Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneur DNA – “The Leadership Blind Spots That Will Kill Your Growth”

Host: Justin Colby
Guest: Kristiana Corona
Date: April 14, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode was a deep dive into leadership blind spots that hold back entrepreneurial growth, featuring Kristiana Corona—a leadership coach with over 20 years’ experience, including stints at Amazon and other Fortune 500 companies. The conversation centers on self-awareness, the value of feedback, embracing vulnerability as a leader, and building human-centered leadership systems that scale with the business. The discussion is rich with practical tips, personal stories, and actionable frameworks for entrepreneurs at all stages.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leadership Blind Spots in Big and Small Businesses

[02:43]

• Kristiana shares that despite big corporate differences, similar human-based leadership challenges exist at both startups and large corporations.
• At scale, flaws in leadership magnify, making feedback and self-awareness essential.
• Quote: “If you're not aware of the different areas in your leadership where you maybe have some blind spots and you're not hearing about it regularly from your team, you're likely going to hit a ceiling.” — Kristiana ([03:39])

2. Feedback: Why Leaders Need Systems

[04:10]

• As teams grow, feedback from employees to leaders typically decreases due to power dynamics.
• Without intentional feedback structures, problems remain invisible until too late.
• Quote: “The larger your team gets, the more you're going to become unaware of the different things that aren’t working.” — Kristiana ([04:22])

Structure Feedback:

• Leaders must formalize feedback mechanisms like they would sales or marketing processes.
• Setting up feedback systems is critical for self-diagnosing leadership issues before they impact the business.

3. Leadership as a Continuous Process, Not a Trait

[05:33]

• Leadership is a continuous growth system, not innate. Soft skills must be continuously reexamined and systematized.
• Quote: “If you don’t have those systems in place to be capturing feedback all the time, you’re going to start having these blind spots that you don’t even know about.” — Kristiana ([06:23])

4. Simple Structural Shifts for Better Leadership

[07:05]

• In meetings, leaders should avoid speaking first. Creating intentional space for others to share increases idea flow and psychological safety.
• Curiosity over defensiveness: When a team member raises an issue, lean in with questions, don’t shut them down.
• Quote: “Once you have stated your opinion, people aren’t going to share theirs…unless you intentionally invite those moments.” — Kristiana ([07:47])

5. The Cost of Command-and-Control

[08:27]

• Justin recounts witnessing a board meeting derailed by a single, dominant leader—it killed innovation and morale.
• Quote: “This isn’t a meeting. This is basically a podium for the leader to just preach.” — Justin ([09:40])

6. Reading the Room and Follow-up Feedback

[11:47]

• Leaders must learn to read the room’s energy—look for disengagement as a warning sign.
• Regularly asking specific post-meeting questions boosts trust and transparency:
  • What worked well?
  • What could we do better?
  • What was missing for you?
• Following up and closing the loop after feedback demonstrates vulnerability and builds psychological safety.
• Quote: “Just the vulnerability to say, ‘I didn’t get it right and that’s okay...’ takes so much courage.” — Kristiana ([13:10])

7. Worthiness and Humility in Leadership

[15:57]

• Leaders—especially young or newly promoted—often grapple with self-doubt or impostor syndrome.
• Humility is an essential, but often overlooked, leadership trait.
• Quote: “We never really hit that point, probably, where we feel fully worthy to lead...we’re always playing, ready to play on the next field.” — Kristiana ([18:30])

8. Growing Self-awareness Through Feedback

[22:34]

• Kristiana underscores that her first leadership role was fraught with mistakes because she hesitated to ask for feedback, fearing negativity.
• As entrepreneurs/leaders grow, soliciting honest feedback becomes less daunting and more necessary for evolution.
• Quote: “Once you get over the hump of, ‘this is going to be awkward, it’s going to be uncomfortable...’ then that development happens.” — Kristiana ([23:43])

9. Leadership at Scale: Culture and Communication

[25:11]

• As teams grow, culture and psychological safety must be cultivated intentionally.
• One-on-one communications become less practical; group communication and designing impactful conversations are key skills.
• Leaders must routinely check for self-awareness: “If everything is going super well, it’s likely you just don’t actually know what’s going on.” ([27:17])

10. Four-Question Feedback Loop for Leaders

[28:35]

• Kristiana’s four questions for leadership feedback (paraphrased):
  1. What is working well about my leadership right now?
  2. Where is there friction or pain points in my leadership?
  3. If I could change one behavior to improve your work, what should it be?
  4. What am I not seeing right now?
• Leaders should share back what they learn with specific follow-up and commitments to change.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Encouragement to Invite Challenges:
  “The fact that you have a team environment where people can step up and challenge you...that is the healthy signal that we want to be seeing in leadership.” — Kristiana ([34:30])
• Feedback Cadence:
  “I would say once a month at least check in...Maybe one of those meetings a month you bring back some results—the same you would with P&L or other reports.” — Kristiana ([37:48])
• On Leading Yourself First:
  “If you can’t lead yourself in these things, it’s very challenging to lead others.” — Justin ([45:36])
• Advice for Solopreneurs:
  “You may not have a team, but you probably have customers and stakeholders...are you treating them as order takers, or as a strategic part of the solution?” — Kristiana ([41:38])
• Advising on Growth:
  “The more you can become aware of your thoughts and how you're speaking to yourself, then you can take that self awareness and not spread that negativity to everyone else.” — Kristiana ([43:10])
• Book Recommendations:
  • “Anything by Brené [Brown] and Adam Grant…they cut through the noise and remind you of your humanity…” ([46:20])
  • “10x Is Easier Than 2x”, “Who Not How”, and “Gap and the Gain” by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy—on up-leveling, letting go, and focusing on what matters.[47:30])

Important Timestamps

• [03:39] — Impact of leadership blind spots at scale
• [04:22] — Feedback systems and why they’re essential
• [07:47] — Speaking first vs. inviting participation
• [09:40] — Justin’s anecdote on poor leadership in action
• [13:10] — Vulnerability and closing the feedback loop
• [18:30] — The myth of “worthiness” in leadership
• [23:43] — The awkwardness and importance of soliciting feedback
• [25:11] — Scaling leadership and communication
• [28:35] — Kristiana’s four essential questions for feedback
• [34:30] — Healthy signals in teams: challenge and feedback
• [37:48] — Practical cadence for leader-team feedback
• [43:10] — Self-leadership and managing negative self-talk
• [46:20], [47:30] — Must-read book recommendations

Actionable Takeaways

• Systematize feedback mechanisms as rigorously as business KPIs.
• Actively seek and invite team input before stating your own views.
• Read the room. Look for disengagement and course-correct in real time.
• Develop vulnerability in leadership—own mistakes and communicate follow-up steps transparently.
• Use Kristiana’s four key questions regularly to check your own blind spots.
• Don’t forget your own humanity—embrace humility and lifelong growth.
• Invest in your self-leadership, especially as teams and responsibilities grow.
• Don’t treat feedback as a checkbox—listen and act on it.

Find and Follow Kristiana Corona

• LinkedIn: Christiana Corona
• YouTube: “Worthy to Lead” Podcast
• Website: worthytolead.co

This episode offers essential advice for leaders at all stages—whether you’re a new entrepreneur, a solopreneur, or scaling to larger teams. With stories and frameworks rooted in real corporate and entrepreneurial experience, Kristiana and Justin deliver an honest roadmap to becoming a more effective, self-aware, and human-centered leader.