I Used to Think…
I needed to have the answers in every meeting.
I needed to start asking better questions.
Years ago, I walked into a strategy session convinced we needed to shift platforms—fast. I had the data, the urgency, and the authority. From the outside, I looked decisive and focused. But on the inside, I was clinging to a belief I hadn’t questioned in years.
That belief? That speed equals success.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that my urgency wasn’t anchored in the present. It wasn’t based on our current team dynamics or evolving customer needs. It was based on an assumption I’d picked up years before in a very different context, with very different stakes.
And that assumption nearly led us down the wrong path.
What Assumptions Are You Carrying?
As leaders, we often rely on experience as our compass—rightly so—it’s our edge. However, experience becomes a liability when it calcifies into unchecked belief.
We stop leading with fresh eyes.
We stop asking why.
That day, I advocated for change based on logic that looked clean on paper but didn’t hold up in the current landscape. It took a teammate gently asking, “What’s driving this urgency?” for me to pause and think, “Good question… what is driving it?”
And there it was: the assumption. A relic from an earlier chapter of my career. It wasn’t wrong—it was just no longer true.
The Auto-Correct Metaphor
Think of your brain like the auto-correct feature on your phone.
It helps most of the time. It speeds things up, fills in the blanks, and keeps you moving.
But sometimes, it replaces the word you meant to use with something completely off. And you only notice after you’ve hit send.
Leadership is no different. Our minds auto-correct based on patterns we’ve repeated, even when those patterns no longer serve us.
The challenge is this: the more senior your role, the fewer people will tell you when your thinking is off. That’s why the responsibility to self-check becomes even more critical.
The Two Questions That Changed My Leadership
Today, I pause more often, especially when I feel overly confident.
That’s when I run a simple check-in I now use with every significant decision:
- “What do I believe here?”
- “Is this still true—or just something that used to be true?”
These two questions have reshaped the way I lead.
They’ve helped me become less reactive and more reflective. Most importantly, they’ve created space for my team to challenge, co-create, and align around smarter strategies. This isn’t about second-guessing. It’s about updating your lens.
What Happens When You Start Noticing
Since adopting this practice, I’ve seen measurable changes—not just in my decisions but also in how my teams respond. There’s more openness, shared ownership, and willingness to ask tough questions earlier before we pour resources into the wrong problems.
I’ve come to believe that leadership isn’t about always knowing. It’s about noticing.
And that awareness? It creates trust. It invites innovation. It frees you to evolve.
Impact Review
Let’s bring this back to your leadership system:
- Clarity: You become aware of blind spots before they become bottlenecks.
- Leadership: Modeling self-reflection shows strength, not weakness.
- Alignment: Your team can challenge assumptions safely and constructively.
- Resilience: You lead with a flexible, responsive mindset.
- Intentionality: You make decisions grounded in present reality.
- Trust & Yield: Your team trusts your judgment—and that increases output and impact.
Final Reflection
No one leads in a vacuum. But we do lead through the lens we’ve developed over time.
The question is—have you cleaned that lens lately?
So here’s a quiet invitation:
- Next time you feel strongly about a path forward, pause.
- Ask: “What do I believe here?” And… “Is this still true?”
It might be. But if not, you’ve just saved yourself a costly misstep by modeling the kind of leadership that moves with the moment, not against it.
Ready to upgrade your leadership lens?
Let’s explore how self-awareness can sharpen decision-making and amplify your impact.
Schedule a conversation, contact me directly.