Are You Standing on Your Leadership Head? Picture this: You're wondering why your leadership feels like swimming upstream while wearing concrete boots. The answer might be simpler (and more embarrassing) than you think. You've taken three of the most powerful leadership principles and turned them completely backwards. The Leadership Reality Check Drawing from Stephen Covey's timeless Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, this episode exposes how emerging leaders – especially those caught in middle management limbo – are unknowingly sabotaging their own success. We're talking about smart, capable people who are doing everything "right" but getting everything wrong. The Three Habits That Make or Break Leaders 1. Be Proactive (Not Predictive) Stop trying to guess what your boss wants and start owning your responses Self-awareness beats people-pleasing every single time The game-changing difference between responding and reacting 2. Begin with the End in Mind (Not Written in Stone) Your vision is a compass, not commandments carved in granite Why followers need to see your destination, not just your daily detours The trust-killing mistake leaders make when changing course 3. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Not to Be Right) The family dinner table debate trap that destroys workplace relationships Why "tell me more" are the three most powerful words in leadership How buying permission to be heard transforms adversaries into collaborators The Bottom Line Leadership isn't about having all the answers – it's about asking better questions, owning your choices, and creating space for others to contribute their genius. When you flip these three habits right-side up, you stop swimming upstream and start riding the current toward leadership success. Tune In For: The "compass not commandments" approach to vision setting A simple phrase that opens communication floodgates Why self-awareness is the ultimate leadership superpower Real talk about middle management frustrations (looking at you, retail warriors) The trust equation that determines whether followers stick or split Ready to stop doing leadership upside down? Your team (and your sanity) will thank you.