Career Execution and Leadership Mastery with Doug Barna

In this episode of Career Coaching Secrets our guest is Doug Barna, a seasoned executive leader and growth-focused operator, who shares practical and hard-earned insights on what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain a successful career in fast-paced environments; drawing from his extensive experience leading teams, driving operational excellence, and navigating complex business challenges, Doug breaks down how professionals can develop discipline, sharpen decision-making, and create systems that support long-term growth, while also highlighting the importance of adaptability, accountability, and leadership at every stage of a career—this episode is packed with actionable strategies for anyone looking to level up their performance and lead with clarity and impact.

You can find him on:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougbarna/
https://www.youtube.com/@dougbarna
https://www.acclaimedsummit.com/

Transcript

Doug Barna 0:00

I like to maybe price a little bit higher because of that, because I kind of want to weed out the folks that are kind of just dipping their toes in the pond. I want you to dive in headfirst. Like I you like you really want to do this. You're going to make this change. And I think that if if you're going to put your money where your mouth is, then that's kind of that extra step where I'm looking for that type of client. Like, okay, I really am doing this. I'm diving headfirst into this pond. Let's do this.

Davis Nguyen 0:29

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets, the podcast where we talk with successful career coaches on how they built their success and the hard lessons they learned along the way. My name is Davis Wynne, and I'm the founder of Purple Circle, where we help career coaches scale their business to $100,000 years, $100,000 months, and even $100,000 weeks. Before Purple Circle, I've grown several seven and eight figure career coaching businesses myself and have been a consultant at two career coaching businesses that are doing over $100 million each. Whether you're an established coach or building your practice for the first time, you'll discover the secrets to elevating your coaching business.

Pedro Stein 1:01

Welcome to Career Coaching Secrets Podcast. I'm Pedro, and today I'm joined by Doug Barna, founder of Acclaimed Summit, who has spent over 20 years mastering the delicate balance between technical excellence and human leadership. Doug's journey began in the trenches of difficult work cultures where miscommunication was the norm, an experience that sparked his mission to bridge the gap between engineering prowess and genuine genuine human connection. What makes Doug's approach unique is his combination of scientific rigor with deep empathy, using evidence-based behavioral science to create lasting transformation rather than quick fixes. His clients consistently report stronger team relationships, greater confidence in handling complex people challenges, and better work-life balance while driving team success. Welcome to the show, Doug.

Doug Barna 2:04

Thank you, Pedro. How are you?

Pedro Stein 2:07

Oh, I'm doing just fine, Doug. Just like you told me in pre-podcast, you were fine. I'm fine. We're going with fine. And also, Doug, it's great to have you. You know, excited to record a podcast with you. And you know, I like to rewind a bit back to the origin story. I'm a comic nerd fan, you know, comic books. Now, back to that origin story, rewinding a bit, because every coach has that moment where they look at their life and say, you know what? I guess this is what I'm doing now, right? So when was that for you, Doug?

Doug Barna 2:40

Uh actually, that was probably my last corporate job. It was it was it was pretty horrible. It was probably one of the worst experiences of my career. But at the same time, like probably the best thing that happened to me as well. Um so, like, we're there, it's just a horrible culture, it's a horrible place to work, but it was also like the first leadership lesson that I kind of gave, because that leadership lesson is dolphins die in the desert. And the reason I say that is because even though it was horrible for me, it wasn't necessarily horrible for everybody else, right? So, like, it's horrible for me. I'm looking for solutions, I'm trying to figure this out. But the company itself is good, it's it's profitable, it's doing fine. So maybe that's not it. And then I look around, and sure, there's people just like me, but I would think that there's also like the equal number of people who hated being there just as much as I did. There were people there who loved being there, who'd been there for years. Um, so then like I'm just like, so is it really the company? Is it the culture? And that's kind of where I came up with that dolphin diet in the desert, because like it's a company, it's its own culture, it's its own environment, and there are people who are suited for it, just like dolphins are suited for the ocean, or eagles are suited for canyons. Like there's different cultures on earth, and there's different animals and plants that thrive in those, and maybe I'm just in the wrong environment. And so that kind of sparked my coaching journey because I was able to figure out, like, okay, this is a horrible place, but is it really just a horrible place for me? And then as I learned that lesson, I was able to share it with those other folks that were like they were miserable as well. And so they were coming to people such as myself and asking for help and like, Doug, this place sucks. What do we do? How do we do this? How can you help me? And so it, you know, it kind of like organically grew. Like I was going through a horrible experience, they were going through a horrible experience, I was helping them, and they were starting to realize that yeah, it's not just them, it's it's them and the culture, and it's not a mix, and they may be that dolphin who's dying in the desert and they just need to find their ocean. And some of those people started doing that, and it kind of grew. And of course, because like that place was just horrible, I needed to leave, and so it kind of led into that coaching, you know, uh business so that I could actually like expand out and leave and not be tied to this corporate job. And so there was kind of like a bunch of different things that all kind of came together while at the same time, like being my first like coaching experience of like helping the those folks who like were just miserable in that culture along with me, and we just kind of helped each other find better places, find better environments, and and thrive in different in different situations that were better for us.

Pedro Stein 5:42

Hmm. Interesting. Okay, so we're coming from fine to opening the episode with pretty horrible. I can see the gap already. Okay. Now let me ask you this, and I feel that's a very powerful uh reminder because it's like to understand what good looks like, you gotta know what bad looks like, right? So, how would you describe a pretty horrible uh workspace?

Doug Barna 6:11

Well, once again, I think it goes back to that dolphins die in the desert. I think it's really up to you and having that self-awareness, right? Like I said, like I, you know, Google has its own work environment and Apple has its work environment, and GE has its work environment for it. Like if they're profitable, if they're a good business, okay, so then that's what businesses are for. They're making profits, solving solving problems for people. If all of those things are good, then really it comes down to that self-awareness. Are you a fit in that culture? Do you understand that culture, first of all? And are you a good fit in that culture? That to me is is the beginning of understanding whether or not that culture is a horrible culture. Because it's not like universally, is it really a horrible culture? There may be, there may be some cultures that are just universally horrible. Most human beings would say this is really bad, we got to stop it. But like for the most part, I don't think most companies are like that. Most cultures aren't like that, they're just different. So, like, you have this huge, like Amazon's a huge company. I would never I don't think I would ever be able to be me personally be comfortable there. But that doesn't mean Amazon isn't successful, it doesn't mean people don't love being in Amazon. You just have to understand that, like, in Amazon, you're going to be a small little cog in this huge machine. Is that something you're comfortable with? Is that something you want? So there's a self-awareness, there's that, there's the environmental awareness and understanding are you guys compatible in that direction? Did that make sense?

Pedro Stein 7:46

Yes. So it's more about the dolphin rather than the desert. It's more about the place you're at. And actually, more about the place who you are rather than the place. If you don't fix, you don't have that culture of fit, it's not gonna work out for a dolphin. I got that. Okay, interesting. And when did it shift? You know, from I'm helping people to I'm building a real business around this, right? Is it the first invoice? Is it the first in business investment? You know that shift that happens. I'm curious about that.

Doug Barna 8:20

No, I think it's the first invoice, right? Like, so I was doing it for free because you know, again, I was in a company helping those folks understand themselves and understand what cultures they might be better in, how to handle that horrible culture while they were still there. But yeah, the business side, like my coaching business side, happened when that first client signs up and you go, Oh my gosh, I could actually do this. Uh uh, here we go. And and that first client was actually a cold outreach, too. So for me, that's kind of like that was huge. That was like crazy. That was like, oh my goodness, like this is this is actually working. I can market and get this stranger to actually trust me to actually coach them. And then and then seeing their results, right? Like when they post online that you know, something we talked about maybe a month or two ago, and then they post online, hey, I did this thing, like they're sharing it with everybody else, but I'm kind of you know, I'm in the background seeing it, like that's huge. That's like that was super exciting to see that first post from that first client who did the thing that she was talking about when we talked about it two months ago and coaching because that's all of that coming together was like, Yeah, this is this is a thing now. We're we're we're we're moving forward.

Pedro Stein 9:32

Interesting. Starting with a cold outreach. I mean, usually while we seize referrals, and then they take that time, the coaches take that time to burst the bubble, right? To get through out of the first cold outreach or actually turning a stranger into a client. So that's very interesting. Now, after you got rolling, right? Who are the people that kept showing up? You know, the ones you realize, okay, these are my people, you know.

Doug Barna 9:58

Uh yeah, I mean, I guess really it was it was the folks that I was I was hoping to help. Like, like my people were kind of me, you know, five years prior. And so the folks that I I help and the folks that I really focus on are those it's the leaders and managers in those corporate situations that are kind of in the middle, uh, middle management, or like they just got their first promotion. So they used to be ICs, individual contributors, and they got their first promotion. They're now like a leader in a department uh or on a team, and they have no idea what they're doing because they just started, and then and the middle middle level managers that maybe, yeah, they have a couple of years, five or so years, but you know, they've they've been ignored. The training that's usually out there is typically centered around people who are upper management with like a VP title or a director title, and not so much just manager title or leader title. And so I do I focus on those mid-level managers and leaders, uh, and and some of those folks that just got their first promotion. Because again, that was kind of me when I started all this. This that was me, you know, five years earlier, uh, not knowing what I was doing, kind of being pushed out all on my own with just kind of a plastic paddle and a and a dinghy and not really knowing what's going on. And I just wanted to be there to support those people, but I feel like that, yeah, when I do my outreach and that kind of stuff, that is the type of people that uh connect with me and then ask for my help and and we work together.

Pedro Stein 11:35

Okay, interesting. Okay, now that's the coaching side. Now let's talk about the part nobody escapes. And I know you started with code outreach, so that's interesting. Now we're gonna talk about marketing a little bit. So imagine those mid-level leaders and managers want to get in touch with with you, right? So, how do people usually find you?

Doug Barna 11:57

So, primarily on LinkedIn or in those you know, corporate type of of situations, and that's kind of where my my outreach began. A lot I've gotten some organic success with folks seeing my posts and contacting me that way, and then it's the cold outreach through email and LinkedIn um that has gotten some attention as well.

Pedro Stein 12:21

Okay, now a little bit about the structure of your business. Okay, let's pretend I am one of those um potential clients, your ICP, how they say it's like the ideal client profile, right? The mid-level leader, manager. I saw your stuff on LinkedIn. I'm like, okay, that sounds good, organically, or whatever, or code outreach, even. And I'm like, you know what? Doug seems like a cool guy. And I we got into a call, you know, I resonate with what you tell me, I end up closing. Now, walk me through the experience, right? How would how would it look like from my perspective as a client on what we're gonna work and how uh does your coaching practice actually work, you know?

Doug Barna 13:05

Yep. So the first meeting is really understanding my client. Where are they, where are they coming from, and ultimately where are they they're trying to get to? So I focus a lot on one-on-one and personal coaching. So it really is a personal touch, it really is a personal story and a personal journey. So it doesn't matter where you started, it doesn't matter where you want to go. You just need to be honest and have that conversation with me on the first go, and then we figure it out from there. How long is that going to take? How many sessions do you think you need? What kind of homework? How much time do you have? So we work on time management and organization. We work on those expectations and what to what to kind of think about as far as the next, you know, is it six months? Is it a year? It's again up to your journey and up to where you want to go. But being able to start from the ground level, a strong foundation, uh, is insanely important for the way that I go about my coaching. So that is our first meeting is where are you? Where do you want to go? And do you understand all of the steps that we're going to take in between?

Pedro Stein 14:19

Okay. I mean, your work seems pretty hands-on, right? Doug, we're talking about almost a customized experience and one-on-ones, homework, understanding uh what's what are the potential gaps, where do you want to go? So, how do you think about capacity? So don't stretch yourself too thin, you know, because there's a a challenge for most coaches, and I'm curious about your your take on it.

Doug Barna 14:44

So, again, it goes back to self-awareness. For me, this is how I like to do it. So that gives me the energy more so than trying to uh do a different type of coaching. It's not to say that I don't have those ideas going on or or that I'm working on maybe a DIY type program, I do have those as well. But because of my self-awareness, because I understood where I wanted to go with my coaching business, with my business, etc., that when you talk about capacity, it becomes a little bit easier because I have that self-awareness that this is how I like talking, this is how I like working with the folks, and this is how many clients I can take on while at the same time keeping things going and keeping things afloat. But that again, I think it to me it starts with that self-awareness. It's it starts with that time of just introspection and just understanding that this is how I want to do it, and these are going to be the trade-offs. That a lot of it is my time, a lot of it is going to be given up to the to the clients and to the customers. While at the same time, that's what I like, that's what I I enjoy doing. So there's an energy balance that uh I think I've come to. At the same time, you know, I've been doing this for a little while. I think that because I think I've kind of wanted to do that to start so that I can understand my clients more. And now is is now a nice time to transition into different types of offerings and programs to go into the future. Maybe I think so. We'll we'll see what happens uh in the next couple of courts.

Pedro Stein 16:25

All right, yeah, it's like you sometimes we need the reps, right? To to get the feeling to understand what your the potential client actually wants and know the best way to serve them, not just coming from a place of like, oh, I'm gonna develop this huge program and that it's a dy DIY, you know, and it's not really gonna land because you don't have the the the the reps, the connection still solidified. Now, I want to hear from you that it's a kind of a hot topic. I like to dive in sometimes. It's like pricing, right? But we don't have to talk about hard numbers, it's more about the mindset behind it, you know, like for coaching, I see and in most service-based industries, this is a lot of there's a lot of self-worth uh related to price. Like, am I charging too much? Am I not charging enough? Because usually it's the time we put in, right? That's uh where we're coming from. So, how do you think about it today? You know, the pricing factor. And were there any lessons along the way that shaped how you landed where you are right now?

Doug Barna 17:28

Yeah, actually, that that was what was popping into my head as you were asking that question. The the lesson is for me, is the client actually involved? Are they are they ready to do this? Do they want the coaching? And are they going to put the time and the effort into the program? And to me, I like to maybe price a little bit higher because of that, because I kind of want to weed out the folks that are kind of just dipping their toes in the pond. I want you to dive in headfirst. Like, I I you like you really want to do this, you're going to make this change. And I think that if if you're going to put your money where your mouth is, then that's kind of that extra step where I'm looking for that type of clients. Like, okay, I really am doing this. I'm diving headfirst into this pond. Let's do this. I I I try to avoid the toe dippers, like I said, but I've also had experience with that, you know, just as I started, as I began, but also I, you know, I was at one point a personal trainer. And I think if there's personal trainers out there, or if anybody knows that type of industry, you know that there's a lot of folks who dip their toes in. They they go to the gym in January and February, and then you never see them again starting in March. And so that kind of experience also helped me say, okay, I really need people who are going to show up, who are going to do this all the way to the end. And so for the pricing aspect, I do kind of ride raise that price a little bit and just kind of give them that little extra pressure so that it's, you know, you're you're really in on this, you're putting your money where your mouth is, as I said.

Pedro Stein 19:04

Doug, are you by any chance following me here in Brazil? Because I felt personally attacked with the gym stuff. Like, can I not just hit that on January, February? Is this something going on here? No, I love the pricing aspect, right? It's like about commitment at the end of the day. It's not just about the money. It's like if you invest really invest, then you're gonna put in the work because I think there's a cemetery of free courses out there that people don't even they don't even, you know, finish it, even if it's free. So it's all it and that that always brings me back to my college days, right? We were playing like Texas Holdem and uh No Stakes, and it's like everyone is getting all ends and all that, yeah. And then we got a dollar in the pot, and the game changed completely. It's like I mean, dude, it's just a dollar, take it easy, but no, it changes because you have skin in the game, right? So that makes a lot of sense. Um now I'm curious about where you're taking all this, Doug. You know, looking ahead, where do you see the business going? Are you thinking about scaling, hiring, or is there a next step you're excited about? You know?

Doug Barna 20:22

So the next step that I'm actually excited about is right now, this year, what I want to do is world build. I think some people might think of that as branding, but like I want to take it a step further and kind of make it more of an experience for my clients to kind of come in and kind of go through the journey of being turning into that leader that they're looking for. And so I'm kind of looking at it as a holistic type of thing. I'm also kind of doing it because I'm not a huge fan of marketing, it's not like something that I wake up and go, oh my gosh, I get to go do marketing today. And I'm really hoping that by doing world building and like making it more creative while at the same time giving me like restraints and structure to be creative within, I'm hoping that's going to boost my marketing and like my energy towards marketing. And so, for like people who don't know what world building is, like you really do, because like if you watched Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, or you said you get you're in the comic books. I mean, all comic books are world building, Star Wars is world building. Anytime you see those types of movies where it's like this far-off fantasy type of thing, those authors always had to like build languages and clothing and cultures and and all of that kind of stuff. And that's kind of where my head's at. How can I be creative? And when people come into Acclaim Summit and work with Doug, it's like more of an environment, more so than just maybe you know, the branding, which Just kind of like a uh consistency. I want it to be more of a world, I want it to be more of an experience, I want it to be more of a path, an adventure, a journey. And so I'm kind of excited about that. So hopefully that keeps me excited about marketing too. Because, like I said, that that's part of the reason why I'm doing this is like marketing isn't my favorite thing in the world to do. So, can I be more creative? Can I be more energetic on that to help people kind of come in and feel like they're part of this world of becoming this like this great leader and team builder?

Pedro Stein 22:31

Wow, thanks for reminding me of Game of Thrones last season. Okay, wow, trauma traumatizing experience, but thank you.

Doug Barna 22:40

Okay, seasons one through seven.

Pedro Stein 22:44

Now, yeah, now on a side note, yeah, you didn't start coaching because of the marketing aspect, right? You don't want to be a marketer, however, there's some irony out there. I gotta put it out there like having your first client from code outreach, uh huh. Right, that's some some marketing effort uh that landed. So, but yeah, I get it 100%. You you're into more on the ops part, like most coaches, right? You love the coaching, the impact. I I can tell. Now, of course, whenever we're aiming towards the next chapter, like you said, you're world building, right? There is always something we're refining in the present. So, what are you currently trying to improve or tighten up in your business?

Doug Barna 23:30

Yeah, it it's the story. It's it's so my my story really is I believe that leadership is natural, and I think maybe a lot of people might freak out about that comment. And that's good, cool. You guys can have your opinions. But I think leadership is actually a natural thing for human beings to do, and the reason is is is based off of this the psychology, the social psychology, the human behavior. I think that there are there's really a natural tendency towards leadership and also towards teams, that we are just social animals, we're there, and so that's kind of what I want to tie in with the world building. I want it to be very natural, I want to use the woods, the mountains, animals, and and that type of stuff, and be creative and showing people this juxtaposition of how nature can really help us understand leadership better and how we can work with teams and other human beings. So, again, like I'm I'm hoping that gives me enough challenge to keep being creative, to keep telling stories, to keep bringing up images and kind of you know, work on videos and stuff like that, where it kind of shows this story of it of leadership being natural. Did that make sense?

Pedro Stein 24:41

Or no, it makes sense. Sometimes I feel like leadership is a place, sometimes not always, right? That some people are just naturally taking that spot that others like, hey, you're our leader, you know, because it's the way they position themselves, the way they act, you know, and they're not putting their will in front of others, and and and it's something that really feels natural, at least to me, you know. Now, since you mentioned world building, uh, I I want to switch gears for a second, okay, and do something a bit more fun. Not that this was not fun, but if you're down for it, I got a quick game for you.

Doug Barna 25:20

Sure.

Pedro Stein 25:21

Okay, so we'll look at this through the lens of business investments, okay? Things like coaching, training, marketing, team, masterminds, you name it. Okay, so it's pretty simple. I'll give you four prompts and you tell me the first thing that comes down, comes to mind. If there's a story behind it, even better. Okay, okay. So, what's the first business investment you remember making?

Doug Barna 25:47

That's a great question. I don't I don't actually know. I think there were so many investments up front that I don't know what the first one was. I think it was like a marketing course. I think it was a marketing course.

Pedro Stein 26:01

Okay.

Doug Barna 26:02

Yeah.

Pedro Stein 26:02

Okay. Still testing the waters, I imagine.

Doug Barna 26:06

Oh, absolutely. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, what am I going to do? What am I interested in? All of those kinds of things. Yes, but I think it was more of a it was a marketing course. Okay.

Pedro Stein 26:18

Next one. What's the most recent one you made?

Doug Barna 26:23

So this was a personal investment because I I really want I'd like this. Was a New Year's resolution, I wanted to do it, and it was meditation. So I I I invested in a meditation course, it was an intensive, very long meditation course. When I first purchased it, I didn't realize how long it was and how involved it was. It has 72 um lessons and courses, which are supposed to be taken each week. So that's 18 months. I was a little shocked. But because I was like, I'm I like this is what I'm doing, and blah blah, I am blessed that it was so long. I am thankful that they they did it in such a way as to like start you off in incredibly small increments and grow through those 18 months. It was wonderful, it's absolutely amazing. I tell almost everybody who doesn't ask and all of those kinds of things, but I think that's the most recent, but it's also probably the most powerful one that I've uh that I that I invested in. Love it.

Pedro Stein 27:32

And how do you can right? And how do you connect the meditation with the outcome in the business side? Right. I'm just trying to pinpoint that.

Doug Barna 27:40

Yep. Uh, because I think a lot of people can relate, but business is kind of crazy and anxiety-inducing, freak you out type of thing. And the meditation has allowed me to calm myself to get equanimity within my mind so that I can execute my business and work with my people even better.

Pedro Stein 28:03

Hmm. Yeah, I've been wondering if I should do something like that. Interesting. Okay. Now, moving forward, what's the best financial business investment you have made and why? If not the same, it's not the same one, right? Could be.

Doug Barna 28:20

No, it absolutely is the same one. Um, I don't it it was not, it was a personal investment, but I think you know, as a coach, I guess we are we are our product and we are personally, we are the the business as well. So yes, the meditation course is probably yeah, I I by and large, hands down, the the best investment. And again, it it just helps with that equanimity that I think we're all looking for to be able to just calm ourselves, to be able to put forth the best product, the best effort that we can. And I think without like I have like I'm a long distance runner, and that's kind of my exercise of choice, and that has always helped calm me down, that has always helped clear my head. But it's really hard to do you know a long distance run every time you need it. And so I think meditation and the courses and the way I was trained has given me those skills to be able to meditate for those two minutes before a meeting or five minutes after a really tough discussion and still give me the results that I was getting after a really long, long distance run. So I think uh yeah, that was probably the that's hands down, probably the best investment.

Pedro Stein 29:32

Oh, great! So I don't have I don't have to run an exercise, I can only meditate. No, I'm just kidding. Can you picture that? Now, last but not least, what's one investment you wish you could get your money back on?

Doug Barna 29:49

Hmm. It's probably that first marketing course, actually. Yeah, I think I think it might be that first marketing course. I have read some some books since then, and some of those books have come from the library that have been far better, far more useful, far, you know, just the the the information and the the steps that they gave me. I like those are far more implemented in my business from those books, from you know, a $15 book or a free book from the library than from that uh that mostly expensive marketing course that I took. I I that I probably wish I could get my money back from that. Yeah.

Pedro Stein 30:31

Okay. And looking at those, how has your approach to investing in the business changed over the years? If it has, right?

Doug Barna 30:38

Yeah. No, I've been much more uh critical about that. I I that's funny. I I hadn't actually thought about this in a long, long time, but you're right. Like that first course probably has made me a little bit more jaded on as far as like other coaches and and just being quite, you know, question them and do my due diligence far more and all of those kinds of things, and just see if there's just other alternatives that that might be better. That that's a good question.

Pedro Stein 31:07

Okay, let me ask you this, and this is really uh uh towards your ideal client profile, right? What would you say it's like the main struggle with that middle management uh person or leader, and that you could help them getting the outcome, you know? I understand that you're setting up goals with them, I understand they're not in uh a great spot, but what I I want to understand really is like what do you see the pattern, right? That you constantly see that is happening with that type of demographic.

Doug Barna 31:43

One of the main things that I see is their attachment to upper management. So they're looking for. I mean, just imagine taking somebody and who doesn't know how to swim or whatever and just throwing them into a pool. They're gonna flail around, they're gonna do this, and they're gonna look for help, right? If you're looking for help with other people who don't know how to swim, you're not gonna be able to swim. You're gonna just you're gonna mimic what they do, and you're still gonna flail around. And I that is the probably the number one thing that I see is they get this promotion or they're in middle management and you know, they're in this company, so they look up to all of the managers who have been there, you know, for a dozen years, or who have higher um job descriptions than they do, and they look at them and say, Okay, they must know what they're doing, they're they must be good leaders. So I'm going to follow them and I'm going to watch them. And a lot of those people don't have any clue what they're doing either. So, like, just because like they're they moved their way up to VP and they had like a 20-year career as a leader or as a leader, quote unquote manager, doesn't mean they're a good leader. It just means that they got promoted, it just means that they stayed in the company, it just means that you know they got those those job opportunities. And so for a lot of my clients, you know, they tell those stories of like, well, this guy does this, so I was trying to do that. And it's I think that's probably the biggest thing to that's probably the biggest roadblock to their growth, and also kind of one of their like their blind spots is they're looking for that mentor, they're looking for somebody to look up to, and there isn't anybody good to look up to. So they're looking at people maybe more because they're just nice people, or because their teams seem to be happy with their those managers, and they're not really leaders, and so that can set them back, that can delay their growth, that can slow them down as far as being good leaders and doing that kind of stuff. And quite honestly, it's it's natural. Like I said, like you got thrown into a pool, you're flailing around, you're looking for something to look for, and they just don't have that. So, you know, the companies, the HR, they don't have the program set up for these brand new leaders, they don't have the the set set up for like mid-level managers, and so that's kind of what they resort to is looking up at all these other experienced leaders, and they're just not getting they're not getting the lessons that that they really should because those those those managers aren't necessarily great leaders in and of themselves either.

Pedro Stein 34:28

That makes sense, you know. I love that now. If someone listening wants to connect with you, Doug, or follow your work, right? Where can people find you and connect with you?

Doug Barna 34:39

Yes. So I'm primarily on LinkedIn, and you can just find me with my name, Doug Barnum. I am also trying to build up my YouTube channel. So although that's that's embarrassing right now, you can go see how how little I have there and how I'm flailing around with video and stuff like that. If you'd like to check out YouTube and that is more your platform, but uh it should be pretty easy for you guys to find me. Again, both platforms is just my first name and last name, Doug Barno. But uh, if you need to reach out, DM, and all that on LinkedIn.

Pedro Stein 35:09

Okay, you know, I feel the need to highlight a little bit some stuff that you mentioned today. Yeah, um, I would say I really like the self-awareness you mentioned about the dolphins, die in the desert. You know, it's not just about um the culture, the place itself. It's like this is never gonna work out if you're not really meant to be in that place, that culture, you know. So it brings back to you and to find yourself a place that actually works for you instead of hey, this company is terrible, this doesn't work for me. It's like let's give a step back and understand where you should be, right? That makes a lot of sense. Now, I like also uh the pricing uh bit we talked a little bit, uh, and about the commitment part of it, right? It's like you did some pro bono, right? You told me that, like I did some free work and all that. And and sometimes I have this, like I have I work with other coaches, and they were telling me how they get no shows and pro bonos that people don't even go through the process that was free, you know. And the reason for it is I think it's the keyword, it's commitment. They need to have some skin in the game, or else they're gonna feel like, yeah, I can do it this later. Yeah, I can do it, and then some other time. Yeah, he's given his free time, but that's worthless. If it was good, any good, he would charge me, you know, that type of mentality. And I feel like that is so true in the coaching space, and it saddens me a little bit because I see a lot of people that are like really, really good doing pro bono, and people that are terrible were charging 10k a course, 15, 30k a course. So um, yeah, that really resonates to me. Great reminder. Um, and the last thing that I want to highlight is like the how when I asked you about the managers and how they mimic, you told me they mimic other people doing stuff. And and if you give a step back and look at really how people actually do that in different parts of their life, right? It's like, where do you want to go? And they're looking at their neighbor who I don't know, got the latest car or the latest house or whatever, and they're like, you know what? I love to have the same stuff he he's got, you know, and and it puts you in a surface level perspective for the true intention of where you want to be, you know, and I think that's also a great reminder. So, Doug, this is my long-winded way of saying that I appreciate what you do. I appreciate you being here sharing so openly today, you know. It was great having you on.

Doug Barna 37:46

Well, thank you. No, your questions are great. And that yeah, even you even got me thinking about a couple others I haven't thought about in a long time. So this was really great. And uh I appreciate being on, and hopefully, hopefully we help some of your uh listeners.

Davis Nguyen 37:59

That's it for this episode of Career Coaching Secrets. If you enjoyed this conversation, you can subscribe to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're listening to this episode to catch future episodes. This conversation was brought to you by Purple Circle, where we help career coaches scale their business to seven and eight figures without burning out. To learn more about Purple Circle, our community, and how we can help you grow your business, visit joinpurplecircle.com.