The Top 5 Excuses Managers Make About Taking Their Career & Leadership to the Next Level

...and why those excuses are quietly sabotaging your potential too.

We’ve all heard them. (You know you have too).

The seemingly rational reasons leaders give for staying stuck exactly where they are.

As someone who’s spent decades in boardrooms, bush retreats, and leadership circles with thousands of professionals, I can tell you this: it’s not lack of talent or opportunity holding most managers back. It’s the stories they keep telling themselves.

So let’s get honest.

Here are the top 5 excuses I hear from managers who know deep down they’re capable of more—but haven’t yet taken the leap to evolve their leadership.

1. “I’m too busy.”

Let’s start with the classic.

Busyness is the great mask of avoidance. If you’re constantly firefighting, bogged down in meetings, and reacting to everyone else’s priorities, you may feel important—but you’re not leading. You’re running.

The truth? If you don’t carve out space to grow, you’ll always be at the mercy of the urgent over the important. True leaders don’t wait until they’re not busy. They learn how to lead while they are.

 ✨ Shift: Ask yourself, “What am I making more important than my own growth—and why?”

2. “I don’t think I’m ready.”

Sure you may sound like you’re humble, but as a coach I see through that BS – reality is you’re scared. Scared of being seen. Afraid of failing. To timid to step out of the known.

What if I told you that you don’t feel ready because you haven’t become the version of yourself who would be? Growth doesn’t come after clarity—it comes from stepping into discomfort.

 ✨ Shift: Readiness isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision. Decide to back yourself now, today, not someday.

3. “My organisation won’t support me.”

The old waiting for a permission slip nugget. Many managers wait for someone else to give them permission: a boss, a budget, a promotion. But great leaders don’t ask for permission—they make a case for what they need and take ownership of their development.

Yes, some workplaces undervalue leadership growth. But that’s not a reason to stay small—it’s a reason to lead differently.

 ✨ Shift: If your organisation won’t invest in you, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is and invest in yourself?

4. “I’ve already done leadership training.”

Leadership isn’t a box you tick—it’s a way of being you refine over a lifetime. One workshop, one MBA, or one course doesn’t mean you’ve mastered it. It just means you’ve started.

Today’s leadership isn’t about textbook strategies—it’s about emotional presence, cultural intelligence, and self-awareness. That takes real inner work.

 ✨ Shift: Are you educated… or transforming?

5. “Things aren’t that bad.”

This one’s a sneaky sausage. 

It shows up as tolerance, settling, or justifying: “My team’s not too dysfunctional.” “I’m not burnt out yet.” “It’s OK, for now.”

But “not bad” isn’t the same as good. And it’s a far cry from fulfilling. The longer you stay in a space of low-grade dissatisfaction, the more your energy, vitality, and purpose start to leak out.

 ✨ Shift: Don’t wait for a breakdown to make a breakthrough. Plug those dang leaks. 

So, What’s the Real Question?

Ask yourself this:
 What am I really afraid of—and what would be possible if I stopped playing it safe?

Because the moment you stop hiding behind the story and start owning your growth—that’s when your real leadership begins.

Want support making the shift?

That’s what I do. Whether you’re a burnt-out leader, a high performer craving more meaning, or a manager ready to evolve into a true steward of culture—I can help you take the next right step. No fluff. No corporate jargon. Just real growth, from the inside out.

As it’s EOFY it’s the one time a year where I offer a discount – the only time. If you’re keen but just never reached out for a session or if you’re hungry for more but also a bit tight, then I’ve got you.

For the month of July only I am offering 10 coaching spots one on one for just $150 (a quarter of my usual price).

Taste test anyone? Email me to book a spot now – must book and pay before June 30.