Ever notice how the leadership qualities you aspire to can vanish under pressure? That calm, thoughtful presence replaced by reactivity and micromanagement when deadlines loom? You're not alone.

Drawing on wisdom from executive coach and former Microsoft leader Sabina Nawaz, this episode unpacks a profound truth: pressure doesn't create your leadership tendencies—it reveals them. When stakes rise, we default to ingrained habits rather than our aspirational values. As Sabina brilliantly puts it, "Power doesn't corrupt, pressure does."

The conversation explores four game-changing leadership concepts you can implement immediately. First is the Delegation Dial—a visual metaphor for adjusting your leadership approach based on the person and situation rather than defaulting to one style. Next, we confront the uncomfortable reality that power naturally isolates you from truth as people filter feedback and hesitate to challenge your thinking. This isolation explains why organizations suffer most when passionate people go quiet.

Perhaps most transformative is the deceptively simple Multiple Meanings Exercise. Before reacting to someone's behavior, pause and consider at least three possible interpretations. This creates space between stimulus and response—space where actual leadership happens. It transforms frustration into curiosity and judgment into empathy.

What leadership habits are you practicing daily that will emerge when everything's on fire? Who's telling you the truth when it matters most? How might your assumptions be limiting your effectiveness? This episode will challenge you to answer these questions honestly and provide practical ways to become the leader you aspire to be, especially when it's hardest.

Subscribe to The Leadership Project and join us next time as we explore creating cultures of creativity and inclusive storytelling with Jamie Wolfe and Dr. Chris Bell. What leadership challenge are you facing where these concepts could make a difference?

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252. The Delegation Dial and Leadership Dynamics with Mick Spiers

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