64. Leading People Starts With Leading Yourself [2026 Leadership Series]

Leadership conversations often focus on strategy, growth, and organizational change. Yet the daily reality of leadership still comes down to something more fundamental: how effectively leaders manage people and themselves.

In this episode of Grounded and Aligned™, Karen speaks with leadership coach Kris Plachy about what has — and has not — changed in leadership as we move into 2026. Drawing on three decades of work with female founders and CEOs, Kris argues that the fundamentals remain the same: leaders set direction, clarify expectations, and hold people accountable for results.

What has changed is the environment in which those fundamentals now operate. Leaders are managing teams with shorter attention spans, greater emotional volatility, and increasing distraction. At the same time, many leaders struggle with the very conversations required to maintain accountability.

The discussion explores why emotional regulation is not a “soft skill,” but a core leadership requirement. When leaders cannot manage their own emotional responses, they lose authority in difficult conversations and allow behavior patterns that ultimately undermine results.

For senior leaders, the implication is direct: leadership effectiveness is less about new frameworks and more about mastering the internal mechanics that determine how you respond in pressure moments.

Key takeaways

1. Why the fundamentals of leadership have not changed, even as the external environment has become more complex
2. The growing challenge leaders face managing teams in a culture of distraction and shortened attention
3. Why many leaders avoid accountability conversations, even when performance expectations are clear
4. How emotional regulation determines whether leaders maintain authority in difficult moments
5. The connection between self-leadership, organizational performance, and business outcomes
6. How changing the way leaders interpret situations can transform both business results and personal freedom

Leadership ultimately reveals how well someone can lead themselves. When leaders learn to regulate their emotional responses, they regain the ability to address problems directly, set clear expectations, and make decisions that serve the organization rather than their discomfort. That shift often changes both the trajectory of the business and the life of the leader.

Connect with Kris:

1. Kris Plachy website: https://thevisionary.ceo
2. Book, The One Hour Leader: https://thevisionary.ceo/onehourleader

Kris Plachy books :

1. How to Coach a Difficult Person in Six Steps
2. Five Truths for Thinking About Difficult People

LinkedIn: Kris Plachy | LinkedIn