December 26, 2025 - By: Sarah Rhoades

The pressure isn’t from not knowing what to do.
It’s from believing you should.
When you carry that expectation, you start
doing everything yourself:
• You protect your image
• You avoid asking for help
• You convince yourself you “should” know
• You shut out perspectives that would make you better
And it’s costing you more than you think.
You end up carrying more weight and doing more work
without actually leading at the level you’re capable of.
But the leaders who grow the fastest
do something different:
They know where their limits are and they actively
seek perspectives that expand them.
It’s one of the biggest differentiators between
experts and leaders of experts.
You don’t need to hold it all.
Instead, create the environment where
better thinking can happen.
Especially if you’re in a season of change:
• new role
• new level
• new team
This shift matters more than ever.
The leaders I work with don’t need more tactics.
They need to clarify:
• what actually matters now
• what this role is really asking of them
• how they’re uniquely wired to lead at this stage
That clarity doesn’t come from pushing harder.
It comes from seeing yourself more clearly.
If you want support surfacing the assumptions, beliefs,
and blind spots shaping how you lead, reach out.
You don’t have to do this on your own.
Click to connect with me at LinkedIn!