How to Lead Without Losing Your Sauce

If the title costs you your identity, it wasn't a promotion -- it was a personality tax.

THE PROBLEM

You finally got the role you fought for, and instead of feeling powerful, you feel like you've been dropped into someone else's life. Suddenly, everyone has opinions about who you "should" be.

THE CHEAT CODE

Promotions don't require reinvention. They require re-centering.

Instead of trying to become someone new, return to the version of you that made this level possible.

⚡ WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW

Use the box to draft your Leadership Re-Centering Map:

Identify one behavior you only do to keep others comfortable -- and stop doing it.
Identify one part of your personality that got you here -- and amplify it.
Identify one new boundary your new role requires -- and enforce it immediately.

THE TRAP

Don't try to match the ghost of whoever used to have the role. Their story isn't your assignment.

YOUR SHADOW WORK

Write your reflections in the box below.

Who am I performing for?
Which part of me am I diluting to make others feel safe?
What part of my old self am I afraid to outgrow?

THE STRATEGIC TRUTH

They expect you to shapeshift for their convenience, their comfort, and their chaos.

But real leaders don't contort. They decide which parts of them scale -- and which parts are retired with gratitude for the growth experience.

The world will take whatever identity you don't claim.

Write your script

Promotions don't require reinvention -- they require re-centering. Your new role works best when you lead from your strengths, not from others' expectations. Instead of trying to become someone new, return to the version of you that made this level possible.

EXAMPLE:

"I'm shaping this role around the strengths that got me here -- that's what will make us successful."

CHEAT CODE COMPLETE

You've got the intel.

Now go make your move.

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How to Lead Without Losing Your Sauce

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