Is It Leadership or a Distraction? What Might Be Hiding Beneath Your Efforts to Lead
Why This Matters
As a leadership coach, I’ve talked with many leaders who appear to be doing all the right things: launching new initiatives, encouraging collaboration, and reorganizing teams—on paper, it all looks great. But sometimes, these actions don’t produce real change. Instead, they keep the team busy, avoid uncomfortable truths, and protect the leader’s image.
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. As a leadership coach, I’ve talked with many leaders who appear to be doing all the right things: launching new initiatives, encouraging collaboration, and reorganizing teams—on paper, it all looks great. But sometimes, these actions don’t produce real change. Instead, they keep the team busy, avoid uncomfortable truths, and protect the leader’s image.
A recent study from INSEAD coined a powerful phrase for this: defensive organizing. It’s what happens when leaders, often without realizing it, turn organizational efforts into a way to avoid their own anxiety about underperformance or not being seen as competent.
𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁
You may be engaging in defensive organizing if:
You’re reorganizing instead of dealing with people problems.
You launch new projects but avoid hard conversations about performance.
You delegate meaningful work to others but then criticize or undermine their efforts.
You create a “vision” but stay vague on accountability.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Many leaders do this unconsciously. It’s a way to look in control while avoiding what’s uncomfortable—uncertainty, vulnerability, or the possibility that you might be contributing to the very issues you're trying to fix.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗸
Oftentimes this is about protecting ourselves from feeling exposed. Leaders are expected to be strong, clear, and decisive. But behind the scenes, that pressure can trigger:
Politicking: Building alliances to stay safe.
Busyness theater: Filling the calendar with meetings and tasks that don’t move the needle.
Toxic positivity: Overemphasizing enthusiasm and downplaying hard truths.
Change for change’s sake: Making structural shifts with little substance, just to feel “in motion.”
All of these can start from a good place—but end up keeping us from doing the real work of leadership.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗗𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱
Leadership isn’t about always having the answers. It’s about having the courage to ask the right questions—even when they make you uncomfortable.
𝙎𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙣. Ask yourself: Am I launching this because it’s what we need—or because it makes me feel better?
𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧. It’s OK to say: “I’m not sure why this happened, and that concerns me.” Honesty can build trust.
𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. Create space for others to tell you what’s working and what’s not—without retribution.
True leadership doesn’t hide from discomfort—it walks through it. Not perfectly, but honestly.
