The Lonely Leaders Club

Your Team Doesn't Need Your Answers

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +1000

Have you ever felt like your team can't solve problems without you? Like every question, every decision, every "got a minute?" lands squarely on your desk?

In this episode of The Lonely Leaders Club, Lucy and Kel get into one of the most common traps in leadership: being everyone's problem solver at work. That moment you realise the thing that made you feel like a great leader (having all the answers) might actually be holding your team back.

Because the more senior you get, the more people come to you. And if you're always the one solving, you're not leading, you're just doing everyone else's thinking for them. This episode is about how to coach your team instead of giving answers, and how to build a self-sufficient team that doesn't fall apart without you.

In this episode, we cover:

How to stop being your team's problem solver and why it happens in the first place
Coaching vs managing: the difference between telling people what to do and helping them think for themselves
The GROW model coaching framework: a simple structure you can use in your very next conversation
A live role play using the GROW model to coach through a difficult feedback conversation
How to ask better questions as a leader, and why "what do you think?" is more powerful than you realise
Coaching questions for managers at every level, including how to coach junior team members
The "three before me" rule: a practical tool for building team accountability
How to get employees to think for themselves without leaving them stranded
Leadership mindset shifts: why solving less actually makes you a stronger leader
Why the best people management skills aren't about having answers, they're about asking the right questions

Lucy's leadership program for managers → https://www.thegracefulcollective.com/managementcollective

Hosted by two women in leadership who've been on both sides of the desk, The Lonely Leaders Club is a leadership podcast that blends honest conversation with practical coaching tips. Real leadership skills for anyone figuring out how to stop micromanaging and start coaching, without losing connection with their team.

Connect with us: Lucy Allen

Kel Stambanis

Mentioned in this episode:

The Management Collective

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Imposter Syndrome in Leadership: How to Know You're Doing a Good Job

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +1000

How do you actually know if you're doing a good job? And why does that question seem to get harder to answer the more senior you become?

In this first episode of The Lonely Leaders Club, Lucy and Kel dive straight in, talking about imposter syndrome in leadership. The quiet self-doubt that so many capable leaders carry, even the ones who look like they have it all figured out.

It feels like the more senior you get, the less feedback and praise you receive so you're left constantly wondering if you’re doing a good job or not. This episode is about how to measure your own success and find ways to combat self-doubt.

In this episode, we cover:

How to know if you're a good leader and why self-doubt at work tends to grow the more senior you become
Imposter syndrome in leadership
Defining success at work: how to get clear on what "a good job" actually means across work and life
Why feelings aren't facts, and how that reframe helps when you feel like you're failing
How to ask for feedback at work with better questions
Giving and receiving feedback as a leader, including dealing with negative feedback
Leadership mindset shifts
Tools for building self-confidence at work when negativity sticks harder than praise
Using a weekly review for productivity and self-reflection to build healthier thinking habits
Why measuring your own success matters for work-life balance and career self-worth

Lucy's leadership program for managers → https://www.thegracefulcollective.com/managementcollective

Hosted by two women in leadership who've experienced self-doubt firsthand, The Lonely Leaders Club blends honest conversation with practical coaching tips. Real leadership skills for anyone learning how to be a leader at work without losing themselves in the process.

CONNECT WITH US:

Lucy Allen

Kel Stambanis

Introducing: The Lonely Leaders Club with Lucy Allen & Kel Stambanis

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +1000

The Lonely Leaders Club is a podcast hosted by mindset and leadership speaker Lucy Allen and her former boss, marketing and PR leader Kelly Stambanis. Honest conversations about what leadership actually looks like behind the scenes.

About the juggle. The exhaustion behind the success. The pressure to say yes when every part of you wants to say no. And the quiet truth that the higher you climb, the harder it gets to admit any of it out loud.

Drawing on their real experiences working together — the great, the curly, and everything in between — Lucy and Kelly unpack the challenges keeping leaders up at night, and share the mindset shifts, communication tools, and leadership lessons Lucy now teaches in workplaces every day.

If it's felt a little lonely at the top lately, we're here to keep you company.

New episodes fortnightly. Follow now so episode one lands straight in your feed.

Connect with us:

Lucy Allen

Kel Stambanis