For example, Gurner works with a lot of founders who come from engineering backgrounds.

“Not to put everybody in a box, but sometimes communication and people management can be more of a challenge,” she says. “And so, being able to get out front, manage people, being able to give clear directives, being able to motivate their team … can be hard. How do you begin to do that, step by step?”

Everyone has the ability to overcome these barriers, but Gurner works with reluctant leaders to help bring it out in a way that makes them feel empowered instead of self-conscious.

Find Some Inspiration

A lot of times, people look to business books or biographies of successful people to see how they overcame their barriers, which is a great first step. To take that further, Gurner recommends seeking out mentors who can share their experiences with you directly.

“If you’re a new CTO, or maybe someone who’s new to a CMO position, there are other people in those spaces that have probably navigated very similar hurdles and had to make similar decisions and can really help you with the tactical elements of your job,” she says.

In closing, Gurner offers these three steps to achieve peak performance:

1. Identify your internal barriers to success.
2. Push yourself and take risks to overcome them.
3. Let go of the things you put a lot of energy into that aren’t worth your time.

For more leadership advice, watch the fireside chat with Gurner on our Fuel platform.