With almost two decades of experience coaching senior executives and business owners, Mihaela Berciu challenges conventional leadership with bold, unconventional strategies. A Cambridge University-certified coach with an MBA from the American International University and studies at Oxford, she rejects quick fixes in favour of deep, lasting transformation. Her ground-breaking methodologies, the Core Values Model™ and From Doing to Being Leadership Paradox, trigger transformative mental resets, dismantling dated narratives and empowering leaders to reclaim their authority. She doesn’t just refine leadership; she reinvents it because, with Mihaela, leadership doesn’t just influence; it’s legacy.
Mihaela Berciu, Architect of Leaders
Mihaela, your title 'Architect of LeadersTM' is quite distinctive. Can you explain what it signifies and how it represents your approach to leadership development?
Absolutely. The title 'Architect of LeadersTM' mirrors my approach of working with clients from the inside out, helping them rediscover who they truly are beneath the layers of acquired beliefs and perspectives. Unlike traditional methods that often focus on building skills from the outside in, I delve deep into the core of who my clients are and what drives them. This process is about uncovering and enhancing their innate qualities and aligning their leadership style with their true selves. By reconstructing their understanding of leadership from this foundational level, we ensure that their growth is authentic and deeply rooted in their personal identity and values.
Growing up under a communist regime provided unique challenges. How have those early experiences influenced your current views on leadership and trust?
Growing up in communist Romania, where trust was exceedingly scarce, deeply informed my perspective on its role in leadership. In such an environment, I learned that trust should not be seen merely as a passive expectation but as an active choice with real consequences. Trust is not something to react to; it is an action to be taken deliberately. In my coaching, I guide leaders to understand that trust is an expectation and a choice, and they are fully responsible for it. Choosing to trust is about exercising personal agency and judgment. I help them develop the confidence to trust in their decision-making, encouraging them to trust themselves first. This empowers them by equipping them to handle situations more effectively when trust levels are challenged or when the expectation of trust isn’t met. This proactive approach transforms trust from a potential vulnerability into a dynamic tool for building robust and resilient relationships.
Mihaela, with a rich background in coaching top executives and business owners, what drives your passion for leadership development?
Leadership development is more than my work; it's my heart's work, deeply woven into the fabric of personal transformation. It's not just about professional achievements; it's about profoundly touching the lives of the leaders I work with. I’m there with them as they discover and leverage their true authenticity and deepest strengths, leading to ripple effects that transform themselves, their lives, their teams and organisations. This process is about fostering an environment where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued. Witnessing a leader evolve into someone who not only excels but also profoundly inspires and nurtures their team is what truly fills my work with meaning. It’s about guiding leaders from personal success to a legacy of significant, heartfelt impact.
Your methodologies, including the Core Values Model and the From Doing to Being Paradox, challenge conventional leadership training. How do these concepts revolutionize leadership?
These methodologies are revolutionary because they go beyond traditional leadership skills focused on efficiency and control. The Core Values ModelTM centres on my belief that our values are the foundation of who we are; they shape our decision-making process and are the blueprint of our behaviour. By aligning leaders' actions with their core values, we create a more authentic and powerful form of leadership. With that in mind, I developed a model based on three core values, each defined by three unique attributes, making the model highly personalised for each individual.
The From Doing to Being Leadership Paradox shifts the focus from mere task execution to embodying the qualities of a leader, such as presence, authenticity, and empathy. This paradigm is essential because it challenges leaders to not just do things right but to be the right thing for their team and business. These methodologies are unique to my practice, thoroughly tried and tested, ensuring leaders not only succeed but also transform. The beauty of these methodologies lies in the fact that they are simple, straightforward, easy to implement, and bring the clarity needed to stop overthinking.
With such unique methodologies, how do you tailor your coaching to the specific needs of senior executives and business owners?
My methodologies provide a framework within which each coaching session is deeply personalised. We start by uncovering the leader’s core values and current perceptions, then tackle the specific challenges they face through this lens. This approach allows us to create bespoke strategies that are not only effective but also resonate deeply on a personal level, ensuring that the changes we implement are impactful, long-lasting and sustainable.
How do the perception changes at the core of your work help leaders in today’s complex world?
Perception shapes our reality. By altering the way leaders perceive their roles, their challenges, and themselves, we open up new pathways for innovation and resilience. These shifts are crucial in a world where leaders must navigate constant change and complexity. It’s about transforming not only how they lead others but how they lead themselves, fostering a leadership style that is proactive, thoughtful, and impactful. We address several common shifts in perception that include viewing conflict as simply a difference of opinions, which helps my clients transform their approach from fearing conflict to welcoming constructive conversations with curiosity. Other shifts involve understanding situations as complex rather than merely complicated or the complete elimination of 'failure' as a concept/label and embracing every outcome as a form of success, albeit in varied and/or unforeseen ways. And there’s also the imposter syndrome, which, in reality, it’s just fear, one or more. It’s a huge relief for my clients when they understand that they don’t suffer from this condition because fear of any sort is quite easy to release if and when addressed correctly.
Can you describe the impact of the transformational work you do with your clients and how it reshapes their approach to leadership?
The transformational journey I guide my clients through fundamentally reshapes both their leadership styles and their entire approach to professional and personal challenges. For my clients, nothing is complicated but complex, which means every situation is layered and rich with opportunities for deeper understanding and innovation. They don’t see problems; they have questions that are pathways to more profound insights. They aren’t mired in conflicts; instead, they engage in conversations where differing opinions are not just tolerated but valued.
This shift in perspective is crucial; it turns traditional notions of business leadership on its head. Leaders come to see their roles not as commanding officers in a battlefield of business/corporate challenges but as orchestrators of a symphony of ideas, where each note plays a vital part in the harmony. By changing the language around their experiences from complicated to complex, from problems to questions, from conflicts to conversations, they foster an environment that is inherently more inclusive, dynamic, and resilient.
Such a transformation ensures that leaders are not just administering tasks but are genuinely leading people to engage, question, and innovate. This approach enhances their effectiveness and elevates their influence, creating a legacy of leadership that is both impactful and enduring.
For those interested in exploring your 1:1 coaching, what can they expect in their first engagement with you?
They can expect an intense, revealing first session where we dive into what drives them and where they see themselves in the future. This isn’t surface-level coaching; it’s about getting to the heart of their leadership identity. From there, we tailor a journey that is uniquely theirs, focused on real and lasting transformation.
What results can your clients expect to gain from engaging in your coaching programs?
Clients who step into my coaching programs should brace themselves for a radical departure from traditional leadership formulas. Instead of just polishing existing skills, we dive into the psychological and emotional underpinnings of their leadership style, challenging them to rethink everything they know about leading.
They can expect to undergo a profound metamorphosis. By confronting and dismantling deeply ingrained fears and misconceptions that many mislabel as ‘impostor syndrome,’ they uncover a version of themselves that's been overshadowed by outdated beliefs. This isn't just about becoming better leaders; it's about becoming entirely liberated thinkers, unafraid to challenge norms and push boundaries.
Practically speaking, leaders will see marked improvements in their strategic decision-making and communication, but the real gain is the ability to inspire and drive change that echoes throughout their entire organization. They will cultivate environments where creativity and innovation aren't just encouraged but demanded by the dynamics they foster.
By the end of our journey together, they won’t just reach their goals; they’ll redefine what they thought was possible, setting new benchmarks for success that resonate on both a personal and a corporate level. They become not just leaders but legends in their realms, armed with the insight and conviction to transform any challenge into a testament to their leadership.
The MPWRD Leadership Experience is another avenue for leaders to engage with your work. What makes this platform unique?
The MPWRD Leadership Experience platform is uniquely designed to transform the traditional approach to leadership development into a continuous, interactive journey. Born from a desire to provide ongoing, accessible support, the platform stands out due to its rich blend of innovative features that cater specifically to the needs of modern leaders.
The platform is dynamic, not just in terms of content but in its ability to adapt to the evolving challenges leaders face. It offers an array of meticulously curated resources, including live webinars, interactive workshops, and on-demand courses that delve into cutting-edge leadership theories and practices. This ensures that leaders have at their fingertips the tools and knowledge necessary to excel in an ever-changing business landscape.
In essence, the MPWRD Leadership Experience is more than a platform; it’s a comprehensive ecosystem designed to empower leaders to not only meet but exceed the demands of contemporary leadership, ensuring they are well-prepared to inspire, influence, and innovate within their organizations and industries.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone looking to make a significant impact through their leadership?
Begin with self-awareness. That’s the most powerful action anyone can take, even more so leaders. Reflect deeply on what drives you, not just as a leader but as a person. Understand your values, your fears, and your strengths. Leadership is a journey of constant learning and adaptation. Stay committed to your growth, and remember that the most significant impact you can make is through inspiring and empowering others. I’ve seen and heard many definitions for leadership, but to me, true leadership equals legacy. When you become the leader others aspire to become and show them the way, you know you’ve succeeded.
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