From Layoff to Launchpad: Leaders on Choosing Your Next Move
March 18, 2026
Leadership habits shape organizational success, and adapting them intentionally can yield transformative results.
This HR Spotlight article gathers insights from business leaders and HR professionals on one habit they consciously dropped and one they adopted in recent years, along with the direct outcomes.
From abandoning micromanagement to embracing delegation, or shifting from over-efforting to seeking ease, these leaders reveal how small changes drive big impact.
By fostering trust, empowering teams, and prioritizing clarity, their strategies enhance collaboration, boost efficiency, and create thriving cultures, offering actionable lessons for leaders navigating today’s dynamic business landscape.
Read on!
John Baldino
President, Humareso
I have pushed back on leader-centric branding. As a founder, it is a default for an organization to focus on the high-profile leader.
This often created bottlenecks in workflows, business development and customer success.
Being deliberate in pushing leadership to others in the organization and doing so in outward ways has proven valuable to both individual contributor development and brand identity.
Distributed Leadership Builds Brand Identity
Brittany Rogars
Founder & CEO, SKF Practice Solutions
I’ve been that manager. The one who caused good people to quit. If I am honest, that’s a pretty hard pill to swallow, but it’s true.
So when I started my own business in 2022, I made myself a promise: I will never be the reason someone dreads coming to work. But saying it and living it were two very different things. To actually become the kind of leader I wanted to be, I had to make two major shifts:
– I had to let go of the belief that I had to know everything. Somewhere along the way, I picked up this idea that being a leader meant having all the answers. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. What does it mean?
It means hiring people who are better than you in areas where you’re weak. Trusting them. Learning from them. And genuinely celebrating when they shine… even when (especially when) they surpass you.
– I had to give my team clarity and trust. We did that by building our rulebook, not a dusty policy binder, but our core values: Authenticity, Knowledge, Efficiency, Accuracy, Gratitude, Integrity. These aren’t just words we stuck on the website. They are everything. We talk about them in daily huddles. We hired them. We fire them. Every single person on my team knows where we’re going and how we’re getting there, because our values are committed to memory and engraved on their hearts.
Those two shifts changed everything. My business took off. Our goals stopped feeling like wishful thinking and started becoming reality. And my team? They became more confident, capable, and engaged than ever.
As the CEO of a growing consulting company, this evolution didn’t just help the business grow, it gave me the space to lead with vision instead of just managing chaos.
If you’ve ever looked around and thought, “This isn’t working”… it might be time to look inward. Because real leadership? It’s not about control. It’s about clarity. It’s about trust. And it’s about building something people are excited to be part of.
Leadership Shifts from Control to Clarity
One habit I’ve intentionally adopted is asking a subset of the team to develop even deeply impactful strategies without my direct involvement. On the flip side, I’ve quit trying to be involved in every brainstorming session. I used to be so involved in shaping our messaging that I’d read every blog post before it got published (and edit heavily).
The hands-on approach got us where we are, and I don’t regret it. It won’t get us where we’re going though. We have a strong brand and team in place, so there’s no reason to let my own bandwidth limit either.
The team will do things I won’t like. Occasional failures are inevitable. We won’t let the fear of failure prevent us from putting things into production so we can gather market feedback. This is exactly what I discuss in my book, and what we teach our clients.
Trusting the Team for Growth
Dr. Jaime Goff
Founder of The Empathic Leader and author, The Secure Leader
My team and I design and run our company’s flagship executive leadership program, a high-profile initiative with a large budget.
In the early cohorts, I tried to empower my team by delegating key pieces, yet as launch dates loomed my anxiety and perfectionism kicked in. I slipped into micromanagement, asking them rapid-fire questions that felt like interrogations. I was projecting my stress and undercutting their confidence.
Recognizing this pattern, I turned the spotlight inward. When visibility and pressure rise, I now pause, breathe, and use quick reflective prompts to challenge the story in my head. I still check progress but with curiosity and support rather than control. The result is a calmer leader, a more capable team, and a richer learning experience for our future executives.
Curiosity Beats Micromanagement for Leaders
Paige Arnof-Fenn
Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls
As a result of the pandemic I stopped spreading myself too thin by overscheduling/hitting multiple overlapping networking events, etc.
I learned to disconnect from technology and focus on cultivating human/face-to-face relationships.
Meeting for coffee/lunch even virtually not only allows you to refuel/recharge but it also accomplishes so much more than e-mail/social media posts.
I now give myself permission to say no. Whether it means sleeping in (no to an alarm clock), meditating, taking a walk, or just turning off the phone/computer (no I will respond later on my own schedule), simple acts of letting myself relax and enjoy the moment are the very best gifts I can give myself.
What I have come to appreciate and realize is that “me time” is not a luxury or pampering like it was in my youth, now it is maintenance! Doing less can be more impactful.
Disconnecting and Learning to Say No
Jeff Williams
President & CEO, Aptia Group US
One leadership habit I consciously let go of was tolerating people who lacked integrity.
I call it my personal “no jerks” rule.
I made a promise to only build and lead alongside people of real fabric, people I trust and respect. If I’m going to pour myself into building something, it has to be with people I believe in and in a culture I’m proud of. Why give myself to anything less?
On the flip side, one habit I’ve intentionally adopted is what I call the power of a little bit more.
In a world that can feel fragile and uncertain, I’ve developed a mindset of giving just a bit more to my work, to my people, to my life.
I work out a little bit stronger, love a little bit harder, hug my wife a little bit tighter.
That small shift has created a life and leadership style driven by purpose, not just productivity. It has helped me build not only successful teams but meaningful ones.
Integrity and Purpose Define Leadership
Angela Justice
Founder & Executive Coach, Justice Group Advisors
I used to believe that if I wasn’t exhausted, I probably wasn’t doing enough.
So I overfunctioned. Took on too much. Made things harder than they needed to be. And I called it leadership.
The habit I dropped was over-efforting. What I adopted instead was asking: What would make this easier?
That question changed everything. It helped me see that effort ≠ impact. Now, before I take something on—or when it starts to feel heavier than it should—I pause and ask:
– What’s the simplest path to the outcome I want?
– What would this look like if it were 20% easier?
– What might I be making harder than it needs to be?
Now I move faster, lead better, and make more space for the people around me to do the same.
Ease isn’t lazy. It’s leadership without the drag.
And when other leaders hear that, they exhale—because they’ve been carrying too much for too long.
Ease is Leadership Without the Drag
Sarah Williams
Founder & Principal, Recruit Healthcare
In recent years, I made a conscious decision to let go of micromanaging.
It was actually a family member who first said something. We were making dinner together, and (as usual) I was trying to control everything from the oven temperature to the garbage collection. What I thought was just good advice was actually undermining her abilities, and suddenly, it hit me — I do this to my employees, hovering over them, and unintentionally limiting their independence.
And, just like in the kitchen, the habit wasn’t doing me any favors.
Since then, I’ve consciously replaced micromanagement with intentional delegation.
I’ve learned to trust my team with real ownership of their work and to give them the space to make decisions and solve problems without me hovering over every detail.
The change has been transformational. The team moves faster, takes more initiative, and genuinely feels empowered in their roles when less supervised.
Intentional Delegation Replaces Micromanagement for Growth
Sheena Yap Chan
Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, The Tao of Self-Confidence
One leadership habit I consciously dropped was over-explaining myself to be “liked” or validated.
As an Asian woman, I was taught to soften my voice and over-justify my decisions to avoid conflict or judgment. Letting go of that habit allowed me to lead with more clarity and self-trust.
The habit I intentionally adopted was listening more deeply without immediately reacting. Instead of rushing to fill space or provide answers, I now give others room to process and speak fully. That shift created stronger relationships, better collaboration, and more empowered conversations.
Real leadership isn’t about controlling every outcome—it’s about holding space and showing up with intention.
Leading with Clarity, not Over-Explaining
Harry Morton
Founder, Lower Street
One leadership habit I’ve intentionally adopted is being honest, especially when I don’t have the answers.
If someone comes to me with a problem I can’t immediately solve, I don’t bluff or pretend like I know it all, but simply tell them I’ll find out.
The same goes for mistakes that I will always own, and I expect the same from my teams. You will be amazed at how powerful mistakes can be as a leader.
I’ve also consciously dropped the habit of always trying to provide solutions.
I used to think offering quick fixes showed competence, but it actually discouraged creative thinking and added to my own stress. Now, I just focus on creating space for my team to bring their own ideas. And that has resulted in a more confident, creative team, plus a much healthier dynamic for everyone involved, including me.
Honesty And Humility Empower Great Teams
The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.
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