Our teams need us to continue improving.
In a world that’s changing faster than ever with evolving technology, shifting markets, and rising expectations, our ability to lead with clarity and confidence is more important than ever. The best leaders know we can’t rely solely on yesterday’s instincts to solve tomorrow’s challenges. We must make time to sharpen our thinking, test our assumptions, and cultivate the habits that lead to outstanding leadership.
What I’ve Learned from My Family “Focus Groups”
As one of 14 siblings, coming from a large family has given me an unexpected leadership advantage: built-in focus groups.
My own children, as well as over 60 nieces and nephews, are at different stages of their careers, navigating new jobs, growing families, and life’s constant shifts. Alongside their personal lives, I love asking them about their work, inquiring about what’s going well, what’s not, and how they feel about their company’s culture.
Almost every story circles back to one common theme: leadership. When they feel seen, heard, supported, and challenged, they thrive. When they feel part of the company’s vision and can connect with its values, they thrive. When they don’t, the experience changes, with added stress and frustration to an already full life.
What does this mean to leaders? If we fail to recognize the connection between our decisions and actions with the engagement from our teams, we stop being the kind of leaders our teams deserve. The best way to improve engagement is to be intentional about our decisions.
My Own Lesson About the Cost of Not Making Time
I learned this lesson of intentional decisions and employee engagement the hard way.
When I was CEO of Edumedics, I found myself making choices in an evolving company where the path forward was unclear. My employees wanted to know, “Where are we going?” and I didn’t have a confident answer. There were too many options, each with potential. In one particular example, I chose two customer segments instead of one.
We split our focus and our resources. Before long, we were stretched too thin—financially and culturally. I hadn’t taken the time to step back, test our assumptions, and evaluate what truly aligned with our core strengths. I was reacting instead of reflecting.
That experience taught me something I still hold close: Clarity doesn’t come from constant motion. It comes from slowing down long enough to think deeply and make intentional decisions.
It’s Easy to Mistake Motion for Progress
When we don’t set aside time to reflect and learn, we remain stuck in a reactive mode. Action becomes hurried, unplanned, and disconnected from purpose. Without perspective, it’s easy to mistake motion for progress.
That’s worth repeating: It’s easy to mistake motion for progress.
Reflection isn’t a luxury; it’s a discipline. It allows us to step back, assess what’s working, and recalibrate before momentum leads us off course. Every leader needs a safe place to think out loud, test ideas, and hear the truth.
Finding the Space to Reflect and Grow
Even the most loyal teams rarely offer unfiltered feedback—not because they don’t care, but because power dynamics make it difficult. That’s where peer groups and executive coaching come in. They provide an external space to reflect, challenge assumptions, and gain perspective before making big decisions.
Setting aside time to reflect and work on our leadership isn’t time away from the business; it’s time for the business. Leaders who intentionally grow create clarity, stability, and confidence for their teams. In valuing self-growth, we model what it means to continually learn and adapt.
In times of relentless change, the best investment we can make isn’t in another tool, system, or strategy—it’s in ourselves.
So, pause for a moment and ask: When was the last time you invested in yourself as a leader?
Invest in Yourself
In a rapidly changing world, you need a trusted group of non-competing CEOs and business leaders to be an “inner circle” that challenges and supports you to lead with confidence.