornerstone of effective leadership. Steeped in experience from customer service to coaching, Helen shared candid reflections from her own growth:
Helen Dann: “Human at work is about having the self-awareness – knowing oneself better to be able to come into the workplace and show up to be who you really are, with that trust and safety, and continued reflection on oneself.”
This emphasis on introspection challenges a status quo still prevalent in many organisations – where performance metrics are foregrounded and authenticity is side-lined. Yet, as Helen put it:
Helen Wada “You might be absolutely brilliant at what you do, but to be effective, to really know your value, and have the best conversations both for yourself and the business, we have to start by understanding who we are.”
The work of becoming more self-aware is never done – it’s about “progress, not perfection,” as Helen Dann describes. For leaders, this isn’t just about personal wellbeing but a commercial imperative: only by being attuned to oneself can one truly inspire and lead others.
Overcoming the Fixer Mindset: The Evolving Role of Leaders as Coaches
A powerful theme that emerged was the “rescuer syndrome” – the tendency for leaders and learning professionals to shoulder excessive responsibility for others’ performance or wellbeing.
Helen Dann reflected: “I was showing up with this sense of ‘I need to fix, I need to help.’ I got value and satisfaction from people saying thank you, I feel better now. But I was missing the piece about being available to help, stepping back, and empowering others.”
Many organisations still equate leadership with having all the answers. Helen Dann’s evolution – from fixer to enabler – underlines why stepping away from the compulsion to rescue or fix is critical. By fostering a coach-like approach, leaders build capacity, accountability, and resilience within their teams.
Helen Dann: “Now, I try to stay quiet more, listen more, rather than jumping in and fixing or thinking that I know what the answer might be… Because I’ve got better awareness, the discipline is easier.”
This reflective stance not only supports individual empowerment but contributes directly to performance under pressure by diffusing stress and building trust.
Self-Compassion, Burnout and Boundaries: Leading by Example
It’s no secret that modern workplaces are high-pressure environments. Dann candidly discussed her experience with exhaustion and the importance of prioritising wellbeing:
Helen Dann: “Before, I would have just gone: ‘No, I need to be strong, I can’t take time off, we’re too busy.’ But now I recognise I can’t be the best version of myself if I’m exhausted. When I’m tired and overwhelmed, I go more into tell mode; work piles up, I’m less effective. Knowing this means I can do something about it.”
As an industry leader, I believe this level of vulnerability and boundary-setting is essential for countering the pervasive risks of burnout and for modelling healthy, sustainable ways of working to teams.
Coaching for Commercial Success: Beyond Soft Skills
One of the most powerful insights shared was the direct commercial benefit of integrating coaching mindsets and self-awareness into sales and business growth:
Helen Wada : “At board level, unless we can integrate coaching skills with a commercial focus, it’s always going to be secondary. We need a conversation about how coaching underpins sustainable, commercial growth.”
Helen Dann elaborated on delivering “Leaders as Coach” workshops for Samsung, emphasising that “a little tweak of the dials” can spark a transformational shift. It’s not about turning every leader into a coach overnight, but about building foundational skills of curiosity, deep listening, empathy and reflective questioning – skills repeatedly proven to drive engagement, innovation and, ultimately, business results.
Helen Dann: “The feedback we get: ‘Wow, I’ve learned more about my team in one conversation than in the last year.’ It’s that sprinkle of magic that comes from genuinely holding space for others, rather than fixing.”
Humanising Sales: Relationships First, Results Second
Helen Dann brought her customer-first ethos into the sales conversation, debunking the myth that process always trumps people:
Helen Dann: “You can have a sales process to follow, but it doesn’t work if you’re not focused on the person in front of you… If you’re just KPI, KPI, you’ll overstep, miss things, and not bring your team with you.”
Customers buy from people before they buy from companies or products. By having genuine, curiosity-driven conversations, sales teams build the trust and rapport essential for sustainable commercial success.
Actionable Strategies: Building the Human Advantage
Throughout our conversation, several practical strategies for leaders emerged:
Prioritise Self-Awareness: Build regular reflection into your routine. Ask: “How am I showing up today?” Question your motives – are you trying to help, fix, or empower?
Adopt the Coach Approach: Resist the urge to rescue; listen more, ask more, and support your team in owning their growth and challenges.
Balance Commercial & Human Needs: Bring together the mindset of commercial ambition with the human skillset of empathy and reflection to create high-performing, sustainable teams.
Model Healthy Boundaries: Show your team it’s not only ‘okay’ but essential to protect wellbeing and quality of thinking – particularly under stress.
Final Reflections: Choose to Be Human, Choose to Lead
Being human at work is not a soft ideal – it’s a commercial necessity. As Helen Dann and I discussed, the workplaces that will thrive in this complex, uncertain future are those that put people at the heart of all they do.
Helen Dann: “It’s about creating a culture of love, care, and respect. If we’re more human, we see better success, because we’re not robots – we’re not at that stage yet!”
Helen Wada: “Think about how you show up. The first ‘H’ in the human framework is crucial to building lasting teams, customer relationships, and commercial growth.”
To learn more about how human-centred leadership drives business results, listen to the full episode with Helen Dann. Connect with Helen Dann on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the Human Wise Podcast for weekly insights on leadership, growth, and the future of work.
Let’s put the human back in business – together.
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