Imagine this: You’re sitting in a leadership class at West Point. Cadets are taking notes. Heads down. Focused. They're serious about learning everything they can to memorize what it means to lead.

Doug Crandall, their instructor, reads a list of traits and quotes most of us have heard:

Great leaders are always decisive. They drive change. They speak with charisma. They act with boldness.

Then he pauses, looks up, and says flatly:

“None of that is true.”

You can almost feel the room shift. In the video, two cadets glance at each other, startled. Pens still. Postures stiffening. You see it in their eyes: Wait, what?

Doug laughs gently. “That’s BS,” he says. “And I can tell you why. Because the moment you leave this place, you’ll see leaders who don’t fit any of those molds - and yet they lead brilliantly. Because leadership isn’t about fitting a mold. It’s about being honest with who you are.”

There are no leadership experts, Doug continues. “Only you can be an expert on your own leadership.”

As someone who also graduated from West Point, I felt this moment viscerally. I know what it’s like to crave the clearest, most efficient path, to want someone to just hand you the blueprint for 'great leadership.'

I’ve seen smart, motivated professionals trying to force themselves into a leadership persona they think they should have, comparing themselves to others, reverse-engineering what works for someone else, and disconnecting from their own center of gravity.

And I’ve seen the freedom that comes when they finally realize:

You don’t have to become someone else to lead well. You just have to become more of yourself.

Are You Building or Diminishing?

Doug’s forthcoming book, Building or Diminishing, The Transformational Impact of Leaders Who Expect Excellence & Cultivate Confidence, builds on this core insight.

Doug poses a deceptively simple question:

Are you the kind of leader who builds people up? Or one who, without realizing it, wears them down?

Most leaders don’t diminish with intent. But the impact is still real. It happens in rushed meetings, vague feedback, or when expectations are sky-high but communication is harsh.

Doug's framework maps this beautifully. He measures leadership impact across two key dimensions: Leader Expectations (high to low) and Leader Communication (positive to negative).

The four patterns are:

• Builder (High Expectations + Positive Communication): Creates clarity, commitment, energy, and high performance
• Driver (High Expectations + Negative Communication): Leads to effort, anxiety, and eventual burnout
• Cheerleader (Low Expectations + Positive Communication): Breeds comfort, confusion, and underperformance
• Diminisher (Low Expectations + Negative Communication): Erodes trust, confidence, and initiative

The Healthy Leader Expert Forum, July 23rd, 1 PM with Doug Crandall

This framework matters - not because it classifies you, but because it challenges you.

It’s not about intention. It’s about experience - and the fingerprints we leave behind in every interaction.

Which quadrant do you naturally fall into under pressure? And which one do you extend to yourself?

The goal isn’t to live as a Builder 100% of the time. It’s to develop the self-awareness to shift into that zone more often, for others, and for yourself.

Because leadership isn’t a script. It’s a fingerprint.

The Mirror Moment

Doug's framework got me thinking: What if this isn't just about how we lead others, but how we lead ourselves?

Think about it: What expectations do you set for yourself? And how do you communicate with yourself when you fall short - or when you're pushing toward something bigger?

We cycle through all four patterns with ourselves:

• Self-Diminisher: "I should be further along by now. Everyone else has it figured out." Low expectations delivered with harsh self-talk. We shrink our wins and amplify our failures.
• Self-Driver: "You're not working hard enough. Push harder, sleep less, do more." High standards with punishing internal pressure. We expect a lot but deliver it with criticism, not support.
• Self-Cheerleader: "Everything's fine! You're amazing!"—while avoiding the hard conversations with yourself. We stay comfortable but don't push for real growth.
• Self-Builder: High standards delivered with high regard. The voice that says "You can do this" and "Here's how we'll get there." This is where sustainable growth happens—but it's the hardest pattern to maintain.

We can default to these patterns, especially under stress. And we're often completely unconscious of which voice is running the show.

The goal isn't perfection. It's awareness. But awareness is just the starting point. The real challenge is shifting from recognizing these patterns to actually changing them.

And honestly, this is where I'm most curious about Doug's perspective. How do we become more intentional Self-Builders? How do we catch ourselves in the other patterns and shift?

Join the Conversation

Doug often references Colin Powell, arguably one of the most respected leaders in modern U.S. history. Powell’s second book was titled:

It Worked for Me

He didn’t claim to have the answer. He simply offered what had been true for him, trusting others to do the same.

That's the kind of leadership I trust. That's the kind Doug embodies.

📅 Join us live | Wednesday, July 23 at 1PM ET

🧭 Topic: Building vs. Diminishing – A Conversation with Doug Crandall

🔗 RSVP: www.thewellness.coach/expertforum

We'll explore how to lead in a way that builds rather than diminishes, starting with yourself.

Because real leadership doesn’t start in the boardroom, it starts in the mirror.

And the most powerful leadership isn’t borrowed from someone else’s playbook.

It’s as unique as your fingerprint.

About Doug Crandall: Doug is a leadership development educator, former Army officer, and longtime instructor at West Point. He brings a rare combination of humility, clarity, and practical wisdom to every room he enters. Doug believes leadership isn't something you copy; it's something you build from the inside out. He doesn't claim to be a leadership expert, but he's a gifted teacher of leader development and one of the most thoughtful voices in the field today.

Traci Fisher is the founder of The Healthy Leader Group, a leadership development company committed to building healthy cultures by starting with healthy individuals. A West Point graduate and former Army helicopter pilot, Traci works with high-performing leaders and organizations to foster sustainable success, without sacrificing wellbeing. Through coaching, teaching, and community, The Healthy Leader Group helps leaders reconnect with their values, build inner confidence, and lead in a way that’s both effective and deeply human..

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