Look closely at the photograph accompanying this post.  Headstones.  A graveyard.  Names and dates marking lives that once were.  It may seem like an odd image with which to begin a conversation about leadership.  But perhaps it is exactly the right one.

One of the oldest philosophical practices is memento mori—Latin for “remember you must die.”  The ancient Stoics used it as a reminder of life's impermanence and the preciousness of the time we have.

Buddhist traditions have a similar practice called maranasati, or a death awareness meditation or contemplative exercise.  Christian traditions have their own contemplative practices surrounding mortality.  Today, therapists and others sometimes encourage people to contemplate their mortality, even writing their own eulogy or obituary.

Different traditions. Different language.

Much the same invitation:  Remember that your time is finite.

That's not exactly a cheerful thought, is it?

Yet contemplating our mortality may be one of the most powerful ways to become more fully alive—and more intentional about how we lead.  Stephen R. Covey famously encouraged us to “begin with the end in mind.”  We readily apply that principle to strategic planning, goals, and organizational initiatives.

But what if we took it literally?  What if we actually contemplated the end?

• What would we want to have mattered?
• Who would we want to have loved well?
• What would we want people to say about the way we led?
• What would we wish we had done differently?

And perhaps the most important question:  What are we doing with the time we have left?

These are not merely philosophical questions.  They are leadership questions.  Because leadership is ultimately about choices—how we use our time, our influence, our talents, our relationships, and the opportunities entrusted to us.  And when we become more clear about what we want our lives to mean, we become better equipped to make those choices intentionally.

This is why I incorporate a contemplation exercise called 'The Conclusion' into my Purpose-Driven Leadership Program.  Adapted from Anthony de Mello's Wellsprings: A Book of Spiritual Exercises, the exercise invites participants to consider their lives from the perspective of the end.

It can be uncomfortable.  But discomfort can be useful.  When we look backward from the end, the things that seemed so urgent often aren't.  The things we thought were important may suddenly look rather small.  And the things we postponed—relationships, courage, purpose, meaningful work, words left unsaid—can become much larger.  That is where memento mori becomes more than a meditation or contemplative exercise on mortality.  It becomes a tool for discovering what matters.

And that discovery is at the heart of purpose-driven leadership.

After The Conclusion and other exercises, I ask participants to take what they've uncovered and begin putting words around it into a Life Mission & Leadership Philosophy Statement.

• Who am I?
• Why am I here? 
• Who do I aspire to be as a person?
• Why am I a leader?
• How should I lead?
• Who am I when I’m at my leadership best?
• What do I want people to experience because I was here?
• What do I want my life to contribute?

The statement isn't meant to become another document gathering dust in a drawer.  It's meant to become a compass.  Because once we know where we want to go, we can make better decisions about where to spend our finite time and energy.  That's the paradox of memento mori:  Remembering that you will die can help you remember how to live.

And if you're a leader, it can help you remember how you want to lead.

The headstones remind us that every life eventually has a conclusion.  But yours hasn't been written yet.

You are still here.

Still breathing.
Still choosing.
Still becoming.
Still capable of loving, serving, leading, changing, and making a difference.

You still have time to make the call.  To repair the relationship.  To change the direction.  
To use your influence differently.  To become the leader—and the person—you've intended to become.

So perhaps the question isn't simply, “What will my legacy be?”

Perhaps it is:  “What am I going to do with the time I have left?”

That's the gift hidden inside memento mori.

It reminds us that our time is limited.  And because it is limited, it matters.

Every day matters.

Every choice matters.

Every person we influence matters.

Every opportunity to live our purpose matters.

Memento mori.  Remember you must die.

Not so you can spend your life thinking about death—but so you don't forget to live on purpose.

Singular versus Plural
For centuries, the word priority had no plural form.  There couldn't be.  To be a priority meant to be first—to be singular and supreme.  It wasn't until around the 20th century that we began speaking of our priorities (plural).  Somewhere along the way, we didn't simply pluralize a word—we fragmented our lives.

Today, we have priorities at work and priorities at home.  Priorities for our significant others, our children, our health, our finances, our careers, our communities, and our futures.  We proudly proclaim how busy we are and that we're multitaskers, while quietly wondering why we feel exhausted, fragmented, and pulled in a dozen different directions.

Perhaps our greatest challenge isn't that we have too much to do.  Perhaps it's that we've forgotten what determines what deserves to come first.

Thirteen years ago, I wrote about "the main thing" and challenged my readers to identify it; and something I've been doing  ever since.  It's a question worth revisiting today—not because the answer has changed, but because my understanding of it has deepened.

Could it be that we've been asking the wrong question?  We spend our lives asking, "What are my priorities?"  Perhaps the better question is, "What determines my priorities?"  The answer to that question shapes our decisions, our relationships, our leadership, and ultimately, our legacy.

After all, two people may both say that family is their priority and yet live remarkably different lives.  Two leaders may both say that people come first and lead in completely different ways.  It isn't enough to identify our priorities if we've never considered what determines them.

What determines your priorities?
Our priorities don't reveal nearly as much about us as we think they do.  However, what determines our priorities reveals almost everything.

Perhaps we've been pursuing the wrong goal altogether.  We've been taught to seek 'balance' among our competing priorities.  I wonder if integration is the better pursuit?  What if our priorities were never intended to compete with one another, but instead, become different expressions of who we are at our very best?

Our Life Mission isn't another item competing for space on our priority list.   It's what brings our lives into alignment.   It reflects who we are when we are at our very best, who we believe we are capable of becoming, and what gives our lives meaning and fulfillment beyond ourselves.  It becomes the lens through which our decisions, relationships, and priorities are viewed.

Suddenly, caring deeply about your family doesn't compete with being an exceptional leader.  Serving your community doesn't compete with pursuing meaningful work.  Living a life of love, service, and significance doesn't compete with professional success.  When our lives are aligned around what matters most, our priorities stop competing and begin complementing one another.

Without clarity of meaning and purpose, priorities become competitors.  With clarity, they become companions—working together in service of a life intentionally and lovingly lived.

The goal was never balance.  It was always wholeness.

For leaders, this truth is magnified.  If we cannot clearly articulate what matters most in our own lives, how can we hope to inspire others toward meaningful and purposeful work?  Leadership has never been about helping people do more things.  It has always been about inspiring them and helping them to become more of who they are capable of being.

So, I'll leave you with a loving challenge this month.

Instead of asking yourself, "What are my priorities?"

Ask yourself, "What determines my priorities?"

The answer to that question may change everything.

And perhaps that's what I've come to understand since writing that original blog thirteen years ago.  Keeping the main thing the main thing was never about having fewer priorities.  It was always about becoming the same person everywhere we go—living an integrated life rooted in meaning, guided by purpose, and expressed through what we choose to prioritize each day.

Because when we become clear about who we are called to BE, our priorities don't simply become clearer—they begin to come into alignment.  And keeping the main thing the main thing becomes not only possible, but transformational.

For years, organizations have responded to increasing complexity by asking more of their leaders.

• Lead through constant change.
• Embrace AI.
• Develop people.
• Drive engagement.
• Deliver results faster.
• Influence across functions.
• Do more with less.

The expectations continue to grow. The support often doesn't.

That reality was reinforced in a recent American Management Association (AMA) study of more than 1,200 leaders. Their conclusion is striking:  Leadership expectations are expanding faster than the organizational systems designed to support them.

One statistic especially stood out to me.

Nearly three out of four leaders report regularly performing work outside their formal responsibilities, and almost 60% say this limits their ability to focus on strategic priorities.

In other words, many leaders aren't struggling because they lack commitment.  They're struggling because they're carrying responsibilities that prevent them from doing what only leaders can do.

I've often written about the risks of creating "accidental leaders"—individuals promoted because of technical expertise but given little preparation for leading people through complexity and change.  The AMA research suggests the challenge extends beyond preparation.  Even capable leaders can become overwhelmed when organizations expect strategic leadership while providing insufficient time, systems, coaching, and development to support it.

Another finding particularly resonated with me.  The report emphasizes that today's leaders must create clarity amid uncertainty, build capability in others, communicate with transparency, exercise emotional intelligence, and make sound decisions in increasingly ambiguous environments.

Those aren't merely management skills.

They're deeply human leadership capabilities.

And this is where I believe purpose becomes a competitive advantage.

Purpose provides clarity when circumstances are unclear.

Purpose anchors decisions when priorities compete.

Purpose helps leaders move beyond simply managing tasks to inspiring people around meaningful work.

When leaders understand their own purpose—and help team members connect their individual purpose to a shared organizational mission—they create alignment that no organizational chart or reporting structure can achieve alone.  

That's precisely why I created the Purpose-Driven Leadership Program.  Rather than simply teaching leadership concepts, the program equips leaders with practical tools, proven strategies, and resources to clarify purpose, strengthen alignment, and develop cultures where people and performance thrive. 

And when personalized coaching and/or an LPI360 are added, it creates a powerful leadership development strategy by combining purpose-driven learning, personalized coaching, and actionable feedback into a dynamic triad.

If your organization is expecting more from its leaders than ever before, perhaps it's time to invest just as intentionally in developing them.

Leadership has never been about having all the answers.

It's about helping others move confidently toward the future, even when the path isn't fully visible.

The organizations that thrive over the next decade won't simply expect more from their leaders.

They'll invest more in them.

They'll intentionally develop leaders who can think strategically, coach effectively, build trust, and create environments where people—and performance—can flourish.

As the AMA research reminds us, leadership effectiveness is not solely the responsibility of individual leaders.  It is also the responsibility of the organizations that expect them to succeed.

That may be one of the most important leadership lessons of all.

Toward the end of each year, leadership experts release their predictions about the trends that will shape the future.  This past year was no different.

Artificial intelligence is on the list.

Employee wellbeing is on the list.

Workforce transformation is on the list.

Change, uncertainty, and adaptability are all on the list.

No surprises there.

But one trend stood out to me because it isn't really a trend at all. It's more like a timeless leadership principle that organizations are rediscovering:  Purpose-driven leadership.

The team at Situational Leadership® recently identified purpose-driven leadership as a key leadership trend for 2026. Their research suggests that employees increasingly want more than tasks, goals, and paychecks. They want meaning. They want to understand how their work contributes to something larger than themselves.

In other words, they want a reason to care.  And frankly, who can blame them?

Think about it.

If I asked your team why their work matters, what would they say?

Would they talk about deadlines?

Metrics?

Projects?

Or would they talk about the impact they have on customers, patients, communities, colleagues, or the world around them?

The answer matters.

A lot.

Because when people lose sight of purpose, work becomes transactional.  And transactional work rarely inspires discretionary effort.  People do enough.  They comply.  They check boxes.  
They survive Monday.

But purpose changes the equation.

Purpose transforms a job into a contribution.

Purpose turns effort into commitment.

Purpose helps people persist when the work becomes difficult.

Most importantly, purpose gives leaders something increasingly valuable in today's workplace:  Alignment.

I've spent nearly two decades working with leaders across industries, and one of the most common challenges I encounter is this:

The team is busy.

The team is talented.

The team is working hard.

Yet everyone seems to be rowing in slightly different directions.

The result?  Frustration.  Silos.  Competing priorities.  Change fatigue.

Purpose acts as the compass that helps people make better decisions when the leader isn't in the room.

It helps employees answer the question: "Given everything competing for my attention, what matters most?"

That's one reason purpose-driven leadership has been gaining momentum for years.

Research from Gallup has consistently shown that employees who feel connected to their organization's mission and purpose are more engaged.  Other leadership experts, researchers, and consulting organizations continue to highlight the growing importance of meaningful work, trust, and human-centered leadership in an increasingly complex workplace.

The best leaders understand something important:  People don't merely want information.  They want meaning.

And meaning doesn't magically appear during the annual strategic planning meeting.

It is communicated.

Repeated.

Modeled.

Reinforced.

Every day.

That's where many leaders unintentionally fall short.

They assume people understand the "why."

They announced it once.

It appeared on a slide during orientation.

It hangs in the lobby.

It's printed on the website.

Yet purpose is not something people absorb through exposure.

It's something leaders bring to life through conversation.

One of the simplest questions a leader can ask is:  "How does what we're doing today connect to what we're trying to accomplish tomorrow?"

That question can transform a routine meeting into a meaningful discussion.

It can help employees see the significance behind the assignment.

It can remind people that they are part of something bigger than themselves.

As we move through 2026, organizations will continue investing heavily in technology, automation, and artificial intelligence.

They should.

But technology alone won't inspire people.

Technology won't create commitment.

Technology won't create meaning.

Leaders do.

So here's my challenge for you:  This week, ask three members of your team why their work matters.

Then listen carefully.

If their answers focus primarily on tasks, responsibilities, or activities, you may have discovered one of your greatest leadership opportunities.

Because the organizations that thrive in 2026 won't simply have the best technology.

They'll have leaders who help people understand why their work matters.

And when people understand why they matter, extraordinary things become possible.

What if one of the most powerful leadership skills wasn't about driving harder, but understanding deeper?

Not decisiveness.
Not authority.

Empathy.

Most leaders believe they’re empathic.  Their teams don’t always agree.  And I'm not talking about the surface-level version—but the kind that directly impacts burnout, performance, retention, and how your people actually experience you as a leader.

A recent systematic review of 42 studies confirms it:  Empathy is consistently linked to measurable, positive outcomes in organizations.

So... What is Empathy?
There are countless definitions.

Here’s mine; shaped by my work with leaders and grounded in formal study and extensive literature reviews:

In practice, that looks like:

• Listening with sincere curiosity (listen to understand, not to respond)
• Seeking to understand their perspective first
• Reading emotions and body language
• Entering another’s world without judgment
• Letting go of your own agenda (even briefly)
• Listening for what’s behind the words
• Reflecting back what you heard
• Taking meaningful, appropriate action

And, yes.  It can be learned.

What the Research Actually Shows
A systematic literature review on empathy in leadership review was recently published in Management Review Quarterly (download study here).  They demonstrate that empathy doesn’t lower standards—it increases the likelihood they’re met. 

Empathy doesn't just matter.  It's a performance driver.

The review identified nine categories of impact from empathic leadership.  Here’s what that means for you:

1.  Positive Emotional Climate & Culture
Leaders who use empathy foster a positive emotional culture at both the team and organizational levels that is characterized by joy, caring for others, pride, and gratitude.  What?  At work?  Yes!

This starts at the level of those you lead, through feedback (both positive and corrective) and how they perceive you. 

Culture isn’t created by values on a wall.  It’s created through moments and experiences.

Empathy shapes how people feel at work.  And those feelings drive engagement, attitude, and discretionary effort.

2.  Lower Turnover
Most exit interviews don’t tell the full story.

People stay where they feel seen.  Empathy—and the emotional culture from above—builds emotional connection where employees see themselves as part of the organization in a meaningful way and sense a stronger sense of belonging to the organization.  And that connection quietly drives retention.

3.  Stronger Performance
This one surprises many leaders.

Empathy doesn’t lower standards—it raises commitment.  When people feel heard and understood, they’re more willing to engage, stretch, and deliver.  

And the even bigger surprise?  Empathic communication has an even greater impact on follower performance in uncertain times or in uncertain industries.  That's something almost every leader could leverage today.

And it's not just individual performance that enhanced.  Empathy also positively impacts team performance—and that's an important part of any company's competitive advantage.

Empathic leaders contribute to higher job satisfaction, which directly influences energy, focus, and consistency.

It also positively impacts your leadership performance and effectiveness (see #8 below). 

4.  Better Relationships
This goes beyond “getting along.”

Empathy creates psychological safety; the foundation for honest conversations, productive conflict, trust, and real collaboration.  It fosters genuineness, effective communication,
comfort with the relationship, and that all facilitates development.

5.  Increased Wellbeing (and Reduced Burnout)
Wellbeing isn’t a perk; it’s a performance variable.

Empathy doesn’t remove pressure, but it changes how pressure is experienced.

When people feel heard and understood, stress becomes more manageable.  Without that understanding, even reasonable demands can feel overwhelming.

And, leader empathy positively impacts both physical (somatic) and mental wellbeing.

6.  Stronger Leader Effectiveness (and How You're Seen)
Here’s the reality:  Your intent doesn’t define your leadership.  Your people’s experience does.

Empathy shifts how you’re perceived: More credible, more trustworthy, more effective.  That's backed by the science.  They don't report this directly, but it seems to me that all of these elements of leader empathy impact your leadership presence. 

7.  Greater Sense of Fairness
Leaders often focus on making the “right” decision.

Empathy ensures people experience it as a fair decision and that you treat people impartially; and that perception drives trust more than policy ever will.  Empathy drives the perception that they are treated with dignity and respect.  

And it's not just about how followers perceive how they and others are treated.  It's also about how they perceive the information you put out and the decisions you make—what is known as informational justice. 

Are you providing even the bad news?  Do you explain the 'why' of your decisions and of those above you?  Do you explain how you realize information and decisions impact them?  Those that do drive a sense of fairness and organizational commitment; that positive culture highlighted above.

8.  More Effective Leadership Practices
Empathy sharpens core leadership skills:

• Communication becomes clearer
• Coaching becomes more relevant
• Conflict becomes more productive
• Ethical leadership practices

It’s not a separate skill.  It’s a force multiplier.

9.  Empathy Itself
When leaders consistently demonstrate empathy, they inspire empathy in others.  It's a positive feedback loop that can extend even beyond your team. 

You create an environment that fosters empathy all around, which loops empathy back to step one and culture.

The Bottom Line
Empathy isn’t soft.  It’s precision leadership.  

It allows you to accurately understand what’s happening beneath the surface and respond in a way that actually moves people forward.

And in a world where many leaders are still guessing…

That precision is a competitive advantage.

One Simple Place to Start
Most leaders don’t struggle with talking.

They struggle with this:

        Listen  →  Silent

That anagram (listen & silent have the same letters) alone can change a conversation... and a relationship.  One step in the effective empathic listening process is silencing yourself—not just your mouth, but your inner voice, thoughts, biases, and judgements.

That alone can change a conversation...  and a relationship.

If you are wondering about the 'how-to' of empathic listening, feel free to download my free Empathic or Active Listening Tool (just click) that I've been using it in personal and leadership development workshops for years.  It's not an end-all, but it hits the most important elements of empathic or active listening.

If you’re seeing any of these challenges on your team, it might be time to strengthen this skill.

There’s a moment—quiet, almost imperceptible—that shows up in our lives far more often than we realize.

It’s the space between stimulus and response.
Between what just happened… and what we choose to do next.

We tend to think of purpose as something grand.
A life mission.  A calling.  A legacy.

And it is.

But purpose is also far more immediate than that.

It lives in the smallest units of our lives: today… and this moment.

Years ago, my wife Leah and I found ourselves in one of those end-of-day, end-of-the-week conversations that had all the makings of going sideways.  You know the kind; fatigue is high, patience is low, and something small begins to escalate.

I could feel it building.

That familiar tightening in the chest.  The subtle pull toward being right rather than being present.  The moment where the evening—and maybe even tomorrow—hangs in the balance.

And then, a question surfaced in my mind: "What’s my purpose in this moment?"

Not “How do I win this?”
Not “How do I prove my point?”

But, "What’s my purpose right now?"

That single question created space.

Space to pause.
Space to choose.
Space to respond instead of react.

And somehow, we found our way to a better place.

Later that evening, sitting outside under the Texas live oaks, Leah turned to me and said, “You’re the most patient man I have ever known.”

Tears filled my eyes.

Because years earlier, a very different version of me would have created a very different outcome.

That’s the power of moment-by-moment purpose.

In purpose-driven leadership, we often begin with three foundational questions:

• Who am I?
• Why am I here?
• Why am I a leader?

These are essential.  They set direction.

But it’s the daily—and even momentary—questions that determine whether we actually live in those answers.

Why was I given today?
Asking ourselves this question every morning invites gratitude, perspective, and intentionality.  It narrows the broader "Why am I here?" to a focal-point on this day, right in front of me.

What's my purpose in this moment?
A question that recalibrates us in real time.

From a neuroscience perspective, these questions do something powerful.  They interrupt automatic patterns driven by the amygdala and re-engage the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thoughtful decision-making, empathy, and alignment with our values.

In other words, they bring us back to ourselves.

Not the reactive self.
The intentional one.

Leadership, at its core, isn’t built in the big moments we prepare for.

It’s revealed in the small ones we almost miss.

A conversation.
A reaction.
A breath.

And a question.

Because a purpose-driven life isn’t lived someday.

It’s lived today.
And ultimately…
it’s lived one moment at a time.

Burnout isn’t just feeling tired.  It’s a chronic depletion of energy, emotional exhaustion, detachment, and a profound sense of reduced accomplishment.  It’s personal.  So personal that you often can’t articulate it until you’ve lived it.

And today, burnout isn’t just a buzzword.

📊 The State of Burnout in 2025

Recent research shows burnout has reached staggering levels:

• Over two-thirds of American workers--about 66%—report symptoms of burnout in 2025, with younger generations hit hardest!
  
• Healthcare professionals, especially post-pandemic, continue to report elevated burnout, even as some improvement occurs when organizations proactively address wellbeing.
• Organizational stressors like workload, unclear roles, leadership communication, and insufficient support are major drivers of burnout across industries.

Burnout impacts not only individual wellbeing, but also patient safety, quality of care, retention, and organizational performance, especially in healthcare settings where chronic stress is nearly ubiquitous.

📍 Why It Matters—Especially Now

Burnout isn’t a personal failure.  It’s a response to prolonged, unrelenting stress—driven not only by workload, but by:

• Cognitive strain.  The mental effort required to manage fragmented systems, unclear expectations, and decision fatigue.
• Workforce pressures.  Labor shortages and resource constraints intensify stress across roles and industries.
• Cultural norms that glorify busyness and stigmatize rest.

Burnout doesn’t magically disappear with a weekend off.  It requires sustained, intentional strategies at both the individual and organizational level.

🧠 What Research Says About Preventing and Intervening on Burnout

1️⃣ Recognize Burnout Early
Burnout tends to build slowly, emotional exhaustion creeping in, detachment growing, and productivity slipping.  Leaders who normalize open conversations about stress and early warning signs give teams space to act before burnout becomes entrenched.

2️⃣ Build Organizational Systems That Protect Wellbeing
Recent trends emphasize structural solutions over superficial perks:

• Flexible work arrangements (e.g., flexible hours, hybrid options) reduce burnout risk.
• Psychosocial safety and clear roles lower stress and prevent overload.
• Meaningful communication and feedback from supervisors can reduce burnout and build trust.

Workplaces that treat burnout as a systemic issue—not an individual character flaw—see better outcomes.

That shift requires leadership courage.  For executive leaders and HR partners, this reframes burnout from a wellness initiative to a strategic imperative.  It means moving beyond resilience workshops and asking harder questions about expectations, staffing models, decision load, and cultural norms.  HR and senior leaders must co-own the environment they create, because burnout is rarely caused by a lack of grit.  It’s often caused by a lack of structural guardrails.

3️⃣ Invest in Mental Health & Support
Employee access to counseling, coaching, and wellbeing resources matters:

• Wellness programs and mental health days correlate with reduced burnout.
• Mindfulness and emotional regulation practices help individuals manage stress more effectively.
• Leaders trained in emotional support and psychological safety foster resilient teams.

But remember, these are helpful supports, not silver bullets.  They work best when embedded in a culture that genuinely values human wellbeing.

4️⃣ Rethink Work Itself
Burnout isn’t solved by incentives or snacks in the break room.  True prevention involves:

• Work redesign to minimize unnecessary cognitive load.
• Clear expectations and realistic workloads.
• Regular rest, not as an afterthought, but as a strategic element of performance.

In one sense, burnout is the brain telling us something is structurally wrong.  Leaders who listen and act can transform that warning into a turning point.

🧭 A Call to Compassionate Leadership

Burnout isn’t a personal weakness, it’s a professional and human reality we must meet with empathy, intelligence, and systems-level solutions.  Caring leaders don’t just notice burnout, they build environments where it is less likely to take hold.

Whether you’re a frontline clinician, a mid-career manager, or a CEO, burnout touches us all.  And the path through it starts with:

• Valuing dignity over busyness
• Creating systems that respect human limits
• Encouraging meaningful connection and rest
  

If you're a leader and leadership feels heavier, lonelier, or more unforgiving than it used to, this is not your imagination—and it's not a personal failing.

What is failing, quietly and at scale, are many of the assumptions we’ve held about leadership for years.  Recent research isn’t just offering helpful updates.  It’s issuing warnings.

Over the past six months, a series of global studies, academic papers, and large-scale organizational reports have converged on a sobering truth: The way we’ve designed, developed, and supported leaders is no longer keeping pace with reality.  And leaders are paying the price.

Here are five leadership studies that should stop you mid-scroll—and may change how you lead next week.

1. Leaders Are Burning out Faster Than Organizations Can Replace Them
DDI’s 2025 Global Leadership Forecast delivered one of the most alarming data points I’ve seen in years:  Seventy-one percent of leaders report a significant increase in their stress. From the study, "This marks a sharp escalation from 63% in 2022 and signals a critical inflection point for leadership stability."  The primary driver of that stress is time scarcity.  But I don't have to tell you that.  You feel it everyday.

They found that there is a direct correlation between time scarcity and burnout.  When leaders feel they have adequate time, their concerns about burnout decrease.  When you add into the equation that if a leader lacks the information and tools needed to effectively perform their roles  they are twice as likely to be concerned about experiencing burnout.

And 40% of these stressed leaders have seriously considered leaving their roles.  Not someday.  Now.

And we know that purpose is a significant driver of a whole host of metrics including financials, leader effectiveness, engagement, and retention.  The problem is that time scarcity and other factors are driving down frontline leader's sense of purpose.  They report a 20% decline in their sense of purpose compared to last year.  This leads them to report that they are 1.3 times less likely to believe their company makes a positive difference in the world and further adds to burnout.

And yet, a divergence is happening compared to C-suite leaders.  Their sense of purpose has been rising since 2020 with a 4% increase year over year.

This isn’t a workload problem.  It’s a sustainability problem.  Organizations are extracting more emotional labor, decision-making, and availability from leaders while giving them fewer recovery mechanisms.  The leadership role itself is becoming structurally unsafe.

Why this matters:  When leaders burn out, teams don’t just lose a manager.  They lose continuity, trust, and direction.  Burnout at the top quietly cascades downward.

How leaders can leverage this: Leaders who intentionally build reflection, clarity, personal grounding and purpose-driven leadership into how they lead—not just what they do—extend their effectiveness.  Leadership development that strengthens inner capacity, not just external skill, is no longer optional.

2. Trust in Leaders Isn't Declining—It's Collapsing
In 2022, nearly half of employees trusted their immediate manager.  By 2024, that number dropped to 29%.  That is not erosion.  That's free-fall.

And it's not just employees who have falling trust.  Only 32% of leaders expressed trust or confidence in their senior leadership.

Leaders are navigating polarization, fatigue, constant change, and heightened expectations—often without the time or space to process any of it.  The result is communication that feels rushed, reactive, or misaligned.  Trust breaks down not because leaders don’t care, but because people stop feeling seen.

Why this matters:  Trust is the currency of leadership.  Without it, even the best strategies stall.  Engagement dips.  Resistance rises.

How leaders can leverage this:  Leaders who slow down communication, lead with intention, and build relational credibility—especially in moments of stress—create trust even in unstable environments.  These are learnable, coachable behaviors, not personality traits.

3. Forced Return-to-Office Policies Are Costing Leaders More Than They're Gaining
One of the most cited and rigorous organizational studies of the past year was a randomized control trial involving more than 1,600 employees at Trip.com.  The authors found that a hybrid work schedule (three days in office, two remote) did not reduce productivity or career progression, while it significantly cut attrition rates (by about one-third).  The research, published in Nature, tracked performance reviews, job satisfaction scores, and quit rates over six months and found no evidence that hybrid schedules harmed outcomes traditionally tied to in-office work.

The conclusion was blunt:  Mandatory five-day RTO policies did not improve performance, but they did increase turnover risk.

Leaders who insist on fulltime office mandates often point to culture and collaboration as reasons.  But in this study, hybrid arrangements preserved performance and dramatically improved retention, especially among employees with long commutes or those historically more likely to leave.

Follow-up analysis from the NeuroLeadership Institute reinforces the findings.  While physical presence in the office increased with mandates, psychological safety and meaningful connection declined—reminding leaders that proximity is not the same as engagement.  Leaders were left managing disengagement they didn’t create but were expected to fix.

Why this matters:  When leaders are tasked with enforcing policies that contradict how people work best, they become the face of frustration. They risk eroding engagement and losing talent when they mandate full-time presence without evidence of performance benefits.  Productivity isn’t measured by physical proximity, but by output, retention, and psychological safety.

How leaders can leverage this:  Leaders who learn how to foster connection, accountability, purpose and clarity, regardless of location, regain influence.  This requires human-centered leadership skills, presence, empathy, and intentional dialogue—not proximity.

4. "Soft Skills" Are Carrying the Weight of Modern Leadership
Recent research into remote and hybrid leadership uncovered something quietly powerful.  The most effective leaders weren’t the most technologically adept.  They were the most self-aware.

Empathy, reflection, emotional regulation, and intentional communication consistently predicted stronger cohesion and performance.  Leaders who understood themselves were better able to stabilize others.  I present the latest research on self-awareness, leaders, and organizations and how to leverage it in the in-person version of the Purpose-Driven Leadership Program.

Why this matters:  In environments defined by uncertainty, people don’t look to leaders for answers alone. They look for emotional steadiness.

How leaders can leverage this: Developing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and human-centered leadership capacity allows leaders to show up with clarity and confidence.  These skills can be strengthened through intentional development and coaching—and they compound over time.

5. Organizations Are Hiring the Wrong Leaders for the Moment
A large-scale Harvard Business School study of nearly 5,000 CEOs revealed a costly pattern:  Organizations often hire leaders whose strengths don’t match what the business actually needs right now.

Visionary leaders are placed into stabilization roles.  Operational leaders are asked to drive disruption.  Performance suffers, not because leaders are weak, but because the fit is wrong.

Why this matters:  Leadership effectiveness is contextual.  There is no universally “strong” leader.

How leaders can leverage this:  Leaders who understand their own leadership orientation—and how to adapt it—are far more effective across changing conditions. Self-knowledge becomes strategic advantage.

The Bigger Message Beneath the Data
Taken together, these studies tell a clear story.

Leaders are being asked to be more human, more strategic and purpose-driven, more emotionally intelligent, more technologically fluent, and more resilient—at the very moment many are depleted and under-supported.

This isn’t a failure of effort.  It’s a failure of design.

Leaders who pause to reflect, develop their inner capacity, and lead with intention and purpose will not only survive this moment—they will shape what leadership becomes next.

And that may be the most important leadership work of all.

If you’re feeling the tension these findings describe, you’re not behind—you’re paying attention.  A thoughtful conversation can often clarify the next right step.

𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗿:
📞 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹: 346-291-0216
📧 𝗲𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹: [email protected]
🗓️ Schedule a Confidential Discovery Conversation

January invites leaders to ask a similar question, not just where we’re going, but how we choose to cross into what’s next.

Standing at the Doorway
January is named for Janus, the ancient Roman god often depicted with two faces:  One looking backward, the other forward.  Janus did not preside over a single domain or outcome.  He governed thresholds: Beginnings and endings, past and future, here and there. In short, doorways.
 
The Romans understood something many modern leaders forget:  How you cross from one season to another matters.
 
Leadership, after all, is rarely about standing comfortably in certainty.  It’s far more often about guiding people through the in-between—when what was no longer fits, and what’s next isn’t fully clear.
 
Janus reminds us that the most effective leadership requires both memory and imagination.

A Lesson from the Driver's Seat
When we drive, we don’t fixate on the horizon miles away or at the address to which we're headed on our GPS.  Nor do we stare endlessly into the rearview mirror.  We'd crash if we did.  We focus primarily on what’s right in front of us and alongside us, occasionally glancing back to learn, adjust, and stay oriented.
 
Leaders who spend too much time looking backward risk nostalgia, paralysis, and possibly a crash, of sorts.

Leaders who stare too far ahead for too long risk abstraction and loosing people with disconnection.
 
Effective leadership happens in the present moment, informed by the past and guided by the future—but grounded in the now.
 
Janus would make a terrible driver if he tried to use both faces at once.  His wisdom isn’t about simultaneity, it’s about balance.

Meaning Looks Back.  Purpose  Looks Forward
This is where meaning and purpose enter the conversation.
 
Meaning is drawn from the past.  
It’s shaped by experiences, values, relationships, and moments when something mattered deeply.
 
Purpose grows out of that meaning, but it lives in the present and points toward the future. Purpose answers the question:  Given what has mattered, how will I choose to lead now?
 
The doorway—the Janus space—is where meaning becomes purpose.
 
And leaders who skip that space often struggle to inspire others.

A Personal Threshold
The first time I intentionally led a team through meaning and purpose work was in 1994, in the Texas Hill Country.  I had recently been elected the first and founding president of the Southwest Texas Critical Incident Stress Management Team—a group of volunteers serving first responders across the San Antonio area.
 
No one was paid.  Incentives were nonexistent.  What was present was a shared desire to help others in moments of profound suffering and trauma.
 
I knew that if this team was going to work, we needed something deeper than good intentions.  So, I worked with them to schedule a two-day retreat at the Omega Retreat Center in Boerne, Texas.  Together—fire personnel, EMTs, psychotherapists, and volunteers who barely knew one another—we slowed down.  We listened.  We discovered who we were and what we stood for.
 
Out of that space emerged a shared team mission, vision, and values.
 
Years later, when I left the region, the team presented me with a piece of etched glass bearing that mission—words that still remind me that meaning, once named, has staying power.
 
That experience shaped the work I’ve done ever since.

Why This Matters Now
Today’s leaders are navigating constant change, fatigue, and pressure to “move fast.”  But speed without meaning leads to burnout.  Vision without reflection leads to drift.
 
The most effective leaders I work with—from the frontline to C-suite—know when to pause at the doorway.  They know how to help their teams: 

• Learn from the past without living in it 
  
• Plan for the future without escaping into it 
  
• Lead fully in the present with clarity and purpose 

This is the work of purpose-driven leadership. 

And it’s the work I love partnering with leaders to do.
 
If January has you standing between what was and what’s next, you’re exactly where Janus would want you:  At the threshold.
 
The question is not whether you’ll move forward.

It’s how you’ll lead others through the doorway.

Last week in a workshop, a senior leader paused mid-exercise, looked up at me, and said:

“Alan… I don’t think I’ve ever stopped long enough to ask who I really am or why I’m here.”

That moment hung in the air.  Everyone felt it.

It reminded me how easy it is for leaders, even the most capable, experienced ones, to drift.  Not because they’re careless.  But because the world keeps turning, the inbox keeps filling, and expectations never stop growing.

And yet… here you are.
Still showing up.
Still striving.
Still leading.

Even when you’re tired.
Even when the path isn’t clear.
Even when the demands feel bigger than your capacity.

You are still here.

But presence and purpose are not the same thing.
Many leaders “arrive” each day, but far fewer do so aware, centered, and aligned with who they are and why they do this work.

And that’s the real invitation of leadership—the inside-out work.

Why These Questions Matter
We grew up being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

But almost no one ever asked:
  Who do you want to be?
  What kind of impact do you want your life to have?
  Why were you put on this earth?

These questions may feel uncomfortable or even indulgent, but they are not.  They are deeply practical leadership questions.

Because when you know your Who and your Why:

• Decision-making becomes clearer
• Priorities align
• Courage grows
• Confidence rockets
• Communication sharpens
• Relationships deepen
• And your leadership resonates with authenticity instead of effort

In a noisy world, clarity is a competitive advantage.  In a turbulent world, purpose is stability.  In a demanding world, alignment is energy.

When You Lose Your Why, You Lose Your Way
Picture a pilot drifting a degree off course.  At first, nothing looks wrong.  But over hundreds of miles, the miss becomes massive.

The same is true for leaders.

Every time you say “yes” too quickly…
Every time you silence your instincts…
Every time you prioritize being busy over being intentional…
The drift grows.

Not because you’re weak, but because you’re human.

The good news?
You can always recenter.
Purpose is renewable.

Start With This
If you pause—truly pause—and ask yourself:

…what rises to the surface?

Here are three prompts to help you start:

1. When am I most alive, energized, or at my best?
   
2. What impact do I hope others would say I made with my life?
3. What values or beliefs feel non-negotiable for me as a leader?

Even five honest minutes with these questions can shift something in you.

No one’s going to force you to ask those tough questions of yourself and answering them takes time and can be uncomfortable.  So, many people choose not to.  To become an exemplary or great leader, however, it is an imperative.  As Drew Dudley wrote in This is Day One:

If You Want Help Doing This Work 
This is the heart of purpose-driven leadership.  It’s why I’ve dedicated my career to this work.

If you’re ready to explore your Who and your Why, or if you feel like you’ve drifted off your intended path, I’d love to support you.  I'm passionate about guiding leaders on that journey, like the senior leader mentioned above.  Sometimes all you need is a guide and a conversation.  

• The Purpose-Driven Leadership Program
  
• One-on-One Coaching
  
• The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI360)
  
• No-cost Discovery Conversation
  

Whether you’re crystal clear or feeling lost, remember this:
The world needs what only you can bring.
And you’re still here—which means your purpose is too.