The shift I’m seeing in leadership right now.
Something interesting is happening with senior leaders right now – and I think it matters far beyond the C-suite.
The way decisions are being made is changing.
Not because strategies are different.
Not because goals have shifted.
But because more leaders are realizing that how they decide matters just as much as what they decide.
What I’m hearing more and more is this:
“I’m done with rushed decisions.”
“I’m done reacting first and thinking later.”
“I’m done letting urgency decide for me.”
And what’s striking is that none of this is about slowing their organizations down. It’s about slowing the moment down.
Just enough.
Enough to notice what’s actually happening.
Enough to think clearly again.
Enough to choose instead of default.
There was a time when speed itself felt like the marker of leadership.
Being busy meant you mattered.
Holding more meant you were capable.
Moving fast meant you were effective.
And for a while, that worked.
But the leaders I’m sitting with now aren’t chasing more anymore.
They’re chasing clarity.
They’re noticing what constant urgency costs them.
How decisions get messier when they’re rushed.
How mistakes happen when presence disappears.
How exhaustion builds when recovery never quite enters the picture.
Even with everything accelerating around us – technology, information, expectations – the questions I hear most often aren’t about speed.
They’re about judgment.
“How do I make good decisions in this environment?”
“How do I keep nuance when everything wants simplicity?”
“How do I stay grounded when the pace keeps rising?”
And this feels important to say:
This isn’t about slowing ambition.
It’s not about lowering standards.
And it’s certainly not about stepping away from growth.
It’s about protecting the internal state from which leadership actually happens.
Because the leaders who shape the most meaningful impact aren’t the fastest.
They’re the ones who know when to pause.
Not because they’re unsure.
But because they’re paying attention.
They notice when pressure is distorting perspective.
They sense when a decision deserves more space.
There used to be a kind of pride in carrying a lot.
In being indispensable.
In being the one who could handle more than anyone else.
But more and more, I’m watching leaders let that go.
Not because they’re tired – though many are.
But because they’re realizing something deeper:
If they want to lead larger systems…
make more complex decisions…
and sustain real influence…
They can’t do it from constant bracing.
They have to resource themselves.
They have to protect clarity.
They have to create just enough space inside – even in the middle of pressure – to think well.
And paradoxically, that’s often what allows everything else to work better.
Not slower.
Just cleaner.
More intentional.
More sustainable.
Leadership is still built in moments.
In pauses.
In discernment.
In the quality of attention we bring to what matters.
And the leaders who will shape what comes next won’t be the ones who move the fastest.
They’ll be the ones who know how to slow the moment down…
Just long enough to lead it well.
UPCOMING EVENT
Last April Spots Closing This Week ✨
The April retreat is coming together beautifully, and we’re completing the final few spots.
If this has been on your mind, I’d love to have you join us.
