3 Myths That Will Derail Your Change Initiative
May 4, 2026
Leadership in today’s organizational structure demands an unparalleled level of adaptability and self-awareness.
The rapid pace of technological change, evolving workforce expectations, and global complexities necessitate a continuous re-evaluation of ingrained practices.
For leaders, true effectiveness now hinges not just on what new habits they adopt, but also on which long-standing ones they consciously shed.
This transformative process, driven by intentionality, profoundly impacts team dynamics, organizational culture, and ultimately, business outcomes.
What specific leadership habits have prominent business executives and HR professionals consciously dropped, and which new ones have they intentionally cultivated?
This HR Spotlight article distills their invaluable experiences, offering a strategic blueprint for thought leaders and authorities seeking to refine their own leadership approach and drive meaningful change within their organizations.
Read on!
Niclas Schlopsna
Managing Consultant & CEO, spectup
Niclas Schlopsna
I stopped micromanaging. In the early days at Spectup, especially when we scaled our offerings beyond pitch decks, I had this habit of reviewing everything—slides, emails, even internal memos. It came from a good place, but it slowed things down and made the team overly reliant on my sign-off.
At one point, one of our team members casually asked if she should send me her calendar invite before scheduling a client call—and that was the moment I realized how far I’d taken it.
What I adopted instead was structured delegation with accountability. I started trusting people more, giving them clearer ownership and room to make decisions, but with measurable outcomes tied to each initiative.
That shift directly freed up my time to focus on higher-impact partnerships and product strategy. It also created a stronger culture—people at Spectup began taking more initiative, and client satisfaction noticeably improved because decisions were made faster. Letting go felt risky at first, but it’s one of the best leadership habits I’ve built.
Jamie Frew
CEO, Carepatron
Jamie Frew
One leadership habit I consciously dropped was always needing to have the answers. Early on, I felt pressure to jump in, solve problems fast, and give clear direction on everything. But over time, I saw that it was limiting the team. It made decisions flow through me and slowed down momentum.
The habit I adopted instead was asking better questions. I started asking things like “What do you think is the best next move?” or “What’s the outcome we’re aiming for here?”
That shift gave people more autonomy to us at Carepatron. It created space for better thinking, better solutions, and faster growth. People started making stronger decisions without needing constant input. They took more initiative, and the whole team moved with more confidence.
Shishir Khedkar
Head of Engineering, scoredata
Shishir Khedkar
Here is one habit I dropped and another one that I adopted intentionally.
Always Having the Answer: Why I dropped it: For a long time, I was under the assumption that strong leadership meant being the smartest person in the room—having quick answers to every question. It fed my ego, but quietly stifled team growth. I realized this “heroic” leadership style unintentionally made others hesitant to speak up or take initiative.
Instead, I actively changed to respond with questions like, “What do you think?” or “How would you approach it?” to create space for others to lead. I also instilled and embraced the attitude of asking my team members to come to me with options to their questions to foster independent thinking.
As a result of this, it transformed the team dynamic. Engagement increased, problem-solving became more collaborative, and people took more ownership. It also freed up my mental bandwidth to focus on strategy rather than tactical firefighting.
Adopted candid feedback on a regular basis. Why I adopted it: I used to think feedback was something formal—annual reviews, structured surveys. But I noticed high-performing teams had a constant rhythm of open feedback, both top-down and bottom-up.
I introduced short, informal check-ins and encouraged a culture of “feedback in the moment”. I also modeled vulnerability by asking, “What’s one thing I could do better this week?” and “How can I help you do your job better?” during my one-on-one meetings.
What happened was amazing. Trust deepened. Team performance improved because course corrections happened in real time. It also made me more coachable and aware of blind spots I didn’t know I had.
In summary: Letting go of the need to always have the answer empowered others, and it allowed me to practice a “continuous learning” mode. Embracing ongoing feedback made the whole team, including myself, sharper and more adaptive.
Joe Horan
Owner & CEO, Jumper Bee
Joe Horan
I dropped the habit of stepping into every decision. For a long time, I believed staying involved in each task meant staying in control. What it did was slow people down. It created hesitation. Team members waited instead of moving.
I was blocking their growth. Letting go felt risky at first, but the results proved otherwise. People started owning their roles. They moved quickly. They solved issues without checking in. The overall pace picked up, and accountability improved across the board.
I picked up clarity. I started focusing on setting direction, not controlling movement. I made sure everyone knew the goals and priorities for the week. It didn’t need to be complicated—just clear. Once the team understood where we were going, they started making better calls without waiting. Communication got easier. The day-to-day became smoother.
Dropping control and adding clarity changed how I lead. It gave the team space to grow and gave me time to focus on bigger decisions. Leadership shifted from managing tasks to building trust. The team became faster, sharper, and more independent. The company moved forward without constant supervision. That shift made the biggest difference.
Vikrant Bhalodia
Head of Marketing & People Ops, WeblineIndia
Vikrant Bhalodia
A leadership habit I consciously dropped was being the “fixer” in every situation. I used to step in too quickly whenever there was a roadblock, thinking I was helping. In reality, I was unintentionally slowing down the team’s growth and decision-making confidence.
Letting go of that habit wasn’t easy, but I started asking more questions instead of giving answers, pushing people to think through their own solutions. It shifted accountability and built a stronger sense of ownership across the board.
What I intentionally adopted was carving out weekly one-on-ones that are strictly non-operational: no project updates, no task lists. Just space for open dialogue, feedback, career goals, or even just a venting session.
That habit alone created a deeper trust and gave me early visibility into morale shifts I would’ve otherwise missed. And it’s helped with retention more than any formal engagement initiative.
George Fironov
Co-Founder & CEO, Talmatic
George Fironov
I forgot about such things as micromanaging because it created bottlenecks and decreased team ownership. Instead, I intentionally developed a habit of setting clear expectations and trusting that the team would execute.
And as a result, decision-making speeded up, team members gained confidence, and overall project outcomes were improved with fewer controls.
Betsy Pepine
Owner & Real Estate Broker, Pepine Realty
Betsy Pepine
I dropped the habit of controlling every decision. I believed strong leadership meant staying involved in each choice and guiding every step. That habit slowed growth. Others waited for direction instead of acting.
I adopted the habit of stepping back. I trusted people to handle challenges. I listened more and spoke less. The result: faster progress, stronger teamwork, more confidence across the board. People learned from mistakes, found solutions, and took pride in their work.
Strong leadership builds others. Letting go of control created space for new leaders to rise and the team to grow stronger together.
Tia Smith
CEO & Founder, Ignite Consulting
Tia Smith
One leadership habit I dropped in recent years: over-functioning.
For most of my career, I equated leadership with being the one who always had the answer, carried the weight, and picked up the slack. I was the “fixer”—the person others relied on when things got messy. Promotions came. Praise followed. And so did burnout.
Over-functioning masquerades as excellence, but it’s really a trust issue in disguise. I didn’t realize how much I was robbing others of growth until I started stepping back. Delegating isn’t about lightening your load—it’s about raising the ceiling for the whole team.
Over time, I saw my team step up in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Fully. Authentically. One employee took the lead on two initiatives I had always owned and absolutely crushed it. Another pitched a bold idea I never would’ve considered—and it worked. Turns out, when you stop doing it all, people don’t drop the ball. They rise.
One leadership habit I adopted: listening longer. Not active listening. Not empathetic nodding. I mean intentionally holding space without rushing to solution, reaction, or resolution. It sounds simple—but it was a massive recalibration for someone wired to move fast and solve things.
Especially in the culture and people space, what someone isn’t saying is often more important than what they are. Learning to listen for hesitation, pattern, or fatigue under the surface has helped me lead with greater precision—and greater humanity.
It’s harder than it sounds. Especially when you’ve been trained to solve, fix, respond. But listening like this changes things. It deepens trust. It reveals the real issues, not just the polished ones. It invites honesty—not just with others, but with yourself.
That single habit—staying quiet a little longer—has changed how I coach, consult, and lead. It’s helped me hear beneath the noise, to the signal that really matters.
Sometimes the most powerful shift in leadership isn’t something new we add. It’s something we’re finally willing to release.
Nick Vitucci
Head of Marketing, Declare Media
Nick Vitucci
One leadership habit I consciously dropped was feeling the need to have all the answers. Early on, I thought leading meant solving every problem myself, but it led to burnout and bottlenecks. Instead, I adopted a habit of asking better questions and letting the team take more ownership in decision-making.
This shift empowered others to step up, sparked better ideas, and created a stronger sense of shared accountability. As a direct result, our workflow became smoother, team morale improved, and we started delivering projects faster with more creativity and confidence.
The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.
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