How to Outwit the Inner Saboteur: A Leader’s Guide to Reframing Your Own Limiting Beliefs

 

 

 

Because Sometimes Your Worst Boss Lives in Your Head

Let’s be honest: every leader eventually smacks into a wall so hard that even their calendar app looks away in embarrassment. But before you go blaming market trends, your inbox, or Mercury in retrograde, have you considered that the real mischief-maker might be your own beliefs?

Yes, those sneaky, invisible “truths” you picked up somewhere between your first job and your latest Zoom call. The problem? These hidden mindsets are more effective at sabotaging your success than an all-company Wi-Fi outage.

The silver lining: you can flip the script. Here are seven of the most common belief blockers—plus the light-hearted honest reframes guaranteed to put the pep back in your leadership step.

1.  “I need to be involved.”

Reframe: I can do anything, but I can’t do everything. (Superman called—he wants his cape back.)

2.  “I need it done now.”

Reframe: I need to focus on what truly matters. (Spoiler: It’s not color-coding your Teams channels.)

3.  “I know I’m right.”

Reframe: My role is to help others find solutions, not to always give them the answers. (Let’s be real: Even Google gets it wrong sometimes.)

4.  “I can’t make a mistake.”

Reframe: My focus is excellence, not avoiding failure. (Perfection is a unicorn. Excellence is a really smart horse—you can actually ride that one.)

5.  “If I can do it, so can you.”

Reframe: Just because I figured it out doesn’t mean it isn’t black magic for someone else. (Your mileage may vary. Batteries—and life coaches—not included.)

 

6.  “I can’t say no.”

Reframe: Turns out “no” is a complete sentence. (Sorry, Susie, I won’t be leading the office potluck committee—again.)

 

7.  “I don’t belong here.”

Reframe: I’ve earned my spot at this table—even if I’m still Googling half the acronyms. (Plot twist: So is everyone else.)

So next time your inner CEO tries to run a hostile takeover of your confidence, remember: the best leaders learn to laugh at themselves, reframe the nonsense, and move forward—preferably with a great story to tell at the next team meeting.

To your greater ability to lead yourself,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

          Take the Next Step...

Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities services and maintenance, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

Slaying the Vampires of No Accountability: A Guide to Restoring Workplace Sunshine

 

 

 

 

 

 

They hide in the shadows by the break room (Or in the Teams chat), blaming their team for problems in the department. Their long presence reminds everyone that the work culture isn’t great. These people are every company’s nightmare. They claim to “own” the culture, but really, they take pride in making things worse.

They complain every day about broken promises, unfair pay, unappreciated work, lazy team members, and company nonsense. Their constant negativity slowly crushes the team’s spirit. Whenever a new person joins, they share their own “truth” about how things really work. High hopes and enthusiastic energy is sucked from the new employee until their well is dry.

v “Don’t work too hard or they’ll just give you more.”

v “No one gets held accountable.”

v “We’ve seen it all before; nothing changes.”

v “Management doesn’t care.”

v “Everyone quits after a year.”

v “Good help is impossible to find.”

v “Employees have it too easy.”

But these people stick around, draining energy from managers who have to deal with them. They’re called the Vampires of No Accountability (VONA)—the keepers of a negative workplace.

How Do You Release These Culture Killers?

First, you must spot them. Listen to how people talk. Who complains every day, does the bare minimum, and takes up most of your time with problems? Which managers blame their team for poor results instead of looking at themselves?

Most leaders know exactly who these people are. The hard part is figuring out what to do next. VONAs know how to behave just well enough not to get in trouble. They create such a toxic environment that most managers avoid dealing with them. But your work culture will never improve until they’re “released to other opportunities.”

That’s right—gone.

VONAs can’t be fixed. They don’t reflect on themselves or care about others. Words like “motivation” and “empathy” mean nothing to them.

They don’t want to leave, though. Why? Because their VONA role means they don’t have to be accountable. They can do the least amount of work and blame others for any failures.

They have endless excuses for not doing their job or helping out. They claim they’re “too busy” or “overworked.” Whatever you ask is always “impossible,” “stupid,” or “unfair.”

What Should You Do?

Ignore them. If you stop giving attention to their complaints, you take away their power. If no one listens to their constant negativity or stops to “fix” their problems, what will they do?

Complaining keeps them going. It justifies their poor performance. Instead, focus your energy on team members who try hard and want to improve.

Look for people who care about the team, have ideas for making things better, and ask helpful questions. Encourage them to work together to solve problems. Invite the VONAs to join in, but don’t beg or plead with them. Don’t act like you need them for the team to succeed.

The most important thing to remember is that motivation starts with each employee. Managers can support and encourage growth, but employees must choose to be involved.

Effective leaders inspire enthusiasm and keep it alive every day. They also know that letting toxic people stay is a huge mistake. Teams would rather be short-handed than deal with a toxic coworker.

According to the Harvard Business Review, being close to a toxic employee makes others more likely to act the same way, but things get better quickly if you put some distance between them and the team. Try moving desks, reassigning projects, having fewer big meetings, or encouraging remote work to help the situation improve.

A 30–60 Day Challenge

v Limit time with VONAs: Don’t let them take up more than 30 minutes of your week. Schedule meetings about complaints at least 7 days out. Don’t drop everything for their latest issue.

v Set expectations: Listen to their dissatisfaction and acknowledge their feelings, but suggest solutions or ways to cope. Always act professionally.

v Identify unacceptable behavior: Make it clear what isn’t acceptable. Don’t be afraid to say, “If you’re so unhappy, maybe this isn’t the right place for you.”

v Focus on positive employees: Spend 80% of your coaching time on those who are engaged and cooperative. Let them help interview new hires based on team values. Dilute the negative influence of the VONA.

v Document everything: VONAs might fight back. Set clear expectations and consequences for not meeting them. (See Accountability Dial: The Boundary and The Limit.)

v Watch for change: When VONAs leave, notice how the team mood and engagement improve. Don’t rush to fill the spot—wait for the right fit.

v Celebrate small wins: Losing one toxic employee can make a huge difference. Enjoy the lighter, happier workplace.

v Take care of yourself: Dealing with VONAs is tiring. Make time for things that energize you and keep you positive.

Protect Your Team

Keep your team safe from the Vampires of No Accountability, just like you would protect them from an illness. Reward and recognize the team’s progress. Don’t let new VONAs join, even for a short time. You have the power to stop drama and negativity.

Lead your team into a brighter, healthier workplace.

Check out two related posts:

Personal Responsibility in the Pursuit of Happiness

Six Magic Words for Stopping Blame and Increasing Accountability 

To your greater ability to build a positive, accountable team.

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

 Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

 

 

 

🦢 Soaring Together: Teamwork Lessons from Geese 🦢

  

 

It's Fall in Vancouver, WA. One of the many delights of the season is hearing the beautiful call of the Canadian geese which alerts you to look up in the Autumnal sky. The first image of the skein (or flock) of geese reminds me of a floating black ribbon or the tail of a kite. 

In October and November in the Pacific Northwest the sky is alive with ribbons of geese gracefully swooping and looping sometimes bearing left and sometimes right. These maneuvers seem to give the stray birds time to catch up to the throng. 

When you watch the flock closely you realize that the geese are all leaders and followers each taking a turn. Alternately leading and following creates a perfect rhythm which enables them to get to their faraway winter destination. 

I believe there are several lessons in teamwork that we can learn from the goose. Geese are intriguing creatures and while considered pests in certain situations, they also have an incredibly strong sense of family and group loyalty. Probably one of the most phenomenal geese facts is that their desire to return to their birth place every year is so strong that they will often fly up to 3,000 miles to get there. 

Lesson #1: Empowering Others to Lead
When the lead goose in the front gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and allows another goose to take the leadership position. 

The lesson here is to empower others to also lead. It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. 
As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities, and unique arrangement of gifts, talents, or resources.

Lesson #2: Staying Committed to Core Values and Purpose

The geese migration routes never vary. They use the same route year after year. Even when the flock members change, the young learn the route from their parents. In the spring they will go back to the spot where they were born. 
  
The lesson to learn here is to stay true to our core values and purpose. 
  
Strategies, tactics may change in order remain agile, but great struggles always stick to their core purpose and values, and preserve them with vigor

Lesson #3: Offering Support in Challenging Times

When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. 

They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.  

The lesson here is to stand by each other in difficult times. It’s easy to always be part of winning teams, but when things get difficult and people are facing challenges, that’s when your teammates need you the most. 

Lesson #4 Encouraging and Recognizing Other’s Contribution

The geese honk to recognize each other and encourage those up front to keep up their speed. The lesson here is to make sure we praise people and give them the recognition they deserve. 
  
Lack of recognition is one of the main reasons employees are unsatisfied at work and quit. 
  
We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. 

In groups where there is encouragement, the production is greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek. 

Lesson #5 Sharing a Common Goal

As each goose flaps its wings it creates “uplift”, an aerodynamics orientation that reduces air friction, for the birds that follow. By flying in a V-formation, the whole flock achieves a 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. 

The lesson we can learn here is that people who share a common direction and goal can get where they are going quicker and with less effort because they benefit from the momentum of the group moving around them. 
  
Make sure your team is aligned towards a common goal. 

Lesson #6 Having Humility to Seek Help

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the friction of flying alone. 
  
It then quickly adjusts its mistake and moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it. 

The lesson we can learn here is to be humble to admit the challenges we face and to seek help as soon as we get stuck. 
  
This humility will enable you, your team, to move faster and achieve more. 

A Story About Geese 

A flock of wild geese had settled to rest on a pond. 
  
One of the flock had been captured by a gardener, who had clipped its wings before releasing it. 

When the geese started to resume their flight, this one tried frantically, but vainly, to lift itself into the air. The others, observing his struggles, flew about in obvious efforts to encourage him; but it was no use. 

Thereupon, the entire flock settled back on the pond and waited, even though the urge to go on was strong within them. For several days they waited until the damaged feathers had grown sufficiently to permit the goose to fly. 

Meanwhile, the unethical gardener, having been converted by the ethical geese, gladly watched them as they finally rose together and all resumed their long flight.                                                                            --Albert Schweitzer 

[Epilogue: And so, as the geese soared off into the sunset, the gardener waved goodbye, vowing never to underestimate the power of teamwork—or the tenacity of geese. Legend has it that from that day forward, whenever the gardener tried to plant anything, there was always a mysterious feather nearby, just to remind him to always stick with the flock—or else prepare to be thoroughly out-honked. 😉]

Remember, Together-Everybody-Achieves-More

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

          Take the Next Step...

Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, facilities services and maintenance, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.