We Get To.

TL;DR (but I hope you do) - We GET TO choose how we lead.

Waiting on a delayed flight at the KC airport, after a morning discussing psychological safety with a great group of leaders. This session *almost* wraps a busy few weeks of client workshops and meetings, 2 conferences, a foot sprain (me), ear infection (kiddo), friend meet-ups and reunions, and lots of movie/popcorn nights turned dance parties.

And, of course, all of this happening alongside my own and others' mounting grief around the continued genocide in Palestine, increasing acts of xenophobia, anti-Muslim hate, and antisemitism in our own backyard, and inner turmoil many are experiencing on whether they are safe to speak up.

The collective well-being is taxed. Which has me thinking - as I often am - about the role of leaders. A lot of leadership pieces focus on the challenges of leading teams, the pressure to level-up on new skills, the call for greater care during tough times.

I'm certainly not here to say being a leader is easy work. But I would like to offer a complementary perspective.

WE GET TO.

We get to shape how our workplaces feel. We get to create the spaces that our teams need - to gather, to grieve, to grow. We get to encourage employees to use their voices for good. We get to foster environments in which everyone has the ability to thrive.

We get to choose how we show up. As messy, human, authentic, caring, accountable. We get to. What a gift.

So, my Monday challenge to you - finish this sentence and share your response in the comments.
✨This week, I get to be a leader who… ✨