Season 5: Episode 139: The Human Side of Leadership™: What If You’re the Problem?

Send us Fan Mail What if the recurring problem in your organization is not your employee, your culture, your process, or your systems? What if part of the problem is you? In Episode 139 of *No Silver Spoons*, Sarah Beth Herman continues **The Human Side of Leadership™ Summer Series** with one of the most uncomfortable leadership conversations of the season: self-awareness, blind spots, accountability, psychological safety, and the impact leaders have on the environments they create. This episode is not about blaming leaders for everything that goes wrong. It is about becoming secure enough to ask one question: **“What part of this belongs to me?”** Sarah explores why success and authority can actually make self-awareness harder, why employees may stop giving honest feedback even when a leader believes their “door is always open,” and what research tells us about the gap between how self-aware people think they are and how self-aware they actually are. She also discusses the surprising research behind high-performing healthcare teams that reported more errors, not necessarily because they made more mistakes, but because people felt safer talking about the mistakes that were already happening. The episode challenges leaders to examine patterns, not just people. If every employee becomes “too sensitive,” maybe the communication deserves another look. If nobody takes initiative, maybe the leader is unintentionally overriding every decision. If the same problem keeps returning with different people, maybe the system deserves investigation too. And because the leader is part of the system, sometimes that investigation has to include us. Episode 139 also sets up the final episode of Season 5 and **The Human Side of Leadership™ Summer Series**, followed by the Season 6 premiere in Episode 141. # **In This Episode** Sarah explores the gap between intention and impact, why authority changes the way people communicate with leaders, how silence can become learned behavior, and why leaders should never mistake a lack of disagreement for genuine alignment. She also looks at psychological safety, accountability, employee engagement, and why a leader’s title can create a power difference even when they see themselves as approachable. The episode closes with one practical challenge: choose one recurring problem in your organization and ask yourself what you may be doing, allowing, rewarding, avoiding, or failing to communicate that is helping it continue. # **Key Takeaways** - Self-awareness is more than understanding your intentions. - Authority changes how people experience conversations with you. - Silence does not always mean agreement. - Good intentions do not erase poor impact. - Psychological safety and accountability can coexist. - Recurring problems are data. - Leaders should examine systems, communication, and their own behavior before assuming the problem is always someone else. - Feedback is information, not a verdict. - Accountability that only travels downward is authority, not true accountability. # **Featured Quotes** > 01. “Being a good person does not mean you can’t be the problem in the room.” > 02. “My title changes the room whether I want it to or not.” > 03. “Sometimes silence is learned behavior.” > 04. “Good intentions do not cancel out bad impact.” > 05. “Sometimes we create the behavior we later resent.” > 06. “Patterns are data.” > 07. “What part of this belongs to me?” > 08. “You know your intentions. Other people know your impact. A mature leader needs information from both.” > 09. “Accountability that only travels down an organization isn’t really accountability. It’s authority.” > 10. “Your title should never make you unreachable. Your success should never make you unteachable.” # **That’s Good Moment** Think of one recurring problem in your organization. Pick one. Maybe it is turnover, poor communication, missed deadlines, weak initiative, ineffective meetings, burnout, or a team that constantly brings every decision back to you. Then ask: **What am I doing, allowing, rewarding, avoiding, or failing to communicate that might be helping this continue?** Sit with the question before answering it. Then, if you really want to test your self-awareness, ask someone you trust what they see. When they answer, do not immediately explain, correct, or defend your intentions. Listen first. You may discover the problem is not you. You may discover part of it is. Either answer gives you something useful. # **Research and Statistics Mentioned** Research discussed in this episode includes findings from organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich suggesting that while roughly **95% of people believe they are self-aware, only about 10% to 15% may actually meet stronger criteria for self-awareness**. The episode also discusses Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety in healthcare environments, including the counterintuitive finding that stronger-performing teams sometimes reported more errors because employees were more willing to discuss mistakes. Gallup research is also referenced regarding the influence managers have on employee engagement across business units. # **Sponsor** **The Human Side of Leadership™ Summer Series is sponsored by Dentistry Support®.** Dentistry Support® provides remote dental office support for dental practices across the country, including eligibility verification, billing and accounts receivable, phone support, and administrative services. Dental practice owners and leaders can also access **FREE TRAINING** at DentistrySupport.com with practical resources covering leadership, team performance, dental operations, and real-world practice challenges. # Season 5 and Season 6 Teaser Episode 139 leaves just **one episode remaining** in **The Human Side of Leadership™ Summer Series**. Episode 140 will close Season 5 with one final question: **What will people remember about the way you led them?** Then Episode 141 officially opens Season 6 with a dedicated introduction to the new season, including what the season will cover, why this direction matters, and what listeners can expect as *No Silver Spoons* moves through the end of 2026 and begins preparing for 2027. Support the show SOCIALS: No Silver Spoons®: Instagram Dentistry Support: Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin The Dental Collaborative: Facebook Sarah Beth Herman: LinkedIn | Personal Bio | Links Free Training for Dental Offices **DISCLAIMER:** The content provided in this podcast, including by Sarah Beth Herman and any affiliated guests, is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice, including but not limited to medical, legal, or business consulting services. Listeners engage with the content at their own risk and are responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented. No guarantees are made regarding the accuracy or completeness of the content. For any questions, clarifications, or crediting of sources, please contact us directly, and we will make necessary adjustments.