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The Best Leaders Change Their Minds

This month marks six years since I started my business, Expand Coaching and Consulting, which has recently evolved into Expand with Libby.

In that time, I’ve coached hundreds of leaders, facilitated workshops with teams across industries, sat in the middle of difficult conversations, celebrated breakthroughs, and learned from thousands of people who have trusted me with their stories.

If you had asked me six years ago what I’d know by now, I probably would have listed frameworks, strategies, or leadership techniques.

Instead, the biggest thing I’ve gained is something much simpler.

I’ve changed my mind.

July, 2026

Not because I was wrong. Because I kept learning.

Leadership has a way of challenging the beliefs we hold most tightly. Every conversation, every success, every failure, every relationship has the opportunity to reshape how we see ourselves and others if we’re willing to stay curious.

Here are a few of the beliefs I’ve outgrown along the way.

I used to think the best leaders had all the answers.
Now I think the best leaders ask better questions.

I used to think conflict meant something was wrong.
Now I believe avoiding conflict is what keeps people, teams, and organizations stuck.

I used to think self-awareness was personal work.
Now I see it as one of the greatest gifts you can give the people around you.

I used to think people resisted change because they were difficult.
Now I realize they’re often protecting something that once helped them succeed.

I used to think communication was about saying the right thing.
Now I believe it’s about helping someone else feel understood.

I used to think leadership meant carrying more.
Now I think it often means creating space for others to carry it with you.

I used to think growth was about becoming someone different.
Now I believe it’s about becoming more fully yourself while letting go of the patterns that no longer serve you.

And maybe my favorite…

I used to think my job was to help people discover their Enneagram type.
Now I think my job is to help people understand themselves so deeply that they lead, communicate, collaborate, and care for others with greater intention.

At VIA, we talk often about empowering women, building community, and creating spaces where people can grow together.

None of those things happen because we have everything figured out.

They happen because we’re willing to listen, to question our assumptions, to learn from one another, and sometimes…to change our minds.

That’s not weakness.

That’s leadership.

As I celebrate six years of this work, I’m grateful not just for what I’ve learned, but for what I’ve been willing to unlearn.

So I’ll leave you with the same question I’ve been asking myself lately:

What belief are you holding onto simply because it’s familiar, not because it’s still serving you?

You might be surprised what changes when you’re willing to let the answer evolve.

Libby Cole

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