Celebrate #100

Reading time: 3 minutes

Intro

This is more than just Article #100. It’s one significant milestone of a personal project I once feared more than anything: in the last 4 years, I published an article almost every other week.

When in January 2022, I published my first article Choose to take responsibility! (TTM#1), I wasn’t chasing a number. My intention was to give form to something I had witnessed again and again in my coaching sessions: managers in transition or not, stuck between ambition and doubt, between seniority on paper and confidence in action. I was writing inspired by what they needed to see and hear.

But through writing, I was also translating what I had once needed to hear myself, years ago, when I was navigating the very same leaps in mindset as a manager.

Truth is, I also had a history with writing. In 2002, fresh out of my MBA, I started a blog. I wrote about everything I didn’t understand or left me puzzled about management: the opaque decisions made above me, how those decisions made me feel and act, and what I believed senior leaders were missing.

But I soon put it on hold. I didn’t like my tone: it felt too much like complaint, and I felt it was too little ownership in my words. That wasn’t the voice of the manager I wanted to become.

But this insight remained with me. Since then, in every leadership role I’ve taken on, I’ve tested my voice. I asked myself: Do my words reflect responsibility? Do they convey acceptance of the path I’ve chosen, even when it's hard? Sometimes it did, sometimes not. And those moments when my voice was misaligned with my role, I brought a coach to challenge me and help me see what was holding me back.

Years later, transitioning from the C-suite to leadership and management performance coaching, these self-reflections reignited my desire to write, this time for managers who might not yet fully own their roles, achievements, or decisions. The Thriving Mindset Newsletter became my way of offering clarity and insight, serving as both a mirror and a guide for managers stepping more decisively into their responsibilities.

Still, I never expected this project to become something so personal and fulfilling that it would completely prove me wrong about myself. For most of my life, I kept saying I didn’t like writing. But it turns out, I actually love it, now that I've found the voice I’m proud to write with.

The Power of Consistency 

Consistency doesn’t sound exciting because it takes discipline. It rarely gets applause. But after 100 articles, I can say it straight: it changes everything.

Consistency taught me to show up even when I wasn’t sure of the outcome. To write even when uncertain about how my words would land with senior executives or middle managers. To publish even when other priorities seemed more urgent or appealing. What I’ve learned is this: clarity doesn’t come before the action; it comes from the action.

By writing consistently, I sharpened my thinking. I clarified not just what I wanted to say, but how I wanted to serve. Each article became a step forward, both in the way I express myself and in how I understand leadership, decision-making, transitions, and the silent struggles managers often face behind their polished roles.

And the best gift? Confidence. Not the kind that shouts or needs constant proof, but the quiet kind, the one that builds up, word after word, through the act of keeping a promise to yourself.

In a world that rewards intensity, I’ve bet on consistency. It might not impress at first glance, but it moves the needle for leaders, for teams, and for the person staring back at you in the mirror.

Lessons That Reshaped My Thinking (and My Leadership) 

Three clear main ideas stood out when creating these articles, and each reshaped how I coach the senior and middle managers I work with.

1. Leadership is Personal 

This truth came to life in articles like Debunking Imposter Syndrome (TTM#12) and The Mirror, The Map, The Mastery (TTM#73). We often speak about leadership in frameworks, KPIs, and structures. But the most impactful shifts I’ve seen happen when managers begin to see themselves clearly, when they acknowledge their doubts, values, fears, and desires without judgment. You can’t lead others with confidence and clarity if you’re disconnected from yourself.

2. Maturity Beats Skill 

In Beyond Skills: The Maturity Gap (TTM#60), I explored something I’ve observed repeatedly: it’s not lack of knowledge that creates challenges for managers; it’s lack of emotional maturity. The ability to stay composed, to hold complexity and uncertainty, to respond rather than react: these are the real differentiators. Technical expertise may open doors, but it is maturity that allows you to be resilient and stay in the room when things get hard.

3. Impact Requires Courage 

Nice doesn’t always move things forward. That’s the uncomfortable insight behind Why Nice Doesn’t Always Win (TTM#85) and Terribly Polite (TTM#93). Playing it safe might preserve harmony in the short term, but real progress - whether in feedback, decisions, or conflict - requires the courage to be clear, even when clarity stings. The managers who make a difference are those who speak with both firmness and respect.

For me, these insights are not only intellectual. I earned them, tested, and refined as a manager who went through all the ranks. Writing gave me the space to make them transparent and process them. Sharing them gave others permission to do the same.

Inspiring Commitment in Others 

One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been hearing back from readers who took action. Not just those who read the articles, but those who practised what resonated most with them. They didn’t stop at nodding in agreement. They tested an idea in a meeting, shifted how they listened to their team, became more assertive in managing up, practised cultural sensitivity when dealing with diverse stakeholders, or took the first step toward a difficult conversation.

Because let’s be honest: reading, even extensively, doesn’t change much on its own. We can consume articles, books, even entire libraries on leadership and personal development, but without action, nothing truly transforms.

The real difference comes to those who commit to practising what they believe in. That’s the example I’ve tried to set through this newsletter: offering insight and encouraging managers to integrate new choices and behaviours into their daily lives.

Mindset only shifts when clarity of action allows behaviour to align with intention.

Celebrate by Starting 

Reaching article #100 is also about leaning forward.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through this journey, it’s that progress doesn’t begin with knowing. It begins with choosing. Choosing to show up. Choosing to take responsibility. Choosing to give shape to what you already sense matters. Choosing to trust a process you build as you go.

Clarity and confidence don’t come from more knowledge alone. They come from engaging with your own experience in a different way. From slowing down, asking deeper questions, and acting on the answers with intention.

That’s what coaching offers: a space where your thinking gets challenged, the blind spots get revealed, and next steps become clear both professionally and personally.

If this newsletter has ever sparked a reflection that stayed with you, imagine what we can unlock in a dedicated coaching conversation or an entire coaching program.

So here's my invitation: Let’s explore what’s next for you and what’s been quietly asking to grow for a while now. Also, have a look at the available coaching programs (see below) and check which one is best for you.

You don't need absolute clarity to start. You simply need the willingness to begin. 

I look forward to continuing this conversation and supporting you on your journey to lasting, meaningful wellbeing in your life.

Until next time, keep thriving!

Alina Florea

Your Management Performance Coach 

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