You can’t spreadsheet your way to trust.
And yet, that’s what so many workplaces try to do.
I see it all the time.
Leaders who genuinely care about their people, stuck inside systems that value compliance over connection.
Meetings about engagement.
Tick-box reviews on wellbeing.
Mandatory training that nobody remembers.
It’s not that they don’t care.
It’s that they’ve been taught to lead through control instead of curiosity.
Over the years, I’ve worked with countless women in leadership – HR directors, school heads, healthcare managers – who tell a similar story.
On paper, their teams are performing beautifully.
Targets met. Policies followed. Boxes ticked.
But underneath? The energy feels flat. Conversations are careful. Innovation has stalled.
That’s what a compliance culture does.
It rewards control but erodes connection.
It keeps things safe, but it also keeps people small.
And for women who lead with empathy and integrity, that kind of environment can be soul-destroying.
You start to question yourself:
“Am I the problem for wanting things to feel more human?”
You’re not.
There is another way.
When you shift from a compliance culture to a coaching culture, you stop trying to manage performance, and start cultivating potential.
Instead of ticking boxes, you build trust.
Instead of command and control, you create space and accountability.
A coaching culture isn’t fluffy. It’s fierce in a different way.
It takes courage to listen without fixing. To ask instead of tell.
It means letting go of the illusion that authority equals control, and realising that your greatest power lies in how you hold others, not how you direct them.
At One of many, we call that Soft Power.
It’s the strength that comes from presence, not pressure.
When leaders embody it, something changes. People start showing up differently, they remember how to care, how to contribute, and how to feel alive at work again.
If you’ve ever felt the ache to lead differently, to create real change without losing yourself in the process, join me for Elevate.
It’s a 3-hour, live, interactive workshop where I’ll introduce you to The 5 Women’s PowerTypes®.
A framework that transforms how you lead, communicate, and coach others (and yourself).
Because leadership doesn’t have to be about compliance.
It can be about compassion, clarity, and courage.
Join us at Elevate
Rediscover a way of leading that feels human again.
Author of the Amazon best-selling book, Superwoman: Escaping the Myth, she has explored the hidden pressures women face in leadership and offers a roadmap to sustainable success without burnout.
As the founder of One of many, a global community supporting women in leadership, she is committed to equipping leaders with the tools they need to create sustainable impact, without compromising well-being. Her work integrates neuroscience, behavioural psychology, and emotional intelligence to help individuals lead with confidence and authenticity.
Dr. Joanna's insights have been featured in major media outlets, and she is a renowned speaker on leadership, resilience, and high-performance coaching. When she’s not speaking or coaching, Dr. Joanna enjoys exploring new research in human potential, spending time with her family, and championing initiatives that support women in leadership worldwide.
- Creating a coaching culture instead of a compliance culture - October 28, 2025
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- Finding our feet in the unknown - October 13, 2025
