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Enlightened You We provide training and coaching on self leadership and team leadership.

The 20 Workplace Habits That Hold You Back by Marshal Goldsmith in the book "What got you here won't get you there": 1. ...
14/09/2026

The 20 Workplace Habits That Hold You Back by Marshal Goldsmith in the book "What got you here won't get you there":

1. Winning too much: The excessive need to win in all situations—even when it does not matter.

2. Adding too much value: The urge to forcefully inject our opinion or tweak every idea, which reduces the other person's ownership.

3. Passing judgment: Scoring and judging others based on our own standards.

4. Making destructive comments: Sarcasm and needless sharp remarks.

5. Starting with "No," "But," or "However": Negative qualifiers that subtly tell people they are wrong.

6. Telling the world how smart we are: Needing to prove our intelligence at everyone else's expense.

7. Speaking when angry: Using raw emotion as a management tool

8. Negativity: Explaining why things will not work instead of staying open.

9. Withholding information: Keeping data back to maintain an advantage.

10. Failing to give proper recognition: Not sharing praise where it is due.



“I need help with a salary survey for entry level technicians in my industry,” Said a client. “What's going on?" I asked...
09/09/2026

“I need help with a salary survey for entry level technicians in my industry,” Said a client. “What's going on?" I asked. "I have staff who have stayed with us for years however I seem to have a problem keeping new entry level staff in the last few years. I just want to know what the competitors are offering." He said “Have you collected any feedback from the new staff or the ones leaving?” I asked "Not really" He said

Coincidentally one of his staff who had resigned reached out to me. She was looking for a job. When I asked what happened to her and the others who quit around the same time she said “Your friend needs to learn how to correct people without shouting, he is a bully.”

đź”·Internal Culture often yrumps external market talent pressures

đź”·Direct, candid feedback from staff is one of the most reliable ways to identify leadership blind spots.

đź”·Self-Awareness and self management is key in leadership

đź”·Management behaviors that worked in the past may not necessarily work today or in future



“How many years have been in this role?” I asked a training participant. “What does that have to do with anything in thi...
07/09/2026

“How many years have been in this role?” I asked a training participant. “What does that have to do with anything in this training? She responded with one ear piece on. This was one of those trainings where you can sense a lack of clarity on the management’s expectation. The supervisor had insisted that the focus should be on staff attitude. The team’s technical skills were not in question.

The tension in the training room was palpable. I had not had a chance to engage the team on their expectations prior to the training. I requested the manager and the supervisor to step out during the first session. I needed the team to feel free to speak up. “You all seem to have a good prior work experience in call center and customer service, so why are we here?” I asked. That question opened a can of worms.

The team started by explaining that they were all recruited from a third-party call center service. They were promised better working conditions. However, none of the promises had been met. They noted that they were being treated like second class employees;

1. Our supervisor has never worked in call center or customer service and she is not willing to listen or learn

2. Staff in other departments shout and bully us when we escalate client issues

3. We are not included in any staff meeting

4. This is our first training in 3 years; other departments have annual trainings out of town

5. We were made to attend this training on a weekend and report to work on Monday; other departments train during work days

The list went on and on. During tea break, I sat next to the person who had answered me with “an attitude” and ear piece on. I was about to ask what was happening when she opened up. “I was robbed along the city streets 3 days ago, I reported to the supervisor but she was not bothered. I am expected to replace the work laptop which was stolen. My colleagues gave me a phone because I have to be reachable for work. No one even in Hr has asked how I am doing” she said as she broke down.

➡️ Sometimes the team is not the problem; the team leaders are

đź”· Competence earns respect

đź”· Empathy is a leadership language

đź”· Attitude is often a symptom not a root cause

đź”· True leadership drives Inclusive culture, psychological safety and equity



"I feel like I have been a supervisor all my life. I have trained people who are now in middle management. I am good at ...
02/09/2026

"I feel like I have been a supervisor all my life. I have trained people who are now in middle management. I am good at what I do, I train and induct all new employees. I however get bypassed when promotion opportunities arise." Said a training participant

➡️ Supervising and onboarding focus on how and when work gets done. Strategic leadership focuses on why and what's next.

▶️ Ex*****on maintains current standards; leadership shapes long-term direction.

▶️ Ex*****on fixes immediate errors; leadership redesigns broken systems.

▶️ Ex*****on focus on your section; leadership builds cross-functional alignment.

▶️ Ex*****on makes you an irreplaceable doer; leadership proves you can drive business growth.

➡️ The shift;

âś… Build Systems, Don't Just Train: Document processes and delegate onboarding so the function scales without you.

✅ Expand Your Influence: Focus on cross-departmental inefficiencies and align your team’s output with top-line organizational goals.

âś… Reframe Your Impact: Shift performance conversations from activities (I trained 15 people) to business outcomes (I streamlined onboarding to reduce turnaround time by 20%).

âś… Grow beyond technical skills: Build your interpersonal skills and strategic skills.

đź”· To step into leadership, stop proving how well you run the day-to-day. Start demonstrating how you build systems and people to run without you.
đź”· It's not just what you do, it's the perception you create.



"My boss says am an asset. He even insisted I stay in the department when a senior manager requested to have me moved to...
31/08/2026

"My boss says am an asset. He even insisted I stay in the department when a senior manager requested to have me moved to another department. I however feel stuck; my growth is slow and am left out on some exposure opportunities. I need to rise to the next level." Said a coachee

Being called an "asset" at work feels great until you realize you are trapped by your own competence.

When you become indispensable in your current role, managers often keep you where you are to maintain stability. You get protected, but you also get passed over for growth and cross-functional exposure.

1. Identify the Root Problem

- The "Irreplaceable" Trap: If a process or team relies entirely on you to function, your manager cannot afford to lose or promote you.

- Misaligned Growth Expectations: Your manager may assume that keeping you safe, comfortable, and valued in your current role equates to career satisfaction.

2. Strategic Action Steps

Step 1: Make Yourself Replaceable

- Document your workflows, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and key processes.
- Delegate routine tasks to junior colleagues or peers, framing it as professional development for them.
- Train a backup person who can fill your shoes when you take on higher-level work.

Step 2: Reframe Your Value Conversation
- Schedule a dedicated career alignment meeting:
- Acknowledge their support and state your ambition clearly.

Step 3: Proactively Request High-Visibility Exposure

- Pitch taking ownership of a cross-functional project that connects your department to senior leadership.
- Ask to represent your manager or department in high-level strategic meetings or committees.
- Seek mentorship or shadowing opportunities with senior leaders outside your immediate group.

Step 4: Create a Growth Roadmap with Milestones

- Note Key performance metrics or business outcomes required for your next promotion.
- Identity Specific skills or competencies you need to demonstrate.
- Have a realistic timeline for re-evaluating.

5. Re-evaluate

If after all this your value is still being managed for their convenience rather than your career, pursue external roles or escalate your career interests directly through internal HR/senior sponsorship.



"Workload has really increased in our section. We have gradually adapted to cover it. The team is however getting too st...
26/08/2026

"Workload has really increased in our section. We have gradually adapted to cover it. The team is however getting too stretched. I have been requesting for more resources but they say we have managed for the last one year. As the supervisor, How do I move from here?" Asked an acquaintance.

Transition from subjective requests to objective evidence.

Phase 1: Expose the Hidden Cost

- Log all unofficial extra hours, skipped lunch breaks, and off-hours communication.Document increased error rates, missed minor deadlines, employee turnover risk, or rising sick leave.

- Identify lower-priority but vital tasks such as process documentation, staff development, system maintenance, or quality assurance that have been dropped to keep core operations afloat.

Phase 2: Frame the Problem as Organizational Risk

- Output is being maintained by depleting human capital and bypassing standard protocols.
- Operations are running with zero capacity buffer; any illness or exit causes immediate failure.

Phase 3: Present Strategic Options

Option A: Maintain Current Output with additional Resources.

Option B: Maintain Current resources but Workload scales down to match actual capacity.

Option C: Status Accept Risks such as higher error rates, delayed turnaround times, burnout).

Phase 4: Enforce Capacity Boundaries

If resources are denied and scope reductions are rejected, manage the capacity boundary:

- Allow process bottlenecks to become visible naturally rather than absorbing them through personal heroics.
- When new tasks arrive, ask explicitly: "Which current deliverable should we deprioritize to accommodate this request?"
- Focus team capacity exclusively on high-impact KPIs to ensure quality on primary goals, letting non-essential tasks slide.

đź”· Invisible labor becomes the infrastructure;
When resilience turns into invisible infrastructure, the only way to get resources is to make the true cost visible.



"I inherited brilliant team, they are good at what they do. They however seem hesitant to speak up or share ideas. Gaps ...
24/08/2026

"I inherited brilliant team, they are good at what they do. They however seem hesitant to speak up or share ideas. Gaps take too long to be reported. I presume they were overmanaged before. Is there a practical framework to create psychological safety?" Asked a manager

Psychological safety isn’t just about being nice: it’s about creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up, challenge ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of judgment.

The 5 As Framework:

1. Ask: Proactively invite input and normalize asking for help.

- “What’s one risk or blind spot in this plan have we not accounted for yet?”

2. Acknowledge: Validate concerns without agreeing or getting defensive.

- “That’s a fair point, let's break it down”

3. Appreciate: Express genuine gratitude when someone speaks up.

- “Thank you for bringing that up "

4. Act: Take visible, tangible action on the feedback shared.

- “Based on your input, we can adjust our milestone dates and scope for this quarter.”

5. Amplify: Champion candor publicly to build a habit across the organization.

- “Shoutout to Alex; calling out that early flaw saved us from a costly mistake.”

đź”· Culture doesn't change through policy. It changes through the micro-conversations leaders model every single day.



"How do I push back on unreasonable demands or unaligned strategic pivots from top executives without risking my career?...
19/08/2026

"How do I push back on unreasonable demands or unaligned strategic pivots from top executives without risking my career?" Asked a manager over a strategy workshop break

Pushing back on senior leadership requires shifting the conversation from a personal objection to a joint problem-solving discussion focused on shared business outcomes.

1. Anchor Your Pushback on Data and Trade-Offs

Rather than saying "no," present the trade-offs clearly. Use the formula: "We can certainly prioritize [New Initiative X], but doing so will require us to delay [Project Y] or scale back on [Deliverable Z]. Which of these should we deprioritize?"

2. Align with Strategy and Executive Goals

Frame your concern around protecting the company's investments or core objectives. For example: "If we pivot to this immediately, we risk compromising our primary goal of [Strategic Objective]."

3. Offer Phased Approaches:

Suggest a pilot project, a phased rollout, or a discovery phase to test assumptions before committing full team resources..

4. Have the Conversation 1-on-1:

Never challenge a senior leader's direction in front of their peers, direct reports, or broader teams. Address concerns in a private a meeting or targeted check-ins.



Stop leading like it's 1985 and wondering why people are disengaged;1. Micro-managing processes rather than establishing...
17/08/2026

Stop leading like it's 1985 and wondering why people are disengaged;

1. Micro-managing processes rather than establishing clear outcomes.
- Controlling every step of how work gets done instead of setting clear goals and granting autonomy.
➡️This stifles innovation, slows ex*****on, and causes top talent to seek environment with greater trust.

2. Making decisions unilaterally in isolation.
- Failing to involve subject-matter experts and frontline team members in decision-making creates strategic blind spots.
➡️It signals that employee perspectives are undervalued, eroding commitment to company goals.

3. Relying on annual reviews instead of real-time coaching.
- Restricting performance feedback to formal, once-a-year evaluations leaves employee development stagnant.
➡️Modern teams thrive on continuous feedback, clear expectations, and regular mentorship.

4. Hoarding information as a form of control.
- Restricting visibility into broader company performance, strategy, and challenges creates uncertainty and rumor-driven cultures. ➡️Transparent leadership builds alignment and fosters psychological safety.

5. Treating employee burnout as an individual weakness.
- Expecting team members to sustain unreasonable workloads without structural support or resources degrades morale. ➡️Ignoring balance drives high performers to leave for organizations that prioritize well-being.

6. Focusing on fault over root-cause resolution.
- Operating in a blame-oriented culture causes employees to conceal mistakes rather than address them collaboratively.
➡️Modern leaders treat missteps as learning opportunities to improve processes.



"Our hands are full, how do we get time to sit in a strategy planning workshop or balance daily operational fires with t...
12/08/2026

"Our hands are full, how do we get time to sit in a strategy planning workshop or balance daily operational fires with the Long term strategic goals?" A manager asked

📍The hard truth: daily fires offer immediate dopamine because they feel urgent and productive. Strategic work gets pushed because it’s abstract and non-urgent until a competitor eats your market share, revenue plummets or your team burns out.

1. Run a "Fire Audit"

If a fire happens once, it’s an anomaly.
If it happens twice, it’s a process failure.
Categorize your urgent tasks: true crises need resolving, but recurring fires need Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or delegation. Stop fixing the same problem twice.

2. Guard your Strategic Window

Strategic work rarely feels urgent until it’s too late. Block 3–4 hours on your calendar every single week for strategic thinking, process optimization, or team development. Treat that time as sacred with the same priority as a meeting with your CEO.

3. Move from Problem Solver to System Builder

If your team brings you every operational fire, you’ve built a dependency, not a team. When someone comes to you with an emergency, stop handing out solutions. Ask: "What do you recommend we do?" Shift decision-making authority downward.

4. Reduce your Quarterly Priorities

When everything is a priority, nothing is. Focus on 3 - 5 core strategic outcomes per quarter. Use them as a filter for new "urgent" requests: Does this support our quarterly outcomes, or is it a distraction?

🔷 You can’t stop fires from starting. But you CAN stop being the default firefighter.



*****on

Address

Nairobi
254

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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