Episode 86
When the Leader Is Still in the Work: Leading Without Losing the Team
The hardest leadership test begins when the person responsible for the team is still inside the work and must shift from personal performance to shared success.
Maartje van Krieken sits down with Jon Sheldon of Belleau Wood Coaching to talk about the tension many leaders face once they move from individual contributor to team leader. Jon works with professionals who still operate inside the business while leading others. Financial advisors, attorneys, sales leaders, and operators who must balance their own work with the responsibility of guiding a team. It is a position that sounds straightforward until growth stalls or team dynamics begin to strain.
The conversation centers on a familiar leadership turning point. The habits that drive individual success rarely translate to team leadership. A leader must shift focus from personal output to shared alignment. What happens when the team is unclear about the mission? What happens when people feel unsure about how decisions get made?
Jon draws on both corporate experience and his time as a Marine squad leader to discuss how strong teams actually function. Clarity, trust, and shared purpose create the conditions for real performance. Leaders who remain embedded in the work must balance structure with autonomy and learn when to invite input and when to make the call.
A core idea that emerges is the concept of a “performance blueprint.” What motivates each person? What environment allows them to do their best work? Teams often improve once leaders understand these answers. The deeper question lingers throughout the discussion. Do people feel agency inside the team or do they hold back their thinking? The answer often determines whether a team simply works together or truly performs together.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Leading While Still Doing the Work
02:31 When Top Performers Become Team Leaders
09:10 Mission Clarity and Team Alignment
18:14 Leadership Lessons From the Marines
24:10 Decision-Making Under Pressure
Links
Connect with Jon Sheldon:
Jon is a former Marine combat Squad leader and business executive who now runs a coaching practice focused on leadership, performance, and alignment. He helps great salespeople become CEOs, busy people find balance, and high-performing teams stay that way.
Jon’s process involves a mix of personal courage, mission, commitment, and vision alignment, as well as 1:1 focus sessions, forward tactics, technology, accountability, and most importantly, balance. They analyze the past, hold steady in the present, and will the future into existence.
Connect with Maartje van Krieken:
Connect with Maartje on LinkedIn
Visit The Chaos Games Consulting website
Visit The Business Emergency Room website
Subscribe to The Business Emergency Room on YouTube
Subscribe to Maartje’s Substack
Host Maartje van Krieken is a crisis strategist and decision-making expert who thrives in high-stakes business environments. Combining disaster management training, hands-on experience in global industries, and leadership skills honed as a seasoned sailor, she helps businesses navigate chaos with precision. Whether tackling transformation, scaling challenges, or leadership bottlenecks, Maartje delivers actionable insights to turn turbulence into traction.
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
