Sheila R. Carmichael, MCC, MEd, CPEC, CPC

What if every leadership moment was met with unyielding clarity and courage? 

At the intersection of experience and innovation, I’m Sheila R. Carmichael, a Leadership Architect and Executive Coach who transforms potential into powerful leadership.

With over 30 years in the field and as a Master Certified Coach (MCC), I've empowered leaders across industries to cultivate resilience and authenticity. 

📖 My book, 'Presence: Self-Coaching Strategies,' explores how genuine leadership starts from within.

I partner with executives to forge cultures of accountability and innovation, integrating strategic insight with real-world strategies for transformational growth. 

As a former Forbes Coaches Council member and certified in multiple assessments, I bring a holistic, resilience-focused coaching approach to every engagement.

👉🏾 Ready to redefine your leadership journey? Connect with me for a 1:1 personal touch base call. 

https://calendly.com/sheila_carmichael/30-minute-linkedin-connect-call

Looking forward to our conversation! 🤝

Executive Coach, Associate Director

• Serves as an expert executive coach and provides individual coaching and thought leadership in areas such as leadership and career transitions, leadership growth, and transformational leadership
• Builds relationships with leaders and key stakeholders. Collaborates on best practices and seeks to understand and deliver on stakeholder needs.
• Influence management in key business issues that affect the development of their designated client group 

“Be authentic.”

It’s one of the most overused phrases in leadership and one of the most misunderstood. 

In recent years, I’ve watched a strange paradox emerge. 
As organizations encourage leaders to “be real,” some have started performing authenticity. 

They overshare under pressure. 
They mistake transparency for trust. 
They curate vulnerability like it’s a brand strategy. 

The result? Authenticity fatigue. 

People start to feel like authenticity is another leadership checkbox - not a genuine connection. 

💡 Here’s the truth: Authenticity isn’t exposure. Its alignment.

It’s not saying everything you feel - it’s saying what’s true with intention and integrity. 

It’s leading in a way that’s consistent with your values, even when the context changes.

True authenticity has structure:

1️⃣ Clarity — Knowing what you believe and why it matters.
2️⃣ Boundaries — Sharing enough to build trust, not to seek validation.
3️⃣ Alignment — Acting in ways that reflect your values even under pressure.

When leaders skip those steps, “authenticity” becomes noise, and their credibility suffers. 

In executive rooms, I often remind leaders: 
Authenticity is not about being unfiltered. It’s about being unedited by fear. 

The most authentic leaders don’t perform vulnerability. 

- They embody integrity.  
- They listen deeply. 
- They speak from alignment. 
- They show consistency between word, tone, and action. 

Authenticity done well creates psychological safety.
Authenticity done poorly creates confusion.

In this season of “realness,” let’s remember - authenticity isn’t about how open you are.

It’s about how aligned you remain.

💬 What’s one way you can show up more aligned, not just more open in your leadership this week?

___ 

📕 If this message resonates, you’ll love book PRESENCE  
👉 Read it here:  https://lnkd.in/dqxQ4Z5J  



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Sheila is an impact-driven Executive Coach and Leadership Strategist with over 25 years of progressive HR leadership expertise across diversity and inclusion, talent management, and organizational development. Her career track spans the Financial Services, Retail, Hospitality, and Manufacturing industries.

Sheila’s coaching philosophy and principles are based on assisting clients with “authentic leadership” development techniques designed to discover their greatest potential. Her passion and expertise enable her to accelerate awareness and accountability around executive presence, communication, collaboration, adaptability, and confidence. 

Through the years, Sheila has used her unique brand of coaching and consulting to steer others toward optimal excellence by reshaping cultural norms that transform the mindset of professionals to realign workplace values and performance. She has cultivated and refined the career paths of over 7,200 professionals, holds over 30 certifications, notable learning distinctions, served as an active member of the Forbes Coaches Council 2020-2022, and is designated by International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a Master Certified Coach(MCC). 


𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐄:
 
• C-Suite Advisory
• Global HR Strategy
• Career Transitions
• Leadership Development
• Succession Planning 
• Change Management
• Team Effectiveness 
• Public Speaking/Authorship
• Corporate Training
• Executive Coaching
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
• Performance Management
• Recruitment Strategy 
• Executive Presence 


𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍:

•	University of Phoenix, M.Ed.
•	Webster University, BA, Human Resources
•	Cornell Univ School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Certificate in Strategic HR Leadership


𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:

•	Forbes Coaches Council – Active Member 2020-2022
•	International Coach Federation – MCC  
•	Leadership Circle Profile
•	The CaPP Institute – CPEC 
•	Institute for Professional Excellent in Coaching – CPC, ELI, and CDS
•	Korn Ferry – KF360, KF4D, and KFALP
•	Center for Creative Leadership - Benchmarks® 360 Assessment Suite
•	Birkman Certified Professional 
•	Gallup Certified Clifton Strengths Coach


𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐄:

I help you tap into their authentic leadership self.

Authenticity has everything to do with leadership.
It strengthens relationships.
It builds productive teams.
It fuels your success while achieving results.

Authenticity is staying grounded to your values, your principles, your unique skills, talents, and style. 

"Rethink the way you think about leadership"

"Shift your thinking. Change your results." Global Executive Coach | Leadership Strategist | ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC) & Mentor Coach | Author | Speaker

💭 Think about what you’re thinking about. 

It sounds simple, but this level of metacognition is where real leadership transformation begins.

Most leaders I work with are brilliant problem-solvers. 

🧠 They’re thinking constantly - analyzing data, making decisions, planning strategies.

But very few pause to examine how they’re thinking or why they’re thinking what they’re thinking.

This is the gap between technical competence and authentic executive presence.

Here’s what shifts when you develop this awareness: 👇 

→ You start to notice the automatic narratives running in your head during a difficult conversation. 

→ You catch yourself making assumptions about a team member’s motivation before you have the facts. 

→  You recognize when your thinking is constrained by old mental models that no longer serve you.

This is the foundation of what I call 3D Authentic Presence.

🌿 The ability to be simultaneously aware of:

➣ Your internal landscape (thoughts, emotions, and patterns), 
➣ Your external impact (how you’re showing up and being perceived), and 
➣ The relational field (what’s happening between you and others). 

When you think about what you’re thinking about, you’re no longer operating on autopilot. 

⚡ You’re creating choice.
And choice is where leadership power lives. 

Your blindspot isn’t your limitation — it’s your next opportunity for growth.

👉  What would shift for you if you took 60 seconds right now to notice: What am I thinking about? And what’s driving that thought?  

____

📕 My book: “Presence: Self-Coaching Strategies to Ignite Your Authentic Leadership” 

👉 Read it here:  https://lnkd.in/dqxQ4Z5J  



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🌥️ Cloudy skies and chilly temperatures outside, but Deacon and I have created our own cozy command center for today's DBA studies. 📚

There's real wisdom in designing your environment for success—whether that's a warm blanket, good lighting, or a furry study partner who reminds you to take breaks.

This isn't just a cozy Saturday—it's intentional leadership in action.

Here's what I've learned coaching executives through high-stakes transitions: The leaders who sustain peak performance aren't the ones who push hardest. They're the ones who design environments where their best thinking can emerge.

That means knowing when to grind and when to create conditions for renewal. It means recognizing that rest isn't the opposite of productivity—it's the foundation of it.

Too many high-achievers wear exhaustion as a badge of honor. But burnout isn't a leadership strategy. It's a blind spot.

Today's study session reminder: You can be ambitious AND intentional about how you show up. The two aren't mutually exclusive—they're interdependent.
What conditions help YOU do your best thinking? 🐾☕️

#LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #SustainableLeadership #DoctoralJourney #LifelongLearning #WorkLifeBalance

Most leaders don’t struggle because of difficult conversations... 

they struggle because they approach them without the right foundation.

This week, we’re unpacking the three essential components that turn uncomfortable discussions into productive, trust-building dialogues. 

👉 Read the full article to explore  


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🌟 Exciting News! 🌟
I'm thrilled to share that my fellow student colleague, Segvan Johnson, MIS, CISM, is launching his book "IT Leadership: From Visionary to Legend." 🎉 

This book is set to provide an invaluable perspective on the qualities and strategies essential for effective leadership in the IT sector. Segvan’s insights, drawn from both academic knowledge and real-world experience, will surely inspire many aspiring leaders.

🏃 Ready to lead with clarity, scale with strategy, and transform with confidence? 

🔖 Grab your copy today and start shaping what’s next with proven frameworks, visionary insights, and the tools to drive lasting impact in a world of constant change. 

👉 Get Your Copy Here (https://a.co/d/bDc2Sje)

Congratulations, Segvan! Looking forward to seeing everyone embrace this journey of IT leadership! 🚀

#ITLeadership #BookLaunch #SegvanJohnson #Networking #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth

Sometimes, the difference between conflict and collaboration comes down to one courageous conversation.

In this week’s article, I share a real-world success story of how one leader turned tension into teamwork.

Plus a simple action plan to help you do the same.

👉 Read the full piece and reflect:



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