[BECAUSE] you need to get out of your own way

Don’t Be Driven By Pride Or Fear - 

When things are going wrong, leaders can succumb to too much pride and not seek out help or, worse, not admit their mistakes. Leaders can feel that they know better or be too afraid to be wrong. Just like the best lessons come from failure, so to do the best insights come from admitting you don't (can't) know everything. 

Do Not Hide From The Truth -

If you can't find a non-biased opinion in-house strong enough to question your own... find one externally. Educate them on your business & goals and then make a practice of letting them question you, often! You don't always have to like their questions, but having someone strong enough to question you will make you a better Leader.

Understand Your Disciplinary Matrix... and Break It  - 

Without a doubt, the hardest of these to do. The sucking sound of the core business will always be the siren song that tempts you away from this vital task. The longer you're in a business or industry... the harder it is NOT to "think" like that business or industry. Getting stuck in the status quo.

In Science, a Disciplinary Matrix is a set of assumptions, rules, principles, and exemplars that determine scientific research. Looking at a contour map, the student sees lines on paper, the cartographer sees a picture of a terrain. You don't start off thinking like a “cartographer”, but be in an industry long enough and you will see only see what other others in your industry see. This mindset inhibits your ability to identify trends and innovations that will ultimately put you and your company in peril.

Fixing this mindset is closely related to #2 above. Seek out both resources and knowledge. They will bring new perspectives. The former will help you manage change better by identifying early some of the trends and issues in your industry, and the latter will give you the opportunity see your company, or industry, in a new light by applying your experience to its relevance for yourself, the people you lead, your company, and your customers.