I recently took my family on a catamaran snorkeling tour in Hawaii. I always enjoy watching the crew manage the ropes for mooring the boat and anchoring (or reversing both).

A well-run crew gets the timing right. They know when to prepare the lines and when to release them. They know how to tie knots that are secure when needed and easy to untie when not.

Based on my experience with fishing lines, extension cords, and garden hoses – I’m not ready to help on a boat. If I can get a knot to hold, I can’t get it to untie. However neat I try to put things away, they tangle into a ball by the next time I use them.

If I ever decide to live a life at sea, I’ve got a learning curve ahead of me.

Leaders Can Learn Freedom from a Boat Crew

Leaders are often moored or anchored to perspectives that no longer serve them well. When they try to change, they find their knots are too tight, and the lines are too tangled to make that change.

The most common example of this is feeling overwhelmed. Too much needs to get done. There isn’t enough energy or time to do it all. Worse, there is no belief that the knot can be undone. Leaders can believe they are anchored where they are – change isn’t likely, even if possible.

This is not true. The very same changes that allow you to free yourself are the changes that will allow your organization to grow and prosper. In fact, growth (done right) should make your job easier.

There are strategies, skills, and techniques that support this kind of growth. But the real challenges aren’t around those. They are around leadership mindset and perspectives.

The key to overcoming obstacles isn’t just about external changes—it’s about shifting your leadership mindset to embrace new opportunities and break free from limiting beliefs.

Below, I’d like to describe some of the most common ones that keep leaders (and their organizations) anchored in place.

Five Ways Leaders Tie Themselves in Knots

1. Scarcity Thinking

Some leaders believe there isn’t enough—time, resources, staff, or market opportunity. Yet, just down the street, their competition is growing in the same environment.

How to Shift from Scarcity to Abundance:

• Surround yourself with growth-minded people who identify and seize opportunities. Their thinking will influence yours.
• Reframe your perspective: Practice gratitude, recognize what you do have, and explore creative ways to use your resources.
• Be generous: Pay people well, tip, give, donate, and pick up the lunch tab. “As you give, so shall you receive.”
• Shift your leadership mindset to focus on opportunities rather than limitations.

2. Lack of Trust

The larger, faster-moving, and more complex an organization becomes, the more trust is required. Yet, many leaders insist they can’t trust others. They forget that all successful organizations have to.

How to Build Trust:

• Trust is about structure, not just feelings. Put financial controls in place, invest in a strong financial team, and track key business metrics.
• Manage to outcomes, not micromanagement. Set clear expectations and goals. Create clear policies and procedures. Build a culture of accountability.
• A strong leadership mindset fosters trust, allowing your team to operate with confidence and independence.

3. Identity Traps

If you find a sense of pride in the fact that you wear “so many hats” or are the “chief cook and bottle washer,” that indicates a limiting leadership mindset. Another way this is expressed is, “If I don’t do it all, my team won’t respect me.”

How to Shift Your Identity:

• Reframe how you see yourself. Visualize yourself as a leader who is respected for enabling success, not for doing everything alone.
• Shift from DIY to helping others grow: Move from the (often deserved) pride of being able to do it all to learning how to grow a team that can do it all… and more.
• Embracing a growth-oriented leadership mindset allows you to focus on the bigger picture.

4. Self-Doubt

Many leaders doubt their ability to handle “more”—whether this is managing a larger team, serving more customers, or taking on bigger contracts.

How to Build Confidence:

• Keep the promises you make to yourself. Leaders who consistently follow through on their commitments build self-trust.
• Pursue small but real wins. Set and accomplish stretch goals, even small ones. Success in these smaller efforts reinforces your confidence that you can manage larger ones.
• Developing a confident leadership mindset is key to breaking through self-doubt.

5. Resistance to Growth Adjustments

As organizations grow, they have to adapt—hiring new staff, clarifying policies, and defining leadership roles. Often, leaders forget to anticipate this and are surprised when their old structure no longer supports their new reality.

How to Prepare for Growth:

• Adapt your structure for where you are and where you’re going. Invest in the people, tools, and systems needed to sustain growth.
• Anticipate future needs. Proactively plan for the next stage of expansion rather than reacting in crisis mode.
• A flexible leadership mindset prepares you for inevitable changes and new challenges.

Conclusion

A skilled boat crew understands that mooring lines and anchors serve a purpose—but only for a time. Used correctly, they hold the boat where it needs to be. But if the crew never releases them, the boat will never go anywhere.

The same is true for leaders. The mindsets that once kept you secure can become the ones that keep you stuck.

But there is good news: You can untie the knots and adopt a leadership mindset that fosters growth, trust, and confidence.

Take good care,
Christian