Hey there!

What if your leadership superpower, the one that propelled your career forward, is now working against you?

I recently witnessed this with Terri, a senior manager I coach.

Her attention to detail and hands-on approach had earned her multiple promotions.

But in her new role leading a larger team, these same qualities were causing her team to feel micromanaged and untrusted.

“But this is how I’ve always led,” she told me, frustrated. “It’s what got me here.”

That’s exactly the problem.

The skills that propel us forward at one level can become barriers at the next.

It’s like a quarterback who’s brilliant at running the ball.

That skill might win you regular season games, but to win championships, you need to master when to run and when to pass. (Go Eagles! And sorry if it’s too soon, Chiefs fans…)

Let me share what I’ve learned about recognizing when our strengths become our stumbling blocks.
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When Strengths Become Blind Spots

Think about these common scenarios:

• The strategic thinker who’s so focused on the big picture that their team feels directionless day-to-day
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• The relationship builder who avoids necessary conflict to maintain harmony
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• The quick decision-maker whose speed leaves their team feeling uninvolved and resistant
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• The perfectionist whose high standards paralyse their team’s initiative

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Sound familiar?

I’ve been there too.

Early in my career, my ability to solve problems quickly made me the go-to person for fixing issues.

But when I moved into a senior role, this strength became a liability.

My rapid-fire solutions were preventing my team from developing their own problem-solving muscles.
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The Wake-Up Call

My moment of clarity came during a crucial project review.

As usual, I jumped in with solutions to every challenge raised.

Then one of my most talented team members quietly said, “I guess you don’t need us here then.”

Ouch.

That comment hit hard because it revealed a truth I’d been avoiding: my problem-solving superpower was actually disempowering my team.
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Signs Your Strength Has Become a Weakness

Here are some subtle signals that your leadership style might need adjusting:

🚩 People stop bringing you challenges until they’re full-blown crises

🚩 Your team waits for your direction before taking initiative

🚩 Meetings feel more like presentations to you than discussions

🚩 You’re working longer hours but your team seems less engaged

🚩 You hear phrases like “we just need to run this by you first”
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The Leadership Paradox

Here’s the tricky part - when we’ve relied on certain strengths throughout our career, it becomes harder to recognise when they’re no longer serving us.

It’s particularly challenging because these traits have been consistently reinforced through success and positive feedback.

This creates a paradox: the more successful your approach has been, the harder it becomes to recognise when it’s time to adapt it.
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Real-World Tensions

Let me share what this looks like in practice.

I recently worked with three leaders facing different versions of this challenge:

A marketing director whose creative excellence became a bottleneck. Every campaign needed her personal touch, creating delays and frustrated team members who felt their ideas were never good enough.

A tech leader whose deep technical expertise led him to jump into code reviews and technical discussions, leaving strategic planning and team development neglected.

A sales executive whose relationship-building talent meant she spent so much time maintaining client connections that her team lacked the mentoring they needed to develop their own client relationships.

Each of these strengths - creativity, technical expertise, relationship building - were crucial to their success.

But each had become overused, creating new problems.
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Flipping the Script

Here’s how to turn this around, with specific approaches I’ve seen work:

1. Pause and Reflect

Before jumping in with your usual approach, ask yourself: “Is my strength needed here, or am I using it out of habit?”

Practice this by:

➡️ Setting a daily reminder to evaluate your leadership moments

➡️ Keeping a quick log of when you use your signature strength

➡️ Noting situations where you felt resistance from your team
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2. Experiment with Opposites

If you’re naturally quick to speak, try listening first. If you’re detail-oriented, practice stepping back to see the bigger picture.

Try these approaches:

➡️ Schedule “no-solution” meetings where you only ask questions

➡️ Delegate a task you’d normally handle yourself

➡️ Let your team run with an idea even if it’s different from your approach
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3. Seek Specific Feedback

Ask your team: “What aspects of my leadership style help you succeed? What aspects might be holding you back?”

Make it easier by:

➡️ Creating safe spaces for honest feedback

➡️ Using anonymous surveys for sensitive topics

➡️ Having one-on-one conversations with specific questions

➡️ Following up on feedback to show you’re listening
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4. Create New Habits

For instance, if you’re the problem-solver, try responding to challenges with “What solutions have you considered?” instead of providing answers.

Some practical steps:

➡️ Script new responses to common situations

➡️ Practice different approaches in low-stakes meetings

➡️ Find a peer to practice with and give each other feedback
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Measuring Progress

How do you know if you’re successfully adapting your style?

Look for these positive signs:

✅ Team members start bringing you half-solved problems instead of waiting for complete solutions

✅ More diverse ideas emerge in meetings

✅ People challenge your views respectfully

✅ You find yourself with more time for strategic thinking

✅ Your stress levels decrease as you share responsibilities
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The Long-Term View

Here's the thing: to become a better leader, you don't need to completely change who you are - it's about expanding your range.

Your core strengths remain valuable, but they need to be balanced with new approaches as your role and responsibilities grow.

I’ve seen this play out beautifully with Terri, the senior manager I mentioned earlier.

Six months after recognising her over-reliance on detailed oversight, she’s developed a new approach.

She now schedules regular check-ins but lets her team lead the discussions.

Her reports share progress, challenges, and solutions, while she focuses on removing obstacles and providing resources.

The result?

Her team’s engagement scores have improved, and she’s freed up time to focus on strategic initiatives she previously couldn’t get to.
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The Cost of Not Adapting

Sticking to one leadership style - even if it’s generally effective - carries hidden costs:

• Stunted team development
• Missed innovations from diverse thinking
• Increased stress from trying to control everything
• Limited career growth as your strengths become limitations

But when you learn to flex your style?

That’s when real leadership growth happens.
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🎯 Your Challenge This Week

Choose one strength that might be overplayed in your leadership.

Maybe it’s your detail focus, your quick decision-making, or your problem-solving ability.

For the next five days:

1. Notice when you’re about to use this strength

2. Pause and ask, “Is this the best approach for this situation?”

3. Try a different approach if the answer is no

4. Note what happens when you do

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Remember, true leadership mastery isn’t about being perfect at everything - it’s about knowing when and how to use your strengths, and when to purposefully dial them back.

The goal isn’t to abandon what made you successful.

It’s to add new tools to your leadership toolkit, so you can choose the right approach for each situation.

Your strengths got you where you are. But your ability to adapt them will determine where you go next.

What strength might you need to recalibrate?
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Let's leap,