The Leadership Habit How to Drive Results as a Leadership Coach with Will Linssen
The latest episode of The Leadership Habit Podcast welcomes globally recognized leadership coach Will Linssen to discuss how leaders can drive measurable results through better coaching. Hosted by Jenn DeWall, this conversation explores what separates good leaders from great ones and why sustainable leadership growth depends on one crucial shift: moving from know-how to show-how.
Leadership coaching has become one of the most effective ways to enhance results and strengthen teams, especially when paired with comprehensive leadership development programs.
Meet Will Linssen, Executive Coach and Author
Will Linssen is one of the world’s top executive coaches and the CEO of Global Coach Group. Named the world’s number one leadership coach by Global Gurus and the top coach trainer by Thinkers50, Will is also a Master Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the highest professional designation in the field.
He is a number one Amazon international bestselling author and serves as an advisor to the Harvard Business Review, shaping global conversations around leadership development, coaching, and performance growth. Will’s work has influenced more than 100,000 leaders worldwide through data-driven coaching frameworks designed to deliver measurable impact for leaders, their teams, and their organizations.
Why Leadership Coaching Matters More Than Ever
Leadership today is harder than ever. Teams are stretched thin, priorities are constantly shifting, and leaders are expected to balance results, engagement, and well-being all at once. As Jenn DeWall noted during the episode, “Being a leader today is challenging. Being a coach is hard, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the tools or best practices within it.”
Will agrees—and he believes much of the problem starts with how we prepare people to lead. “Most people never got any education in people skills,” he explains. “They step into leadership roles without preparation, and organizations just say, ‘Now it’s up to you.’ It’s like becoming a parent with no manual.”
That gap between what leaders know and what they actually do creates frustration, burnout, and disengagement. It’s why many leaders, despite their best intentions, struggle to truly develop their teams or sustain results.
From Know-How to Show-How
One of Will Linssen’s central insights is that most leaders don’t fail because they lack knowledge—they fail because they lack application.
“Most leaders we work with already know the right thing to do,” he says. “The challenge isn’t know-how. It’s show-how—doing the right things consistently so it impacts the people around them.”
When leaders are overwhelmed, buried in meetings, or constantly reacting to problems, their good intentions don’t translate into meaningful behavior. As Will puts it, “When things heat up, the show-how suffers, and that’s how leadership effectiveness suffers.”
This approach echoes the principles discussed in Crestcom’s Be the Coach They Need training module, which focuses on helping leaders turn awareness into consistent behavior. By choosing just two key areas to improve—and committing to practice those behaviors daily—leaders can make visible, lasting progress.
The Triple Win Approach
At the core of Will’s method is the idea of a Triple Win—helping leaders grow, improving team performance, and achieving better organizational results simultaneously.
He explains, “We reverse engineer success. We define what success looks like for the leader, the team, and the business, then build a plan to get there.” This data-backed approach has been tested with more than 100,000 leaders worldwide, achieving a remarkable 95% success rate in measurable improvement.
Here’s how the framework works in practice:
- Choose two leadership growth areas. Focus on the skills that matter most to both the leader and their team—such as empowerment, decision-making, or stakeholder management.
- Create a business case for change. Show how improving in these areas benefits not just the individual leader but the entire team and organization.
- Engage coworkers in feedback. Involve team members in providing suggestions and observations about the leader’s growth areas.
- Implement and measure progress. Use quarterly reflections and pulse surveys to track improvement from the perspective of both the leader and the team.
This process not only creates accountability but also builds shared ownership of the change. “Leadership,” Will emphasizes, “is about co-creating change with coworkers. When the leader and the team work together, performance must increase. It always works.”
Building a Culture of Feedback and Accountability
Even with a solid process, many organizations struggle with one key challenge—getting honest feedback. Employees often hold back from sharing candid observations out of fear of retaliation or hierarchy.
Will’s advice is simple but powerful: create psychological safety from the start. “Before sending out a 360-degree survey, ask the leader to send an email inviting open and honest feedback,” he says. “When leaders show humility and curiosity, people respond with candor.”
This step transforms a typical evaluation into a collaborative experience. Will adds, “When coworkers see that the leader is serious about improving and that their input is valued, they become part of the change process.”
He also emphasizes combining quantitative data from surveys with qualitative insights from behavioral interviews. This two-part approach provides a complete picture of a leader’s strengths and development opportunities—and helps avoid blind spots that pure numbers can miss.
Will’s approach also reinforces the value of building a coaching culture, where feedback, accountability, and trust fuel performance improvement at every level.
Turning Feedback into Lasting Habits
Of course, insight alone doesn’t drive change—action does. Will recommends that leaders invest about 2% of their monthly work time—roughly four hours—into reflection and implementation. “Five minutes a day and a little discipline go a long way,” he explains.
This consistent, focused effort turns new behaviors into habits that eventually shape culture. Over time, leaders move from conscious practice to automatic execution, and their teams begin to mirror that growth.
Jenn DeWall summarizes it well: “Leadership isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about small, consistent actions that improve how we think, behave, and interact.”
Coaching Through Challenges
Even the best coaching plans face resistance. Some leaders struggle to control emotions, others lose focus or motivation. Will stresses the importance of addressing these issues directly through honest conversation and self-reflection.
“When something goes wrong, ask: what was the impact of my behavior?” he says. “You always have the right to be upset—but it comes with consequences. If you want better results, you have to choose different behavior.”
That mindset—taking responsibility for one’s influence—is what separates average leaders from exceptional ones. As Will notes, “It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress. Pick two things you’re excited to improve, involve your team, and stick with it.”
Creating a “We” Movement
Perhaps the most powerful message from the episode is Will’s reminder that leadership is not a solo journey. “Leadership coaching for leaders getting better is actually simple,” he says. “It’s not about more know-how. It’s about show-how. And the coworkers are the holy grail of creating forward momentum—because now it becomes a we movement, not a me movement.”
That shift—from self-improvement to collective growth—is what creates lasting cultural change. When leaders model vulnerability, consistency, and collaboration, their teams follow.
Where to Learn More
Listen to the full episode for all the great insights Will and Jenn have to offer! Then, to explore Will Linssen’s proven approach in greater depth, check out his book, Triple Win Leadership Coaching, available on Amazon and major booksellers.
And if this episode inspires you to strengthen your own leadership skills, Crestcom offers a powerful next step. You can request a complimentary two-hour leadership workshop designed to help your team enhance decision-making, build trust, and increase accountability. Visit crestcom.com/freeworkshop to get started.
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