leadership

There’s a moment when achievement stops being enough. Years ago, my commanding officer asked me a simple question: “Why do you want to be a commanding officer?” I paused for a bit then said, “Because it’s the next step.” That’s when he said something that stuck with me, not word for word, but the message…

Ever find yourself saying: “I know the plan says do this, but it’s just not working for me.” That inconsistency is usually a signal. The problem isn’t discipline. It’s alignment. Maybe the plan goes against one of your core values. Maybe it was built for a previous version of you. Maybe it simply doesn’t fit…

Self-clarity in leadership isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s what allows leaders to respond with emotional intelligence, especially when the pressure’s on. One Blueprint client put it like this: “𝘔𝘺 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧- 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴… 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦…

At some point, you’ll feel it: The desire to escape the golden path fallacy. The path that’s calling you isn’t the one everyone else is taking. And it takes courage to listen to that calling. Not to impress. Not to conform. But to follow the work you’re meant to do. The life you’re meant to…

Even the best processes have limits. Because what works most days might not work today. • The same client • The same process • The same teammate But something’s different. And if you’re not paying attention, sticking to the script can do more harm than good. For some leaders, breaking from the script isn’t natural.…

Most roadblocks aren’t external. They’re assumptions. You assume: • You’re not ready. • You have to do it alone. • This is the only way forward. • They already know what you meant. But what if that assumption isn’t true? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘁. That’s where…

Uncertainty reveals you. Not the version of you that shows up when the path is clear, but the version that steps forward when nothing is certain. That’s where self-awareness matters most. • What internal strengths can you lean on? • What are your values in this moment? • Where might you need help? • What’s…

You can’t delegate this. Culture doesn’t change because of a poster on the wall. It begins to change through how you show up every day. • The moment you respond to bad news… • The way you handle tension during a tough meeting… • The consistency you show when no one’s watching… That’s what shapes…

What does it really mean to invest in your people? For me, it’s not about expecting a clear, measurable ROI. It’s about being willing to give something of mine… • My time • My attention • My influence • My resources Or something from the organization I serve… • Access to tools or coaching •…

“𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲” = “𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.” That’s what I hear when leaders say it. Because when something is a priority, you make time. If you’re saying “I don’t have time” to the work of clarifying your purpose… And about revealing what truly matters to you… • values • passions • strengths •…

“𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁… 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘆.” That’s what I used to tell myself. Let me finish this tour. Let me hit that next milestone. Let me make it to 30 years of service. Then I’ll start the coaching business. Then I’ll do what I 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 feel called to do. But here’s the trap: There’s always a…

You already know humility isn’t weakness. It’s a mark of a grounded, self-aware leader. And it’s necessary to create trusting, innovative teams. It signals self-awareness and the fact that you couldn’t possibly have every answer. And that’s what makes you open. • Open to other perspectives • Open to seeing something you hadn’t before •…