Do you really know what your team needs from your leadership? Here’s how to ensure you’re not stifling your team’s autonomy and productivity
- meganjbrummel
- Sep 1
- 3 min read
Most team ineffectiveness isn’t about a lack of skill. It’s about misunderstanding.
Perhaps someone on your team shuts down after a meeting, and you’re not sure why. Or, maybe your feedback doesn’t seem to land, even though you meant it constructively. Or maybe, despite your best efforts, the energy just feels… off.
If you’ve ever thought, “I’ve tried so many things. I don’t know what else to do”...
This is your wake-up call:
👉 You can’t lead with a mindset of “this is what I would do/think, so I’ll XZY…”
👉 You can’t manage from assumptions.
👉 And you can’t build trust if you don’t understand how your style impacts the people around you.
Leadership starts with self-awareness. And not just the “I’m an introvert/extrovert” kind of self-awareness, but the kind that helps you see yourself the way others experience you.
Here’s the common mistake (even I have fallen into)- managing from your own preferences. It’s human nature to lead the way we like to be led.
If you’re wired for fast decision-making and high expectations, you assume that’s motivating for everyone.
If you value collaboration and connection, you might unintentionally over-include others who prefer autonomy or working on their own.
If you love details and order, ambiguity feels irresponsible, so you tighten control.
But here’s the thing…when your leadership style only considers your working style, it stops serving your team. That’s when team members get quiet and “just do what they’re told.” When creativity is stifled and performance dips. When you feel like you have to guide your team through every little detail. When trust slowly diminishes.
Insights Discovery: The tool that helps us lead from information, NOT assumptions
At Wayfinders Leadership, we use the Insights Discovery framework because it gives teams a language to understand each other at a deeper level. It’s not just a personality quiz. It’s a practical tool that helps you and your team discuss questions like:
Why does this person need more structure than I do?
Why do I avoid certain conversations while others lean in?
How can I stop unintentionally creating stress for my team?
What behaviors do we need to dial up/dial down to be more effective as a team?
The Insights model uses four color energies to reveal behavioral preferences and communication styles. Every person has a unique combination, but how they show up at work is deeply influenced by which energies they lead with:
🔴 Red Energy – Competitive, decisive, results-focused
🔵 Blue Energy – Analytical, precise, process-driven
🟢 Green Energy – Supportive, empathetic, relationship-centered
🟡 Yellow Energy – Enthusiastic, expressive, idea-oriented
The key isn’t labeling people. The key is engaging in conversations so we get real information to work from instead of assumptions. Then, learning how to adapt so you can lead with intention, not just instinct.
Why This Matters (More Than Ever)
I think we’ve all heard it before - people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. They leave teams that don’t get them. They leave environments that drain them.
In a workplace where stress is high, expectations shift, and engagement and agility are everything, self-awareness isn’t optional anymore. It’s your competitive edge.
It helps you:
Spot blind spots with your team before they create breakdowns
Know how to bring out the best in each person on your team
Build cultures where people feel seen, heard, and safe to perform
If you’re not seeing the results you want, stop tweaking your strategy and start by looking in the mirror.
This Is What We Do, and We Do It Passionately.
At Wayfinders Leadership, we don’t run one-size-fits-all training or hand you a color-coded printout and call it a day. We guide leaders and teams through the real work of:
Identifying their preferences and creating team discussions of how they’re perceived (this is different from team member to team member which is why talking about it is so important!)
Understanding what motivates, drains, or activates each person
Building communication and management strategies that align with how people actually operate
If your team is hitting walls or just coasting when you know they’re capable of more, let’s find out what’s getting in the way and we’ll walk with you through it.
Reach out for a leadership session, team experience, or coaching conversation that changes more than just morale, it changes how your people lead, work, and grow together, creating a team environment that your people want to show up to.
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