Why Self-Leadership Is Tough for Young Professionals (and What Employers Can Do About It)

Cathie Leimbach • May 20, 2025

Starting a first job is exciting—but it can also be overwhelming. For many young professionals, self-leadership doesn’t come easily right away, and that’s not a reflection of intelligence or motivation. Instead, it’s the result of a mix of biological, educational, and social factors that employers need to understand.


1. The Brain Is Still Under Construction

Let’s start with biology. The prefrontal cortex, which handles planning, prioritizing, and self-regulation, continues to develop into a person’s mid-twenties. That means young professionals are often still building the mental wiring needed for independent decision-making.


2. School Prepared Them for Structure, Not Ambiguity

Most educational systems are built around standardized testing and structured learning environments. Students are trained to follow clear rubrics and respond to well-defined expectations. But the modern workplace often requires people to operate in gray areas—to take initiative and figure things out without much guidance. That’s a big adjustment for someone fresh out of school.


3. Parenting Styles Play a Role

Many young adults grew up under the watchful eyes of “helicopter” or “snowplow” parents—well-meaning guardians who hovered or cleared obstacles from their paths. While these styles may reduce stress in the short term, they can unintentionally limit the development of autonomous decision-making and risk-taking. The result? Lower self-efficacy and a tendency to hesitate in unfamiliar or challenging situations at work.


4. Technology Has Changed Problem-Solving

We live in an era of instant answers. When a problem comes up, it’s second nature to Google it or ask ChatGPT. While this can be efficient, it also means that many young professionals haven’t had as much practice with internal problem-solving strategies—like critical thinking, trial and error, or strategic patience.


What Employers Can Do

The key takeaway: this is about inexperience, not a lack of potential. With the right approach, employers can help young professionals grow into strong, self-led contributors. Here’s how:

Set crystal-clear expectations from day one

Provide thorough onboarding and training

Start with close supervision, then gradually reduce it as they gain confidence

Offer regular, structured feedback

Encourage self-reflection and ownership

Pair them with mentors who model professional self-leadership


A Helpful Framework: Situational Leadership II®

One tool that’s especially helpful here is Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership II® model. It outlines four stages of leadership support—from directing, to coaching, to supporting, to delegating. It’s a great roadmap for helping a new employee grow from needing guidance to performing independently.


The Payoff

With intentional support, most young professionals develop workplace autonomy within 12 to 18 months. They just need time, guidance, and the chance to stretch their wings.


Final Thought:
If you're leading early-career professionals, your role isn't just to manage—they're looking to you to help them grow. Be patient. Be clear. And remember, self-leadership is a skill that develops over time—with the right leader, it can flourish.

The Power of Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters

By Cathie Leimbach • November 10, 2025
In most organizations, the instinct is to add —more goals, more projects, more meetings. But as Juliet Funt, founder of the Juliet Funt Group, teaches in her Strategic Choice process, real leadership strength lies in deciding what to stop doing . Strategic Choice is the intentional narrowing of priorities—cutting away the clutter so teams can focus on what truly drives results. It’s a disciplined act of letting go: saying no to good ideas so there’s room for the great ones. Funt’s approach challenges leaders to pause, think, and create the mental and operational space their people need to perform at their best. By removing unnecessary tasks and misplaced effort, leaders make room for precision, innovation, and real thinking time. This isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When businesses adopt this mindset, they replace overwhelm with clarity and regain control of their time, energy, and outcomes. For small to mid-sized companies, embracing Strategic Choice can transform busyness into focus—and that focus is where sustainable growth begins. Want a quick visual overview? View Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters to see how this process helps leaders focus on what truly drives results.

Unlock Your Team's Potential: Fix Dysfunction, Boost the Bottom Line!

By Cathie Leimbach • November 4, 2025
Hey team leaders! Ever wonder why some companies soar while others stumble? Patrick Lencioni's bestseller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , nails it: workplace dysfunctions such as no trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability, and ignoring results lead to mediocre performance at best. But here's the good news—smart leadership development changes the game! Start with building trust . Train leaders to open up and be vulnerable. Teams bond, ideas flow, and costly mistakes drop. Next, embrace healthy conflict . Teach team leaders to make it safe for team members to share the pros and cons of current or new ways of doing things. This helps everyone understand different perspectives. Then, drive commitment . Leaders who clarify goals, ask everyone to share their level of buy-in, and address their concerns get everyone bought in. People focus on high value work and get more done. . Hold folks accountable through coaching. Leaders learn to give kind, direct feedback by praising good work and calmly providing more training as needed. Turnover plummets and the quality and quantity of work improves. Finally, focus on results . Be clear on expectations. Keep score by monitoring progress weekly or daily. Acknowledge team wins when the goals are met. Winning sports teams pay attention to these Five Behaviors of a Team. How would a World Series winner have been determined this week without trust among the players and coaches, openness to tough coaching, the whole team working together, players focusing on their specific positions, and getting players around the bases to get the top score? Every workplace can benefit from these team behaviors as well. Lencioni's research proves it: Companies who prepare their leaders to overcome these 5 common workplace dysfunctions, improve the culture and see huge financial gains. Invest in your leaders today. Your bottom line will thank you! Click here to learn more about the painful cost of team dysfunction.