What Happens Inside Prof. Frances Frei’s Office Hours

February 19, 2026 - 03:54

What happens when leaders drop the performance and bring their real problems? A weekly ritual in trust, candor, and disciplined thinking offers an answer. For years, Professor Frances Frei has opened her office doors not for administrative tasks, but for a transformative practice centered entirely on building trust and solving genuine leadership dilemmas.

The sessions operate under a simple, powerful rule: the leader must present a real, current problem they are facing. This is not a theoretical exercise. The focus is on immediate, tangible issues affecting their teams or organizations. The environment is crafted for psychological safety, allowing executives to shed their public personas and engage with raw vulnerability.

Frei’s method is not about providing easy answers. Instead, she employs a framework of disciplined thinking, guiding leaders through clarifying questions that unpack the core of the issue. The process often reveals that the stated problem is merely a symptom of a deeper trust deficit—within a team, with stakeholders, or even within the leader themselves.

This practice underscores a critical leadership tenet: trust is the foundation of speed and effectiveness. By creating a space where candor is required and judgment is suspended, leaders learn to diagnose issues more accurately and cultivate the trust necessary to implement solutions. The hour becomes a masterclass in moving from performance to authentic, problem-solving leadership.