BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential
Author: Muriel M. Wilkins
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
List Price: US $30.00
Format: Hardback, 248 pages
Publication Date: October 2025
ISBN: 978-1-64782-726-7
Reviewer: Rene’ Lazarchik, PMP, CSM
Review Date: August 15, 2026
Introduction
In Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential, Muriel M. Wilkins, a seasoned professional Executive Coach, presents a powerfully profound approach to solving professional challenges by inspiring the reader to discover and assess the impact of their own personal and often subconscious deep internal beliefs. The reader is invited to experience a series of play-by-play real-life stories of senior leaders who become stuck in their ability to make progress with a current problem or circumstance and witness the victory of each leader won by being coached through the process of deep belief examination and concluding with meaningful realignment for success.
The book is rooted in Wilkins’s personal experience blended with insight from complimentary disciplines such as philosophy, modern and social science, psychology, Emotional Intelligence, and professional leadership as well as research on the human brain and motivation. The stories, tools, and systematic method discussed deliver extremely useful, practical, and valuable knowledge that will be relatable to any business leader and/or project/program manager both for optimizing their own success as well as that of their teams and organization.
Overview of Book’s Structure
The book begins focusing on the significance of inner beliefs. Through research, experts, examples, and experience, Wilkins explores the influence of hidden beliefs with the revelation that our own beliefs drive everything we do, think, feel, and ultimately how we behave and respond to all aspects of life including professional endeavors. Building on this astute reality, the book is structured to provide a 360 degree perspective by teaching the process of uncovering hidden beliefs through the examination of the plight and ascent of senior leaders coached with the Blocked to Unblocked approach, then inspiring the use of the same Blocked to Unblocked roadmap to self-coach, and finally, with mastery of the process, encouraging the practice of helping others achieve effective long term breakthroughs and reach their goals.
The framework or Blocked to Unblocked RoadMap is illustrated using seven (7) of the most common “blockers” or limiting beliefs hidden beneath the exterior of many ambitious high performing leaders. A three (3) stage six (6) step process is exercised in detail by reviewing examples of each of the seven (7) most encountered beliefs that can interfere with translating intended objective to desired impact. Throughout the book and unveiling of each transformation, the author demonstrates how change happens, what is required to become unblocked, and actions needed for the continuation of reaching full potential.
Highlights
Anchoring its emphasis on overcoming professional hurdles, one of the book’s significant points of influence is emphasizing the importance of self-awareness with research indicating that only 10-15% of people are self-aware. The author brings visibility to the fact that everyone gets blocked but can be unaware they are blocked, how they are being perceived, and the role deep internal beliefs, albeit often subconscious, play in contributing to their unproductive efforts to resolve blocked progress. Indeed, this is where the technique of uncovering hidden beliefs begins – becoming aware you are stuck.
More…
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How to cite this work: Lazarchik, René (2026). Leadership Unblocked, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pmwj168-Sep2026-Lazarchik-Leadership-Unblocked-Book-Review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Rene’ Lazarchik
North Texas, USA
Rene’ Lazarchik, PMP, has close to 20 years of corporate experience, all in technology-based companies with the majority of her experience in the telecommunications sector. She has served in Process Engineering, Project and Program Management, Product Management, and Customer Success. With experience managing people, projects, programs, products, and processes, she has worked in both large global companies as well as start-up ventures. Although she has a diverse and versatile background, the common thread throughout her career has been cross-functional collaboration and leadership. She has an undergraduate degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology as well as an MBA. In addition to holding a PMP, she has also earned her CSM certification. Rene’ is a regular attending member of the Dallas PMI Chapter and can be reached at Rene.Lazarchik@gmail.com
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