#101 - The moments that shape how you lead!
11 Mar 26
Every career has defining moments.
Some are obvious at the time; major decisions, big promotions or difficult failures. Others only reveal their significance years later.
Over time, these moments shape how we work. They influence how we make decisions, how we deal with pressure, how we treat people or how we interpret risk and responsibility.
In many ways, our professional operating system is built from these experiences. But there is an important question leaders rarely ask themselves:
Is the approach I developed then still the right one now?
Because what once helped you succeed might not be what you need next.
What?
Most professionals accumulate lessons through experience:
1. A crisis teaches composure.
2. A failure sharpens judgement.
3. A demanding leader shapes expectations.
4. A high-stakes project builds resilience.
Over time, these experiences form patterns of behaviour. You develop instincts about what works, learn which battles to fight and discover how to navigate complexity. These instincts become the foundations of your leadership style.
The challenge is that many of these patterns are formed in a specific context perhaps from a particular role, organisation or stage of your career.
And context changes!
Why?
What helped you succeed earlier in your career may not automatically translate into later roles.
For example:
An engineer who succeeded by solving problems personally may need to shift towards enabling others to solve them. Maybe a leader who thrived in crisis may need to learn how to lead through stability and long-term planning. Or perhaps someone who built credibility through technical expertise may eventually need to rely more on influence and judgement.
The behaviours that once accelerated progress can quietly become constraints. Not because they were wrong but because leadership evolves as responsibilities expand and as people change over time. The most effective leaders recognise this and periodically reassess their professional instincts.
They ask themselves a simple but powerful question:
Is my current approach still serving the role I now hold?
How?
Reflecting on pivotal career moments can provide valuable insight. Three questions can help:
1. Identify the moments that shaped your instincts
Think about the experiences that most influenced how you now operate.
Was there a project that taught you the value of preparation?
A leader who demonstrated the power of clarity?
A failure that changed how you assess risk?
These moments often become the foundation of your professional habits.
2. Examine the assumptions you formed
Every defining experience leaves behind a belief.
Perhaps you learned that speed matters more than perfection.
Or that leaders must always appear confident.
Or that problems escalate when communication fails.
Those lessons may have been exactly right in that context. But assumptions formed years ago may not always hold true today.
3. Refine, donā€™t discard
The goal is not to reject past lessons. Experience remains one of the most valuable assets a leader has. Instead, the aim is refinement. Keep the principles that still serve you, adapt the ones that need updating and replace the ones that no longer align with your current responsibilities.
Leadership maturity often comes from evolving your approach rather than abandoning it.
In Summary
Careers are shaped by moments.
Moments that teach us how to respond under pressure, how to make decisions and how to lead people.
Over time, these lessons form the habits and instincts that define how we work.
But leadership is not static.
The environment changes, responsibilities grow, expectations and we ourselves evolve. This means the approach that once worked may need to evolve too.
The most effective leaders donā€™t simply rely on experience.
They periodically step back, reflect on the moments that shaped them, and ask whether those lessons still serve the leader they need to be today.
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
- Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey,
- Springboard Store - Check out my store where you will find a selection of products.
- Leadership Diagnostic - If you are an experienced leader, how do you assess if your current skillset is up to date, or if you have any gaps? Or understand if it is developed enough to equip you for the next two roles? This is where the Leadership Diagnostic comes in. Answer 30 questions spread across 10 key leadership areas to assess your current capability. It's absolutely FREE to take the assessment, and you will receive a personalised report delivered immediately into your Inbox on completion! Here's the link.
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