What’s Standing Between You and the Leader You Want to Be?

Author Morna Simpson

10 minute read

Leadership growth isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing differently. You may feel as though the leadership strategies that once served you well are now falling short. Yet, many leaders find themselves stuck, unsure how make the transition.

To grow as a leader and meet new challenges head-on, you must adapt. So what is stopping you?

Whether it’s a lack of clarity about your leadership style, subconscious fears, or organizational barriers, obstacles can prevent even the best leaders from reaching their potential. And in a world where the pace of change is faster than ever, standing still is no longer an option.

This post identifies eight key obstacles to leadership growth—and provides actionable strategies to help you overcome them. If you’ve been feeling stuck, this is your roadmap to transforming barriers into opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Let’s dive into the first—and perhaps most important—step: understanding yourself as a leader. 

1. Lack of Leadership Self Awareness: Blocking Your Growth Potential

Do you really know your leadership style? Most leaders don’t—and here’s the kicker: they think they do!

The reality is: “You don’t know what you don’t know!” 

Research by Daniel Goleman highlights six leadership styles, showing that adaptability significantly enhances team performance and outcomes.

Without self-awareness, you risk missing critical insights into your strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies making it harder to adapt in today’s fast-changing business environment.

Not understanding your current strengths, weaknesses as a leader prevents effective adaptation.

Action: Unlock Your Leadership Potential

Take my Leadership Quiz to:

•   Uncover your leadership profile.
•   Identify hidden blind spots.
•   Gain actionable insights for growth.

Start your journey today!

2. Unclear About Your Target Leadership Style: A Key Obstacle to Growth

You have learned about your natural leadership style. Maybe, you’ve also realised that it’s not ideal for tackling your current challenges?

Leadership today requires adapting to novel challenges like managing hybrid teams or leveraging AI-driven tools. Hybrid teams demand leaders who can build trust and foster collaboration across remote and in-person environments. AI tools, meanwhile, provide new ways to analyze performance and identify blind spots, empowering leaders to make data-driven decisions.

Just like tools in a toolbox—you will need the right tool, to solve the problem effectively.

As your business evolves new challenges emerge - and the approach that worked so well may not serve you as effectively as it once did.

I hope you are curious about which leadership style is suited for the challenges you face now!

This is where many leaders hit a knowledge gap!

What are the skills, behaviors, and characteristics you need for your challenge?

Many leaders don’t know the specific competencies required for different leadership styles. This makes it difficult to adapt effectively to challenges like AI integration or adapting to new regulations.

Many leaders don’t know the specific competencies required for different leadership styles. This makes it difficult to adapt effectively to challenges like AI integration or adapting to new regulations.

Action: Get Targeted, Practical Resources

The good news is there are a wealth of resources you can draw for support. Leadership science is always progressing.

At inner Coherence challenge-based case studies showcase how specific leadership styles excel in real-world scenarios.These targeted resources save time, and money, offering tailored insights to equip you for success without the need for extensive courses.

3. Organizational Barriers and Cultural Norms: Blocking Leadership Success

A leadership style that works for one business can fail miserably in another. The key to success? Aligning your approach to the unique pressures and dynamics of your organization.

Internal and External Pressures

Supply chains, client demands, economic conditions, and market trends all shape what’s possible. Is there a major transformation, deliverables or deadlines looming? These factors influence the team’s ability to absorb and adapt to change.

Capacity to Implement Change

Leadership changes require resources—time, finances, and effort. Organizations with limited capacity may need to scale back from an idealized vision to a more pragmatic plan that aligns with existing constraints.

Rigid Structures and Cultural Norms

Rigid cultural norms, like walls, block progress. The 'This is how we’ve always done it' mindset often leads leaders to adopt an autocratic style, aiming to appear decisive. However, this approach can alienate skilled teams who value collaboration, resulting in disengagement, eroded trust, and missed targets.

To foster adaptability, leaders must create windows that let fresh ideas flow while aligning their approach to team dynamics and cultural realities.External and internal pressures are like the weather—storms, sunny skies, and shifting winds all influence your course. A good leader adapts to these conditions.

Action: Analyze and Align Your Leadership Approach

To avoid friction and build trust, reflect on your business context:

• External Factors: How do market conditions, supply chains, and client needs shape your strategy?
• Internal Dynamics: What stress points arise from transformations or tight deadlines?
• Capacity to Change: Can your organization realistically support and sustain the changes you envision?
• Constructive Feedback: Get early feedback to ensure alignment with your business.

This reflection lays the foundation for a leadership approach tailored to your organization’s needs.

At Inner-Coherence, I provide tools and guidance to help you analyze these dynamics and create actionable, results-driven strategies.

This leads us nicely into the next major challenge!

4. Subconscious Fears Hold You Back: A Hidden Barrier to Success

You’ve done the research, identified the gaps, and built a plan that seems promising. Yet, as the moment to take action approaches, doubts creep in. You hesitate. Subconscious fears begin to surface, and they hold you back just when you need to push forward.

This is usually where people get cold feet! You find yourself questioning whether you’re cut out for the challenge ahead…

You may be revisiting past mistakes. Revisiting past mistakes, like a botched presentation or tough conversation, can amplify self-doubt. I’ve been there—a big presentation to key stakeholders still plays on my mind.

Fear of Vulnerability

Admitting that your current leadership style isn’t working can feel like an admission of failure that could undermine your authority and credibility. However, vulnerability can be a strength that builds trust and authenticity.

Fear of Failure 

Anxiety about mistakes can stop you from taking risks or embracing new approaches for fear of judgment or setbacks. It’s these moments that make you second-guess yourself, and they can be paralyzing.

Action: Use reflection to surface hidden fears

Reflective exercises can help you uncover hidden fears build resilience and boost your confidence.

Fears are natural, but they don’t have to define your leadership journey. Vulnerability and failure are opportunities to learn, adapt, and strengthen your foundation.

5. Difficulty Setting a Vision For A New Leadership Approach: A Mindset Block

You’ve identified your current style, set a target approach, and tailored it to fit your organization’s needs.

It’s time for a gap analysis and vision setting.

Perhaps you have already generated ideas - or even a created a tentative plan… but a lack of clear vision can sabotage even the best laid plans!  This can create confusion - making it difficult to rally support or implement effectively.

Recognizing limitations is only the start. The real challenge lies in stepping into unfamiliar behaviors. These will feel daunting but it’s essential for growth.

Getting Clarity on the Vision

Neuroscience shows that mental rehearsal activates the same neural pathways as real-life practice, helping leaders internalize new behaviors. You need to step into your new leadership approach and rehearse the behaviors you need - with feeling! 

A clear vision is the bridge between who you are and who you want to be—it connects potential to action. Visualizing and rehearsing the behaviors you need will help make them second nature.

Creating a Plan Outside Your Comfort Zone

How do you build confidence when the skills and behaviors you are adopting feel unfamiliar?

Action: Move from Ideas to Impact

•  Analyze the Gap: Leverage your strengths to identify key changes.
•  Set a Vision: Define competencies, and rehearse your new approach.
•  Generate ideas: Prepare for feasibility testing within your business.

A clear, actionable vision is your bridge from potential to impactful leadership.

Explore my short courses or coaching to help you set a vision, analyze gaps, and build the skills to thrive.

6. Misjudging Your Organization’s Culture and Needs: A Leadership Pitfall

You’ve mapped out your vision and built a plan, but here’s where the challenge takes a new turn—getting buy-in from your organisation.

Leadership changes aren’t just about ideas; they’re about people. You will need to influence, onboard, and navigate resistance to bring your vision to life. Kotter’s Change Model emphasizes that engaging stakeholders early is critical to overcoming resistance and building momentum for change.

Lack of Management Support 

Adjusting your approach can feel uncomfortable, and full colleague support is essential to avoid mixed messaging and team confusion.

Failing to Engage Colleagues in Planning

Without constructive feedback from colleagues it becomes nearly impossible to test the feasibility of your ideas, ensure they are right for your business, and implement them successfully.

Beyond engaging colleagues in planning, successful leadership also requires leveraging interpersonal skills to build trust and collaboration.

Failing to leverage People Skills

Bringing others along on this journey means building trust and collaboration at every level of the organization. This includes fostering open communication and create safe spaces for honest feedback, navigating team dynamics by understand how individual styles and personalities interact.

Action: Drive Organisational Alignment

• Influence management and unite with a clear message
• Engage colleagues to refine plans and allocate resources.
• Create feedback loops to support and align your teams.

 Even with support from within your organisation, it takes hard work and time to overcome these barriers.

7. Leadership Skills Gaps: Holding Back Your Growth Potential

Now you have a step by step plan… but do you have the skills to implement it?

Many leaders step into their roles relying on natural strengths. Over time, they grow comfortable "winging it" and leaning on familiar habits.  When faced with new challenges, this often falls short. To truly adapt, requires developing the specific skills your plan demands.

Inadequate Communication Skills 

Difficulty articulating your vision, delivering feedback, or listening actively can lead to misunderstandings and team dysfunction.

Conflict Resolution Challenges

Struggling to navigate disagreements or difficult conversations undermines harmony and leadership credibility.

Managing Diverse Personalities

Leading individuals with varied perspectives and work styles can lead to disengagement if not handled well. 

Leadership skills can transform team dynamics. For example, mastering conflict resolution helps leaders navigate disagreements constructively, building harmony and trust. Similarly, improving communication ensures clarity, reducing misunderstandings during high-pressure projects.

Actions to Close the Gap

Develop a Personal Growth Plan. By prioritizing areas that directly impact your leadership goals. Leverage available resources, like mentors, internal training, or short courses, to tackle critical gaps and hit the ground running.

8. Avoiding Feedback During Implementation: A Threat to Business Success

You’ve got the resources in place—a solid plan, templates for discussions, workshop outlines, and slide decks to elevate your communication. You’ve done the work to get to this stage. Well done if you have come this far!

Now comes the final challenge: implementation!

 If this is new to you… you are probably finding it a bit daunting! It can be uncomfortable adopting a new approach with your team.

Failure to Seek Feedback:

Google’s Project Aristotle highlights how clear communication and feedback loops are key to building high-performing teams.

Avoiding feedback loops blocks personal growth. Without it, you may miss insights into how your new leadership style is being received. This can lead to resistance, misunderstandings, and missed opportunities to refine your approach.

Action: Thrive with Feedback 

•  Foster Open Dialogue: Make it safe for your team to share honest feedback.
•  Ask Questions: Focus on specific areas to gain actionable insights.
•  Act on Feedback: Show your team their input drives meaningful change.

It will take the support of your followers to turn you into the leader you need to be. Feedback will be your compass or your GPS - helping you course-correct and ensures you’re heading in the right direction. Without it, you risk veering off course.

Turning Obstacles into Opportunities for Leadership Growth

Leadership growth is a journey filled with challenges that test your adaptability, courage, and willingness to evolve. By addressing these eight obstacles, you’ve already taken the first step toward breaking free from barriers that hold leaders back. Each challenge is an opportunity to grow and meet the ever-changing demands of leadership.

Every step you take toward overcoming these barriers builds resilience and positions you as a leader who inspires, innovates, and drives meaningful change. Adaptability isn’t just a skill—it’s your edge in a world where evolving team dynamics and technologies demand reinvention.

Invest in Your Leadership Growth Today

Ready to transform challenges into opportunities for success? Inner-Coherence offers tools and resources to support your growth as a leader:

•  Case Studies: Real-world examples showcasing leadership styles in action, offering insights to tackle your challenges.
•  Short Courses: Targeted programs to master feedback, align leadership styles, and build reflective practices.
•  1-on-1 Coaching: Personalized guidance to refine your approach and tackle challenges with precision.

Explore our resources and lead confidently in a changing world. ake the first step today to become the leader your team needs tomorrow

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