What's Your Leadership Barrier?

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Quiz Questions

1.
When facing a major decision, I tend to...
- A.
  Get caught in endless research and analysis
- B.
  Feel anxious about making the "wrong" choice
- C.
  Delay until I can ensure it will be perfect
- D.
  Feel resistant even when I know change is needed
2.
How often do you find yourself reworking something that's already "done"?
- A.
  Rarely or never
- B.
  Occasionally, when it really needs it
- C.
  Frequently, I always see ways to improve it
- D.
  Constantly, nothing ever feels quite right
3.
How do you typically respond to new challenges or opportunities?
- A.
  I'm excited but worry I might not be good enough
- B.
  I analyze all the risks before committing
- C.
  I hesitate because change feels uncomfortable
- D.
  I jump in but need everything planned perfectly first
4.
Before taking action, I typically...
- A.
  Think through every possible outcome extensively
- B.
  Worry about what could go wrong
- C.
  Make sure every detail is mapped out perfectly
- D.
  Find reasons why now isn't the right time
5.
In professional settings, I often feel like...
- A.
  I'm one mistake away from being exposed as inadequate
- B.
  I'm overthinking while everyone else just acts
- C.
  Nothing I produce is ever quite good enough
- D.
  I should change but can't seem to make myself
6.
Which statement resonates most with you?
- A.
  "I'm terrified of losing what I've built"
- B.
  "I can see all the angles, but I can't choose one"
- C.
  "If it's not excellent, it's not worth releasing"
- D.
  "I know I need to change, but something holds me back"
7.
At night, I typically...
- A.
  Replay conversations and worry about what people think
- B.
  Analyze decisions and think through different scenarios
- C.
  Review what I did and see all the ways it could be better
- D.
  Feel restless about changes I know I should make
8.
When it comes to maintaining my professional image, I...
- A.
  Feel constantly exhausted from keeping up appearances
- B.
  Spend too much time thinking about how I'm perceived
- C.
  Need everything I present to be flawless
- D.
  Stick with what's worked rather than risk looking incompetent
9.
My standards for myself compared to others are...
- A.
  Much higher, and I feel like a failure when I don't meet them
- B.
  Much higher, which makes decisions feel overwhelming
- C.
  The same, but I overthink whether I'm meeting them
- D.
  The same, but I resist adjusting them even when I should
10.
When I think about who I am versus who I need to become, I feel...
- A.
  Anxious that I'll lose myself or fail in the transition
- B.
  Paralyzed by all the ways the change could go wrong
- C.
  Like the new version needs to be perfect before I can step into it
- D.
  Stuck, like there's an invisible wall between here and there
11.
When receiving feedback, I typically...
- A.
  Immediately worry about my reputation or standing
- B.
  Analyze it from every angle to determine if it's valid
- C.
  Feel like any criticism means I failed
- D.
  Get defensive even when I know they're right
12.
When it comes to delegating tasks, I...
- A.
  Struggle because others might not do it well enough and it reflects on me
- B.
  Overthink who's the right person and what could go wrong
- C.
  Avoid it because it's faster to do it myself to my standards
- D.
  Know I should but find it hard to let go of my way of doing things
13.
When someone asks for a decision, I typically say...
- A.
  "Let me make sure I'm not missing anything important"
- B.
  "I need to think about the implications"
- C.
  "I want to make sure it's the right choice"
- D.
  "Let me stick with what's been working"
14.
When I accomplish something significant, I...
- A.
  Analyze whether I really deserved it or just got lucky
- B.
  Downplay it or immediately worry about maintaining that level
- C.
  Feel uncomfortable with the attention or change it brings
- D.
  Focus on what wasn't perfect about it
15.
When I know what I should do but don't do it, it's usually because...
- A.
  Change feels uncomfortable even when staying put is worse
- B.
  I don't feel ready or prepared enough yet
- C.
  I'm still analyzing the best approach
- D.
  I'm afraid of what failure would mean about me
16.
The biggest cost of my current pattern is that...
- A.
  I'm constantly anxious despite outward success
- B.
  I'm paralyzed by options and miss opportunities
- C.
  I'm stuck in patterns I know aren't serving me
- D.
  I never finish anything because it's never good enough
17.
My relationship with rest and downtime is...
- A.
  I rest only when my work meets my standards (which is rare)
- B.
  I know I should rest more but can't seem to change my habits
- C.
  I keep working because stopping feels like losing momentum or control
- D.
  I struggle to rest because my mind won't stop analyzing
18.
When facing a decision, I typically...
- A.
  Research extensively before feeling comfortable moving forward
- B.
  Gather information to avoid making the wrong choice
- C.
  Collect data until I can make a perfect decision
- D.
  Default to what's worked before rather than trying something new
19.
I maintain high standards primarily because...
- A.
  They protect me from criticism and judgment
- B.
  I've thought through what could go wrong if I lower them
- C.
  Excellence is the only acceptable outcome
- D.
  It's what I've always done and changing feels risky
20.
When someone suggests a new approach, my first thought is...
- A.
  "What if it doesn't work and I look foolish?"
- B.
  "Let me think through all the implications first"
- C.
  "It needs to be proven and perfected before I'd try it"
- D.
  "My current way works fine, why risk changing?"

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Your Primary Barrier: The Fearful Achiever
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Your Pattern:You're driven. Accomplished. From the outside, you look like you have it all together. But inside? There's a constant hum of anxiety. You've achieved so much, but instead of satisfaction, you feel the terror of losing it all.You achieved your way into safety once. Now you're trapped in the pattern: achieve more, feel safe momentarily, then fear losing it. Repeat.The crack: You learned early that love, safety, or worth was conditional on performance. So you performed. And you're still performing.The cost: You can't rest. You can't celebrate wins. You're exhausted from the vigilance. And the people around you might not even know you're struggling because you've gotten so good at hiding it.How This Shows Up in Leadership:You micromanage because delegation feels like loss of controlYou overwork yourself and your teamYou struggle to celebrate wins before moving to the next goalYou avoid risks that could expose vulnerabilityYou say yes to everything to maintain your statusThe Gold: Your Hidden StrengthsBecause you're a Fearful Achiever, you also have:Drive: You get things doneExcellence: You hold high standardsResilience: You've survived by adaptingEmpathy: You understand the pressure others feelYour crack isn't your weakness. It's where your gold goes.Your First SHIFT Step: SurrenderThe work begins with surrendering the illusion that achievement equals safety. It doesn't. It never did. And it never will.One practice to try this week:Identify one thing you're "white-knuckling" right now — something you're trying to control out of fear. Write it down: "I'm trying to control _____ because I'm afraid that _____."Then ask: "What would happen if I let go? Really. What's the worst case?"Write that down too. Look at it. Can you survive that? (Yes. You can. You've survived worse.)That's surrender. Not giving up. Just releasing the grip.What's Next?Get a free 10-page PDF with:Deeper insights into your patternThe origin story of the Fearful Achiever5 practices to begin filling your cracks with goldIntroduction to the full SHIFT framework
2.
Your Primary Barrier: The Overthinker
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Your Pattern:You see everything. Every angle. Every possibility. Every risk. You're smart, insightful, thorough. But you're also... stuck.You think your way through problems, which is valuable. But you've turned thinking into a trap. You analyze until you're paralyzed. You collect data instead of making decisions. You see the complexity so clearly that you can't find the path forward.The crack: You learned early that the "right" decision was critical. Maybe a wrong choice had consequences. Maybe unpredictability felt dangerous. So you started thinking harder, looking for certainty. But certainty doesn't exist.The cost: You miss opportunities while you're still researching them. You exhaust yourself and others with endless deliberation. You know what you should do, but you can't pull the trigger. Your brilliance has become your cage.How This Shows Up in Leadership:You delay decisions until you have "all the information" (which never comes)You're seen as indecisive or slow to actYou over-complicate simple problemsYou struggle to prioritize because everything seems importantYou drain your team with constant reconsiderationThe Gold: Your Hidden StrengthsBecause you're an Overthinker, you also have:Wisdom: You see what others missThoroughness: You don't make careless mistakesPerspective: You understand nuance and complexityStrategic thinking: When you do decide, it's well-consideredYour crack isn't your weakness. It's where your gold goes.Your First SHIFT Step: FocusThe work for you isn't more thinking. It's choosing. Not the perfect choice. Just a choice. And moving.One practice to try this week:Identify one decision you've been overthinking. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write down:Option A and its likely outcomeOption B and its likely outcomeThe real cost of continuing to delayWhen the timer goes off, choose. Not because you have perfect information. Because you have enough.Then do the thing. Before you can talk yourself out of it.That's focus. Progress over perfection.What's Next?Get a free 10-page PDF with:Deeper insights into your patternThe origin story of the Overthinker5 practices to begin filling your cracks with goldIntroduction to the full SHIFT framework
3.
Your Primary Barrier: The Perfectionist
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Your Pattern:You have high standards. Maybe impossibly high. You see the gap between what is and what could be, and you can't unsee it. So you polish. You refine. You tweak. You make it better.But "better" never ends. There's always one more revision. One more improvement. One more thing that's not quite right.The crack: You learned early that "good enough" wasn't acceptable. Maybe excellence was the only way to get approval. Maybe mistakes were punished. Maybe you equated your worth with your output. So you made excellence your armor.The cost: You never finish. You never ship. You never release. And when you do, you feel ashamed of the flaws only you can see. Your potential stays locked in drafts and "almost ready" projects. Your perfectionism protects you from judgment, but it also protects you from impact.How This Shows Up in Leadership:You bottleneck your team because you can't delegate without redoing their workYou miss deadlines because it's "not ready yet"You demoralize others with standards they can't meetYou avoid starting new things because you won't be immediately excellentYou burnout trying to meet impossible expectationsThe Gold: Your Hidden StrengthsBecause you're a Perfectionist, you also have:Excellence: You create quality workAttention to detail: You catch what others missCraftsmanship: You care deeply about your workHigh standards: You elevate everything you touchYour crack isn't your weakness. It's where your gold goes.Your First SHIFT Step: Focus (Progress Over Perfection)The work for you is redefining "done." Not perfect. Done. Good enough to ship. Good enough to matter.One practice to try this week:Identify one project you've been perfecting. Define "minimum viable excellence" — what's the version that's good enough to release, even if it's not perfect?Then release it. Publish it. Ship it. Send it.Before you can polish it one more time.That's focus. Done over perfect.What's Next?Get a free 10-page PDF with:Deeper insights into your patternThe origin story of the Perfectionist5 practices to begin filling your cracks with goldIntroduction to the full SHIFT framework
4.
Your Primary Barrier: The Reluctant Evolver
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Your Pattern:You feel it. The pull toward something new. A different way of leading, living, being. You know your current patterns aren't serving you anymore. You can see the next version of yourself.But you can't seem to get there. You resist. You delay. You rationalize. "This is just who I am." "It's worked so far." "Change is too risky."The crack: You learned early that change was dangerous. Maybe stability was survival. Maybe adaptation meant losing yourself. Maybe evolution felt like betrayal of who you've been. So you built walls against change, even good change.The cost: You're stuck. Your growth is stalled. You watch others evolve while you stay in place. The gap between who you are and who you could be grows wider. And you feel it — the slow ache of unrealized potential.How This Shows Up in Leadership:You default to "how we've always done it" even when it's not workingYou resist feedback even when you know it's validYou avoid new methodologies, technologies, or approachesYou feel threatened by others' growthYou're comfortable but unfulfilledThe Gold: Your Hidden StrengthsBecause you're a Reluctant Evolver, you also have:Stability: You're reliable and consistentDepth: You've mastered your current approachLoyalty: You commit to people and processesDiscernment: You don't chase every trendYour crack isn't your weakness. It's where your gold goes.Your First SHIFT Step: Surrender (Let Go to Grow)The work for you is surrendering who you've been so you can become who you're meant to be. Not losing yourself. Evolving yourself.One practice to try this week:Complete this sentence: "I know I need to change _____, but I'm afraid that if I do, I'll lose _____."Write it down. Look at it. Is that fear true? Or is it the story keeping you stuck?Then ask: "What becomes possible if I let go of who I've been and step into who I'm becoming?"Write that down too.That's surrender. Not giving up who you are. Giving up who you think you have to be.What's Next?Get a free 10-page PDF with:Deeper insights into your patternThe origin story of the Reluctant Evolver5 practices to begin filling your cracks with goldIntroduction to the full SHIFT framework

What's Your Leadership Barrier?

Discover which of the four barriers is holding you back and learn how to fill that crack with gold.

Quiz Questions

Quiz Outcomes