The Six Hidden Leaks That Can Keep You Stuck
By Dr. Brian L. Bolden
You know there is more in you. You have a gift you want to use, an idea you want to develop, or a responsibility you feel called to accept. Yet you keep reaching the end of another week with the same unfinished goal.
After a while, you begin questioning yourself. Why can I see what I want, but still struggle to move toward it?
Before you decide that you are incapable, examine where your progress is being lost. The problem may be more specific than you think.
I developed the Six Hidden Leaks framework to help people examine six areas that can interfere with progress: Identity, Vision, Time, Focus, Execution, and Accountability. This page will help you recognize those patterns and choose a practical place to begin.
What Are the Six Hidden Leaks
The Six Hidden Leaks are a coaching framework for examining the gap between the result you want and the progress you are making. Each leak names a different pattern that may be holding you back.
You may underestimate your ability. You may have an unclear direction. Your goal may never receive a realistic place in your schedule. You may become distracted, leave the work unfinished, or avoid reviewing what happened.
More than one pattern can be present. The purpose is to identify what is happening in a specific situation, not to give yourself another label.
Some barriers also involve resources, training, circumstances, or support. This framework does not explain every obstacle. It gives you questions you can use to examine your part and decide what to address next.
Why This Work Matters to Me
I know what it feels like to carry a belief that limits what you think is possible. My story includes struggles in math and experiences in seventh and tenth grade that shaped the way I saw myself as a student.
Later, I became a math teacher and was recognized as Teacher of the Year. The subject I had struggled with became a subject I taught.
That change required learning and effort. It also required reconsidering what I believed about myself. My earlier struggles were real, but they did not tell the whole story of what I could become.
My mission at BLB Leadership Institute is to help people move toward the purpose God created them to live. I want you to move from watching on the sidelines to participating in the work you feel called to do. That begins with looking honestly at what is stopping you and taking responsibility for a next step.
Identity Leak
An Identity Leak is the gap between what you are capable of doing and what you believe you are capable of doing. An old label, a painful experience, or someone else's opinion begins making decisions about your future.
You may have something valuable to contribute, yet keep asking who you are to lead, teach, or begin. Examine the belief behind that hesitation. What evidence have you ignored about what you have already learned and accomplished?
Begin by writing down one belief that limits your action and one specific experience that challenges it. Then choose a small step that lets you practice using your ability.
Read the Identity Leak article for practical steps toward overcoming self doubt.
Vision Leak
A Vision Leak happens when the future you want is too vague to guide your decisions. You want more, but cannot clearly describe what more means in your life.
Success, growth, and purpose need a practical meaning. What do you want to accomplish? Who do you want to serve? What would be different if the work moved forward?
Begin by describing one result you want to pursue within the next ninety days. Make it clear enough that you could recognize whether it happened.
Read the Vision Leak article for help finding direction and setting a meaningful goal.
Time Leak
A Time Leak happens when available time is repeatedly consumed, underestimated, or left unplanned in ways that prevent progress. You know what matters, but the work keeps waiting for whatever time is left over.
An honest plan respects your responsibilities and your need for rest. It also examines whether a commitment can be changed or a small block can be protected.
Begin by reviewing where your time went yesterday. Choose one clearly defined task and give it a realistic place on your calendar.
Read the Time Leak article for practical ways to make room for what matters.
Focus Leak
A Focus Leak happens when your attention repeatedly moves away from the priority you have chosen. You may have time to work, but messages, competing ideas, or unrelated tasks keep taking its place.
Ask what needs your attention during the next session. A worthwhile idea can wait while you finish the work you already decided to do.
Begin by choosing one result for a short work session. Prepare what you need and put aside one avoidable distraction.
Read the Focus Leak article for help staying focused on your goals.
Execution Leak
An Execution Leak is the gap between what you intend to do and what you actually complete. Planning and preparation continue, but the necessary action remains undone.
The proposal is drafted but not sent. The application is researched but not submitted. The project has been started several times but never reaches a useful finish line.
Begin by defining what finished means for the next stage of your work. Identify the next action, check what it requires, and give it a realistic completion date.
Read the Execution Leak article for help turning plans into action.
Accountability Leak
An Accountability Leak happens when commitments are not consistently reviewed against what actually occurred. Missed steps go unexamined, and completed work may go unrecognized.
Accountability means examining the result and responding honestly. You may need a personal review, a trusted person who has agreed to check in, or both.
Begin by setting a review date for one commitment. Decide what evidence will show progress and what questions you will ask if the commitment is missed.
Read the Accountability Leak article for help building a useful review process and staying consistent.
How to Find Your Starting Point
Choose one result you want but are not getting. Keep the situation specific. Then examine the last time you intended to work on it.
Did a belief about yourself stop you from beginning? Was the result too unclear to guide your next action? Did you leave the work without a realistic place in your schedule?
If time was available, what received your attention? What was actually completed? When did you last review the commitment and make an adjustment?
These questions can reveal several areas to address. Choose one you can act on now. You do not need to resolve every pattern before making a meaningful improvement.
A Five Minute Six Hidden Leaks Reflection
Take five minutes today and answer these questions in writing.
What is one result I want but am not getting?
What happened the last time I intended to work toward it?
Which leak most closely describes that specific situation?
What resource or support might I also need?
What responsible action can I take within the next twenty four hours?
When will I review what happened?
Write the action and review time on your calendar. Keep a record of what you complete. Give yourself evidence of progress, not simply another intention.
Faith and Moving Toward Your Purpose
I believe God created you with purpose. I also believe responding to that purpose includes honest reflection and responsible action.
You can acknowledge fear, seek wise counsel, and begin with what you understand today. You can recognize that you need help without dismissing the gifts you already have.
You do not have to pretend every circumstance is under your control. Examine what is yours to do, and give that work your attention.
The purpose of this framework is to help you make that examination more specific. Take what you discover and use it to make your next decision.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Six Hidden Leaks
Do I have to address the leaks in order?
No. The sequence helps explain the framework, but your starting point depends on the situation. If your direction is clear and your work sessions keep getting interrupted, focus may be the most useful place to begin.
Can I have more than one leak?
Yes. An unclear goal can make scheduling difficult, and missed commitments can continue without review. Identify the patterns involved, then choose a manageable first adjustment.
Is this framework only for business owners?
No. The questions can be applied to leadership, education, creative work, and personal goals. Use a specific result and responsibilities that fit your situation.
Is the Six Hidden Leaks framework a diagnosis?
No. It is a coaching framework for reflection and action. It is not a medical or psychological diagnosis, and it does not explain every reason someone may struggle to make progress.
Take Your Next Step
Begin with the reflection above and read the article that best matches where you are struggling. Choose one action you can take today and a time to review it.
For a deeper reflection, request the Six Hidden Leaks guided self reflection through the contact page. Tell us that you would like the exercise and where you are currently feeling stuck.
If you want individual support, use the contact page to ask about coaching with Dr. Brian Bolden. Tell me the result you want, what you have tried, and what keeps happening instead.
You have spent enough time carrying an idea without giving it a next step. Begin with the part you can responsibly do now.
Greater is possible. Take your next step toward it.
