You Can Unlock Your Potential, With a Little Help
Have you ever listened to a recording of your own voice? Most of us cringe. But executive coach Rick Miller ’80 says that awkward moment could be one key to unlocking your potential.
“When I work with leaders, a common issue is a disconnect between the message they think they’re projecting and the way it’s resonating to the world,” says Miller, who is founder and CEO of Being Chief LLC, a company that helps senior leaders in business and education unlock their potential and that of their organizations. “Once leaders acknowledge they aren’t hearing the same voice that others do, they often want to know what else might be limiting their ability to reach and connect with others.”
That desire opens the door for Miller to uncover possibilities his clients haven’t yet seen. “I try to help people think a little differently,” he says.
So how do you begin unlocking your potential? Miller believes that one of the first steps is building self-awareness by seeking the help of others. He recommends free tools, like the Johari Window Technique and his Power Compass Survey, and outlines six ways to get started using them.
- Enhance self-awareness. The Johari Window model is geared toward helping you better understand yourself and how others may perceive you. Choose adjectives to describe yourself, then ask others how they would describe you.
- Clarify your goals. Use your Johari Window results to compare real versus perceived traits to identify blind spots. What surprises you about your perception versus what the world is seeing? If you and others agree on your capabilities, expand thinking about your possibilities. If you have strengths that others haven’t seen yet, find alternative ways to demonstrate them. And if others perceive strengths that you haven’t recognized yourself, work on increasing your self-awareness.
- Assess your choices. Authentic power comes from clarity, influence, impact, energy and confidence rather than from position or control. Use the free Power Compass Survey to measure how powerful you are in each area.
- Set priorities. Review your Power Compass scores to determine where you see a disconnect between who you want to become and what you are currently doing. While there are no right answers, your score will help you identify pain points that are important to you. Who are you becoming, what are you doing — and how you might better connect the two to reach your potential.
- Practice mindfulness. Being more present can increase your self-awareness and quality of life. Focus on living in the present, learning to quiet your mind and accepting circumstances and your mistakes.
- Build supportive habits. Change requires thinking differently, but you can train your brain for deeper focus. Some people find a walk or meditation helpful but find out what works for you. Simply becoming aware of when you’re present versus being on autopilot is progress.
Everyday Leaders in Action
At the core of Miller’s work with leaders are the lessons he learned from his father.
“Unfortunately, my mother was hospitalized for much of my childhood, so my father was basically a single dad,” Miller recalls. “He also ran the human resources department for a machine-tool company with non-unionized laborers, and never once during his tenure was there even a vote for unionization. Dad created an environment where everyday laborers had a voice.”
Seeing that started a chain reaction of lessons. Among them: “People with formal titles — and those without — have power,” Miller says. “And everyone is at their best when they feel powerful.”
Miller has carried principles on empowering others throughout his career. Though he’s often coaching C-suite executives, he believes that anyone can be a “chief.” The key is to challenge society’s definition of traditional power, which is often rooted in control and authority.
Instead, Miller recommends a shift to “authentic power” focused on your energy, clarity, confidence, influence and impact. He shares a compelling example that served as inspiration for his TEDx Talk.
“When I was a volunteer working with therapists stretching the muscles of children with cerebral palsy, one six-year-old girl had very limited arm mobility. Her goal was to be able to extend her arms, hold foam basketball, and drop it in a floating net. She set out to do that by committing to a challenging training program. It took six months, but she achieved it. She was a real chief.”
Check out Rick Miller’s TEDx Talk.
The Power of Your Story
Miller describes his work as “helping chiefs at all levels to bring out the best in themselves and others,” and it has not gone unnoticed. In 2025, Real Leaders Inc. awarded him a Top Impact Executive Coach Award, one of 80 worldwide. After almost 20 years at Being Chief, he also ranked No. 1 in the U.S. East and No. 2 worldwide. And the second edition of his book “Be Chief: It’s a Choice, Not a Title” has been released.
A Management major at Bentley, Miller launched his career at a tech company as a sales trainee. What began as a personal challenge to push himself out of his comfort zone netted strong lessons about relationships, accountability and constant change. He quickly rose through the ranks and earned a reputation as a turnaround expert in diagnosing challenges and executing strategies for distressed companies. He was recruited by AT&T as a corporate officer and later served as president of global services.
But Miller says your “non-LinkedIn bio” is often more valuable than the professional positions you’ve held. And he isn’t shy about sharing his. That includes surviving cancer, navigating his mother’s suicide attempt and managing Type 1 diabetes for almost 50 years.
“When I was struggling with undiagnosed diabetes during my junior year at Bentley, I was crumbling inside but wouldn’t open up to anyone,” says Miller, who had previously been excelling in the classroom and on the soccer field as the team’s goalkeeper. “When I was eventually admitted to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, I learned lessons about openness, vulnerability and relationships. Most importantly, I learned to rely on others for help.”
The experience, he adds, shifted his priorities. “I went from focusing on how to keep the ball out of the net to the depth of my connectivity to teammates. Off the field, my connection with classmates and faculty grew, and so did my impact on campus. Graduating as a member of the Falcon Society reinforced my new path. And today, my whole business is about helping others. Being open and transparent makes you more powerful.”
Defining Your Success
Miller’s transparency is something that helps him build authentic connections, including with “chiefs” at Bentley. In addition to teaching in the Management Department, he’s serving as the university’s first executive-in-residence in the Athletics Department. Since fall 2024, he’s worked with student-athletes, coaching staff and Athletic Director Vaughn Williams.
“For me, life is about equality and supporting each other,” Miller says. “I believe I have something to teach you, and I have no doubt that you have more than one thing to teach me. I’m a mentor but also a mentee.”
At Bentley, he’s seen a lot of mindfulness in action. “The best student-athletes on the field or the court aren’t stopping to think, they’re in a ‘flow state.’ They’re relying on their habits and training, and the results come naturally. That’s the highest level of athletics.”
It’s also an approach to follow off the field — in any discipline. “We all have gifts to share with others,” says Miller, who is one of two former Bentley student-athletes inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in recognition of his career success and commitment to community service. “To the extent we can be mindful about bringing those out on a regular basis, that’s how to show up strong.”
How will you know you’ve been successful? According to Miller, “It’s about connecting what you do to who you are. Once you know where you stand, you can take a stand, and that’s where real power starts.”
He adds, “There’s no goal line. Success centers on long-term, sustainable growth. Living mindfully. Staying engaged. Unlocking potential is about helping yourself and others grow into the best version of themselves.”