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I'm a global executive coach and leadership strategist, distinguished speaker…
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Articles by Janet
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Driven or Distracted? Trading Tech-Driven Panic for Strategic Judgment
Driven or Distracted? Trading Tech-Driven Panic for Strategic Judgment
The biggest risk AI poses to organizations right now isn't technological failure or falling behind—it’s leadership…
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Busy Is the New Broken
Busy Is the New Broken
In today’s corporate landscape, “busy” has become a badge of honor. Calendars are packed.
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Empowerment Isn’t Abdication: The “Jenga” Problem in Decision-Making
Empowerment Isn’t Abdication: The “Jenga” Problem in Decision-Making
Many organizations say they want empowered leaders. But when a decision gets risky, political, or complex, what…
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Busy Isn’t Strategic: The Leadership Shift Most Executives Miss
Busy Isn’t Strategic: The Leadership Shift Most Executives Miss
If you’re leading at a senior level, you’ve probably felt it: your calendar is full, your day is fragmented, and your…
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Asking for Help Is Not a Weakness: It’s How Strong Leaders Reduce Risk and Increase Speed
Asking for Help Is Not a Weakness: It’s How Strong Leaders Reduce Risk and Increase Speed
I recently spoke with a director I coach who wanted to discuss persuasion. Her department prepares an occasional…
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Should They Stay? Rethinking Senior Talent Engagement
Should They Stay? Rethinking Senior Talent Engagement
Many organizations are facing a new challenge: senior employees who were once high performers are now quietly…
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The Counterintuitive Strategy: Slow Down to Finish the Year Strong
The Counterintuitive Strategy: Slow Down to Finish the Year Strong
Now, more than ever, is the time to be strategic about your energy and attention. The year-end period is here, marked…
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The Leadership Shift: Why Asking for Help Is a Strategic Advantage
The Leadership Shift: Why Asking for Help Is a Strategic Advantage
When High-Achieving Leaders Avoid Asking for Help A client recently experienced a moment of clarity that completely…
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From Giants to Gems: Navigating Leadership in Smaller Companies
From Giants to Gems: Navigating Leadership in Smaller Companies
You've been an executive at a multi-billion-dollar company for fifteen years, but after being laid off, you vowed to…
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How to delegate like a true leader
How to delegate like a true leader
As an executive coach with two decades of leadership experience, including my time as a Marine officer, I've learned…
3 Comments
Activity
6K followers
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisOutstanding job from Jill Hauwiller MA this morning! She spoke on Psychological Safety - what it is and how to develop it on your team. She was part of the Menttium monthly education session. Great job, Jill. Thanks for your wisdom and welcoming style.
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisI had a wonderful conversation with Ankur Pancholi on his podcast. We discussed the difference between frontline and strategic leadership. They are different. They can't both be done at the same time, our mind isn't capable. The good news: strategic mindsets CAN be developed. Enjoy.
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisThe Future Belongs to Leaders Who Protect Their Attention As AI continues to transform every industry, technical capability will become increasingly accessible; strategic judgment will not. The leaders who thrive will not be those who move the fastest, they will be those who think most clearly and set priorities. 🎯 They will protect attention as fiercely as they protect budgets. 🎯 They will build cultures where trust replaces unnecessary complexity. 🎯 They will create capacity before pursuing more activity. The question for today's leaders is not whether they are busy. The question is whether their busyness is producing meaningful progress. Because in an era defined by constant acceleration, the greatest competitive advantage may be something surprisingly simple: the ability to pause, focus, and lead with intention.
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisDo you need help getting unstuck in your job search? First, read this. Then reach out to Anne Pryor MA to help you clarify your LinkedIn positioning. She's the greatest.Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisI’ve watched brilliant people exhaust themselves forcing doors that were never meant to open for them. Here are three real patterns I see again and again. The Executive A senior executive spent 18 months chasing a CEO title at a company that valued political loyalty over transformation. Every interview meant shrinking into someone they weren’t. When they finally released the pursuit, a turnaround role that actually fit their strengths appeared within a month. Reflection: Are you pursuing this role because it fits you, or because it fits your ego? The Mid-Career Professional A mid-career manager applied to 200+ jobs nearly identical to their last one, assuming sameness meant safety. The rejections piled up because their heart wasn’t in it. Once they paused to redefine what meaningful work looked like, a role in a growing industry they’d never considered found them. Reflection: What would you pursue if security wasn’t your only measure of success? The Recent Graduate A recent graduate forced their way into a prestigious firm through relentless outreach, ignoring every sign the culture didn’t match their values. They got the offer, and left within six months, drained. Their next chapter, built on curiosity instead of prestige, led to work they still love. Reflection: Are you chasing prestige, or purpose? If you’re forcing a door right now, try this: 1. List three signs this opportunity feels forced rather than aligned. 2. Define what you want your work to feel like, and allow yourself to feel it. 3. Reach out to one person in a role or industry that sparks your curiosity, not your resume. The right door is closer than you think. Stop pushing. Start listening.
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisAre you looking for someone to help you update your professional digital image (i.e., your professional photo?) Check out Lisa Buck. I've seen no one better.Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisThe “Lead with Heart” sticker on her laptop isn’t just a motto. It’s how Stacy approaches every client relationship. Stacy is the co-founder and Vice President at Wayzata Bay Private Wealth Management. As a trusted Wealth Advisor, she helps clients align their finances with their vision, values, and long-term goals. Every client conversation is centered on what matters most: stability, generosity, and the legacy they want to leave behind. When she’s not working or serving in the community, she enjoys hiking, cycling, exploring the outdoors with her dog, Ruth, and traveling with her husband. It was a privilege to create brand photography that reflects the warmth, professionalism, and genuine care Stacy brings to every client she serves.
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisThese are such great questions. Are you or your team stuck! If you find yourself revisiting the same issues, try asking different questions. Thanks Jennie Antolak, MA, MCC. And if you're looking for a great program to get started on your coaching career, check out Learning Journeys International Center of CoachingJanet Polach, Ph.D shared thisHow often do your clients, teams, or employees find themselves circling the same issue, only to end up right back where they started? Sometimes the breakthrough isn't found by digging deeper into the problem, but by shifting your attention to the person facing it. That simple shift can move the conversation from confinement to possibility. #coaching, #leadership, #narrative
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisThis is an important message for both women in mid-life AND their partners, be it parents, children, or significant others. "Self care is not selfish!" Mid-life is different than early adulthood. Such an important message. Thanks for sharing Kristen McAlisterJanet Polach, Ph.D shared thisHigh-performing women are very good at pushing through. In this conversation from my newest podcast, She Owns It, I sit down with @shannonburke to talk about why that same strength can start to cost women in midlife. For years, many women business owners have been taught to keep going. Handle the stress. Carry the business. Support the family. Lead the team. Make the decisions. Then midlife arrives, and suddenly the old way doesn't work the same. Sleep changes. Anxiety feels different. Recovery takes longer. And too many women start wondering, "What is wrong with me?" This episode is an important reminder that nothing is wrong with us. Our body isn't supposed to process stress the same way forever. We are still the woman who built the business. But now, recovery has to become part of how we lead. Not as a reward. Not as something we earn after everything else is done. But as a necessity. Because we can't keep expanding our life, our leadership, and our capacity while constantly draining the body that carries it all. Watch the full episode by clicking the link in my bio, or listen to “She Owns It” wherever you get your podcasts. Because the full episode goes deeper into what your body may be asking for before you call it burnout. #WomenBusinessOwners #WomenInLeadership #MidlifeWomen #Podcast
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisHow are leading AI? Driven, purposeful, or totally distracted?Driven or Distracted? Trading Tech-Driven Panic for Strategic JudgmentDriven or Distracted? Trading Tech-Driven Panic for Strategic Judgment
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Janet Polach, Ph.D shared thisThis couldn’t be more true! Thanks for the reminder Tim VoitJanet Polach, Ph.D shared thisNetworking Tip: Ditch the Pitch! Networking isn't about making a sale—it's about making a connection. Skip the rehearsed elevator pitch and focus on authentic conversations. The relationships you build today often lead to opportunities tomorrow. #Giver
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Janet Polach, Ph.D liked this➡️ I'm excited for next week, when our Harbinger Executive Alliance community heads to North Oaks Golf Club to learn from Cecily Sommers. 💚 I love watching this group learn together, because there's something different about sitting in a room with other leaders who are wrestling with the same questions. 🤔 I'm already thinking ahead to 2027 as well. What speaker or topic do you think our community needs to hear next? 🙏🏻 Please respond below as a comment or send me a DM with your ideas!Janet Polach, Ph.D liked thisNext week, the Harbinger Executive Alliance community gathers at North Oaks Golf Club to learn from Cecily Sommers, and we could not be more excited. Sessions like this one are built on a simple idea: senior leaders grow fastest when they learn together, not alone. The right speaker, at the right moment, can reshape how an entire room thinks about leadership. That is exactly why we are already looking ahead to 2027. We want to build a lineup that reflects what this community actually wants to explore. ❓ What topics or speakers would you like to see on the stage for our 2027 leadership sessions? We would love to hear your recommendations. Please respond via comments and tag some great speakers!
Experience
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Education
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University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
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Activities and Societies: Dissertation: Understanding First Year Employees in the Workplace. Generations in the Workplace.
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Licenses & Certifications
Publications
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The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make: How to Avoid Them and Thrive
Kirk House Publishers
See publicationNew managers are usually promoted because they were outstanding contributors. Yet, these characteristics are not necessarily the same ones that will make you successful as a frontline manager. This book examines the seven most common mistakes new managers make. Each chapter highlights a common challenge, and then describes strategies and behaviors to build the skills needed to achieve success.This book is ideal fo the new manager who hopes to evolve into a great leader.
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Research on Managing Age-diverse Workforces
Sloan Management Review
See publicationWegner, D. (2007). Managing an age-diverse work force, Sloan Management Review, 48(4), 9. Intellegence review written by D. Wegner on Janet Polach’s research on managing age-diverse workforces.
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Understanding the experience of college graduates during their first year of employment
Human Resource Development Quarterly
See publicationPolach, J. L. (2004). Understanding the experience of college graduates during their first year of employment, Human Resource Development Quarterly, 15(1), 5-24
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Variables affecting the participation in individual development
Peformance Improvement Quarterly
Polach, J. L. (2001). Variables affecting the participation in individual development, Performance Improvement Quarterly, 14(4), 4-13.
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Muninder Anand
For me, what stood out in that dialogue is how easily we confuse presence with progress. We have made strides in representation. But unless organisations deliberately design for who gets seen, stretched, and sponsored, we risk mistaking participation for true advancement. Reflections that stayed with me: 1) Visibility is a leadership decision; it shows up in who is invited into critical rooms, not just who delivers consistently outside them. 2) Data must provoke action; unless level-wise insights translate into role moves and sponsorship, measurement remains a report, not a lever. 3) Sponsorship is where intent becomes real; it is in those moments of advocacy, when someone speaks for you in rooms you are not in, that careers often turn. And equally, while systems must evolve, agency matters; raising one's hand, voicing aspiration, and stepping into discomfort are all part of the equation. If there is one shift we must hold ourselves accountable to, it is this: Are we designing systems where talent naturally rises, or systems where only the visible survive? At WeAce we partner with clients to ensure our impact is aligned to their business outcomes. Grateful to have shared the platform with such sharp perspectives and to be part of a conversation that moves us from intent to action. #CII #IWN #IWNTelangana #IWN_SR #IndianWomenNetwork #LeadershipCollective #IdeaXchange #XL4W #XLRI #LeadershipAdvancement #LeadershipDevelopment #WomenInLeadership #CareerGrowth #Allyship #FutureOfWork #SuccessionPlanning #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipMatters #BeyondFlexibility #InclusiveLeadership #SponsorshipMatters #CareerAcceleration Hema M Srinivas Madhavi Lall Pritha Dutt Shayan E Mouzzam XLRI Delhi-NCR XLRI Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership XL4W: XLRI for Women Dr. Poornima Dore Anuranjita Kumar Shweta Kataria Mehak Bansal Sameer Mathur Ruchi Shah Meeta Srivastava Natasha Sandhu
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