24 April 2025
Dare, ditch and dial your way to better results
By Cherie Mylordis
Last month, I was discussing a project with a brilliant leader over coffee. ‘I have back-to-back meetings until 6pm,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll need to tackle these deliverables tonight.’
I’ll bet that resonates with you.
The truth is, leadership wasn't supposed to feel like this.
You didn't sign up to be a professional meeting-attender or full-time firefighter.
You stepped up because you wanted to make a difference. You planned to lead with purpose. Right?
Yet here you are – talented, committed and completely exhausted.
I’ve been there too.
After working with hundreds of leaders caught in the same trap, I've developed something that genuinely helps: the Work in 3D Leadership Model.
The strongest leaders don’t try to do it all. They choose what matters most and do it with intention.
What is Work in 3D?
My Work in 3D model isn't an ivory tower leadership theory I dreamed up in a boardroom. Work in 3D emerged from the trenches, from honest conversations with leaders who were drowning in the day-to-day but yearned for something more meaningful.
It's built around three powerful shifts that transform how you lead:
- Dare to lead with a bold purpose
- Ditch outdated practices that no longer serve you
- Dial up the work that truly drives results
Simple? Yes. Easy? Not always.
But once you start leading in 3D, you’ll never go back to the old way of working.
Dare to lead with purpose (even when your inbox is exploding)
Remember why you started this journey? That fire in your belly? That's your purpose. And it’s trying to get your attention.
Daring to lead with purpose means getting crystal clear on why you do what you do. What do you stand for? What difference do you want to make?
When you lead with purpose:
- Your team knows what matters (and why)
- You make decisions with confidence
- You stay grounded when things get messy
This isn’t about writing a mission statement. It’s about connecting your day-to-day work to something bigger.
Ditch what’s not working (slay those zombies)
Let's get real. Your calendar, inbox and to-do list are probably cluttered with zombies – dead practices that somehow keep shuffling along, consuming precious time and energy.
What if you could take those zombies out?
The Ditch part of my model invites you to name the zombies. Challenge them. Let them go.
What needs ditching in your world?
- The recurring meeting where everyone’s secretly checking their email
- The 12-step approval process that made sense in 2010
- The fight for control that has multiple stakeholders reviewing and rewriting the same material
Ditching isn't reckless. It's responsible. It frees up space for what matters.
The future belongs to leaders who are brave enough to let go of the status quo.
Dial up what works (your secret weapons)
I bet you already have practices that work brilliantly. They might be small, or they might feel so natural you don't even notice them.
It's time to turn up the volume.
One leader I coached realised his five-minute one-on-ones with team members created more motivation than his elaborate quarterly reviews. So he dialled them up, making them slightly longer and more frequent. He felt the positive difference within weeks.
The Dial part of the Work in 3D model helps you identify the tools, behaviours and ways of working that are already making a difference and turn the volume up.
Your dial-up opportunities might include:
- The authentic check-ins that build real trust
- Streamlining decisions to reduce bottlenecks
- Activating more real-time collaboration to spark better ideas
Dialling up doesn’t mean doing more. It means doing more of what moves the needle.
Your turn: work in 3D starts today
I can almost feel you nodding through the screen. ‘Yes, but…’
You might be thinking. ‘How do I actually do this in my overscheduled reality?’
That's precisely why I created the Work in 3D Leadership Guide. It’s a free, no-fluff resource packed with:
- Self-reflection questions that cut to the heart of your leadership purpose (if you dare)
- A simple framework to identify what needs ditching (and how to let it go without chaos)
- Practical ways to dial-up what's already working in your team
Work in 3D isn't about theory. It's about how you and your team feel on Sunday night and Monday morning.
It's about walking into your next meeting with clarity about what matters and the courage to lead differently.
Whether you're running a department, launching a startup or leading from wherever you stand, Work in 3D gives you a path forward that feels less like treading water and more like making waves.
👉 Download the free Work in 3D Leadership Guide here
Because leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most.
About Cherie Mylordis
Cherie Mylordis is a work futurist, transformation expert and founder of nextgenify. Through her leadership model Work in 3D and her online platform, nextgenify Academy, she helps ambitious professionals lead with clarity, courage and purpose – right from where they are today.
Want to go even further?
If you want ongoing leadership tools, frameworks and expert-led resources, check out nextgenify Academy. It’s a leadership platform designed for ambitious professionals like you.
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