# David Fung on Leading Yourself First, Rebuilding Trust, and Why Beliefs Hold Leaders Back

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/coachful-coaching-leadership-podcast-6308260/david-fung-on-leading-yourself-first-rebuilding-trust-and-why-beliefs-hold-leaders-back
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/coachful-coaching-leadership-podcast-6308260/david-fung-on-leading-yourself-first-rebuilding-trust-and-why-beliefs-hold-leaders-back.md
Podcast: [Coachful Coaching Leadership Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/coachful-coaching-leadership-podcast-6308260)
Published: 2026-07-14T23:59:34+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-fung7/episodes/David-Fung-on-Leading-Yourself-First--Rebuilding-Trust--and-Why-Beliefs-Hold-Leaders-Back-e3m3gt3
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/dd8ca6e4/podcast/play/122847587/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-14%2F427975211-44100-2-352181af6a71b.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/coachful-coaching-leadership-podcast-6308260/episodes/david-fung-on-leading-yourself-first-rebuilding-trust-and-why-beliefs-hold-leaders-back
Duration seconds: 2225

## Resource

In Episode 177 of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, host Ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies and Consulting sits down with David Fung — executive coach, founder of Coachful Coaching, and 23-year veteran of the tech industry, including a leadership tenure at Salesforce. Based in Toronto, Canada, David now works with executives and teams navigating major transitions and chaos, helping them find clarity when the stakes are highest.Ron and David dig into the real, often uncomfortable work that separates titled managers from trusted leaders. From the metaphor of playing soccer at the edge of a cliff to the belief systems that quietly steer behavior, this conversation gives leaders practical language and frameworks they can put to work immediately. What you will hear in this episode: * Why learning to lead yourself is the non-negotiable starting point for leading anyone else* * The "soccer at the edge of a cliff" metaphor for creating safety that fuels innovation * How to lead with weakness instead of performing strength, and why it draws people to you * A practical framework for diagnosing where and when trust was broken on a team * Why the "how will we work together" conversation is the one most teams skip * Lessons from Salesforce on running a metrics-driven culture without losing your humanity * How clarity, cadence, and accountability prevent conflict-averse leadership * Why beliefs — not skills — are what most often hold leaders back * The four pillars of sustainable leadership: faith, family, friends, and meaningful work * What the 1937 Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals about community and well-being * A candid story about how David's biggest strength became the behavior burning out his team This is a conversation for current and emerging leaders who want to grow wi…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/coachful-coaching-leadership-podcast-6308260/episodes/david-fung-on-leading-yourself-first-rebuilding-trust-and-why-beliefs-hold-leaders-back/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/coachful-coaching-leadership-podcast-6308260/david-fung-on-leading-yourself-first-rebuilding-trust-and-why-beliefs-hold-leaders-back.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.