A big part of leadership development is building the courage to authentically and constructively speak our minds in order to build and maintain alignment with others. Effective leaders highly value the need to maintain alignment. That means asking early for clarification and greater understanding, before the little unclear things are allowed to fester.

It's difficult to change when we're around people who know the 'old' us. You might relate to this when you think about being around your parents or siblings as you've developed your own life as an adult. If you're a leader working with the same people, how can you evolve and become different?

Leaders can use humor to embrace changes as they grow personally. This can help face colleagues who otherwise might unwittingly keep them in a box.