The simple truth is that succeeding as an executive leader has little to do with your title and everything to do with your mindset. Yet a quick review of posts, podcasts and new books on leadership often over index on the “critical skills” necessary to be an effective executive. I’d like to touch on why mental shifts are just as critical.

At Five we have the honour of coaching executives across NZ and Australia as well as numerous high potentials – really smart people whose organisations are betting on them to eventually take the reins. Not surprisingly, from all these relationships a few themes have surfaced about what it takes to be successful when you are transitioning into a new executive leadership role. Here are my top five mindshift recommendations.

Be comfortable with placing informed bets

You must grow comfortable with risk-taking because leadership at this level is inherently about navigating ambiguity and making consequential decisions without guaranteed outcomes. The role demands foresight and courage - placing informed bets on future scenarios, investments, or strategic shifts that shape the organisation’s trajectory. I have a client who is CEO of a bank, and she is living proof that being bold with ideas signals confidence, inspires belief, and helps set a compelling direction that the board and shareholders can rally around. Without this willingness to lead with conviction, even amid uncertainty, progress stalls and opportunity is lost to hesitation. Executive impact is rarely built on certainty - it’s forged in the quality of judgement and the ability to move forward decisively.

Look in the “ugly mirror”

Actively encourage your team to be brutally honest about the difficulties the business faces because only through truth can progress begin. Avoiding or softening the reality risks complacency, missed signals, and flawed decisions. When teams feel safe to name the hard truths - about performance, strategy, or culture - it creates the conditions for genuine transformation.

Yes, it's like turning on the harsh fluorescent lights in a changing room. It's uncomfortable, unflattering, and reveals what you'd rather not see. But it’s the only way to know what really fits, what needs adjusting, and what must be let go. Without that clear reflection - without looking in the “ugly mirror” - leaders risk making decisions based on how things feel, rather than how they are. And in leadership, clarity always trumps comfort.

Understand that you don’t have the luxury of indecision

Executive leaders must listen carefully because leadership decisions are only as strong as the quality of insight that informs them. Listening - truly and actively - surfaces perspectives, challenges assumptions, and builds trust across the organisation.

But listening alone isn’t leadership. Executive leaders must also take charge - synthesising diverse inputs, holding the broader enterprise view, and making the calls others can’t – or won’t. It’s your job to resolve ambiguity, set direction, and move the organisation forward. The most effective leaders pair humility with decisiveness - they take in the full view, then own the path ahead.

Embrace setting direction – not delivering tasks

I know sometimes it feels good to be the go-to person to “fix things” or delve deep into the weeds. But now your greatest value lies in setting direction, not delivering tasks. What I’ve seen is that when leaders get too involved in execution, they risk losing the strategic altitude required to steer the organisation. Attention becomes reactive rather than intentional, often solving the symptoms rather than addressing root causes.

Remaining focused on asking “what is best for the organisation?” helps leaders hold the enterprise view - balancing short-term demands with long-term health. It ensures that decisions are grounded in strategy, not just urgency. This separation of focus also empowers others in the business to take ownership of delivery, strengthening leadership at all levels and building organisational resilience. An executive’s role isn’t to run every play - it’s to make sure the team is playing the right game.

Know your triggers

Self-awareness as a leader is about more than knowing your strengths - it involves recognising the internal signals that shape how you show up under pressure. This includes being attuned to your emotions, stress levels, and the specific triggers that can spark an overreaction. We take a close look at this in our Executive Traction Labs because when leaders are unaware of these responses, they risk undermining their own credibility or creating unintended ripple effects across their teams. But when they notice and manage these patterns, they gain greater control, make clearer decisions, and lead with intention rather than impulse.

Shifting your mindset is just as critical as developing leadership skills, because mindset shapes how those skills are applied under pressure. Executive leadership brings intensity, constant complexity, and a wide variety of challenges. Without these mindset shifts, even the most skilled leaders can become reactive, siloed, or stuck limiting their impact just when the organisation needs clarity most.