Next Generation Leadership

Most leadership frameworks were built for environments where the rules were largely known. You could analyze a problem, select a course of action, communicate it clearly, and then manage execution. When conditions shifted, they did so incrementally, and leaders had time to adjust.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba When was the last time you let your imagination run wild? Not mildly curious. Not slightly ambitious. But fully, unapologetically unhinged from practicality, risk, and fear? Most of us, somewhere along the road of adulthood, learned to tame our imagination. We were taught to be “realistic,” to color inside the lines, to stop daydreaming and “focus.” We became masters of...

As the year draws to a close, there’s often a quiet moment—sometimes brief, sometimes heavy—when we pause and look back. What did this year ask of me? What did it take? What am I carrying forward? For me, that pause has been unavoidable.

Hatred can’t win. I know it exists in the world. We see it. We feel it. We live alongside it.But I refuse to believe that it is more powerful than love. It is scarier, though. And that’s what so many people are feeling right now: fear.

Photo by Mart Production Recently, I made a decision that many leaders eventually face: I declined an opportunity that initially looked prestigious and affirming. It was the kind of exclusive invitation designed to make anyone feel chosen. But here’s the deeper truth: Being invited in is not the same as belonging.

There comes a point in every leader’s journey when generosity becomes exhausting. When the energy you’ve poured into others begins to feel unreciprocated. When you realize that your default mode—helping, hosting, extending yourself—is being mistaken for infinite availability.

We’ve all heard it: “Be more human-centered.” It’s become a rallying cry in leadership circles, organizational culture initiatives, and management trainings everywhere. And for good reason.

“Conflict” has become a kind of catch-all phrase for anything that feels uncomfortable—disagreement, tension, confrontation, even mild feedback. But what if conflict isn’t something to avoid? What if, handled well, it’s actually the pathway to greater clarity, stronger relationships, and deeper alignment—both with ourselves and others?

I’ve been down for most of the year. Not out…but down comparatively. You know what I mean. This is not one of those “glory days” we’ll look back on with unscarred fondness. This is a time of disruption. Change is thick, multifaceted, and often not of our making. Unsolicited change—ugh.

Accountability. It’s a word managers often use, but few feel confident about executing well. Leaders are asked to “hold people accountable,” but what does that actually mean—and why is it so critical to organizational success?