Helping execs in new roles accelerate impact, build credibility fast and avoid costly transition mistakes | xIBM Consulting | xPwC | Certified Executive Coach

You’ve just landed your next big executive role - congratulations!

Now comes the part no one prepares you for: making it successful.

The hard truth is, 40% of executive transitions fail within 18 months.

And the cost is staggering:

2.5x to 30x the executive’s salary in lost productivity, turnover, and disruption.

Career damage for the executive that can take years to recover from.

Maybe it's your first time at the senior leadership table. 
Maybe you've done this before, but this time, the stakes feel higher. 
Different company, industry, department or role.

Either way, you know this first year will define your reputation and your results.

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You've inherited a team that doesn't fully trust you yet. 
You're navigating company politics, shifting priorities, and sky-high expectations. 
Everyone's watching, but no one's guiding. 
You're smart, experienced, and capable. 
But the pressure to prove yourself is relentless.

This is exactly where I come in.

I help new executives thrive where 40% fail by guiding them through the high-stakes first year.

My coaching is confidential, personalized, and focused on helping you:

✔ Earn trust quickly and secure early credibility
✔ Navigate politics and hidden organizational dynamics
✔ Build and align your leadership team for quick wins
✔ Make high-impact decisions without costly missteps
✔ Lay the foundation for long-term success and legacy

 Why Trust Me?
• 25+ years in Fortune 500 consulting, partnering with senior executives 
• Led $30M+ transformation portfolios and 250+ person practices at IBM 
• Led risk strategy for $100M+ proposals and complex transformations 
• Built and delivered IBM's top global executive coaching programs 
• Certified executive coach with 300+ leaders coached

If you’re ready to accelerate your impact and avoid costly missteps,

let’s make your first year your strongest. 

📩 DM me “Executive Transition” and let’s talk.

Dora Vanourek

That Monday you're dreading
is someone's answered prayer.
We're exhausted by everything we "have to" do.

- Wake up early
- Answer endless emails
- Deal with difficult people
- Attend another meeting

I caught myself overwhelmed by my packed calendar this morning.

Then remembered my friend who's been job hunting for 6 months.

The shift was instant:

What feels like just another day:

→ Monday morning alarm
→ Back-to-back meetings 
→ Endless client calls
→ Inbox overflowing
→ Weekend work sessions

What it really is:

→ Income that supports your life
→ People who value your expertise
→ Clients who trust your guidance 
→ Work that has real impact
→ Freedom to build something

This isn't about toxic positivity.

Or pretending everything's perfect.

Or ignoring real challenges.

It's about perspective.

Every "I have to" is actually an "I get to" in disguise.

What's one thing you're dreading today that someone else would be grateful for?

♻️ Repost for someone who forgot they're fortunate
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for leadership & career insights

If you're not growing in your job, you're shrinking.

But shrinking feels like stability.

Like patience.
Commitment.
Paying your dues.

So you start telling yourself:

'The market's tough right now.' 
'I'm lucky to have a job.' 
'Maybe next quarter will be different.'

And while you're being 'patient':

Someone with half your experience gets promoted.

Someone who started after you becomes your boss.

The job-hopper is making 40% more.

If your company isn't investing in your growth, 
you're not building a career -
you're maintaining theirs.

They get your best years. 
You get a review that says 'meets expectations.'

Growth isn't just about moving up.

It's about expanding your skills.
Taking on challenges that scare you.
Working with people who believe in you.

Ask yourself:

- When did you last learn something that changed how you work?

- Who's invested in your development this quarter?

- What skills are you building for your next role?

If it's tough to answer these, you're not stable.

You're stuck.

And stuck is just shrinking in slow motion.

The riskiest career move isn't leaving too soon.

It's staying too long.

How will you feel next year if nothing changes?

Your growth doesn't need permission.

♻️ Repost to remind someone that loyalty without growth is a trap
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

"I found a better opportunity."

Translation: I found a leader who values me.

I've coached hundreds through resignations.

The real reason they leave: 
it's rarely what they say at first.

Behind "better opportunity" or "career growth" is something deeper:

They don't feel valued.

Nobody says thank you.

Their ideas get ignored. 
Their skills go unused. 
They've stopped learning.

If you want to keep your best people:

- Truly listen
- Say thank you
- Seek their ideas
- Appreciate them
- Provide flexibility
- Make time for them
- Ask for their opinions
- Share timely feedback
- Ask how they really are
- Involve them in decisions
- Provide growth opportunities
- Communicate with transparency
- Trust them to make the right decisions

You don't need a budget for any of these.

Just intention, and genuinely caring for your people.

Be the leader you wish you had.

♻️ Repost to remind someone they matter
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for leadership & career insights

7 phrases that are quietly damaging your credibility:

(and what to say instead)

1. I'll try:
↳ Sounds like you're already half-expecting to fail.
↳ Say: "I'll complete it by Friday and will keep you updated on my progress."

2. No offence, but…:
↳ Nothing good ever follows this phrase. 
↳ Say: "Here's my perspective." or "I see it differently."

3. This might be a stupid question, but…:
↳ Undermines your question before you even ask it.
↳ Say: "I'd like to clarify something."

4. That's not my problem:
↳ Makes you sound dismissive and unhelpful.
↳ Say: "Let me help you find the right person."

5. We've always done it this way:
↳ Makes you appear resistant to change.
↳ Say: "Let's consider other options."

6. I guess…:
↳ Shows lack of confidence.
↳ Say: "Here's what I think." or "This is what I know so far."

7. Does that make sense?
↳ Sounds like you're doubting yourself or the other person's intelligence.
↳ Say: "What questions do you have?"

Your words shape how others perceive you. 

Own your words, own your impact.

♻️ Repost to help someone.
🔔 Follow Dora Vanourek for more.

7 seemingly innocent phrases that hurt your credibility

Self-doubt kills more careers than 
bad bosses ever could.

It paralyzes talented people into inaction.

And pushes many of us into traps like:

❌ Waiting to feel confident before starting
❌ Seeking perfection before launching
❌ Taking "one more certification" before applying

But perfect circumstances never come.

A year ago, I left my 25+ year corporate career.

It was the scariest step I ever took.

Nothing was guaranteed.

Yet, my family depended on me.

And honestly? I am still figuring it out every day.

But I realized that waiting for "safe" was the biggest risk of all.

Small steps will change your life:

1. Stop collecting certifications like armour
→ You already know enough to take the first step
→ True learning happens in the doing

2. Shift your mindset
→ Replace "I'm not qualified" with "I'll figure it out"
→ Turn "I'm not ready" into "I'll learn as I go"

3. Build momentum
→ Take one small step. Then another.
→ Progress creates confidence, not the other way around

Remember, someone with half your talent is out there doing it.

You are more than ready.

Take that first step today.

♻️ Repost to remind someone to bet on themselves
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

We've built hiring systems that strip away humanity.

Then we wonder why trust is broken from day one.

It’s because we have normalized 
the unacceptable:

❌ Posting ghost jobs to signal growth
→ while real people wait for an email that never comes

❌ Automated rejections
→ after someone spent hours filling out a complicated application form

❌ Six rounds of interviews
→ because no one trusts anyone else's judgement

❌ Ghosting people after the final rounds
→ because giving feedback is not a priority

❌ "Not enough experience"
→ when they could learn the job in a month

The hiring managers feel this too.

They're drowning in reqs.
Pressured by systems they didn't design.
Told to move fast while also de-risking every hire.

People are not numbers.

Every resume represents someone's hopes.
Their rent. Their kids' futures.
Their career turning point.

To the hiring managers doing their best within broken systems:

Thank you. It matters more than you know.

♻️ Repost if you believe hiring should be more human
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

People won't remember your job title.

They'll remember how you made them feel.

Because true happiness at work isn't about being employed.

It's about feeling valued.

The best leaders live by this.

They don't just manage tasks.
They empower people to grow.
They appreciate them genuinely.

Be that leader:

- Listen without judgement
- Provide stretch assignments
- Genuinely ask, "How are you?"
- Be kind, even on the tough days
- Open doors to new opportunities
- Acknowledge their unique strengths
- Empower others to explore and learn
- Share feedback that helps others thrive
- Invite input in decisions that impact others
- Show appreciation - it means more than you know
- Believe in someone before they believe in themselves

Leadership isn't just about budgets or targets.

It's about kindness, respect, and leaving people better than when you met them.

Have you had a great leader?
Tag them to thank them ⬇️ 

♻️ Repost to inspire your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

Early in my career, I made the same mistake 
with every piece of feedback.

It's not that I disagreed with what they said.

I just wanted to explain myself.
Provide context.
Share the circumstances.

I didn't want them to think I was incapable.

But here's what they heard:

Excuses.

And over time, people stopped telling me the truth.

Here's what I wish I understood sooner:

When you stop listening, people stop sharing.

And that's when growth stops too.

5 ways to receive feedback without getting defensive:

1. Pause before responding
→ Your first instinct is to explain. Resist it
→ Take a breath. Let the words settle.

2. Say "thank you" first
→ Even if it stings. Especially then
→ Gratitude keeps the door open for next time

3. Reflect on it later
→ You don't have to process it in the moment
→ Come back with questions tomorrow

4. Find the truth in it
→ Even if you don't agree 100%, there's usually something real
→ Find the 10% of truth, even if the other 90% is wrong

5. Separate the message from the delivery
→ Feedback can be poorly delivered and still be true
→ Don't let imperfect delivery block valuable insight

The most coachable people grow the fastest.

Not because they're the smartest.

But because they stay open when it's uncomfortable.

♻️ Repost to help someone stay coachable
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for modern leadership

Most leaders obsess over the wrong things.

They chase better processes.

Refine strategies.

Restructure teams.

And when results don't improve:

They apply pressure.
Tighten timelines.
Use fear as a tactic.

Meanwhile, the people who care the most, stop caring.

The best leaders do the opposite:

✅ Know their names and their stories
↳ "How's your daughter's soccer season?"

✅ Treat everyone with equal respect
↳ The intern's time matters as much as the VP's. Act like it

✅ Follow through on their feedback
↳ Actually listen and act. Or explain why not. Silence kills trust faster than "no"

✅ Share your own mistakes first
↳ "Here's where I messed up" opens doors to honesty

✅ Replace "Who did this?" with "What can we learn?"
↳ One question assigns blame. The other builds resilience

✅ Address toxic behaviour quickly
↳ Every day you wait, good people update their resumes

You don't need another framework.

You need to look up from your spreadsheet and see the humans in front of you.

Before the best ones stop caring completely.

♻️ Repost to inspire people-first leadership
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

High performers don't always get promoted.

Sometimes they get silenced.

You're excelling at everything 
- except getting recognized for it.

The problem isn't your performance.

It's how your success makes someone else feel.

7 signs your boss sees you as a threat:

1. The Control Trap 🔍
↳ They micromanage you while trusting others
↳ Build relationships beyond your manager

2. The Information Freeze ❄️
↳ You're always the last to hear what's happening
↳ Create multiple information channels

3. Credit Confusion 🎭
↳ Your wins become nameless "team efforts"
↳ Document your contributions consistently

4. The Expertise Challenge 🧠
↳ They undermine your expertise in front of others
↳ Back your ideas with clear data

5. The Strategic Isolation 🔒
↳ "Accidentally" excluding you from key meetings
↳ Join high-visibility projects independently

6. The Performance Paradox 📊
↳ Lukewarm reviews despite strong results
↳ Collect written feedback from peers and clients

7. The Growth Block ⛔
↳ Your opportunities mysteriously keep getting delayed
↳ Create your own path outside formal systems

Remember: Their insecurity is not your ceiling.

You don't need to shrink to keep others comfortable.

Keep showing up.

📌 Navigating your first year in a new role?

Get weekly insights in The First Year newsletter: 
dora.coach 

♻️ Repost to help someone
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

7 Signs Your Boss Sees You as a Threat

Toxic managers don’t just crush your confidence.

They rewire how you see yourself.

They use guilt, fear, and shame to maintain control.

Their tactics leave you questioning:

❌ your judgement
❌ your worth
❌ and even your sanity

But it's not you – it's them.

7 phrases toxic managers use:
(and how to protect yourself)

1. You should be grateful you even have a job
↳ Uses fear to silence your legitimate concerns
↳ "I want to contribute effectively. Can we find a solution?"

2. Everyone else is managing just fine
↳ Unfair comparison shames you into silence
↳ "Let's review my workload and priorities"

3. I have a lot of pressure from above, so you need to...
↳ Shifts poor planning onto your shoulders
↳ "I understand. Let's align on priorities"

4. You're being too sensitive
↳ Minimizes feelings to avoid personal accountability
↳ "This is affecting my work performance"

5. I'm doing this for your own good
↳ Masks controlling behaviour as genuine care
↳ "Can you explain how this helps me?"

6. If you were really loyal, you'd stay late...
↳ Emotional guilt-trips to ignore healthy boundaries
↳ "Can we align earlier on priorities?"

7. You're lucky I'm protecting you
↳ Creates dependence through imagined threats
↳ "What am I being protected from?"

You can't change who they are.

 But you can control what you tolerate.

You deserve to thrive, not just survive.

♻ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

📌 Navigating your first year in a new role?
Get weekly insights in The First Year newsletter: 
https://lnkd.in/gkbJnUVb

7 phrases toxic managers say to manipulate you

Nobody deserves to be insulted or belittled.

Too often, we stay silent and wish we'd spoken up.

Or we react emotionally and regret it later.

There's a better way to respond with calm, clarity, and strength.

7 ways to handle insults at work:

1. Seek Clarification
↳ Make them reflect on what they said
↳ Did you mean to embarrass me just now?

2. Set Boundaries
↳ Clearly state what behaviour isn't acceptable
↳ That tone is not ok with me.

3. Use the Pause Technique
↳ Strategic silence followed by a calm response
↳ [Pause] Let's take a step back and approach this differently.

4. Mirror With Professionalism
↳ Reflect their behaviour so they confront it
↳ I'm hearing frustration. Is there a bigger issue?

5. Redirect to Solutions
↳ Shift from personal attack to problem-solving
↳ Let's focus on next steps, not assigning blame.

6. Use Humour (if it fits your style)
↳ A light touch can defuse tension
↳ That's one way to start a Wednesday meeting!

7. The Direct Approach
↳ The clearest response is often most powerful
↳ That was inappropriate. Let's restart or pause here.

You don't have to shrink to keep the peace.

Stand your ground with calm power.

📌 Navigating your first year in a new role?
Get weekly insights in The First Year newsletter:
https://lnkd.in/gkbJnUVb

7 Smart ways to handle insults at work

The fastest way to fail in a new role?

Do exactly what got you hired.

It's called the competence trap - 
where your biggest strength becomes your blind spot.

7 mistakes leaders make in the first 100 days:

1. Misreading the Culture 🏢
↳ Seeing surface behaviours but missing deeper values
↳ Schedule listening tours with employees at all levels

2. Bringing the Old Playbook 📚
↳ Forcing familiar fixes onto problems creates resistance
↳ Ask "Why is it done this way?" to understand

3. Neglecting Key Stakeholders 🤝
↳ Focusing only on direct reports misses critical support
↳ Map all stakeholders and build an engagement plan

4. Moving Too Fast on Team Changes 👥
↳ Misreading team dynamics creates unnecessary instability
↳ Assess systematically before making changes

5. Underestimating Organizational Politics 🎭
↳ Overlooking hidden alliances leads to blindsided resistance
↳ Map informal networks before launching initiatives

6. Failing to Renegotiate Unclear Mandates ⚖️
↳ Not clarifying conflicting expectations from stakeholders
↳ Renegotiate KPIs and budgets

7. Energy Depletion 🔋
↳ Proving yourself while well-being slips
↳ Remember: your energy, not just time, is your scarcest resource

Success isn't about your track record.

It's about decoding the rules where you are now.

📌 Navigating your first year in a new role?
Get weekly insights in The First Year newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gkbJnUVb

♻ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Dora Vanourek for more

7 Mistakes Leaders Make in the First 100 Days

📈 Optimising Org Cultures, Leaders and Teams. 🌏 Global Consultant l Trainer l Executive Coach l Diverse Keynote Speaker. 🎤 Founder of the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast and movement. 📩 DM to enquire!

Enough about me. DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU 👇🏽
✔ You're a high performing team and know there's always stuff to work on. 
✔ You value developing yourself and others.  
✔ You know that fresh thinking, honest conversations and connection comes from taking yourself out of your day to day. 

Or... 

✔ Your culture looks fine on paper... but things feel off.
✔ Your leaders say the right things... but struggle to live them.
✔ Your team’s stretched, stuck, or quietly disengaged.

If you’re nodding, we should talk.

I help leaders make culture change practical and lasting.

No fluff. No frameworks for the sake of it. 

Just real conversations, practical tools, and actions that actually make work better.

Through my consulting, workshops, and coaching, I help build:

✔ Leaders people trust and want to believe in
✔ Teams that work well together
✔ Cultures where people find meaning in what they do

When I’m not doing that, you’ll find me:

🎙 Hosting the Ways to Change the Workplace podcast

📘 Talking all things culture in my book Make Work Meaningful: How To Create A Culture That Leaves A Legacy ⚡

💬 Speaking with leaders who actually give a damn

If you care enough to make work better — let’s chat. ⚡

Prina Shah

The best leaders I've worked with all have one thing in common: You never have to guess where you stand.

After years of working under different leadership styles and supporting those in leadership, I've learned to spot the green flags early. 

These are the behaviours that separate real leaders from people who just have the title.

Here's what to look for:

- They own their mistakes publicly
No deflecting. No blame-shifting. When something goes wrong on their watch, they say "that was my mistake" in front of the team.

- They're comfortable saying "I don't know"
Instead of making things up on the spot, they say "let me find out" and actually follow up with the answer.

- They ask "what happened?" not "who messed up?"
When problems arise, they focus on fixing the process, not finding a scapegoat.

- They make time when you need it
When you say you need to talk, they block time today. Not next week. Urgent support doesn't wait for convenience.

- They give credit where others can see it
You're copied on emails to senior leadership when they're praising your work. No secondhand recognition.

- They disagree with you directly
If they don't agree with your approach, they tell you in a conversation. Not through sideways comments in team meetings.

The pattern is clear: the best leaders don't manage people, they remove obstacles.

What's a green flag you've noticed in great leaders?

Follow Prina Shah for more on culture, leadership and change at work.

Prina Shah 

Making work better with people who give a damn ⚡ Author of Make Work Meaningful | Global Consultant | Facilitator l Speaker | Coach l Podcast Host

You are the most important project you will ever work on.
And the one most leaders neglect.

Leaders spend years improving systems, strategies, and teams.

- They track performance.
- They refine processes.
- They push for results.

But they rarely apply the same discipline to themselves.

Energy gets ignored.
Habits go unchecked.
Reactions become automatic.
And all the growth gets postponed.

Over time, that neglect shows up everywhere.

+ In decision quality.
+ In how pressure is handled.
+ In the culture that forms around them.

The leaders who sustain impact treat themselves differently.

 They reflect regularly.
 They manage their energy.
 They challenge their own patterns.
 They invest in growth beyond performance metrics.

Your leadership can only grow as far as you do.
If you want better outcomes, start with the one project:
↳ Lead yourself well → The rest will follow. I've seen it in practice.

- If this made you pause, it’s worth passing on.
- Follow Prina Shah for more culture-first leadership insights.
- Tune into ep. 151. of the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast - You are the GREATEST project that you will EVER work on: https://lnkd.in/gk5Md5te

Most leadership problems are not about skill.
They are about self-leadership.

Pressure does not change leaders.
It exposes them.

When stress rises,
Some leaders react.
And others regulate.

Reactive leaders create urgency without clarity.

 They tighten control.
 They respond emotionally.
 They delay hard conversations.

And the same problems keep resurfacing.

Self-led leaders move differently.

 They address issues early.
 They pause before responding.
 They separate feedback from ego.
 They trust people to own the work.
 They create clarity first, then momentum.

Your team feels how you lead yourself before they hear what you say.

Self-leadership is not a personality trait.
It is a daily discipline.

And it determines whether pressure builds performance or quietly erodes it.

If this made you pause, it’s worth passing on.
Follow Prina Shah for more culture-first leadership insights.

Every time you set a clear boundary, you say yes to more freedom.

- Freedom from explaining yourself.
- Freedom from quiet resentment.
- Freedom from carrying what is not yours.

But many leaders were taught that boundaries limit connection.

So…
- they overextend.
- they stay available.
- they absorb more than they should.
Not because they lack strength. But because they care.

Yet boundaries do not reduce generosity.
They make it sustainable.

A boundary is not a wall.

It is a line that protects your energy,
so you can show up with intention instead of obligation.

And when you say no to what drains you:
↳ you say yes to what actually matters.

And that is what leadership freedom really looks like.

If this resonates, I explored these ideas more deeply in Episode 153 of the Ways to Change the Workplace podcast - an honest conversation about boundaries when everyone knows you.

You can listen here:
https://lnkd.in/gcANCmDU

Repost now with others to help them with this.

Follow Prina Shah for more on making work - actually work for all.

⚡If 2026 is the year you stop tolerating mediocre advice and start learning from people who actually know their craft, read this...

As work ramps up, here’s a reminder of some of my brilliant consultant friends in Perth who are genuinely worth learning from.

Not loud. Not fluffy. Just deeply credible humans doing meaningful work.

You have to check out these brilliant minds. Here’s what their LinkedIn headline says:

- Sarah Whitelaw, Leadership and Organisational Development - Strategic HR and Change Management
- Ro Gorell, Change Leadership Coach |Author | Change Expert
- Dr Vish Ramakonar, Empowering a Future of Thriving Organisations| NCSC@NeuroChangeSolutions |Neuroscience Culture Transformation
- Melanie (Mel) Henry, new friend - Organisational development consultant, Cultural change agent, Researcher
- Louise Chesby, HR & Organisational Development
- Trina Sunday, CEO | HR Game Changer | Board Member | Soccer Mum | FCPHR
- Joel Birch, Expert with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method, Certified Facilitator & Pro Trainer, Systems, Strategy, & Playful Problem-Wrangling
- Dr Marny Lishman, Author / Speaker / Doctor of Psychology / Mindset Coach / Mental Health Consultant
- Charlotte Mawle, I Help CEOs Achieve AI Adoption Through Their People | Executive Coach for Midlife Women in Leadership Transitions
- Aden Date, Unboring Team Development | Creative Teamwork Trainer & Facilitator | Connection, Collaboration & Communication
- Elena Lennox, Workplace Wellbeing Specialist I Strategic Resilience Training | Psychosocial Safety Implementation | Career Transformation Coach | Womens’ Champion | Stress Management Specialist
- Mike Dyson, Building leaders and teams social & emotional capacity - Consultant - Facilitator - Program Designer.
- Marija Andacic, Managing Director | GAICD | FAIM | Non Executive Director | Vice President
- Rachel Bermoy, Founder @ Buteros | enhancing client performance and outcomes by reinvesting exceptional industry veteran wisdom
- Esmee Ng, CEO at Health Empower Australia | Positive Psychology Practitioner | Family Leadership Educator - Guiding Leaders to Lead Well at Home
- Angela Walls, in search of her next adventure - watch this space Perth!
- Me, Prina Shah, Making work better with people who give a damn ⚡ Author of Make Work Meaningful | Global Consultant | Facilitator l Speaker | Coach l Podcast Host

I have a referral sheet with many of their details.

DM me if you want trusted introductions or are serious about making work more meaningful in 2026.

You are not alone in this work.

♻️ If you believe Perth deserves more visibility for its depth of talent, share this with your network.
⚡ Follow Prina Shah for practical, culture-first ways to improve work and developing the best people.

High performers are rewarded for movement.
Delivery. Progress. Results.

So when a career pause appears, the discomfort can feel unsettling.
Not because something is wrong…
but because momentum has always been how worth was measured.

When progress slows…
↳ the mind looks for a problem.
↳ stillness starts to feel suspicious.
↳ and the urge to “fix” (something or anything) kicks in.

But not every pause is a problem to solve.
Some are fallow periods.

Quiet phases where nothing looks productive on the surface, yet something essential is reorganising underneath.

These phases don’t announce themselves as growth.
They arrive as restlessness, doubt, and uncertainty.
Especially for people used to clarity and pace.

If you’re struggling in a quieter season
↳ it doesn’t mean you’re behind.

It often means the old way no longer fits

And the next shape hasn’t fully formed yet.

Stay with the phase.
It’s doing work you can’t rush.
If this feels familiar, I spoke more about these fallow periods.

We’ve discussed how to work with them instead of against them
↳ on the Ways to Change the Workplace podcast.

You can find the episode here:
https://lnkd.in/g5AsUpk4

Follow Prina Shah for reflections on work, culture, and change.

Why Career Pauses Feel Hardest for High Performers?

You are the greatest project that you will EVER work on!
Not that project you’re returning to.

A new episode of Ways to Change the Workplace is live.

This one is personal.

Because after years of working with leaders, HR teams, and employees across organisations, I’ve noticed something consistent.

We invest heavily in:

• Strategies
• Systems
• Culture initiatives

But we spend very little time working on the one thing that influences all of it.

Ourselves.

In this episode, I talk about why you are the greatest project you will ever work on.

Not your role.
Not your title.
Not the next piece of work on your list.

You.

This conversation is for leaders, HR professionals, and anyone who wants work to feel more meaningful without adding more pressure.

🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://buff.ly/zkzRXet 

If it resonates, I’ve also created a FREE Self Coaching Guide to help you pause, reflect, and recalibrate how you show up at work.

📥 Download it here: https://buff.ly/E8hGbLK

Because you don’t change workplaces by accident.
You change them by changing how you show up.

Follow Prina Shah for more on making work less meh!

In small towns, saying no rarely feels simple.

Because it is not just professional.
- It is personal.
- It travels fast.
- It gets remembered.

So leaders soften their limits.

Until “yes” becomes automatic and boundaries quietly disappear.

But strong boundaries do not start with confrontation.
They start with clear language.

+ You are allowed to pause before agreeing.
+ You are allowed to protect your time and spaces.
+ You are allowed to repeat your boundaries without apology.

Because “no” does not have to be harsh.

→ It can be calm.
→ It can be consistent.
→ It can be respectful.

In small towns, boundaries are not about distance.
They are about sustainability.

You are not difficult for having limits.

You are leading responsibly.

Tune in to episode 153 for a grounded, honest conversation about what boundaries really look like when everyone knows you:
https://lnkd.in/gcANCmDU

Follow Prina Shah for more on making work - actually work for all.

Some leaders read numbers.
Great leaders read people.

And the first person they need to read is 
→ themselves.

Most leadership problems don’t start with strategy.

They start with how the leader shows up under pressure.

When tension rises, 
people don’t listen to what you say.
↳ They watch how you react in that situation.

Your presence sets the emotional climate.

Before a word is spoken, the room already knows
whether it feels safe or tense.

Your reactions teach the team what’s allowed.

Curiosity invites honesty.
Defensiveness shuts it down.

Your boundaries quietly become the culture.

What you tolerate repeatedly stops being an exception and becomes the norm.

Over time, patterns repeat.
Not because the team won’t change
↳ but because the leader hasn’t…

This is why self-leadership always comes first.

If you want a stronger team, look upstream.

Teams rarely outgrow the leader above them.
Your energy sets the pace.
Your growth sets the ceiling.

Lead yourself well.
↳ Everything else follows.

If this made you pause, it’s worth passing on.
Follow Prina Shah for more culture-first leadership insights.

Self-Leadership Before Team Leadership

We don’t talk enough about those quiet, uncomfortable, in-between phases in our careers... 

— the ones where it feels like nothing is happening.

Feel like you’re stuck?
You might just be sprouting.

But what if that silence is actually your next chapter taking root?

In this week’s episode of The Ways to Change the Workplace podcast, I dive into fallow periods — what they are, why they matter, and how to navigate them without guilt.

I’m talking:
→ Why doing “nothing” is still doing something
→ A real-world story from a client who turned her career lull into a launchpad
→ Practical steps to embrace the pause (and stop panicking in the quiet)

🎧 Tune in now to reframe your slow season as your most fertile one yet.
👉 Listen here: https://buff.ly/id8lUFM 
📩 DM me if this hit home — and tag someone who needs to hear it.
⚡ Folow Prina Shah for more on leadership, culture and change.

Not moving? Doesn’t mean you’re not growing.
We glorify the hustle. We celebrate the grind...
 
But what about those stretches where it feels like… nothing’s happening?

Let me tell you this loud and clear:

Fallow periods in your career are not failures.

They are fertile periods.

🌱 It’s in the silence that the next big idea takes root.
🌱 It’s in the pause that you rediscover your drive.
🌱 It’s in the downtime that you lay the groundwork for your boldest moves.

So if you’re in a career lull right now –

Don’t panic.
Don’t compare.
Don’t rush to fill the space.

🌱 Embrace it. Reflect. Recharge.

Because sometimes, doing nothing leads to the very best something.

🎧 I dive deeper into this on my podcast episode all about navigating those ‘in-between’ seasons: https://buff.ly/id8lUFM 

Listen now to “Fallow Periods in Your Career” on The Ways to Change the Workplace podcast.

You’ll walk away feeling seen – and more hopeful than you think.

🌱 Have you found unexpected growth in your quiet seasons? Drop your story – I’d love to hear it.

🧠 Thanks to everyone who's directly told me that the concept of a fallow period resonates.

👇🏽 Check out the below and be sure to tune into ep. 152 of my Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast.

https://lnkd.in/g5AsUpk4

Everyone talks about career momentum.
No one talks about the seasons where slowing down is the smartest move.

A career fallow period isn’t confusion.
It’s recalibration.

This is the phase where forcing clarity backfires
and pressure creates noise instead of answers.
Most people drain themselves here by trying to look decisive.

+ They rush.
+ They compare.
+ They overcommit, not because it’s right,

But because stillness makes them uncomfortable.

But the leaders who grow through this phase do the opposite.

 They pause before they pivot.
 They choose restraint over reaction.
 They let patterns reveal themselves instead of chasing certainty.
Nothing looks dramatic on the outside.

But internally…
↳ Standards are being reset.
↳ Energy is being redirected.
↳ Better questions are replacing rushed decisions.

This is where long-term direction is formed… QUIETLY.

If you’re navigating a fallow period right now, don’t rush to fix it.
Learn how to use it.
 Tune into this episode of the Ways to Change the Workplace Podcast on fallow periods in one’s career:
https://lnkd.in/g5AsUpk4

Not every season is meant to produce results.
Some are meant to produce clarity.

Repost if this resonated.
Follow Prina Shah for thought-provoking ideas on work, culture, and change.

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Prina Shah

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The Battle

Dora Vanourek

Prina Shah

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dora Vanourek's LinkedIn Performance

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