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.

• Don't underestimate the human side of leadership. Change affects people emotionally, even when it makes sense on paper.

• Leadership transitions require intentional adaptation. The habits that made you successful in your previous role may not be the habits that will make you successful in your next one.

Register for the Momentum Sprint starting June 18: https://karen-gombault-coaching-ffzda0.subscribepage.io

Stakeholder Strategy: Reduce the Learning Curve of Your New Role. We start beginning of July: https://karengombault-stakeholderstrategy.subscribepage.io

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karengombault/