When Leadership Reaches a Crossroad: A reflection for leaders in the middle

I love leadership — because I love helping leaders.

Not the spotlight version of leadership. Not the polished, platform-driven kind. I love leadership because I love seeing people thrive. I love helping leaders carry responsibility with clarity, courage, and faithfulness — especially when no one is applauding.

That desire didn’t start with a brand or a content plan. Start Strong | Lead Well wasn’t something I set out to “build.” It emerged naturally from who I am and how I’m wired. I’ve learned something about myself over time: if I’m not positioned to help others, I’m not fulfilled. My purpose is tied to seeing people grow — spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and as leaders.

My life motto reflects that: So Others May Live.

That’s the heart behind this space.

How This Started (and Why I’m Reflecting Now)

By most standards, Start Strong | Lead Well is still very new. I began sharing these weekly reflections last year — not as a finished product, but as an offering. An experiment. A discipline of reflection meant to help leaders begin their week grounded and lead it well.

And because it’s new — and still emerging — this feels like the right time to pause and reflect.

That’s something leaders should do, especially early in a journey.

Reflection isn’t hesitation.
Re-examination isn’t weakness.
Sometimes it’s wisdom.

The Quiet Questions That Don’t Go Away

Leadership doesn’t always break down in crisis. Sometimes it slows down in quiet questions you can’t ignore anymore.

There comes a point when continuing the same way starts to feel less faithful than re-examining why you began in the first place.

This isn’t burnout.
It isn’t quitting.
It isn’t a lack of discipline.

It’s leadership pausing long enough to tell the truth.

The Question Beneath the Questions

If I’m honest, there’s a deeper question underneath all of this — one I’ve wrestled with privately for a while:

Am I helping leaders merely consume encouragement… or helping them carry leadership differently?

There are countless leadership voices online. Many are sharper, louder, more prolific, or more established. If Start Strong | Lead Well were to stop tomorrow, the internet wouldn’t notice. The algorithm would move on. Content would keep flowing.

And that realization isn’t discouraging — it’s clarifying.

Because this space was never meant to chase attention. It was meant to serve leaders.

Leading From the Middle

I deeply respect leaders who shape thinking through books and platforms. Their work matters. Their influence has shaped me, and I’m grateful for the mentorship they provide from a distance through their words and teaching.

But most of my leadership life hasn’t been lived on stages.

It’s been lived in the middle.

No bravado.
No gloss or glamour.
No spotlight.

Just responsibility. Day after day.

Reporting up. Caring down. Managing pressure. Solving problems. Navigating tension. Showing up for a team. Being present for a family. Answering to a boss. Carrying weight quietly.

And I believe there are leaders who need reflections from that place too — from the middle, where leadership is lived more than it is explained.

Not the Many — the One

Leadership isn’t always about reaching the many.

Sometimes it’s about being faithful to the one who needs encouragement right now.

That idea is deeply rooted in my faith. Jesus spoke about leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one — not because the many didn’t matter, but because the one did.

That’s something I’m realizing more clearly about Start Strong | Lead Well.

I’m not trying to go viral.
I’m not chasing scale.
I’m not building for clicks, likes, or applause.

I’m writing for the one leader who’s tired but still faithful.
For the one who feels the tension but keeps showing up.
For the one who needs clarity, not noise.

If that’s a small group, that’s okay.

Faithfulness has never required an audience.

Why I’m Sharing This

I’m not writing this to resolve the tension — but to name it honestly.

Because leaders everywhere are navigating similar crossroads. Deciding whether to continue, adjust, refine, or release. Wondering whether consistency is still aligned with calling. Asking whether what they’re building is truly serving others.

These are good questions.

And leaders don’t need more answers shouted at them. They need space to reflect.

That’s what this post is — and what I hope Start Strong | Lead Well continues to be: a quiet place for leaders in the middle to think clearly, lead faithfully, and remember why they began.

If this tension feels familiar, you’re not alone.

And you’re welcome here.

Leadership Begins at Home: Why Presence Shapes Everything You Lead

There’s a leadership truth I’ve come to appreciate more deeply with every season of life:

Your leadership at home shapes your leadership everywhere else.

Home is the place where your values are lived, not just stated.
It’s where trust is formed, where emotional stability is either reinforced or eroded, and where the people closest to you experience the truest version of your leadership.

Home is the foundation you lead from.

At the center of that foundation is presence — not proximity, not perfection, but intentional presence.

Presence that adapts as seasons change, but never disappears.

This past year brought new rhythms into our home. Our oldest stepped into adulthood, and presence began to take a new shape. It became shared Bible studies through an app, encouraging messages, and phone calls across the distance.

At the same time, this season opened space for deeper connection with our younger son and more intentional support for my spouse.

Different rhythms.
Same calling.

Be present for the people who matter most.

Scripture captures this truth with quiet strength:

“In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.”
— Proverbs 14:26 (ESV)

That word refuge matters.

A refuge is not built in moments of intensity.
It’s built through stability.
Through consistency.
Through leadership that can be felt, not just heard.

This is where leadership at home becomes leadership everywhere else.

Patrick Lencioni says it well:
“Great teams are built on trust. So are great families.”

Trust doesn’t come from grand gestures or perfectly executed plans.
It grows through everyday choices — the tone you set, the attention you give, and the rhythms you create.

As we look toward 2026, here are three practices that help leaders strengthen their leadership at home — and, by extension, every other place they lead.

1. Be Present

Presence is your most powerful form of influence.

Not because you are always physically nearby, but because when you are present, you are engaged. Listening. Paying attention. Not distracted.

Presence communicates value.

At home, people don’t need flawless leadership.
They need leadership that shows up — consistently and intentionally.

Presence looks different in every season.

Sometimes it’s time around the table.
Sometimes it’s a conversation before bed.
Sometimes it’s a message sent across the distance just to say, “I’m thinking about you.”

What matters most isn’t the format.
It’s the intentionality behind it.

2. Create Rhythms

Strong families aren’t built on intensity.
They’re built on rhythms.

Small, repeatable moments that anchor connection.

Rhythms reduce uncertainty.
They create predictability, safety, and shared expectation.

A weekly meal.
A standing conversation.
A consistent check-in.
A shared practice.

These moments don’t need to be elaborate. In fact, the simplest rhythms are often the most powerful because they’re sustainable.

Over time, rhythms do something remarkable:
they make connection feel normal — not forced.

And that sense of stability becomes the emotional foundation your leadership rests on everywhere else.

3. Speak Life

Words carry weight — especially at home.

Encouragement isn’t about hype or flattery.
It’s about naming what matters, affirming growth, and reinforcing identity.

When leaders speak life at home, they help build resilience.
They remind their family who they are — even when circumstances are changing.

Encouraging words don’t ignore challenges.
They help people face them with confidence.

And when encouragement is consistent, it becomes a quiet strength others carry with them long after the conversation ends.

As you prepare for 2026, remember this:

Your leadership at home is part of your leadership story.

When your home is strengthened, your leadership everywhere else is steadied.

This week’s Study Guide is designed to help you:

• reflect on your current rhythms

• strengthen intentional presence

• and begin shaping patterns that will carry into the year ahead

👉 Download the Week 3 Study Guide and continue building your 2026 Leadership Guidepost.