Do you ever notice how easy it is to look to others for reassurance?

In this week's leadership tip, we reflects on the reminder that confidence grows when we do things for ourselves, not for approval. When leaders rely too heavily on outside validation, confidence stays fragile. When confidence is built internally, leadership becomes steadier and more grounded.

Check back every Monday for your weekly leadership tip!

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

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Meetings don’t fail because of bad agendas. They fail when decisions don’t turn into action.

In this episode of the podcast for managers, Desiree picks up from last week’s conversation on meeting fatigue and zooms in on what happens next. You’ll learn why accountability often feels like micromanagement, how clarity and support change follow through, and what real team accountability actually looks like after meetings end.

This episode walks through three things every manager is responsible to their team for: clarity, support, and accountability. When these are present, meetings become a leadership development tool instead of a source of conflict at work.

Key Takeaways
• Why clarity closes the gap between expectation and reality
• How support prevents accountability from feeling like micromanagement
• What managers can do after meetings to protect team standards

Listen to more episodes on meeting, conflict and accountability!

A Manager's Guide to Keeping Top Talent and Stopping Negativity Before it Spreads
5 Steps to Rebuild Trust and Handle Conflict at Work as a Manager
How Great Managers Prevent Conflict Before it Starts

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

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Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

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If you are a manager who feels stuck in meetings that go nowhere, you are not alone. Many leaders schedule meetings hoping to create alignment, solve problems, or move work forward, but instead experience meeting fatigue, disengagement, and conflict at work.

In this episode, Desiree explains why meetings without decisions drain your team and your time, how information-heavy meetings quietly disengage employees, and why meetings have become the default response instead of a leadership tool. You will learn how misalignment around meeting purpose leads to frustration, a lack of team accountability, and stalled leadership development. This episode focuses on front-end fixes managers can make before meetings even begin, so meetings become a tool for clarity, trust, and stronger team management rather than a source of stress.

Key Takeaways

• Meetings without clear decisions create frustration, rework, and conflict at work
• Information meetings are a major cause of disengagement and meeting fatigue for teams
• Using meetings intentionally is a leadership development skill that improves team accountability

As you listen, think about your next meeting and ask yourself what decision actually needs to be made and who owns it.

Episode Links:

How to Make Meetings More Effective and Engaging | Lessons from Death By Meeting By Patrick Lencioni

The Best Way to Overcome Dysfunction and Build a Cohesive Team | Lessons from 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

5 Steps to Make One-on-One Meetings Build Trust Instead of Waste Time

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Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

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Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website

Your team says they want to grow—but do they avoid disagreement, fear mistakes, or shut down feedback? A real growth mindset isn’t optimism—it’s how a team handles tension, learning, and risk.

In this episode, Desiree is joined by leadership expert Jim Fielding to unpack what a true growth mindset looks like inside teams—not just in individuals.

They explore how growth mindset shows up in observable behaviors, including teams that welcome dissent without defensiveness, leaders who create psychological safety without lowering standards, and cultures that reward smart risks and clean recoveries—not just wins.

Jim shares practical leadership strategies for fostering growth, from how leaders run meetings and ask better questions to why curiosity matters more than control. They also discuss the difference between being nice and being kind, why fear shuts learning down, and how both leaders and individual contributors can influence team culture—even without the title.

If you want a team that speaks up sooner, learns faster, and grows stronger through challenge instead of avoiding it, this episode is a must listen.

Links Mentioned & Referenced in Episode:

● Jim Fielding on LinkedIn
● Dare to Lead — Brené Brown
● Start With Why — Simon Sinek
● The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni

Other Episodes You’ll Enjoy:

● The Best Way to Overcome Dysfunction and Build Cohesive Teams | Lessons from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
● How to Handle a Negative Employee Without Losing Your Best People
● The Strategy That Stops New Hires From Checking Out Early

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

Get a curated list of Desiree's favorite books in every genre

Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website

You work hard. You care deeply. So why does your career growth still feel unclear?

If you're a manager doing everything right but waiting for recognition, promotion, or more trust, this episode shows you why.

Desiree sits down with Andy Storch, author of Own Your Brand, Own Your Career and host of Talent Development Hot Seat, for a no-fluff talk on personal brand.

Not influencer vibes or nonstop posting. This is reputation, trust, and ownership at work.

They break down:

• What personal brand really means inside organizations
• Why hard work alone won't cut it anymore
• How to build credibility by developing your people
• Why talent-growers become impossible to replace

Walk away knowing career growth is something you build, not wait for. Grow your career. Lead your team better. This shifts how you see visibility, reputation, and leadership.

Resources

Own Your Brand, Own Your Career by Andy Storch

Free workbook + resources

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

Get a curated list of Desiree's favorite books in every genre

Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website

3 Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Goals (Without Burning Out)

Have you ever started the year motivated and confident, only to feel behind or overwhelmed a few weeks later?

In this episode of You're the Boss, Now What?, Desiree shares three mindset shifts that help leaders set goals and habits in a way that actually lasts, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

This is not a New Year’s resolutions episode.
It’s a conversation about sustainability, self-trust, and learning how to lead yourself without burning out.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why focusing on outcomes creates pressure and frustration
• How input-based habits give you back control
• Why habits should be treated as feedback, not judgment

If you want to make progress this year without starting over every January, this episode is for you.

Next week, Desiree is joined by Andy Storch for a conversation about career growth, ownership, and reputation — without self-promotion and without burnout.

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

Get a curated list of Desiree's favorite books in every genre

Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website

Overwhelmed as a manager? Leadership doesn't have to feel this heavy. Desiree Petrich shares one mindset shift to release pressure, beat burnout, and lead with clarity + energy into 2026

Last week we unpacked the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. Today? We close the year simpler: one word to lighten your load as a new manager.

If leadership feels overwhelming right now, you're not alone. Managers often carry too much: expectations to be everything to everyone, 110% performance, juggling work + home. It builds to manager burnout, resentment, drained confidence.

In this You're the Boss, Now What? episode, I share release - the mindset shift that drops unhelpful commitments without adding more to-do's. No fixing yourself. Just letting go.

You'll Walk Away With:

1. Expectations no longer serving your leadership (and how to spot them)
2. Why doing it all yourself fuels burnout - plus how to stop
3. Proof: Leadership can feel meaningful without constant struggle

Slow down, reflect, enter 2026 lighter. Perfect for coaching for managers, imposter syndrome in leadership, and new manager tips.

Reflection Questions from the Episode:

• What expectations won't you carry into 2026?
• Commitments you're dreading? How can you release or delegate them?
• What's the story making leadership harder than it needs to be?

Connect: Follow on LinkedIn for leadership overwhelm tips, team dynamics, work boundaries, better management without burnout.

Resources:

• Habit Tracking App: Strides

Primary Keywords: Coaching for Managers, Leadership Podcast for New Managers, How to Be a Better Manager, Imposter Syndrome in Leadership, New Manager Tips
Secondary Keywords: Manager Burnout, Leadership Overwhelm, How to Lead Without Burning Out, Boundaries at Work for Managers, Confidence in Leadership

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

Get a curated list of Desiree's favorite books in every genre

Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website

You can have the perfect strategy and still have a team that’s disengaged, drained, or stuck. These seven commitments are what actually change culture.

In Part 3 of this series, Desiree and Tessa walk through the seven commitments that shape your mindset, energy, and team culture—often more than any strategy ever will.

You’ll learn:

• Zone of Genius vs. “I’m ok at this” and why competence keeps you stuck.
• How to spot contentment vs. complacency so you stop settling for work that drains you.
• Why rest and play fuel better leadership (and why “busy” is not a badge of honor).
• How to flip unhelpful stories like “I’m not a good leader” into something true and useful.
• What you’re really seeking—approval, control, or security
• The shift from scarcity to abundance, especially around time and resources.
• How to see your team as allies, not obstacles, and why going first is the only way to change culture.

Pick one commitment and practice it in a single real situation this week—a meeting, a conflict, or a decision. Tiny, consistent shifts are how you move from surviving leadership to actually enjoying it.

Other Episodes mentioned in this podcast:

Using Working Genius to Boost Team Performance

Hiring for Task (The Straegy That Stops New Hires From Checking Out Early)

Links Mentioned in Episode

• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Soundtracks by Jon Acuff
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Taking Intentional Action: How to Choose the Life You Lead

Liked this episode? Share it with a fellow podcaster!

Love this show? Say thanks by leaving a positive review.

Tune in every Monday for your weekly Leadership Tip

Take the DISC or Working Genius Assessment and get a FREE 20 minutes debrief with Desiree

Get a curated list of Desiree's favorite books in every genre

Connect: Linked In | Instagram | Website