How are you leading?

The past couple of weeks have been a lot.

- Work travel for me and my husband.
- A college visit to where our daughter is heading next year.
- Ankle surgery for the teenager. (She’s doing great!)
- An unexpected vet visit. (Archie is totally fine.)
- A packed work schedule on top of an already full plate.

Was I overwhelmed?
100%.

But here’s what these weeks reminded me:
Leadership isn’t about always being available.

The to-do list will eventually get done.

The emails will still be there.

We tell ourselves that everything depends on us.
And that if we step away, things will fall apart.

But if that’s true…

And everything does fall apart.

What does that say about how we’re leading?

Real leadership means building trust, systems, and habits that allow us to step back when it matters most.

Because in the end, what people remember isn’t how quickly we answered the email.

It’s how present we were when it counted.

So let me ask you:
Are you leading in a way that allows you to step away?