On Leading Well When Your Boss Isn’t

Plus, Coming Up in June: Managing Stress

Image from 16personalities.com

Coming Up Next Month: Managing Stress

Stress goes hand in hand with leadership. Sometimes it can be good, but other times it might be sabotaging your success. Let’s uncover how stress really shows up for you – in your body, your habits, your inner dialogue, and your performance. You’ll learn where you’re pushing past your limits without realizing it and get simple, sustainable ways to lead yourself through stress with more intention, calm, and control. Plus, we’ll explore how different personality types handle (or don’t handle) stress – and what you can do to support them effectively.

Watch for a NEW 5-day Managing Stress Challenge coming in June! Be sure you’re subscribed to participate.

---

Want to Submit a Leadership Topic?

Have a specific leadership topic in mind that you’d love to see us cover? We’ve opened up commenting so that anyone can share their idea(s) in the comments. We can’t promise to pick yours, but we do promise to review and consider every single idea.

---

Caught in the Middle: Leading Well When Your Boss Isn’t

You’ve spent the past week modeling productive leadership habits – starting your day with intention, facing hard tasks, finding focused time, managing your energy, and setting a healthier tone for your team.

But then your boss pings you at 10 PM.

Or schedules a meeting during your team’s protected focus block.

Or changes the plan again, hours before the deadline.

Suddenly, you’re caught between two conflicting realities: the tone you want to set, and the one being set above you.

It’s one of the hardest spots to be in as a mid-level leader – aware enough to know what should be happening, experienced enough to know you can’t control the person above you, and responsible enough to still deliver results without letting your team crumble.

So what can you do?

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Be the buffer, not the echo

You don’t have to pass chaos down the line just because it’s coming from above. When your boss sends an unclear, last-minute request, your team doesn’t need to absorb all that stress directly. They need direction.

For example, say your boss fires off a vague message like,

“We need something ready by EOD for the client – can we turn around a proposal?”

Instead of dropping that directly into your team chat with a panicked “Can anyone jump on this??”, pause. Clarify what’s actually needed, who’s best positioned to handle it, and what can be moved or dropped to make space. Then deliver the ask calmly and clearly:

“We’ve got a fast-turn request from leadership for a client proposal. I’d like Jamie to take the lead, and we’ll move the data review to tomorrow. Keep it simple – we just need a high-level draft they can react to.”

That’s what it means to buffer, not echo. You’re not hiding the urgency, but you’re translating it into something workable. You’re giving your team direction, not confusion.

2. Name the tension (carefully)

When your boss’s behavior is actively making it harder for your team to function, it’s tempting to vent or commiserate – but that doesn’t lead to change. A better approach is to respectfully name the impact and propose a small shift.

For example, if your team is constantly being pulled into last-minute meetings that derail their focus time, you could say:

“Hey, I’ve noticed our team’s focus blocks are getting interrupted more frequently, and it’s making it hard for them to move important work forward. Would it be helpful if I flagged requests that can wait a few hours so we’re not always shifting gears?”

You’re not blaming. You’re naming a pattern and offering a solution. That small move can start a more productive conversation – especially if your boss is simply unaware of the ripple effect.

And if they’re not open to feedback?

You’ve still clarified your stance – and your team will feel the difference.

If you’re feeling particularly frustrated, remember that some of the best leaders are born in imperfect conditions. They learn to lead in the gaps. To model what’s missing. To quietly become the person others trust to bring calm, clarity, and consistency – even when everything else feels unpredictable.

You may not be able to change the tone above you.

But you can still set a powerful one below.

And sometimes, that’s where real leadership begins.

Be sure to follow along with the rest of our Productive Leadership series! Next, we’ll be diving into why Sentinels and Explorer personalities are likely to procrastinate – and how you can help them feel motivated again. We’ll also share a specific leadership tip for each personality type. Stay tuned!