Sign Up

Most leaders don't call themselves perfectionists. They say they're being thorough. Setting the bar high. Still working to get it right. That's not always what's happening. Perfectionism rises as uncertainty rises. When leaders feel watched, judged, or exposed, perfection becomes the shield they grab.

When you waffle, you're not avoiding a choice. You're making one. You're choosing to stay stuck. You're choosing to slow your team. You're choosing to let opportunities expire. Most of the time, the facts that informed your original decision haven't changed. Only your emotions have. Make the decision or don't. Stop pretending indecision is neutral.

Every high-performing team needs strengths from both sides of the spectrum. Long-term thinkers and short-term executors. Planners and improvisers. Structure followers and rule breakers. Without both, the team is weaker. Nowhere is that tension clearer than between team players and competitive players.

Research shows that when we see ourselves clearly, we’re more confident, more creative, and better decision-makers. We build stronger relationships, communicate more effectively, and lead more satisfied, higher-performing teams. Yet most leaders overestimate their self-awareness dramatically. Yet most leaders overestimate their self-awareness dramatically. In one study, 95% of people believed they were self-aware — but only 10 to 15% actually were.

When uncertainty hits, employees want answers. If they don’t get them, they’ll make up their own. Usually jumping to the worst-case scenario in the process. That speculation erodes trust and compounds anxiety.

One-on-ones aren't optional. They're not nice-to-haves. They're the most important meetings on your calendar. The leaders who master one-on-ones don’t just have happier teams. They have better results. 

Being detail-oriented is often what gets you promoted. It’s how you earn trust, build credibility, and prove you can deliver. But once you step into a true leadership seat, especially at the executive level, those same instincts can become your biggest liability.

Most leaders hate meetings because they still think their real work is somewhere else. It’s not. The meeting is the work. It’s where coaching happens. Where friction gets surfaced and conflicts resolved. Where your values show up. If you’re phoning it in or constantly rescheduling, that’s the signal you’re sending to everyone else. You don’t have to love meetings. But you do have to learn how to lead inside them

You can’t fire Cal. He’s indispensable.” That’s what the Board told me on my first day as CEO. Cal was their lead engineer. He had decades of experience, deep technical knowledge, and a reputation for terrorizing anyone who dared disagree with him.