Most companies treat leadership development as a soft skill, something nice to have, but secondary to strategy and execution. Emilia D'Anzica, growth coach, go-to-market strategies advisor, and founder of Emilia Speaks CX, argues that's backwards: leadership isn't separate from growth, it's the foundation it stands on.

In this episode, Emilia and Luke talk about why founders hit a ceiling when they try to do everything alone, and why asking for help so often comes too late, only after revenue is already declining or key people are already leaving. Emilia shares her coaching methodology: an anonymous survey process, CC'ing the CEO on everything, and eight hours spent observing a team in training before she ever gives leadership feedback on what needs to change.

They also dig into what's actually broken in most go-to-market playbooks, the handoff between sales, customer success, and support, and why Emilia believes revenue problems are almost always wellbeing and alignment problems wearing a strategy costume.

Key topics:

• Why founders wait too long to ask for help, and what "healthy hustle" actually looks like
• Emilia's coaching process: anonymous surveys, CEO transparency, and reading a room in real time
• Why leadership has to be visibly involved in training, or change reverts within 30 days
• What's broken in most go-to-market playbooks, and how to fix the handoff between teams
• Emilia's quarterly goal-setting ritual, and her advice for staying grounded while building a company

Connect with Emilia on LinkedIn or Instagram, or reach her directly at emilia@emiliaspeakscx.com.