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How to Create Space for the Next Chapter

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You may have heard the saying before – it’s essential to create space for change to happen. This could be to attract different professional opportunities, draw the right partner into your life, welcome in new levels of health and fitness or to realize financial abundance. Our lives are filled with a set amount of time – literally each day. This means every minute we choose to invest in a specific activity or with a specific person is a moment we are spending from the days’ 24–hour time bank. 

At the beginning of this year, I made a vow to myself. I committed to getting rid of certain tangible things, relationships and time investments that I felt were holding me back from forward progress. I found myself at the start of 2020 craving real change. But, being a creature of self-study, I knew that in order to see the changes I wanted realized, I needed to create space for them to happen. This would mean inevitably that I was going to have to dance with vulnerability. 

Removing the things I needed meant eliminating many habits – habits that were familiar and provided a sense of comfort. In fact, studies have shown that removing habits is one reason why change is so difficult for so many people. It requires you to tango with vulnerability and the fear of the unknown. This paralyzes many people to remain in situations that stifle their forward progress because the familiar feels safe.

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie

I was recently helping a friend move, which is a challenging undertaking in normal circumstances, and is especially difficult when you are downsizing. Cutting your living space in half means you have to make hard choices on what you are wanting to keep and what must be removed. In the process, you also have to look through all of the dark corners of your house where you store things you want to deal with later. Perhaps it is under your stairwell, in the attic, or your entire garage. It is baffling how much stuff we can accumulate. 

One of the people helping on the move looked around and exclaimed, “I love your new place. I wish I could move however, there’s no way I could, as I have too much stuff.” In this literal example, the individual had made a choice to stay in their home that did not bring them joy, in an area they did not love living, so they could hold onto things they no longer used or needed, but were a part of the fabric of their history. This shows how powerful mental and emotional ties can be in preventing us from taking positive steps forward.

We talk ourselves out of doing things for a never ending gamut of reasons – because we have a job, because we don’t have a job, we aren’t smart enough, we don’t have the time, and so on. This mental clutter takes up a lot of space and if we want to expand and embrace the opportunities available to us, we need to make room. We need to throw away the thoughts that are no longer serving us, clear the noise and be open to new experiences. 

While I won’t pretend that creating space for the next chapter – either personally or professionally – is easy, I have found a formula for identifying what no longer serves you, which can be helpful in taking the next step.

1. Assess People

Are the individuals you are surrounding yourself with helping you grow? Challenging you to level up? Holding you accountable to your core values? If the answer is no, define what a great circle of peers, mentors and friends would look like that would feed your soul.

“You become like the five people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.” – Jim Rohn

2. Assess Situations

Do you find your current personal or professional situation one that inspires you? Motivates you? Allows you room to grow and thrive? Or do you feel stuck? If this is the case, define what a personal or professional situation would look like whether at the office or home that would allow you to channel ingenuity, creativity and opportunity.

3. Assess Time Investments

The things you are choosing to invest your time in – what is the return on investment? Do you feel energized after? Happier? More educated? Do you feel a positive return from your time investment? Or do you feel depleted? Depressed? If this is the case, define what good time investments would be that would uplift you. Consider things you have never done before to broaden your circle

In a world full of dynamic change, there is no time like the present to complete a self-analysis. Setting yourself up for growth means being bold enough to face your reflection and hold yourself accountable. For me, I have found this process of creating space liberating and one that I will regularly revisit in order to keep evolving. I can’t imagine what I would be compromising if I did not create space for the next chapter – it’s worth fleeting feelings of vulnerability – as they pave the way for a better you. 

How do you create the life you’d like to live? Share your thoughts with us below!

Ken Kladouris is an esteemed wealth advisor and published author who believes you should be living your life, by design. Charting his own course in the wealth management industry, Ken has earned the respect of his peers and the trust of his clientele. Developing his signature tailor-made approach, Ken has been able to successfully assist countless clients in charting their course to financial abundance. This has allowed the men and women Ken is proud to serve the ability to infuse more life into their years here and now – not just in retirement. Ken’s book, “Get There!”, was developed as a tool that helps individuals discover the clarity they need to design their financial future. Learn more by visiting Ken’s website or connecting with him on LinkedIn.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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