Ideas & perspectives

I don't think leadership is built in the big moments. I think it's built in hundreds of small ones that nobody else sees. The conversations where you listen instead of talk. The honest feedback that's uncomfortable in the moment but helps someone grow. The mistakes you make, own, and learn from. The trust that's earned over years instead of weeks.

I've made plenty of mistakes over the years, and I'll make plenty more. I don't think you ever finish learning how to lead. What I do know is that every team I've been part of, every leader I've worked for, every peer I've worked alongside, and every customer I've had the privilege to work with has shaped me in some way. If I've helped anyone grow along the way, they've probably helped me grow just as much.

That has probably been my biggest takeaway from hiring this much. A no does not always mean someone was not good enough. Sometimes there was just one seat.

I certainly have not gotten every part of this right, but I have gained a much bigger appreciation for everyone who has been willing to take the time to talk with me this year. Some of those conversations have stayed with me, and some of those connections will last well beyond the role we were talking about.

You know who you are. Thank you.

I don’t know if I wish the industry understood something earlier as much as I wish I understood myself earlier. Nobody knows me better than I do, and if I can’t understand myself, how can I expect anyone else to?

I think I needed to spend more time learning how I was wired, what drove me, what affected me, and what I actually needed before I could expect a leader, a coworker, or an entire industry to understand those things for me. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years looking back at the experiences that shaped me, trying to understand what they were actually teaching me. Enough that I ended up writing a book about many of those reflections, and even now I’m still unpacking it.

Maybe that is what I wish we had talked about more. Self-awareness. Understanding ourselves before we expect everyone around us to have the answers.

Because when you truly care about people, their growth hits differently. There is something powerful about watching someone build confidence, trust themselves, and step into the next version of who they are capable of becoming. That is what makes it all worth it. That is what 11 years means to me.

Grateful for 11 years. Grateful for the people I have learned from. Grateful for the people who have challenged me and helped me grow, and grateful for the opportunity to play even a small part in someone’s journey, and to watch incredible people become more than they thought possible.

That never gets old.
Here’s to whatever comes next.