I admit — even as a leadership development guru, I go through seasons of grumbling. Some days I feel stuck, as if the clouds just won’t lift. I put on a positive face, but inside, everything feels gray. Sometimes, I’m smiling on the outside but sobbing on the inside. Do you have those days too?
What’s the best possible outcome here? You know that thing where you’re so caught up in the problem that you can’t even imagine a solution? This question forces you to flip the script and think about what success looks like—not in an idealistic, “everything is perfect”...
When I published Millennials Matter: Proven Strategies for Building Your Next Gen Leader in 2017, I didn’t realize how prophetic it would be. The first third of this leadership development book focused on Character—the inner compass that guides how we think, act, and lead. Character has always been essential, but in the Age of AI, it’s becoming the defining difference between leaders who endure and those who get swept away by speed and noise.
Focusing on leadership development, I’ve often written about my admiration for Bob Tiede, author of Leading with Questions. His work resonates deeply with me—after all, in Millennials Matter, I referenced the power of questions 157 times. So when his latest newsletter landed in my inbox, it hit at the perfect moment.
