Here's a Type-A Trap to Avoid

10 Jul 2026 · 3 min

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In short

Leadership advice for “Type A” managers—avoiding the trap of setting unrealistic expectations for deadlines and quality.

Guest backgrounds

No guests are named; the episode is a one-minute leadership Q&A hosted by an advice-giver.

Key claims

Type A leaders often assume others should match their own high performance; instead, set expectations based on what the task requires, not personal preferences. “Good enough” can be effective, especially when paired with time to spare.

Notable examples

A manager struggling to get a team to meet deadlines and hit expected quality; the recommended fix is recalibrating standards and aligning them to task needs.

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Transcript

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0:54I am here to answer your toughest leadership questions in one minute or less. So I've always been super type A and got ahead of my career by being really productive. Now that I'm a manager, I'm really struggling with getting my team to adhere to deadlines and make sure all the work is up to the quality they expect. How can I inspire them to be more task oriented? Type A's, I love it. Okay, listen, this is all about managing expectations. And one thing that I want you to really check yourself on is, are you setting up expectations in a way where because you think you can do something, everybody else should be able to do it too?

1:34Manage expectations according to the task, not according to your preferences or to whatever you think is best just because you think it's best. Okay? We often get in trouble as high achievers type A's to think everyone needs to be able to perform at an A++ level. What you really need to think about is what's necessary for the task and what's going to be good enough. Because you know what? Good enough is actually really good. With time to spare. Make sure to check out Coaching Real Leaders wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Have no fear. Chosen Foods is here to defend your favorite foods from the forces of seedy oils and sketchy ingredients.

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From the publisher

Here's a Type-A Trap to Avoid

30 Oct 2024

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Hey Type As! Here’s a trap you need to avoid. Executive coach Muriel Wilkins is here with advice and strategies that can help — delivered in one minute or less. Wilkins is the host of HBR’s Coaching Real Leaders, available wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also listen here: https://s.hbr.org/4fqGyGU

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