Are you unknowingly sabotaging your leadership by staying too busy? Senior executives often fall into the trap of emotional buffering, keeping themselves occupied with tasks and meetings to avoid discomfort, tough conversations, or strategic thinking. While it feels productive in the moment, this sneaky habit can erode influence, limit results, and quietly weaken leadership presence.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to spot emotional buffering in yourself and your team, why it happens, and the hidden costs of letting it continue. You’ll also gain practical ways to build awareness, challenge avoidance behaviors, and shift your focus back to the work that truly matters. If you’re ready to stop mistaking busywork for real leadership, this conversation will help you reclaim clarity, confidence, and impact.
What You’ll Learn In Today’s Episode:
- What emotional buffering really is in a leadership context.
- Why executives confuse busyness with productivity.
- How dopamine rewards reinforce unhelpful habits.
- The hidden costs of avoiding discomfort.
- Signs you or your team are buffering.
- Why strategic thinking often gets neglected.
- How avoidance impacts tough conversations.
- The link between buffering and lack of delegation.
- The importance of self-development at senior levels.
- A simple awareness tool to stop buffering in real time.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“Emotional buffering is defined as anything that you do to avoid feeling some type of discomfort.” – Elisia Keown Share on X “As a senior leader, it is imperative that you're doing the strategic thinking for your organization.” – Elisia Keown Share on X “It's easier just to do it yourself than to coach, to delegate, and to trust. By the time you get to be a senior executive, you should be developing your team, and you should be delegating.” – Elisia Keown Share on XResources In Today’s Episode:
Share the Love:
If you like The Executive Coaching Podcast…
Never miss an episode by subscribing via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or by RSS!