Aiko Bethea: Anchored, Aligned, Accountable

Aiko Bethea is the Founder and CEO of RARE Coaching & Consulting, a leadership development firm that partners with Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits, and global organizations to build accountable, values-driven cultures. She is listed as #3 on the list of Top Executive Coaches of 2026 by the Industry Leader and has spent over a decade coaching C-suite leaders across industries, and served previously as deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is the author of Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending BS and Transforming Our Lives and Work (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

I have seen so many activities over the years to help leaders clarify their values. I have built some of them myself. And most of them, including the ones I’ve built, miss a big question: what do those values actually mean? In this conversation, Aiko and I explore that question in detail to help us all do a better job of staying grounded.

Key Points

In an era of information everywhere, it’s more challenging than ever to engage our inner awareness.
An anchor keeps a ship in place during the storm. Our values do the same for us as leaders.
Values aren’t just decorative. Simply naming a value doesn’t tell us much about what it means.
Explore the behaviors that come out of labels we use for values. Those behaviors help us better align with others – and ourselves.
A value label may mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to someone else. Curiosity will help you uncover what really matters to people.
Beware naming values that are simply aspirational. Instead, zero in on what is actually true for you.

Resources Mentioned

Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending BS and Transforming Our Lives and Work by Aiko Bethea (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Leadership in the Midst of Chaos, with Jim Mattis (episode 440)
How to Discover What Others Value, with Joe Hart (episode 616)
The Way to Build Collective Power, with Ruchika T. Malhotra (episode 759)

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799: How Leaders Stay Grounded, with Aiko Bethea

Coaching for Leaders

799: How Leaders Stay Grounded, with Aiko Bethea