In these moments, it is tempting to focus on external obstacles like organizational bureaucracy or employee attitudes. However, recent research reported in Harvard Business Review by Muriel Wilkins suggests that the most significant limiting factors often lie within: our own “hidden blockers”.  Additional detail is provided in her book, Leadership Unblocked.

Hidden blockers are unproductive beliefs so ingrained and habitual that we are often unaware they even exist. Despite their invisibility, they quietly shape every aspect of how we think, feel, and act, ultimately dictating our performance and professional outcomes.

Based on an analysis of many leaders, the research identified seven beliefs that frequently stall careers:

• “I need to be involved”: The drive to touch every detail, which leads to micromanagement and team stagnation. You slow down the decision-making process and become a bottleneck.
• “I need it done now”: A demand for immediate results that creates false urgency and triggers burnout. People rush their execution and become numb to your requests.
• “I know I’m right”: A belief that shuts down collaboration and stifles innovation. You miss good input from others and make sub-optimal decisions.
• “I can’t make a mistake”: A fear of failure that encourages perfectionism and risk avoidance. Your belief that you need to be flawless is unhealthy for you and others.
• “If I can do it, so can you”: Setting unrealistic expectations by assuming others must work exactly like you do. Everyone has different talents.
• “I can’t say no”: The inability to set boundaries, resulting in blurred priorities and overwork. This further exacerbates the “I need it done now” problem.
• “I don’t belong here”: Impostor syndrome that leads to self-sabotage and reduced influence. It also reduces your visibility and ability to communicate.

To overcome these barriers, leaders can apply a three-step framework designed to get them “unstuck”.

1.  Uncover the blocker by recognizing the problem and naming the specific belief creating it.

2.  Unpack the belief by reflecting on where it came from and how it is currently limiting your growth.

3.  Unblock yourself by reframing that belief into something productive and embedding that new perspective into tangible action.

Real organizational transformation cannot occur until there is a fundamental change in the consciousness of leadership. By identifying and reframing your own blockers, you spark a cycle of personal growth that leads to positive collective change and extraordinary achievement for your entire team.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Wilkins, M.  “The Hidden Beliefs That Hold Leaders Back,”Harvard Business Review, November – December 2025.

Maybe not.

We often view team harmony as the ultimate goal. We celebrate a lack of ego and a culture of collaboration.

Yet many professional groups fall into a subtle but dangerous trap: they mistake collegiality for alignment. When respect and trust are replaced by a mere avoidance of conflict, the result isn’t a better team—it’s delayed decisions, superficial consensus, and a lack of accountability.

Mistaking politeness for progress is more than a cultural quirk; it is a competitive crisis hiding in plain sight. Research recently reported in Harvard Business Review suggests that governance failures and a lack of probing questions can cause organizations to underperform their sectors by as much as 35% in the following year.

To determine if your team is tipping too far into comfort, watch for these five red flags:

• Avoidance of Accountability: Sensitive topics are consistently pushed to the end of meetings or deferred entirely to avoid discomfort.
• Superficial Consensus: The group moves quickly to agreement without exploring alternatives or risks, often resulting in unspoken concerns.
• Social Comfort Over Candor: Tension is defused with jokes or side-stepped to preserve “good feelings,” even when the actual path forward remains unclear.
• Unequal Voice Participation: Newer or quieter members hold back out of deference, depriving the group of fresh perspectives and relevant expertise.
• Shadow Governance: Key concerns are raised in private “offline” conversations with individuals rather than being debated by the full group.

 High-performing groups don’t just “get along”; they challenge each other’s assumptions with intellectual curiosity. You can shift your team’s dynamic with a few intentional structural changes:

1. Tackle the Tough Stuff First: Reserve the first 20 minutes of your meeting for the most uncomfortable topic when cognitive energy is highest.
2. Assign a “Chief Skeptic”: Rotate a role at each meeting for someone tasked specifically with finding flaws and proposing alternatives. Charge them with “The three potential downsides of this approach are . . . ”
3. Mandatory Round-Robin Input: Before a major decision, require every member to contribute a distinct concern or alternative approach instead of just agreeing with previous points.
4. The “Raise It in the Room” Norm: Require members to disclose any meaningful side conversations they’ve had about team matters since the last meeting.

True leadership requires distinguishing between genuine alignment and the dangerous comfort of surface-level agreement. When collegiality coexists with candor, it becomes a powerful driver of sharper decisions and stronger performance.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Cozma, I. & Rodighiero, E.  “Is Your Board Too Collegial,” Harvard Business Review online, September 17, 2025.

Often we think of great leaders as inspiring and motivating.  While these are important qualities, new research recently reported in Harvard Business Review, tells us that great leaders aren’t just great motivators; they are expert talent allocators. Their secret sauce isn’t how hard they push their team, but how well they place them.

A critical responsibility for leaders is deciding who works on what—matching specific individuals to the roles and tasks where they fit best.

When managers use this “allocative power” effectively, the results are transformative. These “high-flyer” managers don’t just increase immediate output; they fundamentally alter the trajectory of their employees’ careers. Workers under these leaders see higher wage growth and increased productivity—benefits that often last long after they have moved on to other roles or even other companies.

To move beyond motivating and start effectively shaping careers, consider these three shifts in your management style:

1. Prioritize the “Match”: Stop viewing roles as static boxes to be filled. Instead, treat every assignment as a matching problem. Regularly assess whether an employee’s unique skills are being utilized to their highest potential in their current tasks. If there is a mismatch, the “miserable” employee often isn’t a bad worker; they are simply in the wrong role.
2. Encourage Internal Mobility: The best managers don’t hoard talent; they circulate it. Research shows that top leaders frequently facilitate cross-functional moves. By helping an employee transition to a different department where their skills are more relevant, you aren’t “losing” a team member—you are optimizing the organization’s greatest asset.
3. Think Beyond Motivation: While morale matters, it is a byproduct of a good fit. When a person is perfectly matched to a role that challenges and utilizes their strengths, motivation often follows naturally.

In an era of rapid technological disruption and AI, the ability to reallocate and realign talent is more than a management skill—it is a competitive necessity. By focusing on placement over pressure, you don’t just improve your team’s productivity today; you build the foundation for their success tomorrow.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Minni, V.,  “New Research on How the Best Managers Shape Employees Careers,” Harvard Business Review online, October 1, 2025.

It can be helpful to identify, clarify, and articulate these values to give us benchmarks of how we want to behave.  As individuals, reflecting on our values regularly can help us stay on the path in life we want.  As teams and organizations, a set of stated values can help us communicate and make effective decisions.

There are many ways to go about identifying your core values.  You can do your own search on the Internet and find lots of great ways to do this.  There are also sophisticated assessment tools that are out there that can help with the process.  Therefore, what I am setting forward is just one of many ways to do this.

There are different, but related, ways to do values identification at the organization level, the team level, and for us as individuals.

For organizations, I suggest asking the question: “What do we stand for?”  Think of it as a message that you are sending to the outside world, as well as to the entire team that works there.  You can do surveys and focus groups to identify the values.  You can help to remind everyone of them by putting them on your website and posting them on the walls of your facilities.  But of course – they will only come alive if you use remind one another to use them for making decisions.

For teams, I suggest: “What is special/unique about how our team works together?”  The team certainly needs to embody the values of the organization, but this is a chance to add more.  Once identified, the team can use these in interviews and onboarding.  “Just so you know, if you join our team – this is how we do things.”  I have seen teams list things like: “We work hard and have fun doing it,” “We pursue perfection, but will accept excellence,” or “We take care of one another.”

Core values can be a little more complicated for individuals, because we operate in various contexts in our lives.  Still, the question I suggest is “What do I care about?”  Personally, I have a long list of values that cover all of the environments in which I operate.  When I think of myself at work, I have values such as Collegiality, Continuous Improvement, and Impact.  In my personal life I have Spirituality, Family, and Friendships.  These are all compatible but are emphasized differently depending on the environment.  Honesty, Respect and Fairness show up in all environments.

Following our values consistently gives us Integrity – wholeness.  Jon Stewart once said:

“If you don’t stick to your values when they are tested, they’re not values.  They’re hobbies.”

Identifying and sticking to our values can make our organizations more successful and our lives more fulfilling.

Did you go through all of that strategic planning effort to decide to keep doing the same things?  Are you just going to change the dates on the cover page and continue with the “same ‘ol, same ‘ol?”

Never have I worked with an organization on their strategy who wants more of the same.  They always want to be better.

If you want your new strategy to lift your organization’s performance to higher levels – to make even more of a difference – then you need to go into the process expecting CHANGE.  And some of it may be uncomfortable.

*You may need to make changes in the programs/services/products you offer.

*You may need to make staffing changes.

*You may need to make Board changes.

*You may need to change your culture.

*And if you really want to improve your organization’s performance, it will definitely require changes to your budget.

CEOs and Boards need to go into the strategy process, expecting budget changes.  In fact, the CEO should keep their Budget Committee updated as the strategy process unfolds.  As Implementation Plans are created, there needs to be direct communication with the Budget Committee.

“The essence of strategy is making choices” (attributed to famed strategy expert, Michael Porter). There can be no “sacred cows” as these decisions are made.

Put key leaders in charge of implementing strategic goals.  They should meet regularly with the CEO and be encouraged to recommend changes in budget priorities.  You may even need to reorganize your budget according to your strategic goals.

Your strategy is doomed if it is not aligned with and supported by your budget.  Strategy and budget alignment make your strategy real – and its greatly enhances its Mission Impact.

When the potential consequences of choices are unclear despite a need to move forward, that’s ambiguity.

The famous Yogi Berra quote still holds true: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” It’s essential to keep moving because mobility keeps discoveries vibrant, opens new options and offers reprieve from the consequences of inaction. The feelings of tactical confusion amidst times of ambiguity necessitate strategic focus.

The prevalence of speed and environmental pressure instills a feeling that everything requires immediate action. However, in the fog of ambiguity and the bright lights of others’ expectations, it seems as though the road narrows and the blind spots multiply.

Musician Ronnie Milsap said that “the future is not what it used to be.”  I say it used to take longer.  The rapid whiplash of these times has altered the concept of stability, creating heightened ambiguity and uncertainty about the future and the choices that shape it.

An example of the torrid flow of information and its impact exists through the 24-hour news cycle. Before, a major story would break, remain dominant for weeks and have a tail of analysis and reactions. Now, news goes viral even before sources are verified or the facts are confirmed, and within 24 hours or less, a new story emerges, evoking emotions that oscillate between outrage and amusement.

This contextual velocity fundamentally alters our concept of the future and erodes the capacity to see beyond the immediate.  Tasks and decisions pile up, and we feel stuck and drained by indecision.  It is like having too many tabs open on a screen, which captures sporadic attention and depletes the battery, yet does not necessarily equate to productivity. The volume diminishes the capacity to discern between noise and signal, while blurring any discernment between actions and reactions.

There are times when collecting more data or information does not increase understanding or resolve the tension between options. Those moments require discernment, the art of wise judgment based on what we currently possess.

Looking for predictability, certainty, control and agency becomes elusive. The future doesn’t rest and is certainly not waiting for us.  The environment is volatile, dynamic and even brittle. Norms and protocols that gave us stability are now routinely shattered.

People instinctively try to be strong, stiff and steady in order to cope. I believe the opposite should be true: the greater the force felt from the environment, the greater the need for malleability and flexibility.

Consider how buildings designed to withstand earthquakes are constructed with buffers; they sway and shake, and once the quake’s strength passes, the building returns to its original stability. Identify the equivalent of those seismic buffers and the actions and behaviors that will help stabilize, shift and maintain a sense of stability and direction.

We cannot pressure ourselves to seek a precise destination as we navigate ambiguity.  Committing to a general sense of direction will become more important than finding a precise endpoint.

Here are five suggestions for navigating ambiguous or uncertain times:

Embrace the mindset of a pioneer, not a settler. Ambiguity presents opportunities for discovery and innovation. Embracing the incomplete or unknown provides room to reimagine it. While pioneers move boldly into uncertainty, settlers seek stability, practicality and long-term security. We must dare to explore the unclear, rather than reinforce the known.

Shift your relationship with the vulnerability of not knowing. Instead of viewing ambiguity as a threat, see it as an opening—a gateway to growth and discovery. Only when we admit we don’t have the answer can we create space to learn something new and create a unique or innovative answer.

Take care of your future—before you have to. A crisis is the worst time to start planning. Fear and anxiety trigger our fight-or-flight instincts, narrowing our vision and making it harder to think beyond the present danger. Develop the skill of anticipation and contextualizing scenarios. Imagining plausible scenarios before they unfold will cultivate your interaction with the future.

Just like pilots train with simulations, practice running scenario-based drills. That way, when the unexpected happens, you’ll see it not as a crisis, but as a moment of choice.  If you imagine the future, you won’t be surprised by it.

Reframe your perspective. Job insecurity, economic, or geopolitical concerns require a reevaluation of available options. Doing so will redirect your attention away from the insidious forces of unproductive worry and shift your thinking toward potential benefits. Reframing forces reflection and can spark a reassessment of your future.

Indecision impedes progress. A friend once shared a story about driving with their father down a country road when a rabbit suddenly darted into the car’s path, stopped in its tracks, and was struck. Afterward, the father said, “If the rabbit had continued across the road the first time, it would have made it and been fine. If it had stopped and gone back to where it started, it would have been ok. But the rabbit’s failure to make a decision caused its own death.”

Sometimes, the greatest risk is not making a choice at all. So dare to choose and boldly knock on the door of progress and new possibilities.

A version of this blog originally appeared in Smith Brain Trust, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.

In this hectic environment we live in, sometimes we can move a little too fast.  Following is a quick checklist to give yourself – based on a recent Harvard Business Review article – as you go through the decision-making process:

1.  Are There Any Alternatives We Have Overlooked?  My rule of thumb is to always consider at least three alternatives.  Slow down.  Don’t jump at someone’s first suggestion.

2.  How Will We Measure Success?  Make sure you have established outcome-based goals that are specific and measurable.  This is sometimes easier said than done.  One great resource to assist you is Doug Smith’s excellent book – Make Success Measurable.

3.  Are We Willing to Live with the Worst Possible Outcome?  This is to help measure your risk tolerance.  Have you mitigated risks?  If not, reconsider.  But if you can survive failure and you have done your homework, then go for it.

4.  What Could Make Us Regret This Decision?  Look at the ethical boundaries of the decision and make sure you are in line.  Also, will this damage any important relationships?

5.  Is the Decision Reversible?  Making an irreversible decision should take extra care.  Sometimes this needs to be done, but you should be extra careful.  Also, be sure to set up warning signs prior to the point that the decision is fully irreversible.

Obviously these questions do not guarantee a good decision, but they can stop you from making a bad decision.  You can apply these questions to your personal life and your work life.  In time, you will make a habit of making more effective decisions.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Morris, S.  “5 Questions to Help Your Team Make Better Decisions,” Harvard Business Review online, February 7, 2025.

You seek perfection in everything you do.

You receive lots of accolades for your performance.

Therefore, it makes it really hard for you to delegate . . .

This is a classic problem and I have seen it plague experienced leaders as well as new ones.

Based on a recent article in Harvard Business Review, here are some suggestions to become a more effective delegator.

First, you need a new mindset:

• If you try to do everything, you will burn out and limit your scope of activity
• Not everything has to perfect.
• The only way for people to learn and grow is through delegation.

If you can make this shift in thinking, then follow these steps:

1.  Select projects to delegate which won’t seriously damage operations if they are not done perfectly.  Give them to people who you think have strengths that match the project.

2.  Give instructions clearly and set a timeline for the project.  Establish check-in points, but don’t solve their problems for them.  “What do you think are potential solutions?”

3.  Provide encouragement along the way.  There are bound to be setbacks.  Take these in stride and call them learning opportunities.

4.  Finally, conduct an After-Action Review after the project and ask your team member to highlight the things they learned from working on it.

Your success – and your organization’s – depends upon your ability to develop a team of high performers.  The only way that will happen is if you give them these growth opportunities.  Take this long view and you will make even more of a Mission Impact.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Hocking, S.  “Learning to Delegate as a First-Time Manager,” Harvard Business Review online, June 14, 2024.

. . . they just ask the first thing that pops into their heads.

If you and your team want to make better decisions, then use a methodical process for problem-solving.

Following are some ideas on a systematic approach you can consider, based on a recent article from Harvard Business Review.  Note: It’s not a matter of asking lots of questions – it is asking the right questions at the right time.

*First, what are the facts – what do we know?  Why are you working on this project?  Is this a new opportunity you invented or a problem that has appeared?  Regardless, ask questions such as “Why are we faced with this situation?”  Consider using the Toyota technique of asking “Why” five times to probe more deeply.  Ask “How did this happen?  What are the causes of the problem?”

*Brainstorm creative possibilities.  Ask questions to get your team thinking more broadly, such as “How might we approach this in a unique way?”  “What if we . . . ?”  “What else might we do?”

*Planning questions.  Once a proposed solution becomes clear, then start asking “next step” questions such as “Are there other people we need to consult – such as stakeholders?  Do we have the resources we need?  Who is going to do what by when?  How do we hold one another accountable?”

*After Action Review questions.  Make sure to take the time to review your results after the project – whether you were wildly successful or a big failure.  Ask questions such as “What happened?  What worked?  What didn’t work?  What can we do differently to make things work better?”

Educate your team on these different kinds of questions and their sequencing.  Encourage them to add their own questions as you go through the process.  By using a more systematic approach, you will make much more of a Mission Impact.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Chevallier, A, Dalsace, F, & Barsoux, J-L.  “The Art of Asking Smarter Questions,” Harvard Business Review, May – June, 2024.

In fact, given our access to a seemingly endless supply of information these days, the temptation for overthinking is at an all-time high.

Here are some tips on how we can identify and address three of the most common forms of overthinking, based on a recent Harvard Business Review article:

*Rumination is a mental loop where you dwell on the past and particularly negative outcomes.  You worry that the same thing will happen again.  As a way to address this, divide your worries into two categories – those things you can control and those you cannot.  Set aside the issues you cannot influence.  Ask your team to help brainstorm about those you can impact.

*Future Tripping.  Thinking about the future is not bad.  But it can become debilitating when you exhaust yourself by thinking about every possible outcome – especially the negative ones.  None of us know the future.  Some future thinking is a very good idea, but just focus on the top three most likely scenarios.

*Overanalyzing.  Analysis Paralysis is a classic problem.  Instead of striving for perfection, try to get the best info you can in a reasonable time.    Set criteria for a decision that is “acceptable” versus “perfect.”  Not every project needs to be perfect.  Make sure that you are your boss are on the same page regarding top priority projects.

Overthinking can become a bottleneck in organizations.  At a time when speed and innovation is vital, this can be a significant problem.  Watch out for these three overthinking traps and help your organization maximize your Mission Impact.

*Ideas for this blog taken from: Wilding, M.  “3 Types of Overthinking – and How to Overcome Them,” Harvard Business Review online, February 7, 2024.