Broken—but Better at Leading ( inspired listening to my music library)
For most of my career, I wore invisible armor to work.
It looked like having the answer, speaking first, and cleaning up meetings that drifted. It worked—until it didn’t.
At Disney Stores, the pressure to deliver was real. When a discussion got messy, I’d tighten the logic, name the plan, and march the troops. It looked like leadership. It was performance. The team executed—but they didn’t grow. They waited for me to be the answer.
The turning point came when I finally said out loud, “Here’s what’s messy—and here’s what matters.” We slowed down. We asked better questions. We shared the load. The business didn’t get easier; it got healthier. That’s the day I started trading armor for wholeness.
The Myth of the “Fixed” Leader
We’ve been sold a tidy lie: once you’re “polished,” you’re ready. Polished leaders don’t rattle. They deliver certainty on demand. They never show the crack.
The reality? Teams don’t need a statue. They need a source—someone who can hold tension, invite capability, and keep standards without pretending to be invincible.
Perfection creates dependency. Wholeness builds capacity.
A quick test I use with executives:
Do people bring you half-baked ideas—or fully-baked fear?
Do you ask for help publicly—or privately on the sly?
Can your team say “I don’t know—yet” without bracing for impact?
If the answer is “not really,” you don’t have a competence problem. You have an armor problem.
Jimism: Certainty is a costume. Credibility is earned in the Q&A.
Strong Because of the Cracks
Here’s the framework that helped me (and my clients) swap performance for presence:
1) Name it fast
Say the quiet part out loud: “Here’s what’s wobbly. Here’s what’s solid. Here’s what matters this week.”
Clarity is kind. Speed is strategic. Naming the crack keeps it from becoming the canyon.
2) Co-own the plan (Ask for an Answer)
Instead of solving solo, invite capability:
“What am I not seeing?”
“What’s the 20% that moves 80%?”
“If we were brave here, what would we do?”
You’re not outsourcing leadership; you’re compounding it.
3) Close the loop—in daylight
Report back on outcomes, not optics. Share what worked, what didn’t, and what you’re changing. Consistency builds the trust perfection keeps trying to fake.
A client recently used this play on a product launch in trouble. By naming the wobble, re-scoping with the team, and closing the loop weekly, they turned a reputational risk into a case study in resilience. Same talent. Different posture.
Radical Kindness, Not Rescue
Kindness is not softness. It’s standards with humanity.
Try this script the next time quality slips or behavior misses:
“I respect your effort. Here’s the gap I see. What do you suggest?”
That’s dignity + accountability. No savior cape, no sugar-coating.
Because yes—leaders can be broken and beautiful. But the job is not to perform beauty; it’s to produce clarity and grow capacity.
Try This This Week
Open your staff meeting with a 60-second Crack Check: “What’s wobbly / what’s solid?”
Replace one “answer statement” with a question that invites ownership.
Do a public close-out on a project: lesson, decision, next experiment.
Close
I spent years proving I was “fixed.” The work got cleaner; the culture got tighter; I got smaller. The minute I let the cracks show, the room got smarter—and so did the results.
I don’t need polishing to be powerful. I need presence, standards, and people.
CTA: If you want to build a high-performance culture that doesn’t punish humanity, let’s talk. I’m coaching leaders and teams on Ask for an Answer, Radical Kindness, and Wholeness at Work.
👉 Coaching & Speaking: hijimfielding.com
P.S. This piece was inspired by a certain power ballad about being “broken and beautiful.” I’m not quoting it—I’m living it. Love me some Kelly Clarkson!!