Lukasz Kalinowski is an executive coach, mentor, and keynote speaker who helps leaders break barriers and achieve lasting impact. Combining strategic insight with transformational coaching, he empowers executives to lead authentically and drive meaningful change.
You step into the meeting room, frustrated by your team’s latest missteps. Deadlines missed. Targets not met. In your head, a familiar refrain plays: "What’s wrong with them? How do I fix my team?" Sound familiar? If you’re a leader, it probably does. But here’s a hard truth delivered with all the bluntness of a slap to the face: the problem might not be your team; it might be you. That’s right. The "fix your team" mindset is a myth that’s comforting to believe and dangerously wrong. While it’s easy to point fingers at your employees, the most effective leaders know that when you point one finger outwards, three more point back at you. In other words, the first place to look for answers is in the mirror.
Before you bristle or dismiss this as touchy-feely nonsense, consider this: research shows that 95% of people think they’re self-aware, yet only about 10-15% truly are. The vast majority of us, yes, even those in the C-suite, have blind spots we don’t see. In fact, nearly 80% of executives have at least one significant "blind spot," an area where their perception of their own leadership is out of sync with reality. So, if your team isn’t performing, the odds are that there’s something you’re doing (or not doing) as a leader that’s contributing to the problem. It’s time for a candid conversation about those leadership blind spots and how they’re undermining your team. Ready for some tough love? Let’s dive in.
Challenging the 'fix your team' mindset
It’s human nature to externalise blame. Leaders are no exception when things go wrong; the instinctive move is to scan for flaws in everyone else. "If only I had better people, if only they worked harder or were smarter or more capable, we’d hit our goals." Sound familiar? It’s an easy narrative that soothes the ego, but it’s a dangerous fairy tale. Great leaders throughout history have discovered that the exact opposite approach is what drives success. Management guru Jim Collins calls it the Window and Mirror principle. Average leaders look out the window to blame others when results disappoint, but Level 5 leaders, the truly great ones, look in the mirror and take responsibility when things go poorly. They understand that their team’s performance is often a reflection of their own leadership.
If you believe your team is fundamentally broken, ask yourself: Who leads that team? Who sets the tone, clarity, and culture? Spoiler: It’s you. The best leaders have the humility and courage to examine their own role in any team issue. It’s not about martyrdom or self-flagellation; it’s about ownership. When a project fails, instead of immediately thinking "My team screwed up," great leaders think, "How did my guidance (or lack thereof) set them up to fail?" This mindset shift is monumental. It moves you from being a victim of your team’s "incompetence" to being the owner of the solution. And here’s the kicker: When you, as a leader, change, your team changes.
Why is the "fix your team" mindset so flawed? For one, it assumes the problem is entirely on the outside. It ignores the well-documented impact a leader has on team dynamics. Consider this statistic: One in two employees has left a job to get away from a manager. People often quit bosses, not companies. If you’re constantly losing good people or seeing poor performance, it might be time to examine your contribution to the situation. Psychological biases also play a role. It’s uncomfortable to admit we might be part of the problem, so we create a narrative where we’re doing everything right and others are letting us down. However, growth as a leader starts when we challenge that comforting story.
Let’s break down three major leadership blind spots that cause leaders to mistakenly blame their team. These are the cracks in the mirror the areas leaders often don’t see in themselves that directly affect team performance. As you unpack each one, be brutally honest with yourself. Do any of these sound uncomfortably familiar? If so, don’t panic. The goal isn’t to place blame; it’s to shine a light on the real issues so you can lead better. Remember, looking in the mirror is not about self-blame; it’s about self-reflection and improvement. And it’s the fastest way to actually "fix" your team’s performance: by fixing the way you lead.
3 leadership blind spots that cause leaders to mistakenly blame their team
1. Clarity of expectations, assuming 'they should just know'
Think about the last time you were disappointed by a team member’s work. Did you find yourself asking, "Why on earth did they do it this way?" or "Isn’t it obvious what I wanted?" Be honest. How obvious was it, really? One of the most common leadership blind spots is assuming that your team can read your mind. You carry around a clear picture of what success looks like in your head, but have you painted that picture for your team in vivid, unmistakable detail? Or are you assuming that because you know, they somehow "just know" too?
Here’s a wake-up call: About half of employees say they don’t fully understand what’s expected of them at work. That’s right, half. This isn’t because employees are dense; it’s because managers are often unclear communicators. If half your team is in the dark about goals or standards, whose fault is that? Not theirs. The onus lies with the leader to clarify expectations. It’s your job to define what "good" looks like. Ambiguity is a performance killer. You can’t hold people accountable for expectations you never clearly set.
Let’s put this into a real scenario. I once coached a manager, let’s call him Dan, who was tearing his hair out because his team kept "missing the mark" on a critical project. He was convinced he had a team of duds. In our coaching session, I asked him to walk me through how he kickstarted the project. It went something like this: "I told them this project was high priority and that I expected great results. It’s a simple project; they should have known what to do." That was it. He assumed that his team, through some form of osmosis, understood all the details swirling in his own mind. In reality, the team was unclear on deliverables, unsure of the timeline ("high priority" could mean next week or next quarter), and had no clue what "great results" specifically looked like. Dan had given a pep talk, not clear instructions. His team wasn’t underperforming; they were under-informed.
Clarity of expectations means being ridiculously specific. It means spelling out the vision of success: "Here is what I need, here is why it matters, here is what the finished product should include, and here is the timeline and priority order." It’s checking understanding by asking team members to summarise back to you what they’re going to do next. It might feel like over-communication to you, but trust me, it’s barely enough. When you think you’ve communicated enough, double it. As a leader, you live and breathe these issues; your team doesn’t. They have other tasks and other priorities, and they don’t spend every waking moment thinking about that project like you do.
Remember, vagueness is the enemy. Don’t assume silence means agreement or understanding. Your team might be nodding along in a meeting while secretly thinking, "I have no idea what the boss wants, but I don’t dare ask." If you create an environment where asking for clarification is seen as a weakness, that’s on you. And if you don’t encourage questions, also on you. Great leaders pause and ask, "What questions do you have about this?" not "Do you understand?" (everyone will just nod). They draw out uncertainties to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Here’s the payoff. When you provide true clarity, you unleash performance. In one study, employees who strongly agreed that their manager helped them set clear work priorities were far more engaged (38% engaged) compared to those who didn’t get that help (only 4% engaged). Clear direction is literally the difference between a motivated team and a checked-out team. It’s Leadership 101, yet so often missed. So, ask yourself: Have I been crystal clear in defining goals, roles, and expectations? If your answer is, "I think so," that’s not good enough. Your team’s confusion or misalignment might actually be your lack of clarity. Fix that in the mirror and watch your "team problems" start to resolve.
2. Recognition and rewards, forgetting that people need to feel valued
Now, let’s talk about what happens after expectations are set and work is underway. You might assume your job is done until the results come in. Wrong. Leaders often fall into the trap of focusing solely on outcomes and metrics while forgetting the human element along the way. Do you only pay attention to your team when they mess up? Be honest. Many leaders are quickest to critique and slowest to praise. This blind spot is a morale killer: failing to recognise and reward effort, progress, and growth, not just the final results.
Imagine you have an employee, Sarah, who has been busting her tail, working late nights to push a project forward. She overcomes a technical roadblock through creative problem-solving. The project’s final numbers are decent, not record-breaking, and in your review meeting, you spend 90% of the time on what could have been better and barely mention her hard work. How do you think Sarah feels walking out of your office? She gave her all and got a lukewarm "Thanks, but here’s what went wrong." If that’s a pattern, don’t be surprised when Sarah stops going the extra mile or starts polishing her CV.
Leaders severely underestimate the power of appreciation. And I’m not talking about big bonuses or Employee of the Month plaques (though formal rewards have their place). I’m talking about genuine, timely recognition of a job well done or even sincere acknowledgment of valiant effort when things go wrong. According to research, over half of employees who quit say that lack of recognition was a major reason for leaving. Read that again: People leave good jobs because they don’t feel valued. It’s not fluffy stuff; it’s directly tied to retention and performance. In fact, companies that excel at recognising their people see dramatically lower turnover. On the flip side, 90% of employees say that receiving recognition motivates them to work harder. This is human psychology 101, yet in the hustle, many leaders forget it.
Don’t take my word for it; look at the data. A Gallup study exposed a huge gap between how managers think they’re doing on recognition versus reality. Nearly 60% of managers believed they give enough praise and recognition, but only 35% of employees agreed. That’s a glaring blind spot. You might think you’re a supportive boss, but if your people feel unappreciated, there’s a disconnect. Are you truly recognising them in ways they feel it? Because frequency and sincerity matter more than you think. Saying "thanks" in passing once in a blue moon for hard work isn’t enough. Only 1 in 5 employees say they receive meaningful feedback or recognition weekly, even though regular recognition is a proven engagement booster.
Consider a real-life reflection: A director I worked with, we’ll call her Maria, was results-driven to the extreme. Highly successful by external measures, but her department had sky-high turnover and sinking morale. In 360-feedback, an employee wrote, "We only hear from her when something’s wrong. Achievements are met with silence." That was a punch in the gut for Maria, who genuinely thought she was being a "tough but fair" leader. In reality, she was withholding the very currency that fuels people’s motivation: acknowledgment. We worked on making recognition a habit, catching people doing things right, not just doing things wrong. Maria started small: a quick shout-out in team meetings, a personal email to someone who improved, even hand-written thank-you notes for exceptional effort. It felt strange to her at first (she joked that it felt like coddling). But you know what happened? Within months, the vibe in her team changed. People were smiling more and participating more, and performance indicators ticked up. The work hadn’t gotten easier; the team had gotten energised. As one team member put it, "It’s nice to know she actually notices our hard work now."
Here’s the key: Recognition isn’t about coddling or participation trophies; it’s about reinforcing desired behaviours and building a motivated team. Humans are wired to respond to positive reinforcement. If you, as a leader, don’t provide it, your team’s intrinsic motivation withers. Yes, people are paid to do a job, but they’re not robots. A simple, specific praise ("I noticed how you handled that difficult client issue yesterday, great job defusing the situation") can be more motivating than any bonus. And when mistakes happen (they will), don’t only harp on the failing; also recognise the effort or good intentions, and then coach for improvement.
Ask yourself: When was the last time I gave genuine praise to each member of my team? If you can’t remember, that’s a problem. Make recognition a routine. Put a weekly reminder in your calendar if you must: find someone doing something right and acknowledge it. Publicly and privately, different people prefer different forms (and by the way, here’s a pro tip: ask your team how they like to be recognised; you’d be amazed how few leaders do this, even though only 12% of employees are asked for their recognition preferences). The bottom line is that if you starve your team of appreciation, don’t be shocked when they stop putting in discretionary effort. If you want a team that’s fired up and loyal, feed the flames with recognition. It’s one of the cheapest, highest-ROI leadership moves you can make. And it requires looking in the mirror and admitting: maybe I haven’t been showing my team I value them enough. You can fix that starting now.
3. Feedback culture thinking feedback is a one-way street (and breeding fear)
Imagine a suggestion box bolted to the wall of your office. It’s dusty, with cobwebs in the slot, because no one ever slips a note inside. Why? Your team doesn’t believe their suggestions (or concerns) would be welcome, or worse, they fear there’d be negative consequences for speaking up. Does your culture encourage honest feedback, or do people nod yes and keep their real opinions to themselves out of fear? The third leadership blind spot is failing to create a safe, two-way feedback culture. Many leaders think feedback means "I tell them how they’re doing." They forget that feedback is also about listening to how you are doing as a leader and how the environment feels to your team.
Let’s start with the obvious: If your team is afraid to tell you the truth, you are flying blind as a leader. Fear in the workplace is more common than we’d like to admit. A 2023 survey found that 51% of workers feel they can’t share their honest opinions or ideas freely at work. That’s over half the workforce essentially self-censoring because they don’t feel safe. Additionally, about 34% of U.S. employees say they withhold feedback or ideas because they fear retribution. Think about what that means: in the average company, a third of people have something to say that could be important a process improvement, a heads-up about a brewing problem, an insight from the front lines but they keep quiet to protect themselves. If you’re a leader and you don’t hear dissenting viewpoints or bad news early and often, it doesn’t mean everything is wonderful. It might mean people are terrified to tell you the bad news until it’s too late.
Why does this happen? Leaders inadvertently create fear when they react poorly to feedback or mistakes. If you’ve ever shot the messenger, raised your voice at someone who brought a problem, or punished an employee for an honest mistake, you’ve likely taught your team one thing: It’s not safe to be candid around you. The result is a culture of yes-men and yes-women who will smile and nod while problems fester and morale sinks. You become the emperor with no clothes, blissfully unaware of issues until they blow up. And then you wonder, "Why didn’t anyone tell me?" Well, because at some point, directly or indirectly, you told them not to.
A classic real-world example of turning this around comes from Ford Motor Company in the mid-2000s. When Alan Mulally took over as CEO, Ford’s culture was one of fear and silence. Leaders hid problems to avoid being yelled at or fired. In one meeting, after weeks of every executive reporting green status lights (as if everything was fine while the company was hemorrhaging billions), one brave leader, Mark Fields, dared to display a red light for a major issue. The room fell silent; everyone expected Mulally to explode. Instead, he did something revolutionary: he clapped. He thanked Fields for his honesty and said, "Great visibility. Now let’s solve it together." From that moment, the culture began to shift. Mulally demonstrated that speaking up about problems would be rewarded, not punished, and Ford’s leaders started collaborating to fix issues openly instead of hiding them. That simple act of applauding bad news sent a powerful message: You are safe to tell the truth here. Ford’s turnaround under Mulally is now business lore, and creating a culture of trust and open feedback was a cornerstone of that success.
The lesson for you as a leader is profound: Psychological safety isn’t a touchy-feely buzzword; it’s the foundation of high performance. Google’s extensive research on team effectiveness (Project Aristotle) found that the number one predictor of a high-performing team is psychological safety, a climate where people feel safe to take risks and speak their minds without fear of punishment. If your team walks on eggshells around you, you are leaving talent and ideas on the table and inviting disaster down the line. Innovation grinds to a halt because who’s going to stick their neck out with a wild idea in a fear-based culture? Problems stay hidden until they’re infernos because everyone’s afraid to light a signal flare.
Creating a feedback culture starts with you "looking in the mirror" and adjusting your own approach to feedback. Ask yourself: How do I respond when someone gives me constructive criticism or bad news? If your immediate reaction is defensive or hostile, you are training your team not to bother next time. Instead, try this magic phrase: "Thank you for telling me." Whether you hear a small suggestion or a blistering critique, start with gratitude that someone trusted you enough to speak up. It’s disarming and encourages more openness. Next, show that you take the input seriously. Discuss it, ask questions, and if appropriate, act on it. When your team sees their feedback lead to positive change (or at least a thoughtful discussion), trust soars.
Also, model vulnerability. As a leader, you can say things like, "I know I’m not perfect, and I genuinely want your input on how I can better support you." It might shock your employees at first; many leaders never say such things, but it paves the way for honest dialogue. Importantly, make feedback a two-way street in regular practice. Don’t just schedule performance reviews for them; schedule periodic "leader check-ins" where you specifically ask, "How am I doing? What can I do better to help you succeed?" Yes, it might be awkward initially, and you might get only timid feedback the first few times. But as you consistently ask and graciously accept what you hear, you’ll notice people opening up. That’s when you truly start leading with your team, not just above your team.
In a nutshell, if you expect to dish out feedback, be ready to take it. Ditch the ego at the door. Do you want to be right, or do you want to get better? You can’t have both. The best leaders create a climate where feedback is normal, not scary; where issues are raised early, often, and without fear; and where employees trust that even if the news is bad, the reaction will be focused on solutions, not scolding. Look in the mirror and ask: Am I the kind of leader people feel safe giving feedback to? If not, there’s your blind spot to fix. Remove the fear, invite the truth, and watch your team begin to gel and excel in ways you never thought possible.
A leader’s transformation from blame to ownership
Let me share a powerful story that ties these blind spots together in a composite case based on real leaders I’ve coached. Meet "Jason," a VP of Sales at a mid-sized tech company. Jason came to me frustrated and convinced that he had a "B-team" incapable of A-level results. Quarter after quarter, his group missed targets. Turnover was creeping up. In our first conversation, Jason vented: "I’ve tried everything incentives, warnings, detailed instructions nothing works. I think I just have bad hires." He was firmly in the "fix your team" mindset, believing the problem lay in everyone else.
In our coaching sessions, I challenged Jason to hold up the mirror. We dug into the three areas we discussed above. The findings were eye-opening. Clarity of expectations? It turned out Jason was a whirlwind of ideas and last-minute pivots. He prided himself on being "agile," but to his team, it felt like chaos. One week, the priority was X, the next week it was Y, and goals were a moving target. His team members confided (in anonymous 360 feedback) that they often didn’t know what success looked like; they were always guessing and then getting chastised for guessing wrong. Recognition? Jason admitted he was so focused on the numbers that he basically only talked to his people when reviewing deals or troubleshooting problems. Positive feedback was virtually non-existent. As he put it, "Why should I praise people for doing their jobs? They get a paycheck." (If you caught your breath at that, so did I.) Meanwhile, several of his top performers had left in the past year, citing feeling "burnt out and under-appreciated" in their exit interviews. And feedback culture? Jason was a former military guy with a commanding presence, and unknowingly, he intimidated the hell out of his team. He believed in hierarchy and didn’t solicit input. In meetings, if someone questioned a directive, he’d snap, "Just get it done this isn’t up for debate." Guess how often people gave him honest feedback or bad news early? Essentially never. They feared his temper and tried to fly under the radar, often delaying alerts about slipping deals until the eleventh hour when it was too late to course-correct.
This was a gut-check moment for Jason. To his immense credit, he decided to confront his leadership flaws head-on instead of doubling down on blame. It wasn’t easy; he had to unlearn years of habits. We made a plan: First, Jason convened his team and, with genuine candour, apologised. He told them he realised he hadn’t been providing the clarity, support, or environment they deserved, and he was committed to changing that. You could hear a pin drop; this was the last thing his salespeople expected. That day, he set clear, consistent quarterly goals, no more whiplash of priorities, and asked each team member to outline any resources or support they needed. He established a new rhythm of communication: a Monday kick-off email highlighting priorities and a Friday wrap-up celebrating wins (big or small) from the week. It felt forced to him at first, but he stuck with it.
Next, Jason implemented a practice of regular recognition. He started publicly acknowledging top effort and improvements on team calls. At first, a few folks were skeptical as to whether this was for real or an act. Over a couple of months, they realised Jason was sincere. One salesperson closed a modest deal after a long dry spell, and Jason sent a company-wide note praising her persistence and skill in nurturing that client. She later told me it was the first time in 5 years that anyone at the company had publicly recognised her work, and that one email made her "run through walls" for Jason thereafter. The entire mood of the team began lifting. People were smiling in meetings, joking, and sharing more. The fear was melting away.
The hardest change for Jason was building a feedback-friendly culture. He had a strong personality and had always equated control with leadership. We worked on his listening skills, biting his tongue instead of interjecting, asking open-ended questions in discussions, and explicitly inviting dissenting views. In team problem-solving sessions, he started saying things like, "I might be missing something; what do the rest of you think?" At first, he got crickets. But slowly, his team realised this wasn’t a trap. One brave account manager spoke up about a strategy Jason was pushing, respectfully pointing out some flaws in the approach based on her client feedback. The team held its collective breath. Jason replied, "Thank you for flagging that that’s a great point. Let’s adjust our plan." You could practically see the wave of relief and trust sweep through the room. It was a turning point. More voices began chiming in constructively in subsequent meetings. Jason also began doing skip-level one-on-ones, meeting folks two levels down just to hear their ideas and concerns. People responded that they finally felt heard and valued.
Fast forward two quarters: Jason’s team not only hit their sales target but exceeded it. It was the first time in two years they’d blown past goal. But even more telling, the team’s engagement scores (measured by an internal survey) jumped dramatically. They rated their clarity of goals, recognition, and trust in leadership far higher than before. Voluntary turnover dropped to zero in those six months; no one quit, whereas the year prior, they’d lost four people. In our final coaching session, Jason shook his head in amazement: "All this time, I thought I needed to fix my team. Turns out, when I fixed how I lead, my team fixed the results." Bingo. He had learned what great leaders understand: When you get yourself right, the team follows. By looking in the mirror and addressing his blind spots, clarifying expectations, recognising his people, and fostering open feedback, Jason transformed not only himself but the entire performance trajectory of his group.
This case isn’t a fairy tale. It doesn’t mean every problem magically disappears once a leader "sees the light." However, it shows the profound impact of leader behaviour on team outcomes. The truth is that teams are incredibly adaptive. Change the water the fish swim in, and the fish behaviour changes accordingly. Jason created an environment where his team wanted to excel because they felt guided, appreciated, and safe. He went from being a taskmaster that people worked in spite of to a leader people wanted to work for. The business results were a natural byproduct.
Take a moment and reflect: If a harsh spotlight were shone on your leadership approach, what might you discover? Are you willing to do what Jason did and own your part in your team’s struggles? It can be humbling, even painful, to admit our leadership isn’t as effective as we thought. But it’s also empowering. Because if the problem lies with us, so does the solution. We can change ourselves, which is a lot more feasible than wishing for some mythical perfect team that never makes mistakes or needs anything. Jason’s story illustrates the core message of this entire discussion: to fix your team, fix your leadership first.
Time to face your mirror
So here we are, leader to leader. I’ve thrown a lot at you: blind spots, tough questions, maybe some uncomfortable realisations. Now it’s decision time. You can finish reading this and think, "Interesting stuff. Good to know," and carry on as usual. Or you can choose to act to actually do something with these insights. I challenge you to choose the latter. Because knowing your blind spots is pointless if you don’t address them, it’s like finally noticing the spinach in your teeth but not bothering to floss. Awareness must lead to action.
Take a deep breath and look in that mirror one more time. Ask yourself, "Which of these blind spots do I recognise in my leadership?" Maybe you see a bit of all three. That’s okay. The first step to improvement is recognising where you have room to grow. Leadership is a journey, not a destination. Even the best leaders constantly work on these things. What separates mediocre leaders from great ones is the courage to confront their weaknesses and the determination to get better for the sake of their team.
Now, let’s make it concrete. Here are three immediate actions to consider as mirror-cleaning exercises, you can start this week to become the leader your team truly needs:
Clarify one key expectation
Identify one project, goal, or responsibility where your team might be unclear about what you really expect. Sit down with the relevant people and spell it out clearly. Define success in specific terms. Ask them to relay their understanding to you. Encourage questions. You might say, "I realise I haven’t been explicit about this; let’s make sure we’re all on the same page." You’ll be amazed at how much misalignment you can cure with a single candid conversation. Going forward, make this a habit: never assume; always confirm understanding.
Catch someone doing something right
Make it a point in the next few days to recognise at least one team member for their good work. It could be progress on a tough task, extra effort, a positive attitude under pressure, or anything you genuinely appreciate. And when you do it, be specific: "Hey, I noticed you took on that client issue and solved it without needing to escalate; that’s awesome work, thank you." Watch their face light up. This isn’t just a feel-good exercise; you’re reinforcing the behaviours you want to see more of. Commit to making recognition a regular part of your leadership diet. Pro tip: Do it in a way that suits the individual. Some people love public praise, while others prefer a private note. Tailor it, but do it.
Ask for feedback (and listen openly)
In your very next team meeting or one-on-one, dare to ask for feedback on your leadership. It can be as direct as, "What’s one thing I could do better as your manager?" or "How can I support you more effectively?" Yes, it takes vulnerability. Yes, you might hear something that stings. But this is gold if you truly listen. Don’t defend, don’t explain, just absorb it and thank them for their honesty. If the feedback is unclear, ask for an example to understand better, but resist any urge to justify your actions. Remember, when someone gives you feedback, perception is reality. And that’s what you need to understand. Showing that you’re willing to learn and change based on their input will skyrocket their trust in you. Even if they’re hesitant at first, your openness will gradually unlock more candour. That’s when you truly start leading with your team, not just above your team.
Beyond these immediate steps, consider enlisting some help. Change is hard, and having a guide can accelerate the process. This could mean finding a mentor who exemplifies the leadership qualities you admire or engaging with an executive coach. Sometimes, an outside perspective is exactly what we need to break long-held habits and see ourselves clearly. If you’re serious about levelling up your leadership, invest in yourself. Seek resources, read books, take a course and yes, don’t hesitate to get a coach. (Full disclosure: as an executive coach myself, I’ve seen the difference it makes.) In fact, if you’re interested in a structured approach to identifying and overcoming your specific blind spots, I invite you to reach out and connect with me for executive coaching. Even a few sessions can provide concrete strategies and accountability to transform how you lead. (For more details on our coaching services, check out our programme page here: Executive Coaching Services.)
Finally, remember that leadership is not a burden you bear alone. As you improve and involve your team in the process of clarifying together, celebrating wins together, and creating a safe space together, you’ll find that they will start to take more ownership, too. It becomes a virtuous cycle. You look in the mirror and improve; the team responds with better performance and morale, which then reflects back to you, confirming the changes you’ve made are working, encouraging you to continue growing, and so on. It’s a beautiful feedback loop when it clicks.
So, the next time you catch yourself saying, "How do I fix my team?" pause and redirect that question inward: "How do I fix my leadership?" It might very well be the most important question you ever ask as a leader. It takes humility to accept that and guts to act on it. But I promise you, the rewards in team success, in trust, in your own growth are absolutely worth it. Your team is watching, hoping for you to lead them to greatness. Show them the leader you can be by looking in the mirror first. The myth of "fixing your team" is just that: a myth. The real fix starts with you. Are you up for it?
Your move, leader. The mirror is waiting, and so is your team, ready to soar when you do. Now go make it happen.
Read more from Lukasz Kalinowski
Lukasz Kalinowski, Executive Coach, Mentor & Keynote Speaker
Lukasz Kalinowski is an executive coach, mentor, and keynote speaker specialising in leadership transformation, resilience, and strategic growth. With a background in business management and coaching, he helps leaders break through limitations, navigate challenges, and achieve lasting success. Drawing from years of experience in high-stakes leadership roles, he empowers executives to lead with clarity, confidence, and authenticity. Passionate about resilience and personal development, Lukasz shares insights on overcoming adversity and unlocking true potential. Connect with him for more expert content and coaching.
