Stuck in the Gap

Why High Performers Stall in Their First Leadership Role

A Free 45-Minute Webinar

The hidden pattern behind newly promoted managers who are stuck. And what actually moves them.

You promoted them because they were strong at the work. The work changed. They have not.

The behaviors that earned them the promotion are no longer the behaviors the role demands. Their team is feeling it. Performance is sliding. Standard performance reviews and feedback are not moving the needle.

What you are seeing is not a skill gap. It is an identity gap. And it is the most common reason high performers fail in their first leadership role.

What You Will Learn

✅ The cycle that traps every newly promoted manager.

A simple framework showing how identity, behavior, and outcomes reinforce each other, and how to interrupt the loop.

✅ Why standard training and feedback rarely moves the needle.

And what is actually required to shift entrenched leadership behavior.

✅Two real client stories.

Specific patterns from leaders I have coached, including what the cycle looked like from the outside and what it took to break.

✅The moment during coaching when the pattern starts to shift.

What that conversation sounds like, and why it cannot happen on its own.

BONUS: A live diagnostic exercise.

A short embedded exercise that surfaces where a specific leader you have in mind is stuck.

Who This is For

This webinar is built for the people responsible for developing newly promoted leaders:

  • HR leaders investing in leadership development for promoted high performers

  • Senior managers who promoted someone and are watching them struggle

  • L&D pros designing first-time leader programs

  • Decision-makers evaluating coaching as a development tool for their team

If you have a specific leader in mind while reading this, you are in the right audience.

Ryan Smith, ACC

Founder & Lead Coach

Your Host:

Ryan is an experienced leadership and performance coach, and founder of Unearth Coaching Inc based in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. With a strong track record of coaching leaders for many years, he specializes in refining leadership and interpersonal skills to tackle common organizational challenges.

Ryan is an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and certified Everything DISC trainer. He holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Trent University and completed his Leadership & Performance Coaching certification from Canada Coach Academy. He is also an engaging speaker and workshop facilitator.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. A replay will be available to all registrants for 7 days after the webinar. The link to access it will be sent after the webinar concludes.

  • Yes. The frameworks apply to any high performer making the transition into leadership. You will get more from the diagnostic exercise if you can hold a specific person in mind, but the content stands on its own.

  • The webinar is content first. There will be a special offer at the end for attendees. However, the majority of the webinar will consist of strategies and frameworks you can use regardless of whether you ever work with me.

  • Yes. There will be live Q & A during the last 5-10 minutes.

  • Yes. Cameras are optional. Most participants stay off.

Ready to see what is really holding your leader back?

45 minutes. Free. Built for HR leaders, senior managers, and L&D pros developing newly promoted talent.