#193 - Presence Before Performance: Ruth Andermatt

Most leaders can tell you exactly how they're performing. Fewer can tell you whether they're actually present.

Leadership and self-leadership coach Ruth E. Andermatt joins Ryan Watts to talk about the difference between performance and presence, and why connection is what makes performance last. Ruth has coached leaders one-to-one for 28 years. Before that, she was a competitive athlete, worked in the physio department of a mental institute, sold for Xerox, trained sales teams for one of Canada's first cell phone companies, and spent nearly a decade as a director of operations.

Ruth shares the story of a branch manager she was told to fire, and how one honest conversation turned his branch into the top store against plan in Canada within 90 days. She explains why leaders who focus only on performance get compliance while they're in the room and complacency when they leave. She also shares what executives admit privately that they would never say in a meeting, and a 90-second practice to use before every meeting you walk into.

"Performance is very simple to measure. Connection is not." – Ruth Andermatt

IN THIS EPISODE
- The manager Ruth was told to fire, and what happened when she told him the truth
- Why performance is easy to measure and connection is not
- Power over, power for, and power with
- What "coming home to your own power" means, and why self-trust is a skill
- Rethinking performance reviews
- Making space instead of adding force
- The first signs a leader is performing instead of leading
- What executives say privately that they won't say in a meeting
- The quiet cost of a performing organization
- A 90-second practice to do before every meeting

CHAPTERS
00:00 Who Ruth Andermatt is
01:13 Why connection drives leadership and self-leadership
03:35 Performance is easy to measure, connection is not
09:18 Being with your team
10:41 Power over, power for, power with
13:31 Ruth's path: mental institute, Xerox, sales leadership
22:25 Owning who you serve
23:31 Why the top gets quiet
26:04 Coaching, counseling, and connection
30:33 Coming home to your own power
31:57 Rethinking performance reviews
35:51 The simple practice of being seen
37:28 Where self-trust comes from
40:35 Listening, silence, and making space
48:38 What to put down to pick your power back up
52:08 The first signs a leader is performing
56:35 The one thing to do before every meeting
59:50 What executives say privately
01:01:18 The cost of a performing organization
01:02:21 When the energy is gone but the calendar isn't
01:03:34 Stop harassing yourself
01:04:52 Why we need leaders who speak up
01:09:24 Self-leadership is a constant practice
01:12:12 Where to find Ruth

CONNECT WITH RUTH E. ANDERMATT
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachruth/
Andermatt Consulting Experience Inc.: https://andermattconsulting.com
About Ruth: https://andermattconsulting.com/about/

CONNECT WITH RYAN WATTS
Ryan Watts Coaching: https://www.ryanwattscoaching.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwattsmba
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanwattslifecoaching

THE PERSONAL SUCCESS PODCAST
Show page: https://www.ryanwattscoaching.com/thepersonalsuccesspodcast
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-personal-success-podcast-with-ryan-watts/id1699785392
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0poXmaxpjA6ViNDy1KOh9c
YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/@thepersonalsuccesspodcast

Have a story worth telling? Apply to be a guest: https://www.ryanwattscoaching.com/podapp

New episodes every Monday. If this conversation helped, share it with one leader who is carrying more than they say out loud.