resilient capital keeper

Two roles on the table. One pays $125K. Big title. Big responsibility. The other pays $75K. Smaller on paper. I asked him which one he’d take if both came through. No hesitation. The $75K. In a heartbeat. Not because he doesn’t want more money. Because the mission of that organization lines up with his purpose.…

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻.” That line from Tom in this LRR Chat really stuck with me. When leaders start operating at a new level (e.g. a new role, a new organization, or a completely new arena), the instinct is to build the perfect plan. But over time many of us realize something…

I looked up one day and realized I should have more clarity than this. Four years at the Academy. 22 years active duty. Commanded a squadron. By any measure, a successful career. And yet I woke up in this new chapter asking myself, Why don’t I know exactly what to do every day? That’s what…

One of the first realizations when you step into a new role or a new organization: What worked before isn’t going to be enough here. That’s uncomfortable. Because the habits, instincts, and expertise that got you here are still part of you. But the environment is different now. The context is different. The expectations are…

One shift many leaders notice as responsibility grows is how quickly their calendar fills. What’s less obvious is how easy it becomes to stop questioning it. Here’s a simple exercise I’ve used with leaders navigating that transition. Look at your calendar for the next two weeks. Don’t change anything. Just notice how each commitment makes…

There was a calm that surprised me last weekend. I spent a couple hours shoveling snow. Cold air. Heavy shovel. No headphones. No agenda. Just the same motion, over and over. Scoop. Toss. Step forward. Repeat. Physically demanding. Mentally quiet. There was something grounding about watching the path slowly clear in front of me. One…

You know that feeling when small things start to feel heavier than they should? You get frustrated by things that normally wouldn’t frustrate you. Little decisions take more energy than they should. For me, that’s usually the tell. Not that the team is the problem. But that I don’t actually know the best next step…

There’s a kind of uncertainty that feels familiar to me. I spent 22 years flying helicopters in the Navy. One of the biggest shifts wasn’t learning the controls. It was learning to fly when it wasn’t clear. Instrument flying is what you trust when your body is telling you one thing and reality is telling…

There’s a pattern I keep running into. A lot of the paths we’re on weren’t really chosen. They were inherited. Encouraged. Rewarded. Modeled. And for a long time, they work. You’re productive. Capable. Even successful. Until there’s a quiet moment where something feels…off. Not wrong. Just unexamined. This clip captures how I’ve been thinking about…

I’ve been thinking about something after a conversation with my coach this week. We talked about AI, content, and efficiency. And then we talked about what actually creates connection. AI can create the image of a fire. It just can’t warm the room. That comes from something else. Passion. Meaning. Presence. It reminded me that…

One of the easiest leadership traps to fall into is this: • You see the situation. • You’ve done something similar before. • You know how you would handle it now. So you tell your teammate what to do. It feels efficient. Helpful, even. But there’s a cost most leaders don’t notice until later. When…

The beliefs that limit you the most don’t sound negative. They sound responsible. They show up as thoughts like: “I can’t afford to mess this up.” “I need to handle this myself.” “This isn’t the time to take a risk.” And because they feel protective, they rarely get questioned. But when you slow down enough…