72 - Pitfalls of Leadership: #1 Work Becomes Confused with Worth

Jun 17, 2025

Leadership pitfalls can unravel careers and relationships. The discussion highlights how a leader's sense of worth can get tangled with their professional achievements. This confusion often sidelines personal connections and values, especially for parents. Listeners will learn the importance of self-awareness and humility in leadership. Emotional needs, especially for children, are emphasized, advocating for nurturing environments that bolster genuine self-worth, separate from societal pressures and expectations.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Applause Is Not Inherent Value

Leaders often mistake applause and achievement for personal value.
This confusion makes their confidence ride a performance rollercoaster.

INSIGHT

Worth Is Inborn, Not Earned

Chip Dodd says worth is inborn and present from birth.
Babies instinctively reach out because they feel worthy of care and connection.

ADVICE

Caregivers Should Name Needs First

Attend to children's needs: belong, matter, safety, and care.
Give them room to experiment so work becomes expression, not identity.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Click Here to read the episode highlights.

The "Living with Heart" Podcast is brought to you by Chip Dodd Resources (www.chipdodd.com) and The Voice of the Heart Center (vothcenter.com). You can connect with Dr. Chip Dodd at chip@chipdodd.com. Contact Bryan Barley for coaching at bryan@vothcenter.com.

There are 5 Pitfalls of Leadership. These pitfalls can destroy careers, friendships, reputations, marriages and families—unless one finds freedom from them.

The 5 Pitfalls of Leadership Are Interconnected and Work in a Descending Order:

1. One’s work becomes confused with one’s worth.
2. One’s performance begins to be valued more than one’s presence.
3. People become things.
4. In order to be an example to others, one isolates his/her true self.

Secrets sap one’s passion and purpose.

This episode will focus on Pitfall #1: One’s Work is Confused with One’s Worth.

Leaders can draw crowds, get things done, or set themselves apart from others through accomplishments or talents. This work can be good and true. However, a leader can confuse the crowds, the feedback, and accomplishments with his/her worth as a person.

Sadly, A leader’s sense of confidence and value can begin to go up or down based upon the applause they receive.

While pursuing one’s worth in the “workplace,” being a “Dad” or “Mom” loses its importance and sense of value/purpose.

This effect can happen to professionals, little league coaches, church volunteers, and PTA presidents.

A leader can easily forget that their worth comes from being human. Worth is inborn; we don’t lose it.

The crowd looks for what the leader can give.

God and loved ones look for the heart of who the person is from the inside out.

Worth tied to the crowd can mean loss of recognition of worth as a person.

Finding Methods of Prevention

When leaders fall or fail, so often they are simply replaced to keep the mission or agenda going. That is not a bad thing related to the responsibilities of the mission; however, we need also to be curious enough about what created the fall or failure to find prevention methods that can reduce negative, even tragic, outcomes.

There is Always Hope

If a leader doesn’t catch himself/herself in the early stages of Pitfall #1, it isn’t the end. Very often, the failure becomes a “doorway” into a new world of a new life, even a better life. This “better” life requires a recovery process with guides and helpers; otherwise, the negative process usually continues.

Click here to continue reading the episode highlights.