One Thursday morning, I get a call from the HR Director of a major tech company.
Her voice was firm… but clearly tired.
"Someone told me about you, Nada. A colleague of mine shared what you did with a manager at her company. She said, word for word: 'She defused a ticking time bomb… without making a sound.'"
I smiled.
Discretion isn’t just my nature — it’s at the heart of my work.
A coach doesn’t need the spotlight. A coach illuminates backstage.
The HR Director continued:
"I need someone who truly understands both human dynamics and the operational reality. No theoretical fluff. I have a talented manager… but he’s crushing his team without even realizing it. We’re losing our best people. Something has to change — fast."
We scheduled the first meeting in a quiet room on the top floor — far from the noise of the open space. A neutral zone. A space of respect.
He arrived early.
Impeccable suit. Closed-off expression. Posture straight as a rod.
Firm handshake. Then he sat down, arms crossed.
And his first words? I still remember them 😊 :
"Well. I’m not sure I need this. But I was told it might please HR."
I looked at him calmly, set down my notebook, and gently replied:
"If it’s to please me, we can stop right now.
If it’s to do something good for you — we can begin."
He paused. Raised an eyebrow.
"Alright. You’ve piqued my curiosity."
The first few sessions were tense.
He mostly responded in monosyllables.
Sometimes, he’d pull out his phone mid-conversation.
Once, he even said:
"I’m not here to talk about emotions. I’m here to deliver results."
And that’s when everything shifted.
I didn’t talk to him about emotions.
I talked about his team — who had stopped communicating with him.
About the alarming turnover.
The meetings where no one dared to speak up anymore.
The once-engaged talents now silently pulling away… even though they had once admired him.
By the fourth session, he walked in wearing a t-shirt, coffee in hand.
"I’ve been thinking about what you said," he told me. "In our last meeting, I started asking: ‘What do you think?’
It’s crazy. They’re talking. They’re suggesting ideas. Some even smile."
I saw his posture shift.
Less rigid. Less defensive.
And above all… more human.
After our sixth session, he sent me a message right after a team meeting:
"I think I finally get it.
They never needed me to be perfect.
They just needed me to be present."
Three months later, the HR Director called me again.
Her voice was lighter.
"Nada, I don’t know what you did to him… but the whole team is behind him now.
He kept his high standards, but now he inspires.
He no longer imposes — he brings people along."
I didn’t do anything to him.
I simply offered him a space to see himself differently.
And sometimes, that’s all a leader needs to finally become a true human manager.
How many talents are lost in our companies because of a leadership style that no longer knows how to listen?
What if the real ROI was a team that stays, breathes… and dares to give the best of itself —
Because it is the soul of the company?
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