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Workplaces are full of well-intentioned leaders who are confused as to why "morale is low, collaboration is stalling, and trust is slipping through their fingers", not realising the gap that exists between their intentions and their impact, a leadership behaviour strategist says.

"Leadership is defined not by what you intend to do but by what others experience as a result of your presence and decisions," says Empowered by Design founder Preetie Boler.

In her new book Shiftcode Leadership, she sets out examples of the "invisible gap" that many leaders can get stuck in: they intend to give constructive feedback, but if their tone is defensive, their team member walks away discouraged; they intend to model resilience, but if they never show vulnerability, their team interprets it as emotional distance; and they intend to foster collaboration, but if they dominate meetings, they unintentionally silence contributions...