Is this you?
The leaders I work with are accomplished, caring, and deeply committed to their work. They’ve achieved success by most measures, yet something feels off. If any of these sound familiar, we should talk:
- There are certain people in your organization that just set you off (and your boss might be one of them). You are good at building relationships, but there are certain people that when you talk to them, you leave feeling reactive and a bit out of control.
- You look around at other leaders and feel like you have to be them. You know what you value and the strengths you bring to the table, yet you hide some of your gifts, feeling they aren’t valued. You twist yourself into a performance of leadership that ultimately doesn’t feel very good.
- You’re hunting for the perfect framework that will solve everything. You are committed to change and ensuring you have the impact you intend. But you are stuck thinking that if you just had the right method or framework, the challenges in front of you would disappear.
- You’re aware of your patterns but can't seem to break them. You have a level of self-awareness that has served you well as a leader. This awareness has brought your attention to certain narratives and deeply grooved tendencies that are holding you back from something more creative, authentic, and meaningful.
- Work is consuming your life. You care so much that work often overtakes everything else. You work long hours and weekends but it never feels like you can catch your breath.
- You avoid difficult conversations because you want to be liked. Belonging is important to you, and you are committed to building inclusive and psychologically safe environments. But you also avoid having difficult conversations because you are worried about people not liking you, which means problems linger and fester without being addressed directly.
- You can’t stop doing everyone else’s job. You take on work that isn’t yours because it will just be easier/faster/better if you do it yourself. You tell yourself you’re being helpful, but deep down you know this pattern is unsustainable. It leaves you overwhelmed, prevents your team from growing, and keeps you from focusing on the strategic work only you can do.
These patterns aren’t unique to any one type of leader or organization. I’ve worked with CEOs and executives, doctors, EPD (engineering, product, and design) leaders, finance and operations leaders, and executives working in civic innovation. Whatever your industry or role, the human challenges remain surprisingly similar.