Success Leaves Clues: Ep 304 - Stop Managing, Start Coaching with Christine Vigna, Chief People Officer at Dejero

What if the greatest thing a leader could give their team was not an answer, but the space to discover one?In this episode of Success Leaves Clues, Robin Bailey and Al McDonald sit down with Christine Vigna, Chief People Officer at Dejero, to explore leadership coaching, employee empowerment, workplace culture, governance, and the connection between employee experience and business performance.Christine explains why Dejero developed its leaders to become better coaches instead of simply better managers. By moving decisions away from leadership bottlenecks and empowering employees to solve problems, the company has strengthened engagement, accelerated development, improved customer experiences, and achieved employee retention two to three times longer than the average stay in the technology sector.She also shares why culture cannot be separated from business performance, how ego quietly erodes psychological safety, and why confident leaders create space for other people’s ideas rather than needing to be the smartest person in the room.This conversation offers a human-centered approach to leadership that does not sacrifice accountability or results. It shows how thoughtful coaching, consistent governance, and trust can help people perform at their best while building a stronger, more scalable organization.You’ll hear about:How employee experience influences customer experience and revenue Why governance supports scalable, consistent decision-making The question leaders should ask before sacrificing long-term capability How coaching became a driver of business performance at Dejero Why managers become bottlenecks when every decision flows upward How leadership coaching improves autonomy, engagement, and retention Why performance challenges should never surprise an employee How Dejero achieved retention two to three times the technology-sector averageThe difference between confidence and ego in leadership How executive behaviour shapes psychological safety and workplace culture Why coaches help people uncover answers instead of supplying them How to move forward without perfect information or perfect conditionsWe talk about:00:00 Intro 01:13 Meet Christine Vigna, Chief People Officer at Dejero 02:26 Connecting people, customer support, and corporate governance 05:00 Are you solving today’s problem at tomorrow’s expense? 06:16 A customer experience lesson from Mid-Day Squares 09:34 Why governance becomes easier when people see progress 12:41 Aligning business strategy with human-centered practices 14:02 Developing better coaches instead of better managers 15:38 How coaching improved engagement, performance, and retention 21:21 Why every leader can benefit from coaching 24:46 How managers unintentionally become decision-making bottlenecks 28:57 Why ego quietly destroys culture and psychological safety 32:49 Moving forward without perfect conditions or complete informationConnect with ChristinaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemvigna/ Website: https://www.dejero.com/leadership/christine-vigna/  Connect with UsLinkedIn: Robin Bailey and Al McDonald  Website: Aria Benefits and Life & Legacy Advisory Group