71. New Job? Spend Time on What Matters
About this episode
Karen Gombault discusses common pitfalls for leaders stepping into new roles and offers strategies to enhance their impact.
Stepping into a bigger role can be exciting - but it can also create blind spots that slow your momentum. In this episode of Grounded and Aligned , Karen shares four leadership patterns she repeatedly sees among senior leaders who have recently taken on more responsibility through promotion, growth, acquisition, reorganization, or expanded scope. Drawing from real client experiences, Karen explores why high-performing leaders often struggle to let go of operational work, underestimate the importance of relationships, over-explain their decisions, and overlook the human impact of change. If you're navigating a new leadership role—or preparing for one—this episode will help you avoid common mistakes and accelerate your impact. Key Takeaways Stop doing and start enabling. Bigger roles require more strategic thinking, delegation, and long-term planning—not more execution. Relationships become a leadership priority. As your scope grows, your ability to influence through others becomes more important than your individual contribution. Explaining is different from justifying. Provide context and visibility, but avoid slipping into defensive explanations that undermine your authority…
People in this episode
Host: Karen Gombault
More episodes of Grounded and Aligned™
- 69. Leadership Bottlenecks That Disrupt Revenue Growth [2026 Leadership Series]
- 68. Authentic Visibility
- 67. You Don't Have to Choose Between Integrity and Influence
- 66. From Compliance to Commitment in Team Performance [2026 Leadership Series]
- 65. Say The Actual Thing
- 64. Leading People Starts With Leading Yourself [2026 Leadership Series]
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Grounded and Aligned™ podcast page.