EPISODE · Jul 1, 2025 · 30 MIN
946: LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES: 7 Ways to Rise When Your Boss Holds You Down
from Shameless Leadership · host Sara Dean
Sometimes your boss is the biggest obstacle to your leadership growth. Whether they’re dismissive, manipulative, or flat-out toxic, their behavior or opinion of you does not define your worth. After watching too many women leaders suffer under harmful male leadership recently, it feels crucial to share actionable strategies to help you trust your instincts and keep your intuition grounded in truth. It’s time for you to reclaim your power even in environments designed to diminish it.When your boss won’t advocate for you, it’s time to advocate for yourself—boldly and strategically. In this episode, I share how to get visible beyond your direct boss, surround yourself with mentors and allies, and cultivate your leadership brand regardless of what your boss says (or doesn’t say) about you. You’ll learn how to set unapologetic boundaries, document manipulative behavior, and protect your emotional safety. We talk about how to navigate power dynamics with intention. By understanding your boss’s motivations and insecurities, you can learn to protect your own energy and make more informed, strategic choices about how to engage. This clarity will allow you to choose your battles wisely, preserve your peace, and lead yourself first. In doing so, you will model a more grounded and powerful style of leadership for those around you, even in the absence of support from above.Remember, you always have a choice. Sometimes, navigating a “strategic stay” is the right move for right now. Other times, the best thing you can do is leave. This episode is an invitation for you to consider what growth, alignment, and success look like on your terms. Because even when you’re being held down, you are still leading. Your job is not to shrink in the shadows of someone else’s smallness. Your job is to stand tall in your truth, build your brand, and be the leader of your life. Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. Links Mentioned: Women Business Owners, join me for a free business building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What this episode covers
Sometimes your boss is the biggest obstacle to your leadership growth. Whether they’re dismissive, manipulative, or flat-out toxic, their behavior or opinion of you does not define your worth. After watching too many women leaders suffer under harmful male leadership recently, it feels crucial to share actionable strategies to help you trust your instincts and keep your intuition grounded in truth. It’s time for you to reclaim your power even in environments designed to diminish it.When your boss won’t advocate for you, it’s time to advocate for yourself—boldly and strategically. In this episode, I share how to get visible beyond your direct boss, surround yourself with mentors and allies, and cultivate your leadership brand regardless of what your boss says (or doesn’t say) about you. You’ll learn how to set unapologetic boundaries, document manipulative behavior, and protect your emotional safety. We talk about how to navigate power dynamics with intention. By understanding your boss’s motivations and insecurities, you can learn to protect your own energy and make more informed, strategic choices about how to engage. This clarity will allow you to choose your battles wisely, preserve your peace, and lead yourself first. In doing so, you will model a more grounded and powerful style of leadership for those around you, even in the absence of support from above.Remember, you always have a choice. Sometimes, navigating a “strategic stay” is the right move for right now. Other times, the best thing you can do is leave. This episode is an invitation for you to consider what growth, alignment, and success look like on your terms. Because even when you’re being held down, you are still leading. Your job is not to shrink in the shadows of someone else’s smallness. Your job is to stand tall in your truth, build your brand, and be the leader of your life. Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected]. Links Mentioned: Women Business Owners, join me for a free business building workshop on July 16th, Focused & Fierce: Lead with Purpose and Build Your Business in a Noisy World: saradean.com/fierce Hire me to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with me: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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946: LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES: 7 Ways to Rise When Your Boss Holds You Down
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