The Most Dangerous Leadership Trap I Ever Fell Into

From one leader who’s been there to another

Hey, I want to be really honest with you.

I’ve struggled.

I’ve failed spectacularly at times.

And looking back, a lot of those failures came from the same place: pride and overconfidence.

You know the voice—“Hey, I’m the boss, so my ideas and the logic behind them must be the right ones… right?!”

Spoiler: Not right. Not even close.

That certainty blinded me more than once. It drove decisions I wish I could rewind, delayed the ones I should’ve made sooner, and made me carry seasons where everything felt heavy because I refused to admit I might not have all the answers.

There were moments when leadership didn’t feel noble or strategic.

It felt like gripping the wheel with white knuckles, convinced I alone could steer us out—while the other hand was already slipping.

This isn’t abstract theory for me.

This is what I’ve actually lived through.

And it’s exactly why we created the HITSLeadership Applied Level.

Chaos Teaches You Things Success Never Will

When things are humming, leadership can feel effortless.

Instincts sharp. Decisions flowing. Momentum carrying the load.

But chaos strips that away—and if you’re carrying extra pride into the storm, it hits even harder.

Your mind spins. Everything’s urgent. Judgment clouds over. The harder you push (convinced your way is still the best way), the more tangled it gets.

One of the toughest truths I had to swallow:

You can’t think your way out of chaos at the same speed you got into it—especially when ego is whispering that slowing down means admitting you’re wrong.

Slowing down feels wrong when everything’s on fire… but it’s often the only real path forward.

I Stopped Hunting for the One Big Fix (and Started Letting Go of Being “Right”)

For years, I believed there had to be that single, decisive move that would fix everything—my move, because who else could see it as clearly as I did?

Reality check: There almost never is. And chasing it from a place of “I must be right” just prolonged the pain.

What finally shifted things was accepting that momentum returns through small, steady stabilizing moves—not heroic breakthroughs or proving I had the answers all along.

Not solving the whole mess.

Just stopping the bleed.

One breath, one humble adjustment at a time.

That’s when I started regaining solid ground.

What Actually Helped Me Get Steady Again

In the thick of it, a handful of simple (and humbling) practices emerged out of necessity:

•  Pausing long enough to actually see what was happening (instead of charging ahead on autopilot, convinced I knew best)

•  Naming the hard truth out loud—even when it meant admitting “I got this wrong” or “I don’t know yet”

•  Picking one small adjustment I could actually stick to, without needing it to be brilliant or all mine

•  Checking in with myself and the team regularly, rather than waiting for perfect clarity to appear (or forcing my version of it)

These weren’t flashy. They weren’t about being the smartest in the room.

They were survival tools at first—rooted in letting go of pride long enough to listen and adapt.

Over time, they became a reliable way to lead when everything felt messy.

That’s what evolved into the Applied Level—a set of grounded, repeatable practices built exactly for those ego-bruised, overwhelming moments.

Why This Feels So Real (and Why We Built It This Way)

I didn’t design the HITSLeadership™ Applied Level for leaders with flawless systems and endless bandwidth.

I built it for the rest of us—the ones who are:

•  Right in the middle of the storm

•  Tired, but still carrying the responsibility

•  Trying to show up for our teams while wrestling with our own overconfidence or doubt

Every piece had to pass one filter:

Will this actually help an overwhelmed leader find their footing today?

If not, it didn’t stay.

A Few Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Sooner

If you’re in a rough patch right now—or if that “I’m the boss, so I must be right” voice is louder than it should be—here’s what I’d say to you as a friend:

•  You’re not broken just because things feel heavy (or because pride got in the way).

•  Losing clarity—or realizing you weren’t as right as you thought—doesn’t mean you’ve lost your ability to lead.

•  You don’t have to fix everything (or defend every past call) to start moving forward again.

•  Small, honest adjustments—especially the ones that require swallowing pride—beat big heroic efforts almost every time.

Leadership doesn’t vanish in chaos.

It just gets quiet for a bit… sometimes because we’ve been too loud with our own certainty.

And quiet, humble leadership?

It can absolutely be rebuilt.

Why the Applied Level Is Here

The HITSLeadership™ Applied Level isn’t about turning you into someone new or “fixing” your ego.

It’s about helping you:

•  Slow the frantic moment just enough to breathe

•  Reconnect with the wisdom you already carry (without needing to be the sole source of it)

•  Regain that inner steadiness

•  Start moving forward again—with real intention and a little less “I’ve got this all figured out”

I created it because I needed it badly at one point—especially after pride had steered me into a few ditches.

And I know I’m not the only one.

If you’re struggling right now, you’re not behind or failing.

You’re just in the middle of it.

And sometimes, the middle—especially when it humbles us—is exactly where the most valuable leadership lessons take root.

About the Author

Andrew Bloo is a business owner and leadership practitioner who has learned most of what he knows about leadership the hard way—through mistakes, overconfidence, and seasons where momentum quietly slipped away. He created the HITSLeadership™ framework to give leaders practical tools he wishes he’d had sooner—tools designed to help overwhelmed leaders slow down, regain clarity, and move forward with intention when things get messy.

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