Leadership: Effective Leaders Drive Stick [VIDEO]

Let me tell you about learning to drive stick. The car is a 1980 baby blue Honda Civic Hatchback.  I’m on a hill at a red light in Manayunk, Philadelphia – notoriously treacherous hills!  One foot is on the clutch, the other is hovering over the gas, and I’ve got this new BMW right behind me, and he has like a hundred cars behind him. My heart is POUNDING, but I’m also focused, aware of every detail around me. I am thinking: “I just don’t know if I can really do this!” My mom is right next to me. She is ready to jump in, but I am determined. I wanted to drive so badly and experience the freedom that would come with this driver’s license! I wasn’t going to ask her to take over.  And then, I did it! The light changed, I got up the hill and turned the corner. It was awesome!  I felt alive. Confident. Satisfied.  So ready to take on the world!

While I learned how to drive stick, I never imagined that experience would relate to how to lead well.  It took me some time to learn that, and I keep learning. 

Stick Shift Leadership

I have worked on my own leadership and have worked with hundreds of leaders - some just getting started, some at the height of their careers, some at the edge of burnout. 

Here is what I’ve come to know:

I was born to drive stick.
All leaders are.

To stay engaged, even when it’s hard.
To push past uncertainty.
To discern what is needed in any given moment.
To get that you don’t need to have it all figured out. In fact, you can’t. That’s not even possible in this unpredictable world.  What you DO need to do is discover, trust in, and learn to leverage your God-given design, especially on the hills!
To use every part of who we are…your intellect, your drive, your intuition, your empathy.
Leading from wholeness — not JUST managing metrics.

Getting to the truth of who you are and the internal resources you have access to as a leader cultivates confident, exciting leadership for you and everyone around you. That’s leadership for the long haul.

I call that kind of leadership Stick Shift Leadership. It’s not a formula. It’s a framework — drawn from real life, real leadership, real transitions.

It’s for those moments when what used to work isn’t working anymore. Or when your title’s impressive, but something in you is restless and you feel “off.” Or when you know there’s more in you. Not just more to do, but more to become. Something new to sink your teeth into.

The 6 Gears of Stick Shift Leadership

Here are the six gears of Stick Shift Leadership – this is beyond the average 5-gear manual car.

• 1st Gear: Know Yourself. 

• 2nd Gear: Be Present.

• 3rd Gear: Seek Wisdom.

• 4th Gear: Consciously Choose.

• 5th Gear: Build Resilience.

• 6th Gear: Cast Vision and Fly!

We could explore each of these for hours, if not days! But let’s focus on the 4th Gear, consciously choose.

4th Gear: Consciously Choose

Consciously choosing is about shifting from reactive habits to values-aligned action that allows for impact rooted in purpose, trust, and authenticity.

I recently coached a senior leader who was brought into a hyper-traditional, decades-old organization.  He was brought in as a change agent. This man is direct and fast-moving, traits that served him well in start-ups but clashed with this slower-paced culture. Though he believed he understood the environment and how to “get things moving,” he quickly hit a wall.

A 360 assessment revealed a trust gap with his team — not from dishonesty, but from failing to set realistic priorities, offer context, and slow down enough for others to adjust. Fast speed wasn’t appropriate for the current environment.  This was heartbreaking for him. This man truly cares about his people.

Through coaching, he realized his speed came from a need to control every circumstance and say yes to everything to feel valuable and worthwhile. Once he became aware of these tendencies, he decided to try a different way of showing up.  He began to anchor his behavior in a core value,  deep care of people. He slowed down, prioritized better, set realistic expectations, and clearly communicated the “why” behind his decisions. All involved are on a faster track now, and everyone is smiling more!

Is Your Leadership Automatic or Engaged?

Where are you right now?

Are you driving automatic — doing what’s expected, moving fast, but feeling disconnected?

Or are you starting to wonder if it’s time to re-engage, to shift, to lead more authentically?

If that’s you, keep going! And know that you don’t have to go it alone. Let’s take a drive together. I can’t wait to meet you and see where your leadership will go.

If you would like help identifying the areas where you need to re-engage your leadership, contact us to learn how our coaches can help you develop a plan to do just that.

Sandra Swider, PCC, CPCC, is a Senior Consultant at The Center Consulting and a business leader with 30+ years of global experience. She has an extensive background in both organizational leadership roles and leadership development consulting and has contributed in the corporate, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial sectors. In her corporate career, Sandy held roles including Director of Brand Operations, Global Brand Leader, and Head of Global Citizenship. Since 2012, she has focused her experience, talents, and passion on coaching, facilitating, and strategic consulting. Sandy holds multiple advanced coaching certifications that include Professional Certified Coach Credential (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, CPCC through the Co-Active Training Institute, and certification in the Leadership Circle suite of offerings.