Here’s something that rarely gets talked about in leadership. You can be competent, disciplined, and strategic and still feel slightly off. Most leaders assume that feeling means something needs fixing. Better systems. Sharper execution. More effort. But this isn’t a strategy problem. It’s an alignment problem. When how you’re leading no longer matches what gives your work...
By now, the year’s started to apply pressure. Not in big ways. In small, real ones. A decision that needed an answer faster than expected. A conversation you didn’t plan for. A moment where people looked to you for certainty. That’s the brain under pressure. Planning happens when the brain is calm. Leadership happens when the brain is...
Every January, we make promises to ourselves with a kind of hopeful determination. And a few weeks later, most of those promises quietly fade. Not because we’re lazy. Not because we don’t care. But because our brain is designed to keep us where we’ve been, not where we want to go. This part...
You can feel it the moment you walk into a room. Some teams radiate ease — open energy, laughter, quick eye contact. Others? You can almost hear the tension. Every word is measured. Every silence feels heavier than it should. That’s not personality. That’s brain chemistry. When people feel safe, their brains release oxytocin — the...
Have you ever finished a day that looked full on paper— …but felt strangely empty? You showed up to every meeting. Answered every message. Even hit every target. Yet somehow, you ended the day wired but tired—like your mind ran a marathon that didn’t lead anywhere. That feeling has a name. It’s called the dopamine trap. Here’s what...
A few weeks ago, I watched a leadership team try to “fix” their collaboration problem. They booked more meetings. Added new tools. Set tighter deadlines. And guess what happened? The team stopped talking. Not out of rebellion — out of protection. Their brains went into what I call defensive efficiency: Do my job, say less, stay safe. It’s a...
This month, something extraordinary happened. We gathered for Merck’s Global Patient Day — patients, scientists, communicators, and leaders all standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a mural they helped create. A mosaic of hope. A story in color. A living symbol of why they do what they do. Every tile in that mural was...
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? If you’re like most people… you grab your phone. And in that moment, your brain is already set up for stress, distraction, and reactivity. Here’s why: in those first 20 minutes, your brain is in theta state — the same state hypnotherapists use...
I had to share this story—because if you’re a leader who values culture, this will hit home. We recently worked with Creapub, a family-owned company in Quebec City celebrating 50 years. But this wasn’t just a typical milestone event. Yes, they brought the whole team together. Yes, they honored their history. But what they...
Everyone’s talking about culture right now. “We need to rebuild connection.” “We need to walk our values.” “We need to reinforce trust.” But let’s be honest… Most culture work stays surface-level. And here’s what rarely makes it onto the PowerPoint: You can’t build an inclusive culture if your supplier list doesn’t reflect it. Yes, internal DEI initiatives matter. But...
