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Leadership growth requires more than hard work and technical expertise. In this episode of The Leadership Buzz Podcast, we explore Marshall Goldsmith’s bestselling leadership book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, and why the behaviors that created your success may eventually hold you back.

Goldsmith calls this the “success delusion”—the belief that because a behavior helped us succeed, it must be the reason we succeeded. That assumption can create leadership blind spots as we move from individual contributor to supervisor and eventually begin leading through other leaders.

Drawing on lessons from my own Air Force leadership journey, we examine several common habits of successful leaders: needing to win, jumping in with the “right” answer, and adding too much value to other people’s ideas. Even when a leader makes an idea slightly better, that intervention can unintentionally reduce ownership, confidence, and motivation.

This episode offers practical leadership lessons on:

• Moving from individual contributor to leader
• Delegating without losing accountability
• Building trust and ownership within a team
• Coaching and developing future leaders
• Leading effectively through other leaders
• Recognizing behaviors that may be limiting your growth

We close with three coaching questions to help you identify a behavior that once contributed to your success but may no longer serve you. Leadership development is not always about adding another skill. Sometimes it means letting go of an old habit so you can become the leader your people need today.

If you value practical leadership development, executive coaching insights, delegation strategies, and greater self-awareness, subscribe to The Leadership Buzz Podcast, share this episode with a leader you respect, and leave a rating or review.

Work hard. Tell the truth.

The Leadership Buzz is hosted by Lloyd “Buzz” Buzzell, an ICF-ACC executive coach, DISC practitioner, and retired U.S. Air Force officer with 37 years of leadership experience. Each episode focuses on one book, one idea, and one practical leadership concept to help you align your behavior with your values and lead with greater clarity, trust, and impact.

If you’re a leader who wants to build stronger teams, improve communication, and create real ownership, subscribe and share this episode with someone on your team.

Connect with Buzz on LinkedIn or visit workhardtellthetruth.com for coaching and leadership development resources.

Work hard. Tell the truth.