Stages of Team Development | Courageous Insights

The 5 Biggest Mistakes New Managers Make in Their First 6 Months

COURAGEOUS LEADERS, CONNECTED TEAMS Episode: The 5 Biggest Mistakes New Managers Make in Their First 6 Months Host: Stephanie Freeth EPISODE OVERVIEW The first six months as a manager can feel disorienting, overwhelming, and quietly high-pressure. In this episode, Stephanie Freeth unpacks the most common mistakes new managers make during this critical transition and what to do instead. Drawing from leadership coaching, team psychology, and real-world experience, Stephanie reframes the shift from individual contributor to leader and offers grounded, practical guidance to help new managers lead with clarity, connection, and self-awareness. If you’re a new manager or supporting one, this episode will help you understand why the transition feels hard and how to move from reactive to strategic leadership. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN * Why what made you successful before promotion may hold you back as a manager * How success shifts from personal output to enabling others * Why clarity matters more than busyness * The cost of avoiding the human side of leadership * How reflection creates better decisions and healthier teams * Why blind spots are normal and self-awareness is essential * Why struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing, it often means you’re unsupported EPISODE BREAKDOWN * The manager transition and why it’s so challenging * Mistake #1: Relying on the skills that got you promoted * Mistake #2: Confusing busyness with effectiveness * Mistake #3: Avoiding the human side of work * Mistake #4: Leaving no space for reflection * Mistake #5: Ignoring leadership blind spots * Leadership as self-awareness, not perfection * Tools and support for navigating the manager transition KEY QUOTES * “What got you here won’t get you there.” * “Success is now measured through others.” * “Busy does not mean effective.” * “People don’t leave the work. They leave when they don’t feel seen.” * “You’re not failing. You’re unsupported.” RESOURCES MENTIONED * Team Health & Performance Quiz * Tools for navigating the manager transition * Team Enneagram Workshops WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR * First-time managers * Leaders in their first year of management * HR and People leaders supporting new managers * Anyone feeling stuck, reactive, or unsure in their leadership role 🎧 Listen now and learn how to move through the manager transition with more confidence, clarity, and connection.

How EOS Transforms Leaders, Teams, and Companies Featuring EOS Implementer Jeremy Lopatin

What if the way you run your company could make your life as a leader easier, not harder? In this episode of Courageous Leaders, Connected Teams, I sit down with my friend and EOS Implementer, Jeremy Lopatin, for a deep and honest conversation about what truly drives healthy, high-performing teams. Jeremy and I share a belief that performance means very little without team health. Many organizations are living in the strain and burnout zone without realizing it, and leaders often feel the pressure to push harder instead of pausing to examine what their team needs most. Together we explore: ✨ How the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) helps teams gain clarity, alignment, and traction ✨ Why right-person right-seat matters more than people realize ✨ How unresolved issues quietly shape culture and performance ✨ The difference between a team that looks productive and one that is sustainably healthy ✨ Jeremy’s journey as an entrepreneur and his vision to positively impact 10,000 employees through his work If you are a founder, executive, or team leader looking for more cohesion, healthier dynamics, and a more grounded way to lead, this episode will resonate.

Restoring Worth Beyond Work as an Enneagram Type 3 | Courageous Insights

EPISODE 12: COURAGEOUS INSIGHTS – RESTORING WORTH BEYOND WORK AS AN ENNEAGRAM TYPE 3 In this deeply personal episode of Courageous Leaders, Connected Teams, I’m opening up about the unconscious patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that shaped my journey as an Enneagram Type 3 (The Competitive Achiever). For much of my life, achievement felt like oxygen. Productivity, performance, and pushing through were the standards—not just for success but for worthiness. But behind the drive was an unspoken fear: “If I’m not working, I’m not valuable.” This episode is an invitation into the stories, struggles, and turning points that helped me shift from overdrive to alignment—and begin restoring a sense of worth that isn’t tied to output. IN THIS EPISODE, I SHARE: 🔹 STRIVING The relentless pursuit of achievement and the belief that value comes from what you do—not who you are. 🔹 PERFORMING How productivity became a measure of identity, and the subtle ways leaders can lose themselves in external validation. 🔹 PUSHING THROUGH The cost of ignoring the body’s signals, emotional needs, and limits in the name of “just getting it done.” 🔹 AWAKENING What shifted when I finally slowed down enough to recognize the deeper fear fueling all the action. 🔹 MY BURNOUT STORY The moment I realized I was running on empty—and how discovering my Enneagram type illuminated patterns I could finally name (and change). 🔹 RESTORING WORTH How redefining success has helped me move toward more presence, alignment, and courage in leadership. WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR: * Leaders who feel stuck on the hamster wheel of achievement * Enneagram Type 3s (or those who love/work with them) * High-achievers experiencing burnout or overwhelm * Anyone exploring healthier, more authentic ways of leading LINKS & RESOURCES * Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube * Learn more about leadership coaching & the Enneagram Stephaniefreeth.com [https://stephanie-freeth.mykajabi.com/Coach-On-Call?preview_theme_id=2162542043] * Connect with me on LinkedIn for more insights on reflective leadership

Stages of Team Development | Courageous Insights

Shownotes & Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: Why teams don’t start at high performance 00:49 – The 5 stages of team development (Tuckman model) 01:39 – What happens when teams get stuck in “storming” 03:11 – Why setting team norms builds trust and alignment 05:26 – The shortcut: Using the Enneagram to collapse the timeline 08:04 – Adjourning: Reflecting and celebrating progress 09:28 – How Enneagram types behave in each team stage 16:08 – Forming: Building trust beyond the surface 17:36 – Storming: Turning conflict into clarity 18:54 – Norming: Aligning fast through shared language 21:24 – Performing: Sustaining excellence through trust 28:20 – The Team Enneagram Workshop + Coaching Call 33:43 – Outro & Call to Action

Facts vs Stories | Courageous Insights

Courageous Insights: Facts vs Stories As leaders, our perspective matters more than we realize. Too often, we get caught up in the stories we tell ourselves rather than the actual facts in front of us. In this video, I share a simple but powerful tool I first learned from The Conscious Leadership Group—the practice of separating facts from stories. 👉 Facts = what a video camera could record. 👉 Stories = the judgments, interpretations, and meaning we add. By learning to pause, check our stories, and even share them with courage, we open up space for: Greater clarity and grounded leadership Stronger trust and authentic communication More curiosity, candor, and possibility Whether you’re a CEO, senior leader, or just stepping into leadership, this practice can help you shift from reactivity to presence, creating the conditions for more courageous leadership. 💬 Share in the comments: When was the last time a “story” shaped your leadership? How do you separate fact from story? 🔔 Subscribe for more Courageous Insights on leadership, emotional intelligence, and conscious leadership practices. #CourageousLeadership #ConsciousLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #EmotionalIntelligence #FactsVsStories #CourageousInsights #MindfulLeadership #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipGrowth