When Shadows Lead

The Shadow You Didn’t Know You Were Casting

There’s the leader we think we are. And then there’s the version of us people actually work with. You may see yourself as open, fair, inspiring, but if your actions say “I’m too busy,” if praise lands in the same places, if decisions echo the loudest voice in the room, then you’re shaping culture in ways you don’t even realise.

Leadership casts a shadow. Not the kind that’s obvious, but the kind that shows up in team dynamics, in silence during meetings, in who feels seen and who quietly switches off.

☁️ The invisible influence of leaders

Whether we realise it or not, our everyday habits, how we show up, what we react to, who we reward, send signals. Those signals get interpreted, they form patterns and those patterns shape culture.

Research backs this up:
🔹 According to the Gallup and Flair, managers shape up to 70% of the factors that drive employee engagement, making them key to how culture is experienced.
🔹 Google's Project Aristotle, which analyzed over 180 teams and found psychological safety, feeling safe to speak up, fail, or take risks, to be the key differentiator of high-performing teams.

👀 Want to understand your shadow?

Start by asking:

• What do I consistently reward?

• What do I walk past without comment?

• When I’m under pressure, what parts of me show up first?

• Who gets airtime in my meetings? Who doesn’t?

Because whatever behaviour you tolerate, praise, or protect, you're teaching your team that this is how things work around here. Even if it's the opposite of what’s written in the values.

The shift starts with awareness

The goal isn’t to be perfect.
It’s to be curious.
To close the gap between the leader you mean to be… and the experience people actually have of you.

It’s in the quiet stuff.
Acknowledging the unseen emotional labour.
Listening without interrupting.
Noticing who hasn’t spoken, and inviting them in.
Owning your impact and repairing when needed.

These moments build trust. And trust builds culture.

One more stat to sit with:

When employees feel seen and recognised, engagement increases by 69% (OC Tanner, 2023).
Not because of a bonus.
Because someone noticed what mattered.

So here’s your invitation:
Look at your shadow, not with shame, but with interest.

Because leadership isn’t about casting light all the time.
It’s about knowing where the shadows fall, and choosing what you want to illuminate instead.