Breaking free from thinking traps: How overthinking hinders leadership

Episode Number

16

In this episode, I’m diving into how our own thinking can trip us up – especially when it comes to leadership. If you’ve ever found yourself overthinking a situation or stuck in a loop of unhelpful thoughts, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too, and I know just how much those patterns can hold us

In this episode, I’m diving into how our own thinking can trip us up – especially when it comes to leadership. 

If you’ve ever found yourself overthinking a situation or stuck in a loop of unhelpful thoughts, you’re not alone. I’ve been there too, and I know just how much those patterns can hold us back.

I break down four common “thinking traps” that I see a lot in leadership coaching: black-and-white thinking, labelling ourselves with negative words, and what I call “smog” words.These patterns aren’t just frustrating – they can seriously get in the way of how we lead, connect, and make decisions.

We can’t necessarily stop these thoughts from popping up, but we can learn how to manage them.

So take a listen to learn how to spot these patterns in your own thinking.

Here are the highlights:

Personal Experience with Overthinking (0:47)

Common Thinking Patterns in Leadership (2:36)

Labelling and Should Statements (6:04)

Managing Thinking Traps and Patterns (8:29)

Techniques to Disrupt Thinking Patterns (10:28)

Share:

More Podcast Episodes

Why Boundary Changes Create Resistance At Work

From guilt and escalation to subtle pressure to revert to old habits, I unpack why resistance is part of the process and how holding your nerve can ultimately create healthier teams, prevent burnout and drive real cultural change.

Boundaries At The Interface

In this episode, I talk about input gates, output gates, scope creep, and the uncomfortable but necessary negotiations that define great leadership.