The Truth

Every team has them—the ones chomping at the bit, ready to run; the ones who hang back, scanning for safety; and the ones who’ve been burned, but are still quietly watching. I sat with a business leader in Boulder last week, and we named them with a grin: the raring-to-go, the cautious observers, the skeptical-but-curious.

But then we got quiet.

Because the truth hit harder than the question we started with. It’s not how do we lead them—it’s how do we call all three to lead themselves? Every one of them. Because we need them all. Not everyone will charge ahead. Not everyone will wait and see. Not everyone will trust easily. But every one of them has a role to play. A voice. A leadership style. A purpose. And the new culture of leadership? It makes room for all of it. Leading yourself means taking full ownership of your choices, your impact, and the energy you bring – regardless of who’s watching.

But let’s be clear—this isn’t softness. I have no interest in coddling. I don’t want to work for laziness, and I won’t coach fragility. Leadership isn’t about shrinking to accommodate. It’s about rising to align. What we’re talking about here isn’t about will—it’s about confidence. The kind that’s been buried under years of second-guessing, mislabeling, or outright dismissal. Claiming your voice doesn’t mean being loud. It means being clear. It means showing up like you mean it. And if you’re waiting? That’s victim energy. That’s deferring your power to someone else. That’s the old model. The real question is: What will call you forward? Because no one’s coming to rescue you.

I coached a woman who was always rescuing—taking on extra work, holding the team together, never rocking the boat. She called it being supportive. I called it survival. The shift came when she stopped asking, “How can I fix this for them?” and started asking, “What do I want to build here?” She moved from Rescuer to Creator—still compassionate, but no longer disappearing. That’s leadership.

We need a new leadership culture—one where each person sees themselves as a leader in their own right. Rearing to go, cautiously observing, or quietly skeptical—no matter how you move, you still get to lead yourself. And when you do that? Others are called forth.

The Lesson

Leadership isn’t a formula. It’s not learned by memorizing frameworks. It’s an art—crafted in real time, forged in pressure, expressed through the micro-choices we make every day. That conversation cracked something open.

We talked about how leadership gets judged. How some people expect charisma, others demand strategy, and some just want you to stop making it worse. The truth? We can’t be all things to all people. But in any organization, the leaders who move things forward are the ones who understand people—and more importantly, understand themselves.

But why do some step forward while others hesitate? It’s not laziness. It’s not a lack of skill. More often, it’s trust trauma—an invisible scar left by past moments where their voice wasn’t heard, their ideas dismissed, or their power misunderstood. For many, the belief isn’t “I won’t lead.” It’s “I can’t.” That subtle shift—from empowered to hesitant—isn’t about weakness. It’s about survival. And until that story gets rewritten, even the most brilliant visions can stay buried under layers of self-protection.

One of my clients came to me with a deep yearning to know herself. Her self-awareness was remarkable—but when it came to expressing her leadership, to making bold moves on behalf of the vision she held? She felt stuck. Not “afraid,” exactly. Just… not ready.

She wasn’t lacking confidence. She was caught in the pause between knowing and acting. The line between reflection and leadership. And that’s where so many of us get lost.

And in that hesitation, we lose something vital. We miss the quiet leaders with deep wells of wisdom. We miss the visionaries who don’t shout but see. We miss the kind of leadership that heals, that listens, that creates space for others to rise. Survival-mode leadership protects. But purpose-driven leadership builds. My vision is this: we heal the trust wounds, rewrite the old stories, and reclaim the boldness—whether it whispers or roars. We get busy bringing our gifts to the table, because every one of us carries a thread of purpose this world needs.

Here’s what’s primal:

• The raring-to-go need your clarity.
• The cautious ones need your steadiness.
• The skeptics need your consistency.

And all three? They need you to stop reacting and start choosing.

Then watch how your leadership lands in the room—not just with the loud ones, but the quiet ones too. Especially the quiet ones. Because my mission is to call them forward—the deep feelers, the slow processors, the ones who’ve been waiting for proof that it’s okay to lead in their own way. This is your permission. To step up. To speak. To shape. Not by becoming someone else, but by allowing yourself to be fully who you are. Because who you are is enough. And your voice is needed.

The Application

What if leadership wasn’t about having the right title, but about making the right move? Not the big move. Not the strategic plan. But the micro-choice—that gut-level moment where you decide:

• Will I respond or react?

• Will I lead from fear or from value?

• Will I stay in drama, or step into purpose?

That’s the Choice Model in action . And it lives not in theory—but in how you treat your team when things get tense, how you read the room when trust is low, how you breathe before you speak.

Leadership doesn’t land when you say the right thing. It lands when you become the thing.

So here’s your invitation:

Notice the next micro-choice. Make it on purpose.

Then watch how your leadership lands in the room—not just with the loud ones, but the quiet ones too. Especially the quiet ones.

Real diversity isn’t about checking boxes—it’s about uncensoring the authentic expression in each one of us.

The culture of leadership must shift to honor both the extrovert and the introvert, the spotlight-seeker and the behind-the-scenes anchor, the one who “hates” leadership and the one who’s raring to go. This is how we run our businesses. This is how we raise our families. And this is what our boys and girls need to see modeled—so they grow up knowing they don’t have to become someone else to lead. They just have to become themselves. Fully. Fiercely. Unapologetically.

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Great leaders start with this: Simon Sinek on “Start With Why”

Kate Galt Primal Leadership Business Coaching

Kate Galt coaches and challenges leaders at all levels— from entrepreneurs to seasoned executives— to sharpen their vision, articulate key messages so they connect and inspire, and make decisive, strategic moves that drive real business growth. Based in Boulder, Colorado, she works with individuals and teams to strengthen leadership, improve team dynamics, and achieve measurable results.

Her coaching is rooted in Primal Leadership—because the strongest leaders move with instinct, command presence without force, and create unshakable trust through raw, real connection.

Like any driven person, Kate is always figuring out how to do it all—running a business, raising two kids with her equally involved husband, and still making time for the adventure that brought her to Colorado in 1998. Whether it’s snowboarding, mountain biking, or chasing an ultimate frisbee, she knows the best leadership isn’t just learned—it’s lived.

The bottom line? Kate makes good leaders great.

Curious about what makes her coaching style so impactful? Book a call and experience it for yourself at CoachTheLeaders.com.