Guides, Not Gurus: How Coaches Empower Women Leaders to Find Their Own Path

We live in a world that is full of advice.

Scroll through any feed and you will see quick fixes, step by step formulas, and gurus promising to reveal the secret of leadership.

The problem is, leadership is never one size fits all. What works for one person in one context may completely fail in another.

This is where coaching makes the difference.

Coaching is about creating a space where you discover your own path. It is not about delivering the right answer.

Why gurus fall short

The guru mindset assumes there is a single proven way to succeed. For women in leadership, this often means being told to lean in harder, toughen up, or copy behaviors that were never designed with us in mind. Following these scripts can feel heavy and often distances us from who we really are.

Leadership growth does not happen by becoming a copy of someone else. It happens when you strengthen your own voice, your own clarity, and your own decisions. I have seen the downfall of many who kept climbing by following formulas that did not belong to them, most of the time copying their mentor.

A coach acts as a guide. They ask questions that shift perspective. They mirror back your strengths when you forget them. They challenge your assumptions in a way that opens new options. And most importantly, they do not impose their own blueprint on your path.

This approach takes more patience than handing over a ready made formula, but it creates lasting change because the solutions come from you.

Empowerment in practice

In my 18 years in corporate life, I have seen this transformation many times.

A leader walks into a session feeling stuck, convinced that there is only one way forward. With the right questions and the space to reflect, she leaves with new clarity, a fresh option, or the courage to take the next step. Nothing was handed to her. Everything was built from her own strengths.

That is the true power of coaching. It does not make you dependent on advice. It equips you to lead with confidence on your own terms.

Your playbook, your way

Every woman leader deserves more than a guru. She deserves a guide who believes she already has what it takes and is ready to help her unlock it.

Coaching is not about following someone else’s path.

It is about writing your own playbook.