My biggest leadership mistakes from 2024 (Part 1)

18 snips

Jul 30, 2025

In this insightful discussion, clinical psychologist Sabina Read joins a leader grappling with pivotal mistakes made in 2024. They explore the costs of indecision and the pitfalls of seeking approval at all costs. The conversation dives into the importance of psychological safety, the detrimental effects of fear on decision-making, and the value of fostering open dialogue in teams. With relatable anecdotes, they emphasize the necessity of diverse perspectives and frequent check-ins to create a positive organizational culture.

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ANECDOTE

Amantha's 2024 Leadership Struggles

Amantha Imber experienced a very hard year in 2024 with many team changes and tough leadership decisions.
She chose to openly share her struggles and lessons learned to bridge the gap between public image and reality.

INSIGHT

Hope Is Not A Strategy

Amantha realized "hope is not a strategy" during 2024’s financial stress and client budget cuts.
She clung to hope rather than facing difficult decisions like redundancies early on.

ANECDOTE

Redundancy Avoidance Costs High

Amantha avoided considering redundancies in 2024 due to fear and emotional bonds with long-tenured employees.
This delay increased pressure on the business and impacted the team negatively.

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I got leadership wrong in 2024. That’s how I started a newsletter earlier this year that scared the hell out of me to publish. In this episode, I share what happened - and the high cost of indecision, fear, and people-pleasing.

Today, I’m turning the mic on myself. I’m joined by psychologist and friend Sabina Read to unpack the personal and professional fallout of the hardest year I’ve had as a leader.

From delaying redundancies to clinging to hope, to letting fear and likability steer my decisions - I share the choices I regret, what I learned from them, and how I’m showing up differently in 2025.

Sabina and I discuss:

Why I refused to consider redundancies (and what it cost)

How fear, not strategy, drove my biggest decisions

The freeze response I didn’t realise I was stuck in

What my therapist told me that sent me into a spiral

How psychological safety broke down on my team - and what we do now to protect it

The cultural check-in we do every 6–8 weeks to catch small issues before they explode

Why listening deeply matters more than making the “right” decision

How I started letting go of the need to be liked

Key Quotes

“Hope is not a strategy. But that’s what I was relying on.”

“I had a very high need to be liked—and that was making me a really bad manager.”

“You can’t rest on your laurels with culture. It takes conscious work.”

Connect with Sabina via her website, Instagram, or check out her podcast Human Cogs.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here:
https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanthai

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:
Host: Amantha Imber
Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

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