How Hesitation Shows Us and What it Signals

Leadership That Holds · Jul 10, 2026 · 6m

What causes good employees to hesitate?

In many organizations, hesitation is mistaken for a lack of confidence, experience, or initiative. But more often, it is a signal. It tells us something about the environment people are working in.

In this episode of Leadership That Holds, Mick and Tara Carbo explore how hesitation develops inside teams and what it often reveals about leadership. When discipline becomes the primary response to mistakes instead of coaching, employees begin to protect themselves. They stop offering ideas, avoid taking initiative, and wait to be told what to do. Over time…